Winter Cycling - Cold hands and feet due to Beta-Blockers?

Has anyone found a beta-blocker that works OK for winter riding?

This will be my 42nd Minnesota winter on a bike and I've got a new problem. My cardiologist has me on Atenolol, a beta-blocker. The stuff works great at keeping my heart rate under control when exercising, but leads to cold hands and feet. Suddenly I find myself needing mittens and my Keen Winterport boots at anything below freezing. Don't know what I'll do when winter gets here.

3 things you might try, chemical toe warmers in your shoes, pogies for you hands, like moose mitts or barmitts. and make a vest with a few pockets sewn in on the inside/mid way up to hold a few chemical hand warmers, you will not want to stop riding! keep your core warm and everything else falls in place..good luck joe

Ask your cardiologist. Atenolol is a "cardioselective" beta blocker: one of a half dozen or so which have relatively less likelihood of causing side effects in the peripheral circulation, as you are experiencing. Switching to one of the other cardioselective meds *might* decrease your symptoms.

Another option, depending on why specifically they chose atenolol, is a calcium channel blocker. These meds tend to dilate blood vessels along with their effects on the heart, & often work for Raynaud's disease (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/raynauds-disease/DS00433) (a cold-induced vessel-spasm condition). Ask your cardiologist.

I'd ask your cardiologist.

I sympathize. I take Atenolol to help prevent migraines (I get exertion-induced cluster attacks), and I already had Reynaud's, so some outdoor winter activities are not as much fun as they used to be. Two pairs of gloves, liners under the socks, hand and foot warmers all help somewhat, but I just don't ride now if it's really cold. Using the snowblower is the worst (I suspect the vibration triggers it).

G