What is a beta-blocker?

Anyone who has looked for a cause of Peyronie’s disease will eventually read about a drug called a beta-blocker.   I will not bore you with the technical aspects of the chemistry and physiology of beta-blockers, but only what might be important to you as someone who suffers with PD.

Beta-blockers are prescription drugs used to treat a wide variety of conditions, but most often heart-related disorders like abnormal and irregular heart rhythms, chest pain, and the immediate symptoms of a heart attack, as well as to lower the heart rate and reduce the force of heart contraction.  They are available in tablet, liquid and injection forms.  Beta-blockers can also be used to treat migraine headaches, social phobias, hypertension, muscle tremors related to anxiety and/or an overactive thyroid gland. Timolol is a particular beta-blocker that is prescribed as an eye drop, used in the glaucoma treatment since this beta-blocker reduces the pressure of fluid inside the eye. Beta blockers have been called "the musicians underground drug" because they can be used for performance anxiety.

Some of the more popular beta-blockers and their brand names are: acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta), metoprolol (Lopressor, Lopressor LA, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), and timolol (Blocadren).

Inderal is perhaps the most commonly prescribed beta-blocker.  This beta-blocker affects the heart and circulation particularly well.  It is frequently used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), heart rhythm disorders, tremors, angina (chest pain), and other heart or circulatory conditions. It is also used to treat or prevent heart attack, and to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches.

If you have taken a medication for any of these problems you might have taken a beta-blocker and were not warned about it.  This might be worth checking out.

If you know you have taken a beta-blocker in the past and now have Peyronie’s disease, this might be a possible explanation for your PD and you might want to discuss this with the doctor who prescribed it for you.

If you are currently taking a beta-blocker you need to know that this category of medication should not be stopped suddenly, since this can bring about an attack of the original condition – sometimes more severe than the original problem – plus a rapid and dangerous rise of the blood pressure.  If beta-blocker use should be stopped or reduced, this should only be done under close medical supervision.  The best way to continue your Peyronie’s disease treatment is to keep your doctor informed and aware of what you are doing with Alternative Medicine.  You should try to get him or her to be a part of your natural Peyronie’s disease treatment.

Peyronie’s disease connection to beta-blockers

All beta-blocker drugs list Peyronie's disease as a possible side effect.  This association has been borne out in communication with men in my work with the Peyronie’s Disease Institute.