Talk:Beta blocker

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Just like to point out that reference 1 is not relevant to the diabetes claim, and has little relevance to the NICE guidelines Jun 2006. They were downgraded in 2004, latest guideline updates as of 2006 stop all use of B-Blockers as a hypertension treatment unless for another condition such as angina/MI.

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[edit] β2 blockers

Nobody mentions a selective β2 blocker, and I am not finding any in the subsequent disease/affliction pages which list any. anything would be nice. note also that the {{beta blockers}} template doesn't mention them either. Avriette 21:27, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Butoxamine ia a selective beta 2 blocker but it has no clinical utility.--Dr M Tariq Salman 19:03, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Anon question

hey i've got a question, is this just pretty much an anti-fear kind of thing. like you're more relaxed, more courageous really, right?

it mentions the use of beta blockers for stage fright, so i suppose i'm somewhat correct.

and what are the side effects really, say of using it when you don't really have the diseases that it is used for

I fixed your question. You should not have deleted Avriette's question, although it went unanswered.
Beta blockers are primarily used to lower blood pressure and to take strain of the heart. Some of its side-effects are suppression of tremors, flushing and other signs mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. Hence it will not reduce your stage fright, but stop you from getting the symptoms, which tend to make stage fright worse in some sort of a viscious circle. So they don't make you more courageous (there are some recreational substances that do that).
As for side-effects: they may make the blood pressure too low, leading to fainting, and some men report impotence. JFW | T@lk 14:23, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

My understanding is that, while it does suppress some physical symptoms of "stage fright" or common anxiety, the inhibition of β-receptors also decreases the ability of the CNS to go into "fight or flight" mode, thereby staving off the biochemical component of panic attacks. With less adrenaline in play, the feeling of fear subsides (to a degree, as adrenaline and noradrenaline also affect alpha-receptors). Beta blockers are being used with more regularity as an off-label for panic and anxiety disorder, so there is more to be told in the future about it's anxiolytic properties. Certainly it's not in line with Xanax® or Valium®, but modern psychiatry is moving away from the use of such "dirty" drugs that foster dependence... Anyway the Wiki on Anxiolytics mentions beta blockers, but needs work itself, and I have no sources to cite. I do know that beta blockers like propranolol are used at 10-30mg doses for anxiety and performance enhancement, higher doses start affecting blood pressure to the point of negating the effects (hard to play the piano when dizzy). Conversely the lightheadedness itself at higher doses may help with social anxiety disorder, I suppose. Bottom line for the question at hand, most anxiety is indeed caused by thought patterns, which this will not change. Medication for anxiety should only be used along with CBT because the problem will get worse untreated. As to the article, hopefully someone with more on the subject can expand on this. Rainman420 09:02, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cleanup needed

Marked this article with {{cleanup-date}} as it contains many medical-related abbreviations, such as pt., ds., etc. Also, the format of the article needs significant cleanup to show which information goes with which beta blockers. I'd like to take care of this myself, but I'm marking it (and leaving the note here) in case I don't get around to it soon. --Animated Cascade talk 05:35, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Done. -Techelf 10:55, 16 April 2006 (UTC)
Is the section "Side Effects / Health Consequences" under the Examples a duplicate, or does it only apply to β2-Selective agents? If it doesn't, it should probably be removed or combined the adverse effects section Bobtheowl2 04:03, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Edits

Edited content to more accurately detail the action of beta blockers and added additional information. Also fixed spelling errors. Will continue work.
CHurst5841 01:58, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] β2 receptors

β2 receptors are in the heart as well, but not to the extent of β1.


[edit] β2 β-Receptor antagonism

β2 I think the section on B-adrenoceptor antagonism should be changed to mention that the B1 subtype is a G-protein coupled metabotropic receptor. The current phrasing:

Stimulation of β1 receptors by epinephrine induces a positive chronotropic and ionotropic effect on the heart and increases cardiac conduction velocity and automaticity.

is open to misinterpretation that the receptors themselves are linked ionotropic proteins. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.69.124.50 (talk) 10:23, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Erectile dysfunction

Beta blockers decrease nocturnal melatonin release, perhaps explaining the impotence side effect through suppression of morning erections. ^ Stoschitzky K, Sakotnik A, Lercher P, Zweiker R, Maier R, Liebmann P, Lindner W. Influence of beta-blockers on melatonin release. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1999 Apr;55(2):111-5. PMID 10335905

I removed this excerpt during my subedit initially because the Stoschitzky article doesn't appear to discuss the relationship between beta blockers, melatonin levels and erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction may be an adverse effect associated with beta blocker therapy, though some have argued that this a psychosomatic effect (Silvestri et al., 2003; PMID 14585251). Even if it's a pharmacological adverse effect, Occam's Razor applies here and it is far more likely to be a central adrenergic effect (since prevalence appears to be greater in more lipophilic agents (Smith & Talbert, 1986; PMID 2872991)) rather than a melatonin-mediated effect. I may have missed something, however, so feel free to restore the text if you have a reference that indicates erectile dysfunction is melatonin-mediated. -Techelf 07:29, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

It seems that a centrally acting lipophillic compound is what it would take to suppress melatonin release. Given, the importance of the melatonin to the body clock, a link to an established clock associated phenomena like morning erections is plausible. It is the only explanation I've been able to find. As someone who constantly screws up his body clock, I find melatonin very helpful in this regard.--Silverback 21:27, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Beta2 selectivity

PMID 15655528 - yeah right. JFW | T@lk 14:22, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Use for treatment of Glossophobia.

As a jurisprudent fellow the concept of using beta blockers to prevent court room jitters is a godsend, just as with mmusicians I am sure there are many barristers out there who'd utilise this and not mention it to anyone; I've seen many an oration in hectic matters with high tension where some orators seem to be almost bored of the matter delivering perfect rhetoric.

I'm curious as to whether this is a restricted family of substances, whether it is perscribed, et cetera? Whilst I can understand doctors being loathe to perscribe such to musicians, it's worth noting that glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, could easily be transliterated across to fear of public performance or performance anxiety as a whole; thus indicating that if it's applicable to use it for a phobia it's applicable for musicians and vice versa. Or one would hope.

And yes, before anyone asks. I'm a closet glossophobic. Jachin 17:00, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alternatives

The entry says that the use of beta-blockers was downgraded in the United Kingdom last year due to the fact that the treatment bears an unacceptable risk of provoking diabetes, especially when applied to the elderly.

Could anyone please tell me what the alternatives are. In my case, beta-blockers are being applied in order to control extensive high blood pressure (sometimes as high as 200/120).

Thank you very much indeed for any useful insight or information.

They were not downgraded because of diabetes risk. They were downgraded because the evidence now favours other agents. This guideline will give you all the necessary information. JFW | T@lk 12:53, 1 July 2007 (UTC)


Hello, I've edited this part of the article a little. Now it's pretty much what the source said, the last version was misleading. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.78.232.114 (talk) 20:08, August 30, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Weight

Some beta blockers cause mild weight gain. But the results are really inconsequential - we're talking about 1 kilogram on metoprolol. doi:doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2006.10.017 JFW | T@lk 12:53, 1 July 2007 (UTC) so what i think is that u are not giving us the specific answer,,,,

[edit] Sotalol

Hello, I don't know who can edit the page but sotalol is not a beta blocker it is actually a Class III anti-arrhythmic which functions to block K+ channels. Beta blockers are considered class II anti-arrhythmics. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.106.89.75 (talk) 23:14, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

While sotalol is used solely as an antiarrhythmic, it does have (relevant) beta-blocker activity. By the way, you can edit the page :) Fvasconcellos (t·c) 23:58, 30 May 2008 (UTC)