Greetings. Welcome to HCM and thank you for your question. I understand your concern.
It is normal for anyone to have a small number of skipped heart beats or
extrasystoles. This phenomenon happens in healthy individuals after they stop a vigorous physical activity, when they are going under a lot of
stress etc. These are benign exstrasystolic heart beats. The
shortness of breath that may came after an extrasystole, is from the heart beat after the extrasystole, which is more forceful and pounding. Before you start taking the
beta blocker, I would recommend you a 24-hour Holter rhythm monitor registration, to see at what amount are extrasystoles present. They generally are benign, but, of course, there is a limit to how many of them can happen during a day, to still be considered benign. If they are rare, in the rhythm registration, combined with your age, my opinion is that no treatment is needed. But if they are in high numbers, or borderline high, I would recommend you to be started on a beta blocker, just like your doctor said. However, I would choose another drug from the beta blocker class, since you are a young person in a relationship, and
atenolol may cause decreasing of the libido.
I hope I was helpful. Take care.
Regards,
Dr. Meriton