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lj
03-02-2010, 08:05 PM
Hi everyone,

My EP doctor wants to start me on Carvedilol at 12.5 mg. twice a day since my Atenolol of 25 mg once per day is too weak to control my high burden of premature atrial contractions at 64% a day and atrial tachycardia. However, I'm not in heart failure and I already have very low blood pressure. Also, just minor activity esp. lifting or pushing can bring on intermittent shortness of breath, palpitations, or fatigue.
However, I've not yet diagnosed with any frank hypertrophy but am gene positive and Dr. Ashley at the HCM Center at Stanford Hospital will be seeing me in March.
My mother and 2 sisters who had HCM could never tolerate beta blockers and when the doctor tried to increase my Atenolol to 25 mg twice a day, I could hardly function and felt like a concrete block. I'm leary of betablockers since one of my sisters got heart block from taking sotalol and heart failure after taking flecanide (a sodium channel blocker).

He's not too familiar with HCM. He didn't like my idea to stay on the Atenolol 25 mg once per day but take 12.5 mg. at night when my premature atrial contractions are usually reduced significantly. But, I sent him a message to ask him for his reasoning for trying me on Carvedilol.

Any comments or suggestions are welcomed.

lj

Cynaburst
03-02-2010, 08:51 PM
As you point out, Carvedilol is a drug that is generally only used when there is also congestive heart failure. As far as I am aware, the only HCM patients who really ever take the drug are those in "end stage" or in the burned out stage of the disease.

There are lots of different beta blockers that can be tried which are more typically used in HCM, and there are also the calcium channel blockers verapamil and diltiazem. These alone or in combination can all help reduce palpitations.

If it were me, I would wait to make any changes until I saw Dr. Ashley, esp. since you already have an appt. coming up. He is really the one who should make the call and is most familiar with these medications.

Pam Alexson
03-02-2010, 09:05 PM
I agree with what Cynthia says.