[Anonymous]

#1045263

Yes, Charleen I get that same feeling. It is really weird. I have also been getting the same feeling in my right arm.

Ree

[Anonymous]

#1138666

I hope no one thinks I am stupid for asking this but…what is beta blockers? I have never been on beta blockers and my previous endo has never mentioned anything about them to me. What do they do? Maybe I should be on them. I have never been prescribed anything except for PTU. I swear I have learned more form this BB than I have ever learned from my other DRs. Any info would be appreciated.
Tracy

[Anonymous]

#1138667

I do not understand precisely what kind of drug a beta blocker IS, but what they do is help alleviate some of the hyperthyroid symptoms. Not all patients need to take them. It depends upon the symptoms you have, and how severe they are. Beta blockers are drugs that are given the heart patients, typically, from what I understand, although I had a neurologist prescribe them for me for the tremors that I developed, that turned out to be from Graves. Anyway, the beta blocker slows down the rapid heart beat, and does alleviate the tremors we get from too much thyroid hormone. They do nothing, however, to lower thyroid hormone in the blood, and there are some patients who should NOT take them, due to other medical considerations. Asthmatics are one group who are warned about taking beta blockers, for one thing. Whatever the action of the B.B. is, it makes TREATING a severe asthma attack significantly more difficult.

Bobbi — NGDF Asst. Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1138668

This is a timely questions, because beta blockers are in the news today re possible links to diabetes risk when used to treat hypertension. If you want a very technical answer, just look up a particular one, say tenormin, on a drug site. I have been on that for many years, originally for my essential hypertension, but it did help me while hyper. The action is to block the beta receptors of the autonomic nervous system. It therefore relaxes vessels, and decreased blood pressure, slows the heart rate, and calms the shakiness of graves. It is also used for the same reason to prevent vascular headaches/migraines, and treat essential tremors. I have had no side effects from taking it. In graves, it can help symptoms of being hyper while waiting for treatment to work, I hear many people mention propanolol as one commonly used,or atnenolol(tenormin) My hyperthyroid cat and I share my atenolol prescription, he takes 1/8 pill a day, I take 1 and 1/2!
As for if you need to be on it, do you have a high heart rate or shakiness? If you do, it may be worth asking you MD. Even the best doctors miss obvious things occasionally.
Mag

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