Beta Blockers Explained: Can They Help Your Heart?

Beta-blockers are medicines typically used to manage and treat heart complications like hypertension (high blood pressure), chest pain and congestive heart failure. Sometimes, people who recently had heart attacks also take beta-blockers to ward off the possibility of heart attacks in the future.

What you need to know:

What are beta-blockers?
Types of beta-blockers
Benefits of beta-blockers
Beta-blockers side effects

What are beta-blockers?

Beta-blockers are often considered one of the most vital medications cardiologists prescribe. They are mainly used to treat heart and circulation-related complications. Sometimes, they are also used to treat the nervous system. Beta-blockers are responsible for slowing down cell activities in your body, resulting in controlled blood pressure and heart rate. Here are some other health conditions that can be treated using beta-blockers:

Anxiety and stress
Glaucoma
Hyperthyroidism
Tremors

Importance of beta-blockers in medical treatment

Beta-blockers, also known as beta-adrenergic blocking agents, help block stress hormones from releasing adrenaline in specific areas of the body. This results in a slower heart rate and a reduced blood pump rate. In addition, beta-blockers also block angiotensin II that kidneys produce, resulting in wide blood vessels that lower blood pressure.

Types of beta-blockers

Types of beta blockers - Benefits of beta blockers Typically, beta-blockers are used to aid in your heart’s ability to slow down, which also lowers your blood pressure levels and eases heart rhythms.

While some beta-blockers work on the heart only, other beta-blockers also affect your blood vessels. Here are some of the most commonly prescribed beta-blockers:

Acebutolol
Atenolol
Esmolol
Bisoprolol
Carteolol
Nadolol
Propranolol

Take beta-blockers as prescribed by your doctor. Irregular intake of beta-blockers can harm your overall health.

Conditions that beta-blockers can help manage

Beta blockers benefits Here are some of the diseases that you can treat and manage by taking beta-blockers:

Tachycardia- Extremely high heart rate. (Over 100 beats per minute)
Chronic hypertension- High blood pressure that affects the arteries in your body.
Coronary artery disease- Significant damage in your heart due to buildup of plaque in arteries
Atrial fibrillation- irregular heartbeat
Heart failure- the inability of the heart to pump blood around the body
Angina- chest pain due to the narrowing of arteries supplying the heart

Benefits of beta-blockers

Here are some of the other benefits that beta-blockers feature:

They prevent your kidneys from eliminating calcium through urine.
Blocks stress hormones, which leads to bone thinning over time.
Beta-blockers slow your heart rate and relieve pressure on your heart. This is done by binding the beta receptors and preventing the adrenaline and stress hormones from releasing.

Beta-blockers side effects

Here are some side effects of taking beta-blocker medications in the long term:

Tiredness
Cold hands and legs
Headaches and migraine
Digestive issues
Constipation
Dizziness
Breath shortness
Depression and anxiety
Unstable sleep cycle

If you take a larger dose by accident, you may experience

Shortness of breath for a long time
Disorientation in vision
Inconsistent heartbeats

Can I stop taking beta blockers suddenly?

Always talk to your doctor before stopping a medication suddenly. If you stop taking beta-blockers abruptly, you might experience certain health complications, such as:

Elevated BP (blood pressure) levels
Chest pain (angina)
Heart palpitations

Speak to your doctor if you experience any such symptoms

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