For 40 years, it has been the standard in post-heart attack health care, but a new study from the European Society of Cardiology is putting the usage of beta blockers in limbo.
While the new study may be calling into question the usage, a Pittsburgh-area cardiologist said you shouldn’t suddenly change your medication, but definitely consult with your doctor.
Nearly 30 million patients take beta blockers every day because it is one of the most frequently prescribed drugs in the country.
“We have always put everyone on a beta blocker after a heart attack,” said Allegheny Health Network cardiologist Dr. Amish Mehta.
Study calls into question the effectiveness of beta blockers
Dr. Mehta said that studies in the 80s indicated that beta blockers helped prevent further heart attacks, irregular heartbeats, and deaths.
“That was a concept that we’ve used for the last four decades. Until recently, there was a large trial presented in Europe,” he said.
The trial involved 8,500 patients, and it suggests that beta blockers are not as necessary as once thought.
However, that led to the obvious question: do beta blockers do any harm?
“There was no significant harm that was noted, but there was no significant benefit that was noted,” Dr. Mehta explained. “We certainly would not recommend anybody stop the medication based on hearing this discussion.”
Does this mean I should stop using beta blockers?
Beta blockers are prescribed for a myriad of reasons, including high blood pressure and angina or chest pain caused by the heart. It’s also used for the treatment of irregular heartbeats and atrial fibrillation, which is why you might need to keep using them.
“Stopping the medication, in this case, may be more dangerous than continuing it, and there’s not really a danger with continuing it,” Dr. Mehta said. “It’s just that we don’t think there’s as much benefit as previously thought.”
One of the parts of the study that really raised eyebrows was the gender difference.
“In this trial, it did show that women did have worse outcomes if they were treated with a beta blocker after an uncomplicated heart attack,” Dr. Mehta said.
That said, it was a smaller sample of women and still requires further study.
Dr. Mehta continued to caution, though, that before stopping taking your prescribed beta blocker, talk to your doctor to determine the best course of action.
