What LindaT experienced is what my first experience was with
betablockers. My first Internist gave me Lopressor 100mg and wanted
me to take it a couple of times a day. My heart rate shot down from 128 to
the low 60’s and I became weirdly, hauntingly depressed in the most creepy
sort of way. I stopped it cold turkey and ended up in the ER.
When I switched to a different Internist, I was too
terrified to try a different beta blocker. It took him 2 1/2 months
of me crying about my palpitations, etc, to convince me to try Inderal.
He said the key is to start with a low, low dosage and bring the
heart rate down gradually…that should stop the chance of becoming
really depressed. That’s what we did and it helped immensely. No
problems with depression or too slow a heartrate. It came down gradually
so I had time to adjust (after all my heart had been fast for months and
months, it is an adjustment)!.
I wish I’d had the wisdom of doctor #2 before I went through what I did, but at least the way he handled it has caused me to lose my
fear of betablockers.
