Propranolol and metoprolol are both beta-blockers, which are a class of drugs taken for heart conditions, including angina (chest pain), arrhythmias (heart rhythm disorders), and high blood pressure.

DEAR DR. ROACH: My older friends and I talk about your column once in a while, and we all read it every day. Thank you. One thing we all wonder is, how do pills work? How does the medicine know where ...

Dear D.A.: With a few exceptions, the medicine in the pills goes nearly everywhere in the body, but only “work” in specific locations. For example, if you take the blood pressure medicine atenolol, ...