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How Can I Lower My Pulse Rate?
Question: my BP is 124/79, but my pulse rate is 137. how can i lower it? i am 77 and take 4mg warfarin daily plus metoprolol 25 mg twice daily and a simvastatin 40 mg every day. for 2010 i've been lax in my physical exercise but am doing 60 curls daily with 20lbs weights for the last month.
Hello and thanks for your query.
Your question is a good one and I will try to provide you with some helpful information.
Your blood pressure looks like it is under good control. As for your Pulse, I find this to be quite elevated. A normal Pulse for you would be somewhere between 70 and 90. I suspect that you may have something that we called atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation can sometimes make it difficult to measure the true pulse.
If you have what we call uncontrolled or rapid atrial fibrillation, sometimes it is necessary to adjust the dosage of your medication. We sometimes use beta blockers like metoprolol which you take. Sometimes however it is necessary to add an additional type of medication. The most commonly prescribed additional medications include digitoxin or a calcium channel blocker.
These medications acted in two different ways. First they help decrease the Pulse. Secondly they help decrease the amount of work that the heart has to do on a minute to minute basis. Over time a rapid Pulse can really be a major stress on the heart.
I would certainly encourage you to visit with your primary care provider so that you can have a complete examination as well as an analysis of your post. Perhaps an EKG would also be beneficial to further analyze your heart rhythm. I suspect that you may need to have a medication adjustment sometime soon because a pulse of 137 is way too high.
Thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you have found my response to be both helpful and informative. If you have any additional questions I Am available to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Galamaga
Your question is a good one and I will try to provide you with some helpful information.
Your blood pressure looks like it is under good control. As for your Pulse, I find this to be quite elevated. A normal Pulse for you would be somewhere between 70 and 90. I suspect that you may have something that we called atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation can sometimes make it difficult to measure the true pulse.
If you have what we call uncontrolled or rapid atrial fibrillation, sometimes it is necessary to adjust the dosage of your medication. We sometimes use beta blockers like metoprolol which you take. Sometimes however it is necessary to add an additional type of medication. The most commonly prescribed additional medications include digitoxin or a calcium channel blocker.
These medications acted in two different ways. First they help decrease the Pulse. Secondly they help decrease the amount of work that the heart has to do on a minute to minute basis. Over time a rapid Pulse can really be a major stress on the heart.
I would certainly encourage you to visit with your primary care provider so that you can have a complete examination as well as an analysis of your post. Perhaps an EKG would also be beneficial to further analyze your heart rhythm. I suspect that you may need to have a medication adjustment sometime soon because a pulse of 137 is way too high.
Thank you again for submitting your question. I hope you have found my response to be both helpful and informative. If you have any additional questions I Am available to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Galamaga
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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