Can Beta Blockers cause Autonomic Dysfunction?

Thanks for sharing your situation. I found it very interesting. I too, quickly developed a list of first-ever symptoms after taking Methyldopa, for extreme, uncontrollable blood pressure surges. I’ve also taken metoprolol in the past and am currently taking Bisoprolol every morning. However, my new symptoms didn’t begin until I took Methyldopa. The symptoms were extreme and debilitating. They hit me with a bang, out of the blue, for no other reason at all, except that I had been placed on Methyldopa by a well-known physician at Vanderbilt. I had been faithfully taking the medication several times a day, just as he prescribed. Each day I took 125 mg every “two” hours and “750” mg at bedtime. Not long afterwards, the symptoms began and with a vengeance. Most obvious was repetitive, involuntary, uncontrollable, fast, and ballistic limb jerking  (arms and legs) that would last for hours. Most times, my arms would ballistically jerk inwardly, crossing over each other, while both feet banged (outward to inward) together at the same time. I could not make them stop. This would last for hours nonstop. It would continue even if I tried to stand up. My head would also bob up and downward and my feet became entangled when I tried to take a step. There was no coordination. I could not walk. It was a huge struggle to try to put one foot forward. Sometimes the entanglement of my feet caused my right leg/foot to involuntarily cross completely over my left leg/foot. I had NO control over any of these movements! It was so severe that I could not function. This lasted for several years! Today, I have jerking of my arms, but not as much.  Yes, I also experienced severe brain fog and still do. I especially experienced it the most when I stood up from a sitting and/or lying position, but at times it would just happen, even when sitting. It was if my brain instantly stopped. I can’t think -to think.  During the brain fog, I can’t think of anything. I don’t know anything. I can hear but can’t respond. I innately learned that I feel better if I place my head downward on a countertop or furniture, to let blood go back to my head, about 3-4 minutes, so that my brain would begin to work again. This was/is how I cope with the brain fog. If I didn’t lean (head downward) on top of countertops and furniture, then I would fall, as I can not talk, walk or coordinate during the brain fog.  This happens countless times each day. I also have extreme spells of slurred, unintelligible speech. It is worst when I’m tired and stressed. I can hear myself speak with no clarity, and I know what I want to say, but I have no control over what I’m trying to say. As you mentioned, exhaustion is a very common symptom. Sometimes, I’m so exhausted that I feel I’m going to collapse. Many times, both my arms drop into my lap from exhaustion. I’ve not measured my oxygen level but I wouldn’t be surprised if that explains the extreme feeling of weakness and exhaustion. I’ll have to measure it. Yes, I’ve had tingling in my feet and even a very uncomfortable sensation  best described as an electrical charge that flashes throughout my entire body, after I lay down. It is very strange and uncomfortable, like I’ve touched a live wire. There are times, my legs feel so uncomfortable/restless that I have to stand up to ease the odd feeling in them. I also have 24/7 nonstop shrill ringing tinnitus and even occasional  “electrical base-thumping” sounds mixed in. I’m 58 now and have never been an anxious person. I have been battling these symptoms since I began the Methyldopa in 2012.  When my older sister came to visit me and saw how sick I was while trying to raise my young son, she stayed with me to help me. My sister video tapped me with the limb jerking and inability to walk or talk and emailed it to the doctor who had prescribed the Methyldopa to me. With no response, we also called the doctor and my sister described the severity of  my limb jerking, brain fog, etc. The doctor immediately denied Methyldopa could cause such and told me “I needed to see a different kind of doctor” and that he “could not see me any longer”. That was the last I heard of him.  He dropped me like a hot potato. This was a doctor that I had spent many years, driving several hours one-way, to see, while placing my faith in him that he would help me with my severe and extreme blood pressure surges. Dealing with my wild blood pressure was hard enough, but compounding that with all the additional new symptoms became more than I could bear. Like you, I have been told the symptoms are a result of anxiety and childhood abuse-even if I can’t recall such!  I don’t believe it for a minute! I feel there has been damage to my nervous system.  Did they give you a name for the condition that was caused by childhood abuse? What is the link to where you read certain medications can affect the ANS?  Did you experience any significant medical concern prior to your symptoms? Which doctor(s) told you it was due to anxiety from childhood abuse? Please keep in touch. Thanks!

Hi Peter,

?I've moved over to your thread.

?It looks as though we've been doing the same things particularly after suggesting to the medical profession that a prescribed medication has caused an adverse reaction.

?I proved to myself that the right thing to do was to withdraw from two different treatments due to adverse reactions. On the first withdrawal I just had to stop and found that the reaction was likely to be encountered sporadically for years afterwards and it did. My GP's surgery insisted that I was mistaken and was obliged to be put on an anxiety medication.

?However this began a second round of treatment for which I was already prepared and I started monitoring my blood oxygen levels. These started going down, but reporting my observations was treated with ridicule.

I got to the stage where I was feeling so out of it with nocturnal breathing difficulties that I made overnight recordings.

?The resulted in the composite SpO2 graph I copied to you which clearly showed that my SpO2 profile was linked to certain drug combinations in a complex manner.  I sent an adverse reaction Yellow Card report to MHRA with full supporting evidence. They contacted my GP and suggested that he and I discussed what had happened but he had already declined to treat me and has never contacted me about these adverse reactions since.

?The only good thing about reporting my adverse reactions to MHRA was that they appeared on my electronic patient record and when, sometime later, I was hospitalised for SVT, I was fitted with the Red Wrist Band - i.e. take more care over this patient.

?I've attached one of my SpO2 printouts which shows how my oxygen levels change during a recent 40 minute mild exertive walk.  My bottom graphing option shows event frequency at specific O2 levels (left) and time spent below specific O2 levels (right).  My earlier adverse reaction SpO2 printouts were more like yours are now.

?I think you've done enough to prove to yourself that there is a good reason why you are experiencing intolerable adverse reactions and that you have the evidence - which I reckon is more demonstrable in your SpO2 records than your ecg.

?I think you are definitely experiencing an excessive number of events and at too low a level of SpO2.

?The only thing I can think of is to find a medical professional who can interpret SpO2 recordings and conclude that your intolerable symptoms are consistent with your observations. If this a long term effect from withdrawal from bisoprolol there must be something on the internet somewhere that has addressed its treatment but it may be in medical journals which are sometimes difficult to access.

Regards

?Bob

Just tried comparing our two SpO2 recordings - both nocturnal and about the same length.

​Mine was taken in 2012 about 2 weeks after withdrawing from a drug causing intolerable side effects.

​It  shows instability of both SpO2 and heart rate but I had much higher SpO2 levels and higher levels of heart rate.

​My SpO2 reports showed continuing deterioration at the time and caused me to withdraw from all medication.

Yours has significantly lower SpO2 and also lower heart rate levels and I gather has been taken some time after beta-blocker withdrawal with no other medication.

I have recently been observing that changes in my heart rate have been accompanied by compensatory changes in SpO2 when in a resting state in order to maintain steady perfusion. This would suggest that changes in both should correlate and thus events in each should correlate.

​Your SpO2/pulse rate event markers show far less correlation than mine - with your heart rate variability being far more in evidence than your SpO2 events.

This is a bit of a long shot but have you considered the involvement of your carotid baroreceptors​ in failing to maintain your SpO2 levels - they are the only receptors in humans that detect low oxygen partial pressures.

Regards

Bob

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