Scientists warn that if you are taking this drug for your heart, you should stop immediately.
For decades, beta blockers have been one of the routine medications that many patients receive after a heart attack. They are widely used for heart disease and have long been considered a standard part of recovery after a heart attack.
But a large-scale clinical trial from 2025 shows that many people who have had an uncomplicated heart attack and still have good heart function may not benefit at all.
A large-scale international study could turn 40 years of heart attack treatment upside down.
Researchers found that beta blockers – routinely prescribed after uncomplicated heart attacks – provided no real benefit to patients whose heart function remained normal, despite being administered to millions of people worldwide.
Even more surprising, women who took the drugs had a higher risk of death, a repeat heart attack or hospitalization for heart failure compared to women who did not receive them.
The findings come from the REBOOT Trial, a large international study led by senior investigator Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, president of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and chief executive of Spain’s Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, or CNIC.
In addition, new findings were presented during a session at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid.
The research was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Experts advise that the heart is the most sensitive organ and one should consult a doctor or specialist before taking prescribed medications.
