Bradycardia, PVC's and Beta Blockers?

[dixie50]

My doctor says my EKG shows regular PVC's and slow pulse. He says I have a "regularly irregular heartbeat". He is considering using Beta Blockers to control the PVC's. I thought Beta Blockers were used for Tachycardia - not Bradycardia. I am confused. He has also mentioned a pacemaker. Can you shed any light on the subject? Thanks very much. Dixie

[kenkeith]

"Regularly irregular heartbeat" indicates an irregular heart rate and beta blockers are a regimen to stablize the heart rate.

Patients who have benign but strongly symptomatic PVCs often have a difficult choice to make – living with the PVCs and the palpitations they cause, or trying frequently ineffective and often toxic antiarrhythmic drugs. If drug therapy is chosen, then appropriate precautions can reduce (but not eliminate) the risk of irreversibly bad outcomes.

You don't indicate if your condition is disruptive!  If the co ndition is disruptive, suppressing PVC's with antiarrhythmic drugs becomes a reasonable consideration.

You should know or have been told  PVCs themselves are not dangerous, but  drugs potentially are. So there is a certain amount of risk in relying on drugs.  You are correct precautions should be taken, and the risk/benefit should be a consideration and an agreement with your doctor on this point.  If a pacemaker is being considered by your doctor, then the doctor must believe the risk for arrhythmia and possibly cardiac arrest is significant.  Or (s)he may be protecting himself from  malpractice.