Beta blockers are busted – what happens next?

reply to post by defcon5

Whatever you see in the article, do not misinterpret it as a reason to stop taking your Beta Blockers!...

Important advice! I for one won't be quitting my metoprolol anytime soon! ...

Beta blocker withdrawal kills.

However, I suspect that a different perspective on the study might just make a great case for personalized medicine. Fact is, drugs do not act the same in/on every patient - a beta blocker might treat heart failure effectively in one patient but cause it in another. ....Maybe the failures are cancelling out the successes, statistically speaking.

Beta blockers did not reduce the risk of heart attacks, deaths from heart attacks, or stroke according to the two recent studies referenced in the OP article. Earlier studies found that even though beta blockers are "beneficial" in heart failure, "mortality and morbidity remain high".

But does this mean beta blockers never work? Or does it mean that beta blockers do not work in the same way for everyone?

Remember - the findings are statistical. Perhaps we should condemn the idea of "blockbusters" with mega-billion dollar marketing potential, not beta blockers per se, and recognize that beta blockers do work for a specific (but substantially smaller) subset of patients.

reply to post by soficrow


I was researching the epigenomics and see that this is related to the nutrigenomics that I extensively studied. Epigenomics seems to be an explanation of the changes of genome that tags onto the genes. I think they used to call this junk DNA but I am not sure that they are the same thing. Nutrigenomics is about how to identify or adjust the diet to match the DNA, more of a solution than the condition. I guess I need to study epigenomics a little more but I sort of knew a lot about it already except for the name of it. Knowing where this genetic material is located is interesting, it answers a question I had.

Anytime you quit taking any longterm med there can be a problem with something major going wrong. I would never just quit taking a medication cold turkey. When getting off meds like this work with your doctor doctor. Beta blockers are a good medicine for some people, others have problems with them. If Beta blockers aren't right for you, ask your doctor about Ace inhibitors. Changing your diet can only help some people to not need these meds but not all people.. If a person has certain conditions they need to take meds.

reply to post by rickymouse

If Beta blockers aren't right for you, ask your doctor about Ace inhibitors.

I used to take an ACE inhibitor (Ramipril) but now take an ACE receptor blocker (Candesartan) along with a Beta blocker (Metoprolol). Beta blockers are used for a lot of things not just hypertension - for example, Metoprolol is also used for angina, heart attack, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia and congestive heart failure.

Unfortunately - ACE inhibitors tend to mask kidney degeneration - and kidney problems lead to heart problems. Pretty much sucks, but switching meds seems to give the body a break (different prion strains, imho. )

Angiotensin, formed in the blood by the action of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), is a powerful chemical that attaches to angiotensin receptors found in many tissues but primarily on smooth muscle cells surrounding blood vessels. Angiotensin's attachment to the receptors causes the muscle cells to contract and the blood vessels to narrow (vasoconstrict) which leads to an increase in blood pressure .

Good work.

Originally posted by usmc0311
Thanks for posting this. I take Metoprolol everyday for hypertension and tachycardia. I think after reading this I am going to ween myself off and try something natural. Reading this I had bells going off in my head. It explained alot for me. I wonder what my doctor will think of this when I go to see him next. I'll make sure I take a copy of the articl with me.

Tachycardia is serious over the long run, please ask your doctors before making decisions based on this thread. If the drugs work to reduce your heart rate, they are working for you, and your heart will run longer in this life.

Beta blockers never worked for me, I have to use an L-type Calcium channel blocker for my BP

Ask your doctor if heart failure is right for you!

www.dailymail.co.uk...

Originally posted by Bedlam
OTOH, inderal is just DUCKY for polygraphs, so it's got that going for it.

Protip: if you're ever going to have to be polygraphed, inderal greatly blunts that kneejerk reaction to questions. It can also be used to reduce the mind-body feedback that creates panic, if you know you're going to be in a situation that you find - intimidating. Like Christmas time in a shopping mall, which used to really creep me out.

Here's another Protip, and it's drug-free.........

Tightening your sphincter muscle during the control questions works too.