Last night I started a very very gradual reduction of a beta blocker dose (the reduction is happening with the support of my GP. I’ve been on metoprolol for 4 months) and the result seemed to be I had huge stress all night long and my body battery failed to recharge during the night- according to my new Garmin watch. I slept 8 hours and the only confirmation I have of this reading is that I don’t feel rested, I feel horrible. I am now facing a day with a very low battery. Anyone else have this experience?
Should I just rip the bandaid off and stop the beta blocker less gradually since it looks like a gradual reduction is going to give me several weeks of this misery? I hate the drug. Have been taking it for four months and yes it keeps my heart rate low ( I got the watch after starting it so I could keep track and the Garmin Vivosmart4 is awesome for that.) but the drug makes me so sick that I feel like I’d rather risk a heart attack than keep taking it. The fatigue and breathlessness and chest pain are all side effects apparently of this horrible drug. The paroxysmal atrial flutter it is treating - while I wait (for a year in Vancouver Island not so efficient Health care system) to see a cardiologist for curative ablation- was barely symptomatic. Of course the GP has no idea how to interpret the info I’m getting from this watch. So can’t really comment or tell me whether I can rely on it.
We (the GP and I) also wondered if the heart rate variability measurement used to measure stress and body battery reading could be an indicator of atrial flutter possibly not picked up by the heart rate function of the watch? Anybody?