
Beta Blockers
Pharmacy Author: Omudhome Ogbru, PharmD
Medical and Pharmacy Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD
Beta blockers are a class of drugs that block beta-adrenergic substances such
as adrenaline (epinephrine), a key agent in the "sympathetic" portion of the
autonomic (involuntary) nervous system which controls many important organs and
tissues in the body including the heart, blood vessels, and air passages in the
lung.
By blocking the action of the involuntary nervous system on the heart, beta
blockers relieve stress on the heart. They slow the heart beat and lessen the
force with which the heart muscle contracts. They also reduce the force with
which muscles surrounding blood vessel contract in the heart, brain, and
throughout the body. This reduces the pressure in the blood vessels and/or
increases the flow of blood.
Beta blockers can serve to treat
abnormal heart rhythms (cardiac
arrhythmias). They are used specifically to prevent abnormally fast heart rates
(tachycardias) or irregular heart rhythms such as
premature ventricular beats.
Beta blockers reduce the workload of the heart and thereby the demand of the
heart muscle for oxygen. Since the chest pain of
angina pectoris occurs when the
oxygen demand of the heart exceeds the supply, beta blockers can be useful in
treating angina by reducing the need of the heart for oxygen. They also have
become an important drug in improving survival after a person has had a
heart
attack.
Thanks to their effect on blood vessels, beta blockers can lower the blood
pressure and be of value in the treatment of
hypertension (high blood
pressure).
Other uses for beta blockers include the prevention of
migraine headaches,
stage fright (social phobia), and the treatment of certain types of tremors
(familial or hereditary essential tremors).
The beta blockers (with brand names) include:
Beta
blockers are also available in combination with a diuretic [for example,
bisoprolol and hydrochlorothiazide (Ziac)].
Beta blockers reduce the pressure within the eye (the intraocular pressure),
probably by reducing the production of the liquid (aqueous humor) within the eye
and so are used to lessen the risk of damage to the optic nerve and loss of
vision in glaucoma. Beta blocker preparations for this purpose include:
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From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com  |
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- High Blood Pressure - High Blood Pressure: Medical information about hypertension, its treatment, therapies and prevention Source:MedicineNet
- Tonometry - Get the facts on tonometry, a method for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) and detecting glaucoma. Learn how tonometry is performed and the equipment that's used during the procedure. Source:MedicineNet
- Migraine Headache - Learn about migraine headache including symptoms such as intense throbbing pain in the temple area of head. Migraine triggers vary from person to person. Source:MedicineNet
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Back to Medications IndexLast Editorial Review: 4/14/2008