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acebutolol

How many of you are on this medication?  I have read on numerous boards that this really seemed to help people with PVC/Pac/s.  My cardio "poo poo'd" the idea, saying it was an old drug.  I'm thinking about making an appointment with my primary care doctor, and asking if we could at least give it a try.  I'm so tired of living with these darned things!

If you are on it, please post here.  Then I will print it out and take it to my doctor.
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Avatar universal
Stay on the acebutolol. It will not hurt you and worth the try to stop pvs.
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Avatar universal
If you have a slow heartbeat it will make it slower. M pulse was in the 30s and had to have a pacemaker to bring back my heartbeats into the 80s.I started to having pvs very bad. The doctor that put in my pacemaker put me on acebutolol 200 mg twice a day. It stopped my pvs for about 6 years then my pacemaker battery went dead and had to have a new pacemaker and my pvs started again. My doctor raised my acebutolo to 400 mg twice a day. Now no pvs for the last week. It is the only medicine that has stopped my pvs. If you have a very slow heartbeat because of pvs i would recomend a pacemaker and acebutolol. My pacemaker was set for 80 beats per minute and it stays in the 80s without any pvs.
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1839422 tn?1319661709
I was wondering if you came off the acebutolol?  I have just started taking it but dont want to be it forever.. I started yesterday and am having a few pvcs today.  its seems to be helping though.  

Any input would be great.
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Avatar universal
I was just trying to help by posting that info. I have of course copied the information from journal abstracts, mainly found on pubmed, which are in the public domain. That is no secret!
This is my first time checking into the forum for years. I am still on 200mg acebutolol daily with minimal PVCs, 0-10 per day usually, which doesn't bother me at all. I'd like to come off the acebutolol as I want to take a sleep aid (diphenydramine) and can't take the two drigs together. Just hoping the PVCs don't come back with a vengeance. Hope everyone is as well as can be expected.
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Avatar universal
You past the same thing whenever someone asks about acebutolol !!!, I know where you copy that that from!.  My cardio dr said he would never perscribe it for pvcs only because it dosnt slow the heart rate down and thats the whole idea of a beta blocker. He offered to give it a go but i turned it down.. I dont doubt you guys are feeling results but when you have to take 400mgs 3 times a day to get results if any i most people, you have to weigh in the toxic effect that are going into your body, theres always side efects  
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Avatar universal
I got the results of my first holter since starting acebutolol this week. 0 PVCs,  0 PACs. My cardio was amazed at how well it worked as my previous holters were in the high hundreds or thousands.
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Avatar universal
I started taking it 6 months ago for PVC's I've had for 20 years. I take 200 mg a day and it works great. My doc told me that this is really the only drug that is truly meant for what I have, so I'm thrilled. I'm an extreme athlete and the only drawbacks are that I have a little trouble getting my heart rate to go into my target zone (over 140) for any period of time, my resting heart rate is in the 50's usually, at times dropping to 38, and it causes poor circulation so my feet/hands get colder easier.
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Avatar universal
I personally haven't had any side effects except for my feet feeling even colder than usual. I think with acebutolol the side effects are the  same as other beta blockers although there was a case of alopecia mentioned in one of journal abstracts (I didn't post them all). How are you doing now? Have your PVCs settled down yet? Did you increase your meds again?
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Avatar universal
Any significant side effects?
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Avatar universal
Acebutolol therapy for ventricular arrhythmia. A randomized placebo-controlled double-blind multicenter study.
De Soyza N, Shapiro W, Chandraratna PA, Aronow WS, Laddu AR, Thompson CH.

The safety and efficacy of acebutolol in suppressing ventricular ectopy was evaluated in 60 males (average 59 years) using 24-hour Holter recordings and a double-blind, randomized, crossover protocol. Acebutolol, 200 mg and 400 mg thrice daily, was compared with placebo. Only patients who had a mean of at least 30 ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) per hour on three 24-hour control Holter recordings were included. Analysis of Holter recordings revealed greater than 70% reduction in VPCs/hour from control levels during acebutolol therapy in over 50% of the 60 patients; dose-related reduction in the mean number of single and paired VPCs and ventricular tachycardia episodes (p less than 0.05) by acebutolol; and significant, asymptomatic reduction in resting heart rate and blood pressure. All side effects were transient. Acebutolol was discontinued because of side effects in one patient only.
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Reduction of ventricular ectopic beats with oral acebutolol: a double-blind, randomized crossover study.
Lui HK, Lee G, Dhurandhar R, Hungate EJ, Laddu A, Dietrich P, Mason DT.

The antiarrhythmic efficacy of oral acebutolol, a new cardioselective beta-blocking agent, was assessed in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Twenty-five patients with greater than or equal to 30 ventricular ectopic beats (VEB) per hour on three control ambulatory monitorings were studied. Mean VEB reduction from the control period was 35% with placebo and 45% and 50% with the use of acebutolol 200 mg and 400 mg, respectively. Eleven patients had greater than or equal to 70% reduction in VEB with acebutolol and nine of them had greater than or equal to 90 VEB reduction. Among these 11 patients, the mean VEB suppression was 51% after placebo but significantly higher following the two doses of acebutolol at 71% (p less than 0.05) and 86% (p less than 0.01). The mean reduction of paired VEB compared to placebo was 71% (p less than 0.05) and 75% (p less than 0.01) following 200 mg and 400 mg of acebutolol and only 49% after placebo. Complete suppression of paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia was also noted in five patients. Mean PR interval only increased slightly when patients took 400 mg of acebutolol, but there was no significant change in either the QRS or QTc intervals. A significant decrease in heart rate from that during control periods was noted after acebutolol. No significant adverse reactions were noted during the study. Acebutolol appears to be an effective and well-tolerated antiarrhythmic agent in the treatment of VEB and higher grades of ventricular ectopy.
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Avatar universal
Comparison of acebutolol and propranolol therapy for ventricular arrhythmias.

Platia EV, Berdoff R, Stone G, Reid PR.

The effects of acebutolol, a new investigational cardioselective beta blocker, and propranolol on ventricular arrhythmias were compared in 14 patients with more than 30 premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) per hour. Each patient served as their own control, receiving both drugs and placebo in random sequence and in double-blind fashion, with an intervening one-week, drug-free period. Each drug was given for a two-month period, the maximum acebutolol dosage reaching 600 mg tid and the maximum propranolol dosage 80 mg tid. Seventy-two-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring assessed arrhythmia frequency for each study period. Mean PVC counts did not significantly differ during the two control periods. Acebutolol decreased mean PVC count by 65% (P less than .02), with eight patients exhibiting a 70% or greater decrease. Only three patients exhibited a similar decline with propranolol. The incidence of PVCs was not significantly decreased by propranolol. Acebutolol reduced the number of couplets by 70% (P less than .04), whereas propranolol did not significantly affect couplets. At the dosage of 600 mg tid, acebutolol was well tolerated, effectively suppressed total PVCs and couplets, and appeared to be more effective than propranolol administered at 80 mg tid.

Suppression of premature ventricular contractions by acebutolol.
Gradman AH, Winkle RA, Fitzgerald JW, Meffin PJ, Stoner J 3rd, Bell PA, Harrison DC.

The antiarrhythmic action of the beta-blocking drug, acebutolol, was evaluated in patients with frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). In the 12 hours following administration of a single 300 mg oral dose, 8 of 10 patients showed a greater than 50% reduction in PVC frequency, and statistical analysis indicated that PVC reduction persisted for 10 hours after the single dose. Analysis of plasma concentrations of acebutolol and an acetyl metabolite indicated that after single oral doses of plasma concentrations of the metabolite exceed those of unchanged acebutolol. When patients were studied during periods of 300 mg doses every 8 hours, eight of 11 showed a 70% reduction in PVC frequency, and analysis showed that the therapeutic effect was present throughout the 24-hour monitoring period. Acebutolol slowed the heart rate and prolonged the PR interval without affecting the QT interval. Significant clinical or laboratory toxicity was not encountered. In the small group studied, acebutolol was found to be safe and effective for short-term administration to patients with frequent PVCs and possessed a relatively long duration of antiarrhythmic action.


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Avatar universal
I am on acebutolol and I have had a dramatic reduction in PVCs from  600ish down to between 0-40 per day. There are several studies published in medical journals showing that acebutolol can cause a statistically significant decrease in PVCs. However I think this is only in about 50% of people; the rest ahve no improvement or may actually have increased symptoms.
The doses usually required to achieve a therapeutic effect care are alot higher than I take.  In one study 400mg three times per day was required to produce a 70% reduction in PVCs (in people with very frequent PVCs). I only take 200mg once per day but this probably wouldn't work for most. I just figured it was worth a try but didnt expect it to work as my PVCs got worse on propranolol. I just told my GP I wanted to try it. He had never heard of it but looked it up and wrote me a prescription. So glad I tried it.

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