Metoprolol

Metoprolol

by Gemita - 2023-06-19 03:30:48

Are you having a communication breakdown with your doctors (hence your user name)?  Skipped, irregular heart beats are awful I well know and can make us feel anxious.

A pacemaker is used to treat bradycardia (a slow heart beat) and heart block.  Heart Block happens when the electrical impulses that tell our heart when to beat are delayed or blocked as they travel from the upper chambers to the lower chambers of the heart.  A pacemaker can treat both Bradycardia and Heart Block successfully but unfortunately it cannot "effectively" treat an arrhythmia, either a slow or a fast one.  Only medication and other treatments can help.  You have complete heart block so your need for pacing in the right ventricle at 92% will no doubt be appropriate for you.  

I am unclear whether you are more concerned about your symptoms from your irregular heart beats, or about pacing too much?   If you need pacing, you need pacing.  Your symptoms should take priority over your high pacing percentages which in your case, with complete heart block, seem to be necessary.  Your problem seems to be the palpitations (perhaps ectopic beats unless heart monitoring has identified another arrhythmia)?  

Metoprolol, like all beta blockers, will slow heart rate and reduce blood pressure if these are high.  Beta blockers are also used to calm any arrhythmias.  They can also be used for anxiety.  I find caffeine and alcohol can trigger palpitations as can dehydration, stress and lack of sleep.  What about you?

No the Metoprolol is not the root cause for your high pacing requirements/percentages.  Your high pacing requirements are caused by your complete heart block, so the pacemaker needs to work harder to keep you functioning well.  Yes a beta blocker like Metoprolol will bring your heart rate and blood pressure down, help calm any arrhythmia present and can affect (increase) your pacing requirements, but your high pacing percentages are primarily caused by your complete heart block, not the beta blocker. 

Electrical disturbances of the heart can worsen, improve, or stay the same depending on other health conditions, medication and lifestyle so we may need pacemaker adjustments from time to time.  I have found a higher lower rate limit of 70 bpm can often outpace some of my slower, pausing ectopic beats and prevent them from taking hold.  I hope your symptoms improve but if they do not, please try to speak to your doctor or find a doctor who can help you

Medication

by H van Dyk - 2023-06-19 08:03:20

This sounds very familiar to me. I know that most of the time the reason for skipped beats is innocently caused by alcohol, caffeine, some stress etc. If your blood pressure is ok then the betablocker is only there to lower and smoothen your heart beat. I am on Carvedilol, but I think Metoprolol (Selokeen) is better.

At one time I asked my pacemaker technician if the betablocker medication would hinder the pacemaker. He replied in a laconic way that the pacemaker would stick to the right ritme & pacing - no mather what betablocker medication...

Beta blockers

by AgentX86 - 2023-06-19 16:06:28

Beta blockers do slow the heart down, so naturally increase the atrial pacing rate.  The ventricular rate may increase because of the slower conduction but my question is "Who cares?".  The pacing percentage is what it is.

Love the Led Zep references

by crustyg - 2023-06-20 05:11:08

Reminds me of bulls**t bingo at work - how many nonsense management speak words will someone use in 5min.

I'm going to start counting how many song titles you put into your posts!  Surely there should have been a Hearbreaker, and Thank You! Hats off to .... you!

Or perhaps it's all in my over-active imagination and just a coincidence, but I Ramble on.

Best wishes.