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Angina - stable - Management
What dose of beta-blocker should I prescribe, and how should the dose be titrated?

  • Titrate the dose of beta-blocker to the target dose (or maximum tolerated dose), according to the person's response and heart rate control (at rest and during exercise).
  • Recommended target doses are:
    • Atenolol 100 mg once a day or 50 mg twice a day (twice-daily dosing may provide better symptom control).
    • Bisoprolol 10 mg once a day.
    • Metoprolol 100 mg three times a day (standard-release) or 200 mg once a day (modified-release).
Basis for recommendation
  • Recommended doses of beta-blockers are from guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network [Fox et al, 2006a; SIGN, 2007], and the British National Formulary [BNF 57, 2009].

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