Labetalol, is often prescribed for high blood pressure medication and its dual beta-blocker as well as alpha-blocker function will directly affect heart health. 10 to 15% of labetalol patients in total may develop bradycardia (brush your heart rate falls below 60 beats per minute). It is due to this beta-blocking mechanism that slows the heart rate and decreases your hearts workload.
Clinical guidelines state that the risk of bradycardia increases with doses greater than about 600 mg/day. This reduced heart rate can be helpful in certain cases, especially for patients with conditions such as tachycardia but dangerous for others like a person suffering from heart block. In a 2017 study in The American Journal of Cardiology, for example, nearly 5% of individuals receiving labetalol required dose adjustments because their heart rates had decreased substantially.
This is a different story for orthostatic hypotension that affects 5 to 7% of patients. This sudden fall in blood pressure on standing causes dizziness and even fainting, further risking a fall — with possible aufracture or other consequences for an aging population. Patients on labetalol can experience these episodes, and in 2017 it emphasized the need to closely monitor blood pressure when using this medication.
Among the reported cases is a 52-year-old man who developed worsening heart failure symptoms after initiation of labetalol in 2019, but such no serious side effects remain exceedingly rare. Such was the case for one man with a known history of heart disease whose shortness of breath and fluid retention increased in severity. Upon labetalol discontinuation, his symptoms resolved suggesting lack of utility for a specific patient phenogroup with heart conditions.
Additionally, the affect on heart health could potentially include a change in cardiac output. Because labetalol directly antagonizes the β receptors located in heart muscle and decreases cardiac contractility, it may exacerbate symptoms of heart failure. Studies demonstrate that 2–3% of patients taking labetalol experience a decrease in ejection fraction, which is the percentage of blood pumped out by your heart with each beat. This side effect highlights the need for individualized treatment plans as every patient will not react in a similar way to labetalol.
Overall, labetalol has a use in the scenario of hypertensive urgency and may be administered given its potential benefit to manage blood pressure; however this type of medication should not be used without caution as it has potential for adverse effects regarding cardiac health especially when utilized with other heart related comorbidities. Visit labetalol side effects for additional information and details.