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Replies to "I am an 81-year-old male who had two stents placed in the LAD 4 years ago..."
@chuckiepoo1
I would have a loop recorder implanted so you and your doctors don’t have to guess if your light-headedness is being caused by bouts of NSVT or the now increased dosage of metoprolol.
In my experience, metoprolol caused dizziness and increased the likelihood of a fall as a result. It also made me very tired. I tried many different meds until I landed on a calcium channel blocker called Verapamil slow release capsules for the purpose of slowing my heart rate.
The Medtronic loop recorder I have is quite small and easily placed under the skin after the area is numbed by injection. Out patient procedure. Your every heartbeat can be monitored for any irregularities and your physicians can then make your care decisions based on hard facts.
Good luck.
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@chuckiepoo1 I am not schooled on NSVT, but I do know what metoprolol is for and can do that is undesired. Metoprolol is a beta blocker meant to both nub the force of each contraction and to increase the refractory period between beats....meaning make the heart beat more slowly. The idea for incipient hypertension, which is what metoprolol is occasionally prescribed for, is to take the strain off the heart muscles and its large proximal vessels, but also of the eyes and kidneys, as other examples. You want BP strictly controlled when it begins to rise, say with age. (Lots of revision in that field, BP in the aged). Then, if/when a heart begins to experience bouts of tachyarrhythmia, the drug also limits, or is intended to limit, the high rate, especially for those with RVR (rapid ventricular response).
You need to find a cardiologist who can assess you fully, or a new one if you don't like/trust the advice of one you're currently seeing. That authority can properly advise you about medications, changes to medications, and dosage alterations when it seems right to do that. We do not provide medical advice, only some anecdotal sharing and caring.