Lightheadedness

[AnjelicaJones]

Since my friend was diagnosed with HOCM back in March (purely by accident), I've been doing everything I possibly can to educate myself on a condition I never knew existed before. This message board has been paramount in this endeavor.

Every chance I get, I read all the posts that have been submitted by all its members, and I am finding a recurring theme when it commes to medication, especially. Lightheadedness!

Before my friend's hospitalization for severe flu-like symptoms last March, he never felt lightheaded. Ever since he started the Atenolol treatment, he's always complaining of lightheadedness, sometimes even dizziness. I am very skeptical of the beta blockers that most of you are taking. I wonder if lightheadedness is not a side-effect of this drug that is used to relax the heart, and decrease the heart rate.

Any thoughts on this? Does anyone else suspect the same thing?

[LindaSo]

Yes Angelica, this is a well documented side effect of Atenolol. Here is a reference for you regarding Atenolol. Remember, every drug has side effects. Some are easy to live with, others are a bit more of a challenge.

http://www.drugs.com/atenolol.html#side-effects

[gfox42]

Well . . . too much beta blocker can certainly cause light-headedness, but then, so can too little.

Light-headedness is caused by too little blood to the brain. This can be caused by high blood pressure. Or low. Rapid pulse. Or too slow a pulse. Or arrhythmias. The point is that many things about the heart can cause light-headedness, and it's not surprising that all of us are pretty familiar with the feeling.

The trick with beta blockers and HCM is to slow down the heart rate just enough to give the left ventricle a chance to fill. Too little, and the blood output will tend to be inadequate, causing light-headedness. Too much, and . . . well, you can see where this is going: light-headedness.

I am definitely NOT suggesting that your friend should just live with it. In fact, your friend should talk with their cardiologist about it.

One other comment: it's also not surprising that someone starts noticing more light-headedness after being diagnosed with HCM. I know that before I was diagnosed, I really denied many symptoms. "Oh, that? That's normal -- my body has always done that!" Now I know that many of those things, like light-headedness and palpitations, are actual symptoms, not normal things that should be expected.

Gordon

[AnjelicaJones]

If this is a documented side-effect, why is it that most doctors deny it?

My friend mentioned it to both Dr. Wigle, and Dr. Lever, and they both brushed it off. The ear and the neck were the more likely causes of the lightheadedness according to them.

I'm no heart specialist, but it seems to me that before we start investigating the ear and the neck, it is the Atenolol that is the most likely culprit.

Gordon, your theory makes a lot of sense. How do we find the right dose? How does my friend figure out if 25mg is too little or too much? I also know that tapering off the drug causes side effects, including...you guessed it... lightheadedness.

It seems to be a classic case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't".

[Cynaburst]

There are different kinds of lightheadedness. The kind that comes from the inner ear is more like a spinning sensation. Lightheadedness from the heart is more like weakness or feeling like you are going to faint from insufficient blood flow.

[gfox42]

Sorry -- I replied to your original post without remembering your earlier posts. My fault!

Cynthia's absolutely right. What we usually call "dizziness" is really two different things. Lightheadedness is the feeling that you get before you faint, though usually it's not that severe. Vertigo is the feeling that the room is spinning around you.

If I recall correctly, what you've described here before is vertigo, not light-headedness. It makes a difference, because vertigo isn't caused by heart problems or atenolol. And that's a good reason to be looking elsewhere -- in particular, at the inner ear.

What I said before about light-headedness is true, but it doesn't sound (from rereading your post on 9/21) as though that's your friend's symptom.

Gordon

[thomasstuart]

Causes of lightheadedness:
1. Blood pressure.
2. Irregular Heart Rate.
3. Stress.
4. Vertigo.
5. Light-headedness could be a symptom of a severe or chronic medical condition.

[Sharlene]

I noticed you have acai berry at the bottom of your list - does it have a positive effect on lightheadedness?

[Cynaburst]

According to WebMD:

"People eat acai berries to address various health conditions. But so far, acai berries have no known health benefit that’s any different than that of other similar fruits."

http://www.webmd.com/diet/acai-berries-and-acai-berry-juice-what-are-the-health-benefits