Failure in Atenolol taper off-HELP!!

[PVC man]

I am a 42 year old male with a 20+ year history of PVCs.  I have had workups and was told all was OK.  Get stress echo every year..last year on stress several PVCs ocurred..heart dr. said not a big deal.

  I was Rx'd 25mg of Atenolol about 4 years ago and it worked beautifully.  Recently, I increased my excercise (running slow pace 2-3 miles a day x 5 days a week) and I also tried tapering my dosage VERY SLOWLY.

The way I tapered was to increase time between dose 1 hour per week-VERY SLOW--well I was doing hunky dory-not really any PVCs at all and I thought i was a big shot--and then WHAM!!  

I was at 40 hours between doses and I suddenly started getting attacks of PVCs like in the past--sometimes 10 per minute for hours at a time..I IMMEDIATLEY went back to my old dosage 25mg x 24 hours but a week later I am still going NUTS.

What did I do to myself???  Anybody with a similar experience?? I'm going to call the cardiologist tomorrow...I was hoping not to just go on a higher dose?

Any ideas and/or simlar experiences?

Thanks you guys--the posts are amazing and its great to try and stick together--heaven knows everyone else thinks we're kooks!!

[PVC man]

Thanks for the suggestions and help guys.  Ticker tock its good to know us 42 year olds with PVCs since age 16 are sticking together.  Don't let that fall mess with your head.

Was wondering if anybody else tried to wean themselves off a B-Blocker and had similar problem?  

Doing a TINY bit better as attacks didn't start until 9PM tonight--was free of PVCs MOST of day.  Just now though my heart's doin' the jitterbug again.

Seeing my cardio's nurse prac. tomorrow...I will ask her and get back to you guys.  I have a feeling he's going to increase dosage...just the opposite of what I was trying to accomplish.  Just weird how I was PVC FREE while weaning off for weeks and then- kaboom!!

Good night all and be well!

[tickertock]

Thanks for your kind and thoughtful ways as always. The PVCs are about zero today so that's encouraging. I still have a stiff neck from the fall but even that is doing better. I have to be very careful and thankful with my condition( ankylosing spondylitis) that I was not more hurt. I'm about 6 to 10  times more likely to break my neck in car crash than the normal person according to stats , That's a bit scary!! I get weak legged at times and thats what happens, anyways I don't let it keep me down, went walking the beach at 6 this morning to keep the stiffness at bay. Take care and be well.

[Momto3]

I noticed in your post that you fell yesterday.  Now, we'll have no more of that!  Hope you are doing OK.  Take it easy so as not to aggravate the injured area.

Must be something in the air.  I also took a crazy fall.  About 6 weeks ago, I was walking the dog and stepped aside for a jogger, tripped over the dog and SLAM onto the concrete.  Didn't seem to set off any unusual pvcs, but I can sure understand what is meant by bruised ribs now!  OUCH!!

Hope you are doing well and enjoying the summer.

Had my semi-annual checkup and echo and everything remains stable.  Whew!  PVC's appear now and again, but nothing to write home about.  Let's home they stay dormant : )

Take care!
connie

[tickertock]

The only beta blocker that have proarryhthmic effects are sotalol (betapace). While beta blockers can cause a slow heartrate or even increase PVCs or PACs in some whose PVCs & PACs are bradycardia dependent, they don't cause dangerous proarryhthmia. Beta Blockers are the only line of drugs to date that shown a definite decrease in the mortality rate in persons that have had a heart attack or known CAD. It is suggested they are underused.

[wildcat27]

I hear you...I came off cardizem (which I understand is not as potent/heavy as atenolol) last month because I was hearing so much about the negative effects of blockers and proarryhthmia. Since then I have had terrible bouts of PVCs, some runs of either NSVT or SVT, and a really weird scary tach last night while playing softball.

I would consult your cardio and get hooked up with a good EP...but from my experience it seems like just coming off a "minor" blocker like cardizem can have a big effect on number of PVCs.

Let us know how you make out.

[cat33]

I just remembered being hooked up to the holter moniter . It would monitor my bp every 20 minutes and I could only take it off to shower. When I was able to I was supposed to write down what i was doing at the time it went off. I wore this thing for 5 days and when I wore it the battery pack was big and heavy. Any way at that time they told me I had PVC every time i walked into a doctors officed no matter what kind of doctor or nurse. My diagnoses was white coat syndrome so they gave me a priscription for a bp monitor.  HEY MAYBE YOU SAW SOMETING INTERESTING AND IT STUCK IN YOUR BRAIN. JUST KIDDING I KNOW THIS IS SERIOUS FOR YOU.


BEST WISHES TO YOU cat33

[cat33]

I  have  not been diagnosed with pvc but really high blood pressure usually 180/80. I am a female and have been taking atenolol for many years 200mg a day . I read somewhere on the net that after 100mg it really does nothing. I recently went from 20mg of benazapril to 40mg as well as the 200mg of atenolol. Hasen't seemed to make any difference. I really don't think your decreasing it the way you did should have affected you maybe something else like your activities did it. It seems after taking the meds. they stop working the way the should. and beleive me ive been on so many different meds. I'V lost count. BEST WISHES TO YOU

[tickertock]

WOW, I'm 42 year old male with an history of PVCs & tachycardia for over 20 years, only thing I take atenolol 25mg x4 times daily thats 100mg daily. It helps me alot combined with cozaar 25mg x2 daily and HCTZ 12.5mg daily.I also have HTN which is controlled. If a medicine works and there is no intolerable side effects, stick with it and don't tapper without the advice of your cardio/doc.

I suffered a pretty bad fall yesterday and today was about the most I been bothered by PVCs in about 5 years, I figure I had well over a hundred in the last 12 hours but they were all sporadic and well spaced, wondered if the fall I had from about a 4 foot step flat on my back didn't shake the ole ticker up a bit.Hope it will settle down soon, luckily I dont think I broke anything. I just couldn't help but notice we're the same age and had PVCs for over 20 years.

Mine usually are episodic occurring every 3-4 years in 1000s daily for weeks to months, then disappearing with only the odd one now and then, I been on a 5 year run that I haven't really been bothered that much by them, today has been the most I had in 5 years and even this didn't bother me that much, I don't fear them that much anymore, i just find them so uncomfortable.Chances are your episode will soon subside. Good luck , keep us posted.