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. Ihave noticed feeling a bit sluggish and dizzy. My blood pressure isunchanged but my pulse was down to high 40s low 50s from normal forme in the 60s. My doc has asked me to cut atenolol to 12.5mg dailyand see if it helps. He feels that the allo is causing slowerexcretion 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 anyliterature stating that allo could do this. Gout seems controlledbut I am guarded in my enthusiasm right now. Please help!!! Only 34and within past 3 years had all the ekg’s,echo’s,holter test,stresstest and all were benign. Doc prescribed low dose of atenolol tocontrol PVC’s. Addition of allo slowing my heart rate, or so itseems.
Jonas Laramore on May 25th, 2007
Don’t mean to hijack your thread, but what are PVC’s? (briefly)
Sabina Shamel on May 26th, 2007
You are into a region of chemical balance about which I knownothing. I have a friend who ended up having some kind of electricalsurgery to alter a state that sounds like yours but I really knownothing about it.
In a case like yours, you and your physician must account for thetotal health picture which must include your weight relative to yourheight proportional weight, your state of fitness etc. Whether or notyou have artetrial blockage, etc…Have you had a treadmill test? Isyour phisician a cardiologist or have you seen one.
One word of observation
100 mg of allopurinol, taken right after you have the large meal ofthe day, will be about as effective as 200 mg of allopurinol taken inthe morning when the main meal is late afternoon-early evening. Inother words, you could cut back your allo to 100 and manage your foodintake to get the most food right before you take your allo. It won’tbe as effective as 200 mg but it will improve significantly youroverall urate from food situation.
Sorry I can’t be of more help, sounds like a very tough problem and areally difficult set of choices that will be facing you.
Lurlene Rauh on May 27th, 2007
I have seen cardiologist and had every test done including treadmill(stress test) followed by echocardiogram, 24 hr holter monitor, ekg,etc. All tests show no problems. According to cardiologist allpeople have PVC’s(skipped heart beats) but some of us areunfortunate enough to feel them. It was these flutterings in mychest that would bring on panic attacks. Atenolol controls these orat least makes them less notable. For some reason my doctor feelsallopurinol slows the excretion of atenolol and thus more of it isin blood stream causing heart rate to slow even further. Cut dose inhalf and heart rate is back up today. Thats the good news, bad newsis does allo actually cause meds to stay in system longer. Maybekidneys are not excreting properly? I am 34 6′6″ and 280. I wouldlike to get down to around 260. I am built similar to an NFLdefensive end (52″ chest and 43″ waist) not fat but not cut either.I consider myself in need of more cardio because I only lift weights3 times per week and thats it. Although I can bench press 450 poundsmy doctor does not think I should be this heavy at my age muscle orno muscle. I tend to agree because my heart has to take on the loadand their are many ex-NFL players dying young from heart disease.
Sabina Shamel on May 28th, 2007
There are several difficult questions that you must face as you goforward.
If the cardiologist doesn’t think you have a real problem then youprobably do not have one. Whereas a GP may or may not know about x yor Z, the cardiologists of the world are a pretty well edcucated lotof people and they really do know how to read the tea leaves thatyour heart leaves for them to read. Not to say they do not, or cannotmake a mistake, but the science of understanding the health of aheart is very advanced. Particularly in the USA, where we have somany heart attacks.
The primary action of allopurinol is that it blocks the enzyme thatis used in the final decomposition of purenes into uric acid. Notknowing what the structure of your cardio drug is, I cannot evenspeculate as to whether it might compete with allopurinol, or rather,if allopurinol might compete with it for a decomposition site. Thedecomposition of allopurinol, by the way, is not in the chain of itsspecific activity for blocking uric acid formation so it very may becompeting with your other drug.
I really have no information, only sympathy but if it were me I wouldcut my allo to 100 a day right after the big dinner and then watchthe results. Is there a blood test to see if you are retaining thedrug. If you are, it might end up being good in that you would needto take less of it to maintain a theraputic dose.
Sorry for the ignorance and please keep us informed. All of need tobecome more knowledgeable aboutg cardio issues and yours is notreally all that unique and may become important to some of us later.
And for those who think all of us “CURED” forum inhapitants, we hangout here just to hear about this kind of issue/[problem. Maybe no onecan help but as he goes on and figures out what to do, we will alllearn what worked for him.
Lurlene Rauh on May 29th, 2007
I tried the allo at 100mgs with my dinner mealfor 30 days and my uric acid was at 9.1 up from 8 without allo.Arnold says not to worry because fluctuations are normal this earlyas uric acid mysteriously moves around but doc bumped me to 200 aday. I take it after breakfast and after dinner. Will retest uricacid in another 30 days along with kidney and liver function as wellas CBC. Will keep you posted. All I can say is that twinges areknocked out pretty fast by upping NSAIDS when felt and no full blownattacks despite drinking 1 to 2 times a week and eating red meat. Ishould also note that weightlifting causes more uric acid because ofthe breakdown of muscle tissue. Whenever I do legs my ankles becomesore but not full blown gout like before. After having a month longattack of gout in January I will do what I can to remain healthywhile conducting the A train. Hopefully my body is just adjusting tonew meds and life will go on gout free. I cannot go back to hoping Idon’t wake up not being able to walk and after being on allo for 40days I am doing just fine. Do all the allo proponents here that….IFEEL FINE….TIME FOR A DRINK BABY!!!!!!! I know allo is not aninnocuous drug but gout is a “muthaf-r”. With reasonable care anddoctor follow ups allo is the only way to go for now. I too triedthe cherries and goutplex but still got gout. Heres hoping to remainrash free and gout free. The discovery of allo is one of thetwentieth centuries greatest medical accomplishments and I plan totake advantage of medical science!!!
Terrance Molock on May 31st, 2007
The breakdown of tissue into u/a is interesting..it is actuallyNOT the activity..i/e weightlifting..that causes the actual blood u/ato rise..
Gout attacks are FAR more common from excess activity than fromeating/diet/triggers..excess activity..true produces more u/a..BUT atthe other end of the scale..excess dieting/wasting does too.
These things in gout sufferers are particuallrly bad..because in agout sufferer it is almost always a NOT NORMAL part of their life todo..it is an odd/NOt routine thing for them.SOoo they produce anexcess of u/a..and their bodies can’t deal with what they producenow..PLUS their bodies are not in tune to be able to dispose of thisu/a so suddennly..ADD that hydration in gout suffferers is ultracritical..you see where I’m going with this..said gout suffererdoesn’t do/can’t much physical activity..not fit..not used to it..aday at his buddies cottage working his butt off..sweating..suckingback the beer..dehydration..no water..TONS of salty meat..
Get on the allo..get those deposits moving OUT..make lots ofu/a..BUT not have the old initial load..AND the deposits to dealwith..get the disposal system in tune/fit..
THAT is a completelly different story..good luck!
Ya bro..you’re OBVIOUSLLY a big,powerful man..gouts a ballbreaker eh??..C’mon you’re not afraid of a few TINY little crystalsare you??..pretty hard to believe that 1 little pretty harmless pillcan do to gout what gout did to you..
Sabina Shamel on May 31st, 2007
Gout is a tough one, as you well know and whether or not you workout tomorrow isn’t nearly as important as shaking the gout monsteronce and for all.
You and Arnold are both right that exercize will percipitate a goutattack. Whether it is from the muscle mass that you break down orfrom the stress you put on the area does not matter. The fact is thatthe exercize will percipitate the attack.
I tried several times to get back to my exrcize routine when I got onthe A train but had to stop each time from too much gout pain. I’d bepain free, symptom free and I’d walk on the treadmill for an hour andthen two days later I was hardly able to walk.
So..
I recommend that you stop the heavy exercize for 2 months and letyour body flush some more uric acid. Then, when you go back to it youwill be on a more even keel as far as the gout mohnster being put inhis cage, you will have more completely adjusted to allopurinol andany heart issues will probably have moved off into the distance..
Terrance Molock on June 2nd, 2007
I really can’t offer much help..BUT I can add this. I have/HAD one of those hearts that skip a beat/murmur….and Icould feel the flutterrings..guess just me..didn’t bother me thatmuch..ONLY concern I ever had(I have/had a strong heart..used to beable to crack 2 minute half miles)was ONCE I took the sucker up to220..THAT is a high pulse..I could do anerobic when Iskiied..180..cycling..ya..I could keep it at 160 for a good 1/2hr..my cardio is still ok..tomorrow I could do 150 pretty easy for a1/2 hr on my road bike..I remember many years ago a doctor was VERYsurprised..one of those..WOOoo gotta check this out..I think/wasprobablly very sarcastic..I do what I can for my health..A LOT! thenget crippled by gout..doc was concerned..wanted to know ALL aboutit..hunh..like I knew..I’dno..get crippled by gout..rise up..NOT muchinto ANY more personal health problems..
Anyway..don’t even know if this is related..but another Dr.wasVERY surprised that it weny away??..that was after years on allo..Ihave zip idea if the allo fixed it..and never pursued it.
Allo inhibts excretion..and HIDES LOTS of stuff..THAT is why itbecame the darling of masking agents for atheletes..BANNED..allo isVERY easily detected..but makes it pretty much impossible for a LOTof drugs to even be found..
Athletes used to use probenicd..to obviouslly flush stuff out REAlFAST..SOooo while the dope testers were looking for the prob.the boyswere on the allo..
I too carry quite a bit of weight..I am NO where near yoursize..BUT considerring I am 6″ shorter..6′ with a 46″ chest 38″waist..I weigh 215..with MAYBE 5/10 lbs of fat..I too can bench450..In MY DREAMS..does that count?..I too have had the carrying alot of weight..fat or not..JUST be careful DO NOT get fat!/hard onthe heart thing..mine must be ok I WRING IT OUT REAL GOOD! come skiseason..EWwww..I can feel the quads burning now…
Beulah Byon on June 3rd, 2007
I’m on 25mg Atenolol (for hypertension) and 200mg Allopurinol. Theallupironal started last year (June 2003) but the Atenolol in 2000. I’m notconscious of any real ’slowing down’ of pulse etc, which seems a fairlyconstant 60-ish. No idea if that is good or bad for a 46-year old male at11.5 stones - or 160lbs. Not a clue what that is in kilos.
However, I do get dizzy attacks - not good news whilst driving! What doesseem to help me is to make sure I keep as hydrated as possible, especiallywhen driving.