What Are Beta-Blockers?
Updated on July 7, 2026
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Beta-blockers, or beta-adrenergic blocking agents, are a group of medicines that physicians prescribe to treat several conditions, mainly related to your heart and circulatory system. They can also play a role in the treatment of some nervous system, brain, thyroid, and eye problems. In the United States, around 1 in 10 adults take beta-blockers.
They work by blocking hormones called epinephrine and norepinephrine to slow the heart and relax muscle tissue in your blood vessels. Your heart rate naturally increases when you need more oxygen, such as when you’re exercising. But if your heart rate is high when you’re at rest, it may suggest an increased risk of heart disease or another medical condition that needs your attention.
Conditions
Beta-blockers treat a range of heart and blood vessel problems. By slowing down your heart rate and helping the blood vessels relax, beta-blockers can reduce how hard your heart has to work to pump blood.
Traditional and ongoing uses for beta-blockers include the following:
- Atrial fibrillation
- Arrhythmias
- Coronary artery disease, to prevent chest pain
- Angina, or chest pain
- Heart palpitations due to early contractions in a part of the heart called the ventricles
- Congestive heart failure
- Cardiomyopathy, or heart muscle dysfunction
Until recently, doctors also prescribed beta-blockers as a first-line treatment to manage high blood pressure. But newer and more effective medications, including calcium-channel blockers, angiotensin-receptor blockers, and ACE inhibitors are available. A physician would generally only prescribe beta-blockers for high blood pressure if these don’t have the desired results.
Beta-Blockers After Heart Attacks
The conversation has shifted around using beta-blockers after a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. Most heart attacks occur when part of the heart doesn’t get enough blood, and therefore oxygen, which damages heart tissue. In the hospital, people often get beta-blockers to slow the heart, ease stress on its cells, and limit lasting damage. But recent research has examined how much they help when used for long-term treatment.
One study looked at people who had a heart attack but kept a preserved ejection fraction of at least 50 percent, meaning the heart's left ventricle still pumps out a normal share of blood with each beat. The study found that participants who took beta-blockers long-term didn't have a lower risk of another heart attack or death.
Based on a growing body of research, treatment recommendations evolved. After a heart attack, some lower-risk people may not need long-term treatment with beta-blockers.
Other Uses for Beta-Blockers
A doctor may also prescribe beta-blockers to treat other conditions, including:
- Tremor
- Glaucoma
- Migraine prevention, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved a few beta-blockers for this purpose
- Anxiety disorders
- Portal hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects veins in the liver
- Overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism
How Do Beta-Blockers Work?
Beta-blockers work by attaching themselves to receptors in the heart and blood vessels. This reduces the heart’s ability to beat quickly and forcefully, meaning it pumps less blood with each beat. This lowers blood pressure and protects heart muscle.
They achieve this by binding to receptors known as B-receptors, the most important of which for clinical purposes are beta-1 (B1) receptors in the heart and beta-2 (B2) receptors across many different organs. This, in turn, blocks hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine that normally bind to these receptors and increase heart rate or contract smooth muscle.
In blocking these hormones, as well as hormones like renin that increase blood pressure, they help blood vessels relax, slow down the heart, and reduce the heart's overall workload.
The heart requires less oxygen when its workload is reduced, which can help you manage symptoms like chest pain.
Beta-blockers also manage irregular heart rhythms by prolonging the interval between heartbeats, giving the heart more time to fill with blood.
Common Beta-Blockers
Some types of beta-blockers, known as cardioselective beta-blockers, target B1 in the heart. Nonselective beta-blockers target the heart, blood vessels, and airways. The type a doctor prescribes will depend on the condition they’re treating.
Some commonly prescribed cardioselective beta-blockers include:
- metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL), the most commonly prescribed beta-blocker
- acebutolol (Sectral)
- atenolol (Tenormin)
- betaxolol (Kerlone)
- bisoprolol (Zebeta, Ziac)
- nebivolol (Bystolic)
Nonselective beta-blockers include:
- carvedilol (Coreg)
- labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate)
- nadolol (Corgard)
- penbutolol (Levatol)
- pindolol (Visken)
- propranolol (Inderal, Inderal LA)
- timolol (Blocadren)
What Are the Side Effects of Beta-Blockers?
Common side effects of beta-blockers include:
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Slow heartbeat
- Low blood pressure
- Dry mouth, skin, or eyes
- Headache
- Upset stomach
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Heart block
- Cold hands and feet
- Weight gain
Less common side effects include:
- Depression
- Shortness of breath, wheezing, or trouble breathing, with people who have asthma or Raynaud’s syndrome facing a higher risk of these adverse effects
- High blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
- Trouble sleeping, including insomnia and nightmares
- Swelling of the hands or feet (edema), specifically in those who take carvedilol (Coreg)
- Sexual and erectile dysfunction
Are There Any Risks?
Beta-blockers may not be as effective when taken alongside other medications. When you’re talking to a healthcare provider about beta-blockers, be open about any current medications or over-the-counter supplements you take. This can help you reduce the risk of issues.
Let your doctor know about all other medical conditions you have before you start on a beta-blocker. Also, tell your doctor about all medicines you're taking, especially the following:
- Other medications for high blood pressure, which can increase the effects of beta-blockers
- Some antidepressants
- Some drugs for diabetes (including insulin and pills)
- Medications for asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Allergy shots
- Antacids that contain aluminum
- Over-the-counter (OTC) cough, cold, or allergy medicines
Never stop taking a beta-blocker abruptly without speaking to your healthcare provider.
Beta-Blockers, Alcohol, and Caffeine
Avoid eating or drinking products that contain alcohol, which can reduce the effects of beta-blockers. It’s also best to limit or avoid caffeine. This can also affect how beta-blockers work in your body.
Beta-Blockers and Pregnancy
Tell your doctor if you're pregnant or might become pregnant while taking a beta-blocker.
Some beta-blockers may be safe to take during pregnancy, while others may be harmful.
In one study of pregnant women with structural heart disease, those taking beta-blockers had more infants who were small for gestational age (SGA) and a higher rate of congenital heart disease. But the researchers noted these women may also have been sicker, which can affect those outcomes on its own. Among the drugs, labetalol carried the lowest SGA risk and atenolol had the highest.
Discuss the risks and benefits of taking these drugs with your doctor. Also, talk to your healthcare provider before taking a beta-blocker if you're breastfeeding.
Beta-Blockers and Certain Populations
If you have asthma, talk to your doctor before taking a beta-blocker. Some types of beta-blockers may trigger a severe asthma attack. Recommendations generally allow cardioselective beta-blockers in people with asthma, but not nonselective ones.
In people who live with diabetes, beta-blockers can mask signs of low blood sugar.
Consult with your doctor if you have a slow heart rate (bradycardia), low blood pressure (hypotension), or Raynaud's syndrome. Beta-blockers may not be recommended as first-line treatment when these conditions are present.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
- Beta-Blockers. Cleveland Clinic. April 17, 2025.
- Farzam K et al. Beta Blockers. StatPearls. August 22, 2023.
- What is a normal heart rate? Harvard Medical School. April 2, 2026.
- Solan M. The many roles of beta blockers. Harvard Medical School. August 1, 2024.
- What Is a Heart Attack? American Heart Association. December 10, 2024.
- Stopping Beta-Blockers After Heart Attack is Safe for Low-Risk Patients. American College of Cardiology. March 30, 2026.
- Yndigegn T et al. Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction and Preserved Ejection Fraction. New England Journal of Medicine. April 17, 2024.
- Ejection Fraction. Cleveland Clinic. April 14, 2026.
- Virani SS et al. 2023 AHA/ACC/ACCP/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline for the Management of Patients With Chronic Coronary Disease: A Report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. August 29, 2023.
- Beta Blockers. Mayo Clinic. March 27, 2025.
- Beta-Blockers. Baylor College of Medicine Texas Heart Institute.
- Ramlakhan KP et al. Perinatal outcomes after in-utero exposure to beta-blockers in women with heart disease: Data from the ESC EORP registry of pregnancy and cardiac disease (ROPAC). International Journal of Cardiology. September 1, 2024.
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Cheng-Han Chen, MD, PhD, is the medical director of the structural heart program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, and director of structural a...
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