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How Long Can You Stay on Beta-Blockers?

Senior man sitting on a couch and checking his blood pressure
Patients who have had a heart attack are usually given beta-blockers because they decrease the chance of having another heart attack or dying of a heart attack. These patients usually take beta-blockers for one year though some may remain on the medication for life.

Beta-blockers, also called beta-adrenergic blocking agents, are used to treat high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), chest pain (angina), heart failure, tremors, pheochromocytoma, and hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. Less commonly, beta blockers are used to prevent migraines, or to treat overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), anxiety, tremor, and glaucoma (as eyedrops).

Beta blockers work by blocking the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline) from binding to beta receptors on nerves. This helps reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure.

Patients who have had a heart attack are usually given beta-blockers because they decrease the chance of having another heart attack or dying of a heart attack. These patients usually take beta-blockers for one year though some may remain on the medication for life. 

A patient’s cardiologist will determine if there is additional benefit from staying on beta-blockers or if a patient should be switched to a different class of medication.

What Are Examples of Beta-Blockers?

Examples of beta-blockers include: 

  • Acebutolol (Sectral)
  • Atenolol (Tenormin)
  • Betaxolol (Kerlone)
  • Bisoprolol fumarate (Zebeta)
  • Carteolol hydrochloride (Cartrol)
  • Metoprolol tartrate (Lopressor)
  • Metoprolol succinate (Toprol-XL)
  • Nadolol (Corgard)
  • Penbutolol sulfate (Levatol)
  • Pindolol (Visken)
  • Propranolol hydrochloride (Inderal)
  • Solotol hydrochloride (Betapace)
  • Timolol maleate (Blocadren)

What Are Side Effects of Beta-Blockers?

Common side effects of beta-blockers include:

Possible long-term side effects of beta-blockers may include:

  • Short-term memory loss
  • Disorientation for time and place
  • Mood swings
  • Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly
  • Decreased performance on neuropsychological tests used to measure a psychological function 

Serious side effects of beta-blockers include:

  • Swollen ankles or legs
  • Chest pain
  • Feeling of tightness in the chest 
  • Irregular heartbeat 
  • Shortness of breath with a cough that worsens with activity 
  • Wheezing 
  • Yellowing skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice)

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REFERENCES:

Image source: iStock Images

United States. American Heart Association. Oct. 31, 2017. "Types of Blood Pressure Medications." http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Types-of-Blood-Pressure-Medications_UCM_303247_Article.jsp#.Wc0x2oprztc

England. National Health Service. July 16, 2019. "Beta blockers." https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/beta-blockers/

https://www.medscape.com/answers/813342-85959/what-are-the-symptoms-of-long-term-beta-blocker-use-in-beta-blocker-toxicity

Sharma, Adhi. MedScape. Oct 21, 2021. "Beta-Blocker Toxicity Clinical Presentation." https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2017/01/20/09/36/how-long-should-we-continue-beta-blockers-after-mi