Onwards with our look into blood pressure medications… What if your blood pressure is high and your doctor suggests that you take a medication called a beta blocker? What do these drugs block and what do you need to know about them?
Beta blockers are so called because they block the effects that epinephrine (adrenaline) has on our bodies beta receptors. They decrease the heart rate and help dilate and open up blood vessels and increase blood flow.
This class of medications is used to treat high blood pressure as well as heart failure, arrhythmias, glaucoma, migraines, anxiety, tremors and hyperthyroidism. Some common types of beta blockers include: acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta, Monocor), carvedilol (Coreg), metoprolol, nadolol (Corgard) and propranolol (Inderal).
Propranolol, the first beta blocker, was developed in the early 1960s by a Scottish scientist Sir James W. Black. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine/ Physiology in 1988 for his work. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1988/press.html Interestingly, he also developed the first H2 receptor antagonist, cimetidine, for which anyone who has ever suffered from heartburn or a stomach ulcer should be eternally grateful.
These drugs are generally well tolerated but possible adverse effects to watch for include tiredness, cold extremities, blurry vision, dizziness, headache, light-headedness, insomnia, depression, mood changes, vivid dreams, loss of libido, gastrointestinal changes, dry mouth and swelling of the ankles and feet. This is quite a list, those beta receptors of ours are everywhere.
Beta blockers are not as effective in black people for some reason, can make allergic reactions worse, can exacerbate asthma and temporarily increase triglycerides (fats in the blood). They should not be stopped abruptly.
With all medications we take, a MINDBODY approach stresses that we pay attention to the specific effects a particular drug or chemical has on our unique MINDBODY!
Keep your pressure DOWN and your spirit UP!
DrMindBody
*** MINDING YOUR BODY; EMBODYING YOUR MIND! ***
