What Are Beta Blockers? Handling Medication for High Blood Pressure
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Beta blockers are among the most widely prescribed medicines for high blood pressure and heart conditions in Australia. Many people take one every day, and some rely on someone close to them for help with it. When you are the one handing over that tablet, part of the safety of each dose rests with you. There is a clear, steady way to give this medicine at home that keeps the person taking it protected.
What Are Beta Blockers?
Beta blockers are medicine blocking agents that slow the heart and lower blood pressure. Adrenaline is a stress hormone that makes the heart beat faster and harder, and when a beta blocker is taken it is kept from reaching beta receptors, the spots on the blood vessel cells where it normally acts.
Doctors prescribe beta blockers to treat cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure (hypertension), chest pain from angina, an uneven heart rhythm, cardiovascular disease, and congestive heart failure, and to protect the heart after a heart attack. Some people also take them for the physical signs of anxiety, such as a racing heart or shaking hands. These are long-term conditions, so the person stays on the medicine for years, and sometimes for life.
Giving Blood Pressure Medicine Safely Day to Day
Blood pressure is best controlled when each dose of a beta blocker is given the same way every day. Give the medicine at the time written on the label, with or after food, but not with alcohol.
Never stop a beta blocker suddenly, even if the person feels well. Their body adjusts to the medicine over time, and a sharp stop can send their heart rate and blood pressure up fast, which can bring on chest pain or strain their heart. Any change to their dose, or a plan to come off the medicine, is decided by their prescribing doctor.
If a dose is missed, give it as soon as you remember on the same day. When the next dose is almost due, skip the missed one and carry on as normal. Do not give two doses together to catch up.
Possible Adverse Effects of Beta Blockers
Most people take beta blockers with few problems, though some side effects are common in the first days as their body adjusts:
Tiredness or low energy
Dizziness, mainly when standing up
Cold hands and feet
A slower than usual heartbeat
Trouble sleeping or vivid dreams
These tend to settle within a few weeks as their body gets used to the medicine.
If the person taking a beta blocker has diabetes, one effect needs close attention. A racing heart and shaking hands are early signs of low blood sugar, and these can be masked by a beta blocker. Check their blood sugar with the usual finger-prick test.
Call for advice if the person faints, has chest pain, develops a very slow or uneven heartbeat, or becomes short of breath or wheezy, which can affect someone with asthma.
Medication Administration Training
The safe handling of a beta blocker at home is built from ordinary, careful habits that fit into a daily routine. Repeated the same way each day, those habits keep a powerful medicine safe in everyday hands. That method is steadier when it is learned properly, and medication administration training provides it. The training builds the skill to give and time medicines safely, keep clear records, and catch the early signs of trouble. The well-being of the person in your care, and your own assurance that each dose is right, are what you secure by enrolling in medication administration training.
FAQs
Can I Give A Cold Or Flu Medicine At The Same Time as Beta Blockers?
Many cold and flu products from the pharmacy contain decongestants, which raise blood pressure. Read the label or ask the pharmacist for a decongestant-free option first.
What If The Person Vomits Soon After A Dose?
If the person vomits within 30 minutes of swallowing the tablet, some of the dose may not have been absorbed. Ring their pharmacist or doctor, who can tell you whether to repeat the dose.
Will Someone's Heart Rate Stay Low During Exercise While on Beta Blockers?
Yes, on beta blockers a person’s heart rate stays even during exercise. However, it is worth seeing the doctor if they feel very breathless, dizzy, or faint during light activity.
