Degoxin or Bisopolol been told to try Bisopolol help please new to af
Suesteve: Degoxin or Bisopolol been... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Suesteve
36 Replies
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Welcome!!!!
Many people get on with bisoprolol but some totally do not. For a few months I thought bisoprolol was causing my lethargy and tiredness but it turned out it was a combination of simavastatin and the AF itself not the bisoprolol at all.
What I would say is insist on a full set of blood tests including thyroid, liver, kidney and cholesterol so you have a baseline. That is so important for the future. Also get retested after three months.
Are you on any anticoagulant?
This forum is fantastic for getting info. Also look at main AFA website..also look at recent articles and releases on AFA re digoxin.
in reply to PeterWh
I am on Apixiban PeterWh
I would go with Bisoprolol as that is what I take and am fine on it but it is an individual thing. It does take time to get used to it but I presume your doctor has recommended this and thinks it is best for you so would go with it.
in reply to
Thank you Leo139 the hospital doc from A and E put me on Digoxin my doc wants me to try Bisprolol but only took 2 then stopped because of all the bad reports on here went back on digoxin some say you go bald with the Bisprolol as well
I'm on both !
O1maxdog how u got on with them many side effects
PeterWh in reply to
I don't have any side effects and there are many others who don't. You need to look at the leaflet inside the box for BOTH medicines to see side effects and the likelihood of having effects. Also recently been news articles and posts on digoxin.
You will find on the posts a bias towards those with AF (because many of those who have ablations that stop the AF or symptoms well controlled by drugs tend to drift away). Similarly those with reactions tend to be more prominent. However you will find there are quite a few regulars who just want to help.
01maxdog in reply to
I can't say I've actually noticed any side effects , I know I feel better on both . I've had a stroke , so will be on 5 msg of bisoprolol for the rest of my life being a beta blocker. Digoxin I came off when I had a successful cardio version but when I went back into AF after 6 months my heart was racing at 150 bpm, so back on the D ! I've got persistent AF and am also on rivaroxaban ramapril and atavorstain
Lisa
Ps, I only found out I had AF when I had a stroke at 59 a year ago
in reply to 01maxdog
Maxdog I not on both I on Digoxin my GP asked if I wanted try Bisprolol but think stick to Digoxin till I see Cardiologist next month
I take Digoxin , no problem as yet.
Bisopropol , makes me ill.
However , we are all different.
Bebe.
in reply to bebe7637
Bebe7637 how long you been on Digoxin I only been taking it under 2 weeks but scared now because of all the articles saying more risk of death ect do you have regular blood tests no one asked me yet
Micky1965 in reply to
Hi
I have been on digoxin for 17 months now for perminent AF and had no side affects .
My cardiologist put me onDigoxin 7 months ago. I have not been asked to have blood tests as yet.
I see the cardiologist again in about 4 months.
I'm not reading any of these reports as I would worry myself into an early grave !
I just check with my GP occasionally.
Bebe.
in reply to bebe7637
Thanks Bebe I see cardiologist next month only seen A and E doc and mine so will prob know more then what are they doing for you
in reply to bebe7637
Bebe think stick with Digoxin till I see Cardiologist next month
Thank you PeterWh I am grateful for your help being new to this I am just in a daze at moment and trying get all information I can
Bisoprolol cannot help most types of AF. It's probably worth trying as a first attempt but usually slows down the heart whilst keeping the AF. Surprised Aminodarone wasn't the first port of call though.
Mike. I was told that Bisoprolol does nothing for AF control. It is a beta blocker to slow the heart but it also has the effect of dropping the blood pressure slightly. For some in persistent AF they may not have anything for "AF control" (eg Flecainide or Amiodarone) for a number of reasons such as they did not stay in NSR for long after a cardioversion, drugs are unsuitable, etc. I was stopped with Flecainide after DCCV and was going to be put on Amiodarone 1 month before and 3 months after ablation but liver function was abnormal so they would not start Amiodarone but went ahead with ablation.
Mike, under European Society of Cardiology protocol, amiodarone is the LAST resort drug due to its toxicity and when used should be short term only.
I accept the toxicity, but subject to careful monitoring it should be tried as part of the determination on whether the AF is actually controllable. It works quickly and has better results than dromedarone. The problem is there are few effective rhythm control drugs without serious side affects. Flecainide would have reacted with my dormant asthma, aminodarone caused an allergic reaction, dromedarone did work a bit, whilst sotalol worked fairly well for a while, except for side affect of lowering my BP excessively.
Dronedarone (Multaq) was the great white hope when it was first approved for use in UK by NICE but sadly has not shown to be very popular. Due to the pre release press coverage many unsuitable patients demanded to be on it which sadly resulted in one or two deaths from liver failure.
Amiodarone is often used before and after DCCV to assist in maintaining NSR, Flecainide didn't work for me although Propafanone (Arrhythmol) did after a fashion.
Unless the patient is offered ablation procedure (as was I) bisoprolol seems to be the fall back drug. It does nothing for rhythm control but keeps the rate low during events at the cost of making the patient feel as if they are running through mud most of the time. Being a beta blocker it should not be used if the patient has asthma.
Sotalol has been removed from the approved list due I understand to the affect it can have on the ventricle although this doesn't seem to have sunk in with many doctors.
Bottom line is back to ECS guidelines of " if two different drug regimes fail to work then offer ablation"
Bob
.
It has always been known sotalol can produce ventricular arrhythmias in some patients and so must be monitored carefully, but experienced EPs should still consider it. Indeed encainide and flecainide have other side-effects leading to equal premature death rates. My own belief is that calcium blockers are the best path to be researched as the complex molecule of verapamil can smooth out the energy transfer far better than the SO2 part of sotalol and dronedarone or the large number of F atoms in aminodarone. But bisoprolol and most other beta blockers are more or less useless for AF, something I was horrified to find a junior doctor I once visited didn't understand. Indeed his lack of understanding of the basic quantum mechanics behind how these drugs work was extremely worrying.
But I agree, ablation is the only truly effective course of action, and worked well for me.
What is your experience with these drugs you have tried and what u on now
GP prescribed Bisoprolol for me and it made me grind to a halt even on a very low dose. My EP took me straight off it and onto a rhythm control drug. He said Biso was the wrong drug for me/my type of arrhythmia.
But it might be the right one for you. One important thing for me would be who prescribed it. A GP or an EP?
Koll
My GP wants me to try Bisprolol but the A and E doc put me on Digoxin so won't see Cardiologist till next month
I have heard that A&E docs are not necessarily the best at keeping up to date with options as things change because with some times of illnesses they come across them even less frequently than GPs. However if the particular problem is a speciality area for them they can be much more up to date!!
in reply to PeterWh
PeterWh I know what u mean I not convinced I got this af has I have been through so much with Cancer and chemo I think it's Panic related but I am no doc be glad when I see spec next month
PeterWh in reply to
It could have been that you had AF but didn't know. I was in persistent AF without fully knowing. I was able to explain all the symptoms on other things but now I know about AF and all the symptoms I can trace back to key stages/changes (so to speak).
Also our bodies are so complex and so many things interrelated and held finely in balance that when one thing happens or the body si fighting one thing then other things that were being just held in check come to the fore.
Welcome suesteve,
I was on digoxin and bisoprolol prescribed by my ep for 2 months, no obvious side effects but was glad to come off the digoxin post ablation.
in reply to FyldeWhite
Why u glad come off Digoxin
in reply to FyldeWhite
I have not been prescribed to use both at once I am on digoxin but my GP wanted me try Bisprolol to see if it was better
The 2 drugs do 2 different things so not sure that it's an either or situation. Glad I came off as don't like being on tablets at all and Digoxin has some bad press as you pointed out.
in reply to FyldeWhite
Hope they can do that ablation for me or at least get me off drugs thank you Fyldewhite for your help they say mine af flutter and 120 beats or 110 then when given digoxin 6.25 went back normal
HI Suesteve
from my own personal experience when I was first diagnosed my AF was 2nd to an overactive thyroid when this was sorted by cardioversion my digoxin and bisoprolol were stopped ,13 months later now diagnosed with PAF I am on bisoprolol again but since my Dr increased my dose to 7.5mg daily I feel this has helped .The bisoprolol is a rate control drug I cant have any more cardioversions due to ? LV dysfunction.The digoxin can cause liver damage but its not that common check what the recommendations are for checking your levels ?6/12s if you have concerns you should ask why this combination and if you don't get on with it what is the next line of treatment .Take care.
in reply to teri54
Teri54 I am only on 6.25 which my doc says is only low dose mine is Paraxmil Af what zpAF is it same as me
teri54 in reply to
Hi yes that is a low dose ,I presumed your dr wants to change you to Bisoprolol and stop digoxin or continue? with the 2 drugs ,yes my AF my have the same title as yours but in a lot of ways we can be different as mign lasts for months or 6/52 at a time where as some people with PAF they go in to AF for about half aday or hours.I found my CARE AF DIARY with all the information and able to keep your own record of events etc very helpful this is free from ;Info@afa.org.uk.There is an explanation about digoxin usage on P12.I also expect your on an anticoagulant medication.
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