Beta blockers

These prescription drugs are frequently utilised to address significant blood tension when other medicines have not labored.

By Mayo Clinic Team

Beta blockers, also regarded as beta-adrenergic blocking brokers, are remedies that reduce blood force. Beta blockers do the job by blocking the outcomes of the hormone epinephrine, also known as adrenaline.

Beta blockers cause the heart to defeat far more slowly but surely and with much less power, which lowers blood stress. Beta blockers also support widen veins and arteries to increase blood movement.

Illustrations of beta blockers

Some beta blockers largely impact the heart, even though other people have an effect on both the coronary heart and blood vessels. Your health care provider will choose which beta blocker is ideal for you dependent on your well being disorders.

Illustrations of beta blockers taken by mouth include things like:

  • Acebutolol
  • Atenolol (Tenormin)
  • Bisoprolol (Zebeta)
  • Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
  • Nadolol (Corgard)
  • Nebivolol (Bystolic)
  • Propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran XL)

When beta blockers are used

Beta blockers are not proposed as a first treatment method in individuals who have only superior blood pressure. Beta blockers usually are not typically prescribed for higher blood strain unless other remedies, these as diuretics, haven’t labored very well. Also, a medical doctor may well prescribe a beta blocker as a person of many medications to reduced blood tension.

Beta blockers may well not work as properly for black individuals and older men and women, primarily when taken without the need of other blood pressure medicines.

Beta blockers are applied to stop, take care of or make improvements to signs in people today who have:

  • Irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
  • Heart failure
  • Upper body ache (angina)
  • Coronary heart attacks
  • Migraine
  • Specific kinds of tremors

Your health practitioner may prescribe beta blockers along with other drugs.

Aspect outcomes

Prevalent facet results of beta blockers can include things like:

  • Cold fingers or ft
  • Exhaustion
  • Fat acquire

Less typical facet consequences involve:

  • Melancholy
  • Shortness of breath
  • Issues sleeping

Beta blockers generally usually are not utilised in folks with asthma since of issues that the medication may perhaps cause critical bronchial asthma attacks.

In people today who have diabetes, beta blockers could block indicators of reduced blood sugar, this sort of as rapid heartbeat. It really is essential to test your blood sugar on a regular basis if you have diabetes and you’re getting a beta blocker.

Beta blockers can also impact cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They can lead to a slight rise in triglycerides, a variety of extra fat in the blood, and a modest minimize in very good cholesterol, or superior-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. These variations normally are short term.

You shouldn’t abruptly quit having a beta blocker since carrying out so could maximize your threat of a heart attack or other heart challenge.