Do beta blockers cause long covid?

Posted by spittendrigh @spittendrigh, Dec 25, 2023

No. But they do make it worse

I am 75, had long vivid since mild vivid in 2920.

Symptoms, ....fatigue, brain fog, diarrhea, dizzy spells, emotional volatility and tinnitus. And severe insomnia. And exacerbated peeing trouble due to a benignly swollen old man's prostate. For three years.

Every doctor I saw prescribed at least one new pill , many of which turned out to be brta blockers. All my original symptoms got worse post new pills.

A quick Pub Med search revealed the drugs I was taking had a negative side effect list that included dizzy spells, insomnia, diarrhea and emotional volitilith.

I went cold turkey . Almost over night....clear head, sleep like a baby, no more dizzy spells no more diarrhea.

Tinnitus and pee too little too often remain.

Eliquis is the only pill I still take.

I'm almost ready to make with grizzly bears again.

Im considering cold turkey in doctors.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

....Oooops. Sorry for the spelling. All I have is a phone. And doctor voodoo dolls.

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Have you been investing bete blockers as well?

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I'm guessing the doctors are trying to get your BP stabilized. Do you take BP and track daily? Taking more than 2 BP meds regularly would seem a warning sign. Do you have a primary care doc who reviews your meds?

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My blood pressure is a lifelong bright spot. 110-1205 l 60-70

I've seen so many doctors partly because of retirement and Winter home near the Gulf Coast.

The last Dr is the who told to quit. He actually taper over a week.

I told my history listed symptoms and showed my drug list.

He rolled his eyes, raised both hands up and "There are better choices "

I see him tomorrow. We'll see.
No Dr yet, including him (best so far) ever explains anything and all dodge and deflect questions

I used to ... wel I wondered. Now I think their reticence is all about malpractice fesrs

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I'm not a doctor but I don't understand why you would be on beta blockers with your consistent BP well within guidelines. Not having one doctor coordinating care is concerning. I don't always agree with my primary care doc and have rejected most meds she suggests. Also sure some docs worry about malpractice but most doctors I've encountered are frustrated with long COVID since there are no real biomarkers or treatments. Glad you are somewhat better.

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tamilosin for swollen prostate
metroprolol for heart something. Last doctor said " there are better choices for you. Zlrrs dto all bets blockers for two weeks and reevaluate. Tomorrow is two weeks.

There was one more I can't remember.

Some Sims ( no idea what they are other than not bets blocker) have the same side effectd.,in some people but not all.

I was taking a half a dozen pills a day. I still do Eliquus for strike caution. Nothing else not counting vitamins.

I felt better instantly. That's hard to argue with.

chronic insomnia gone instantly
constant diarrhea gone over night
clear head
energy trickkjng back
dizzy spells noticeably reduced but not gone
tinnitus unchanged

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Sorry for poking gibberish above. I'm out of town and only have a phone.

And list serves cannot be edited.
(it is my knee-jerk habit to Post and then edit but that does not work here)

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I’ve been following this post since it appeared although it’s not my main post Covid issue. However I did have an issue with the beta blocker metoprolol following Covid so I figure it’s worth sharing here. I was on it according to protocol following a stroke in January 2022, a blood clot at the left middle cerebral artery of undetermined cause but my cardiac ejection fraction was pretty low at 30.6 (from a viral induced cardiomyopathy over 20 years ago). The dosage was very small at 12.5mg then increased to 25 right before a mild case of Covid in August 2022 that was followed with bloodwork that showed a number of problems and I was out of state when the results were reviewed by my cardiology clinic provider. He called me and told me to increase metoprolol to 50 mg because there was a blood test, BNP, that was elevated and I told him I was having some shortness of breath when starting a walk so he feared I was going into heart failure. Within a week at 50 mg I was having severe respiratory distress. It turned out I had asthma, possibly Covid induced, perhaps present since earlier in life but never diagnosed. This was discovered after 2 failed trials at 50 mg and a trial of carvedilol. They each exacerbated asthma in different ways. Then on to pulmonary to complete that diagnosis. There I learned that blockers definitely exacerbate asthma.
Also it’s worth noting that the Sim something you’re on may be simvastatin for cholesterol. And the Eloquis is likely prescribed for Afib to, as you stated, prevent stroke. I have been monitored for Afib but after 2 years with a loop recorder to monitor for it there have been no occurrences so I have not been prescribed it.
In summary what I can say is that in the two years since my stroke I’ve had horrible experiences with drugs. Besides the 3 months of torture with beta blockers following COVID I also was prescribed a statin for lowering cholesterol l, again post stroke protocol, even though my LDL was near optimal, and suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon as a rare side effect from it. And there’s been a couple more drugs with short term trials I could not tolerate.
Bottom line is I am very sensitive to medications and from what you state you’ve experienced perhaps you are too. I understand being in a position where you absolutely know that the symptoms you are experiencing are directly related to a drug. You know your timeline and your body. It’s really hard to keep going back to a provider telling them you can’t handle it. But I have a good one in cardiology now and he listens to me. He thinks it’s a liver metabolizing issue with my intolerance. That’s all I know about that/ not sure if they go through too fast or hang out too long but something doesn’t work just right.
I wish you luck getting it all figured out and I encourage you to know exactly what and why you’re taking the prescribed meds. I’m still in the process of finding the right mix and it’s 2 years on January 1st. I understand the thoughts of just going off everything for a bit and trying to reach a normal balance and then starting fresh with minimal intervention. But then there’s the ‘what if’s’ and that’s scary too. Hang in there.

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@spittendrigh

Sorry for poking gibberish above. I'm out of town and only have a phone.

And list serves cannot be edited.
(it is my knee-jerk habit to Post and then edit but that does not work here)

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@spittendrigh, there is a 2-hour window when you can edit your posts. To edit, click the 3 dots in the bottom right of your post.

If you need help editing after the 2-hour window, submit the request by reporting the comment and outlining the edit you wish. Happy to help. 🙂

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