Borderline active dosage forms of beta blockers

A method for treating sleep disturbances, comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a borderline active dosage form of beta blockers, which produces in a patient only borderline active concentrations of active agent which produce no significant changes in physiological values in the cardiovascular system under resting conditions for the beta blocker used and which significantly reduces adrenergically induced transient stimulation effects from a pharmacodynamic standpoint, and

• wherein said dosage form is an oral dosage form, containing 10% to 50% of the currently administered lowest oral therapeutic single dose of the respective beta blocker which is given in a chronic therapy, and
• further wherein one dose is administered about every 24 to 52 hours.

A method of effecting short-term therapy of transient functional cardiovascular symptoms, comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a borderline active dosage form of beta blockers, which produces in a patient only borderline active concentrations of active agent which produce no significant changes in physiological values in a cardiovascular system under resting conditions for the beta blocker used and which significantly reduces adrenergically induced transient stimulation effects from a pharmacodynamic standpoint, and

• wherein said dosage form is a transdermal dosage form, containing such a loading dose of the beta blocker in the transdermal system, which produces a serum concentration in a range of 10% to 50% of the serum concentration which is produced by the lowest therapeutic oral dosage of the respective beta blocker.

A method for treating sleep disturbances, comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a borderline active dosage form of beta blockers, which produces in a patient only borderline active concentrations of active agent which produce no significant changes in physiological values in the cardiovascular system under resting conditions for the beta blocker used and which significantly reduces adrenergically induced transient stimulation effects from a pharmacodynamic standpoint, and

• wherein said dosage form is a transdermal dosage form, containing such a loading dose of the beta blocker in the transdermal system, which produces a serum concentration in the range of 10% to 50% of the serum concentration which is produced by the lowest therapeutic oral dosage of the respective beta blocker.