Upped allo to 200mgs daily and pulse slowed down?
I have been taking 25mg atenolol for last 3 years for heart palps.
Just started allo at 200mg daily after initial 100mg for 30 days. I
have noticed feeling a bit sluggish and dizzy. My blood pressure is
unchanged but my pulse was down to high 40s low 50s from normal for
me in the 60s. My doc has asked me to cut atenolol to 12.5mg daily
and see if it helps. He feels that the allo is causing slower
excretion of the atenolol and this is why heart rate is dropping
(beta-blockers slow heart rate). Has anyone had similar experiences.
Any insight (Arnold,Walter,etc) would be appreciated. Never read any
literature stating that allo could do this. Gout seems controlled
but I am guarded in my enthusiasm right now. Please help!!! Only 34
and within past 3 years had all the ekg's,echo's,holter test,stress
test and all were benign. Doc prescribed low dose of atenolol to
control PVC's. Addition of allo slowing my heart rate, or so it
seems.
You are into a region of chemical balance about which I know
nothing. I have a friend who ended up having some kind of electrical
surgery to alter a state that sounds like yours but I really know
nothing about it.
In a case like yours, you and your physician must account for the
total health picture which must include your weight relative to your
height proportional weight, your state of fitness etc. Whether or not
you have artetrial blockage, etc...Have you had a treadmill test? Is
your phisician a cardiologist or have you seen one.
One word of observation
100 mg of allopurinol, taken right after you have the large meal of
the day, will be about as effective as 200 mg of allopurinol taken in
the morning when the main meal is late afternoon-early evening. In
other words, you could cut back your allo to 100 and manage your food
intake to get the most food right before you take your allo. It won't
be as effective as 200 mg but it will improve significantly your
overall urate from food situation.
Sorry I can't be of more help, sounds like a very tough problem and a
really difficult set of choices that will be facing you.
There are several difficult questions that you must face as you go
forward.
If the cardiologist doesn't think you have a real problem then you
probably do not have one. Whereas a GP may or may not know about x y
or Z, the cardiologists of the world are a pretty well edcucated lot
of people and they really do know how to read the tea leaves that
your heart leaves for them to read. Not to say they do not, or cannot
make a mistake, but the science of understanding the health of a
heart is very advanced. Particularly in the USA, where we have so
many heart attacks.
The primary action of allopurinol is that it blocks the enzyme that
is used in the final decomposition of purenes into uric acid. Not
knowing what the structure of your cardio drug is, I cannot even
speculate as to whether it might compete with allopurinol, or rather,
if allopurinol might compete with it for a decomposition site. The
decomposition of allopurinol, by the way, is not in the chain of its
specific activity for blocking uric acid formation so it very may be
competing with your other drug.
I really have no information, only sympathy but if it were me I would
cut my allo to 100 a day right after the big dinner and then watch
the results. Is there a blood test to see if you are retaining the
drug. If you are, it might end up being good in that you would need
to take less of it to maintain a theraputic dose.
Sorry for the ignorance and please keep us informed. All of need to
become more knowledgeable aboutg cardio issues and yours is not
really all that unique and may become important to some of us later.
And for those who think all of us "CURED" forum inhapitants, we hang
out here just to hear about this kind of issue/[problem. Maybe no one
can help but as he goes on and figures out what to do, we will all
learn what worked for him.
Gout is a tough one, as you well know and whether or not you work
out tomorrow isn't nearly as important as shaking the gout monster
once and for all.
You and Arnold are both right that exercize will percipitate a gout
attack. Whether it is from the muscle mass that you break down or
from the stress you put on the area does not matter. The fact is that
the exercize will percipitate the attack.
I tried several times to get back to my exrcize routine when I got on
the A train but had to stop each time from too much gout pain. I'd be
pain free, symptom free and I'd walk on the treadmill for an hour and
then two days later I was hardly able to walk.
So..
I recommend that you stop the heavy exercize for 2 months and let
your body flush some more uric acid. Then, when you go back to it you
will be on a more even keel as far as the gout mohnster being put in
his cage, you will have more completely adjusted to allopurinol and
any heart issues will probably have moved off into the distance..