Switching from Metoprolol to Atenolol or Nadolol

Hi, I am a newbie, My name is Elias. I just wanted to pass my reactions to the drugs you mentioned and how I have never been able to take one of the beta-blockersn or such. I am on Norvasc for BP and when diagnosed with HCM, my Dr wanted me to switch to a beta-blocker icluding the one that you mentioned, This was my cardiologist who knew Dr Martin Marron who is my HCM doctor. My Cardio tried every single beta-blocker none to man 🙂 I was 45 in 2015 when I was diagnosed but my cardio insisted on a change. I can only tell you that my reaction to beta-blockers caused me to have severe side effects in my day to day quality of life as I had terrible depersonalization which causes you to feel like everyone is there but there is a physical distance and a sense of well...the only way I can describe it is like when I was in college and I was coming down from a a party where I had smoked Maijuana. The physical sensation of being disconnected from everything in tht situation. I tried every sngle beta-blocker and the other group of drugs that are supposed to help calm your heart. I had the same reaction. Luckily, Dr Marron told me since I was not experiencing any real symptoms, I didn't have to worry about it. Now, as I am 11 years older, they have found that I have advanced a bit physically but I still don't have any symptoms that hamper my life. Lately, my heart murmur has become much louder and again, I am being advised to take the Beta-Blockers which I don't even want to give it a go. We should try and find if there are other ways to take the presure off the left ventrical aortic output being somewhat blocked (is that right I always get the ligo wrong! If anyone else has the same problem and have found a solution to deaing with this problem. Please let us know. Again being a newby, I hope I have not written too much or jumped in. Happy to have found you! Best, Elias

@eliast I was diagnosed 4 yrs ago because of an echo and a testing. My ekswere abnormal for years but at the suggestion of a new pcp went to a cardio and electro. Nothing was suggested then, but when I repeated a holter monitor and echo recently due to palpitations and the suggestion of my anesthesiologist during an endoscopy and colonoscopy., my cardio said into only needed meds but a pvc ablation. Wow I was shocked and upset. Especially after I was told it wouldn’t worsen considering the age it was found. I took one dose of metropol and had to stop due to disturbing side effects. My dr mentioned sudden death to me, but possibly it worsened a while ago. No one knows. I am having a pvc ablation next month, but feel I probably need a debibrillator because of my intolerance to meds.

@eliast Hello again, Elias, we "talked" at a different discussion earlier today; I see you shared your experience here in great detail. I hope I read correctly that you basically were asymptomatic for a very long time and now your heart murmur is more pronounced. You wrote "left ventricle aortic output being somewhat blocked..." HCM can and does present differently in different people.

Given that no two problems are identical, they can be similar. In that respect I have a similar situation. Heart murmur was the red flag when I was in my mid-late 50's. Tests. Diagnosed with HCM. Asymptomatic for many, many years. Very active. Was on Verapamil, a calcium blocker for many years to make my heart work less hard. Monitored with echoes, over time the left ventricle wall was slowly but surely getting thicker. My well-versed HCM doctor recommended surgery (my thoughts: you gotta be kidding! me? open heart surgery? you are nuts!). Then one day 2/2022, in the middle of the night, I felt sick and passed out on the way to the bathroom. Of course, there is more to this story with an excellent outcome, but I will stop here.

That points to a possible answer to your question - the left ventricle wall thickens and restricts the flow of blood through your valves. (aortic output being somewhat blocked). Your doctor should tell you in plain English what exactly is happening, hopefully with diagrams to enhance your understanding. Ask!

May I suggest reading about this to help you sort out what you are experiencing? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20350198 Knowing as much as possible can help you generate questions for your doctor and help you in understanding the doctor's explanation.

I looked up the name of your HCM cardiologist, affiliated with Lahey in Boston, a COE (Center of Excellence). In your other post, you mentioned that you live in NY, so you travel to Boston for care. How did that decision come about? You state that you are not experiencing symptoms, how were you were diagnosed with HCM? How have you changed some of your lifelong habits to enhance your heart care? Have others - blood relatives - been diagnosed or have had heart issues? Has genetic testing been suggested?

Hi I’m on Atenolol been on it for 12 months has helped.

@reeha37 I am glad to read about your positive experience on Atenolol. What meds were you on previously and if so, what side effects have been eliminated?