From the category archives:

Beta Blockers

Managing Beta Blocker Side Effects: The Patient’s Perspective

March 2, 2009

Medications referred to as beta blockers are commonly prescribed to control blood pressure, heart failure, and some types of arrhythmias. While considered the most benign of the cardiac drugs, many people experience irritating and sometimes intolerable side effects.
Beta blockers block the flow of adrenaline and cause your heart to beat slower and with less force. [...]

Read the full article →

Beta Blockers and Depression: The Patient’s Perspective

March 1, 2009

How do you know the difference between the side effects of your Beta Blocker medication and depression?

Beta blockers—used to treat high blood pressure—limit the flow of adrenaline in your body which can make you feel sluggish, fatigued, and muted. This is common and tolerable for most patients. However, the medication can also bring on depression, [...]

Read the full article →

Drug Induced Lupus: The Patient’s Perspective

March 1, 2009

Hunting down the cause of my flu-like symptoms, joint, and chest pain led me to an unusual discovery. I had drug induced lupus!
It was five years after my heart attack and I had been feeling run down and fluish every day for months. My muscles ached and my joints were so sore I couldn’t stand [...]

Read the full article →

Dealing with the Beta Blocker Stupids: The Patient’s Perspective

March 1, 2009

Before you attribute forgetting where you parked your car to an early senior moment, read this:
After my heart attack, I thought I had brain damage. I went back to working as a choreographer, but couldn’t concentrate and be creative in the same way I had before. I found out I wasn’t alone.
“I can be having [...]

Read the full article →