What are the side affects of beta blockers?

Answer 1

side effects include drowsiness, decreased libido, fatigue, and especially worsening of Asthma, breathing difficulty if you have pre-existing lung conditions such as COPD/bronchitis/pneumonia/Cystic Fibrosis. Beta blockers should be used only sparingly in heart failure, because of the vulnerability to enter into pulmonary edema.

Answer 2

Dizziness, low heart rates, wheezing, fatigue, depression, erectile dysfunction.

Of course, the conditions that beta blockers are given to treat can cause just as much and more (like death) if not treated.

There are beta receptors throughout the body, mostly in the heart and the lungs. They are divided into Beta 1 and beta 2 receptors. Beta 1 receptors when stimulated make the heart beat harder, and faster. The Beta 2 receptors located in the bronchi of the lungs help dilate these airways especially in times of serious respiratory distress. Beta blockers are medications that are used to make the heart slow down and beat with less strength. These are used as blood pressure medications, or used in cases when the heart has become enlarged, and this enlargement is making the heart beat less efficiently. This is known as Congestive Heart Failure or CHF.

There are no medications that selectively block Beta 2 receptors as in most cases you want the bronchioles to be dilated and never really restricted. The main problem came when these were first used and were not selective as they are today. Inderal was one of the first medicines that was a Beta blocker. It was a problem in that it should not be used on asthmatics as it would cause some bronchiole constriction. Another side effect was that Beta blockers can interfere with some of the effects of dopamine in the body and the brain. This can exacerbate endogenous depression. As all these effects were serious they began to develop selective Beta blockers which are much more directed to the specific beta sites that need to be blocked and the side effects have been reduced dramatically.