Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 06:52:56 -0500
From: "Eddie Bollenbach"
Subject: Re: [PPM] Heart

Beta blockers and calcium channnel blockers both have the affect of slowing the heart. The Ace Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor blockers (the latter a class you didn't mention) don't seem to slow the heart but rather are effective in treating high blood pressure. I haven't heard that any of them has a negative effect on Post-Polio Syndrome.

The American Heart Association recommends treatment of Tachycardia thusly: "Ventricular tachycardia when sustained but hemodynamically stable is initially treated with lidocaine, procainamide or bretylium" this is from the American Heart Association Site.

I recently read an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (I think the edition before the current one in late February) that a novel type of calcium channel blocker can reduce muscle fatigue by 10 to 30% so I wouldn't worry about a Calcium Channel Blocker, which acts to slow the heart, that it would have any noticeable effect on PPS. It might help it.

The Ace inhibitors simply block Angiotensin I production which has the effect of raising blood pressure by making the blood vessels narrower. They also allow for the production of chemicals that naturally lower blood pressure, like Bradykinin and nitric oxide.

I hope they can fix your tachycardia. It is troublesome and the physician may have to use trial and error to get it right. At least you know you have a good strong heart to tolerate those kinds of episodes without incident.

I would be interested to know where you read that the Calcium Channel, Beta-Blockers, and ACE Inhibitors are bad for PPS. I have never heard of that and I take all three :-) ....Eddie