Meds

[Christinedbur]

Is anyone happy on Bisoprolol ? Have a good day all.

[Hidden]

I was on it for a week or two, felt dreadful and sloooooooow. I've had a GP and a cardio prescribe it. My EP explained why it was the wrong drug for me and that I don't need my heart slowing down so why I was put on it, twice, is a mystery to me.

Clearly works for many though as is apparent on here.

Koll

[beardy_chris]

I took it for several months and found it not only slowed my heart down, it slowed me down too. I think it contributed to a bout of depression though it is difficult to be certain because I'd just been diagnosed with AF and that didn't make me happy either! It also seemed to be responsible for what I can only describe as "brain fog" - I just couldn't concentrate on anything.

I felt much better after switching to Diltiazem. I hadn't realised just how much Bispoprolol was affecting me.

Of course, your mileage may vary!

[Finvola]

My answer to your question is NO, but that would be the answer for all drugs! Necessary evil at the moment.

I took 2.5mg for 4 miserable months and felt breathless, tight-chested and couldn't walk up a slope at all. On starting Flecainide a year ago, the dose was reduced to 1.25mg and the symptoms are now less severe and only intermittent.

[jan-ran]

I started on 2.5 mg once a day, and found my heart rate dropped a bit too low for comfort. I too felt tired and slow. I halved the dose, with gp's permission, and have been fine with that. I fancy I am still too slow, compared with former times, but now I don't know whether it's age related, (I'm 73), meds related, (I take a load of other meds for diabetes, heart, cholesterol, hiatus hernia) or a year old hip problem. I know I had to stop line dancing (gutted!) a year ago, with the hip, and I think I've got much slower since then. Hard to tell what is causing slow/tiredness.

On the good side, I took up recumbent cycling to help my hip, and I've lost weight, built good legs, improved my cholesterol, bp and sugar levels. So I suppose I could say that 1.25 mg bisoprolol suits me although I do have a problem getting my heart rate higher than about 90 - 100 when exercising. I try not to let that worry me. lol. JanR

[Marion62]

It only took one 2.5 mg bisoprolol tablet to make me out of breath with pains across my back. Two weeks later the dose was reduced to 1.25 mg which I took for 5 months. I then changed to diltiazem which suited me better for two years - until the dose was recently doubled. I am going to ask if the dose can be reduced when I see the cardio.

[Julie10051 in reply to Marion62]

HI Marion was the pain between your shoulder blades?

[Marion62 in reply to Julie10051]

Yes, towards the top.

[Tony187]

I started on bisoprolol about three weeks ago and am struggling with it. 2.5 taken as 1.25 twice a day. I have constant lethargy, tight stomach and chest and a general numbness. I have paroxysmal AF recently on a daily basis. When I next see my cardiologist I'm going to discuss the options.

[jesse-james]

the answer from me is no a few months ago I got the doctor to reduce my dose I feel a lot better and my P/A/F is still under control so im not going to push it any more but like most people I rather not take any tablets but needs must sometimes

[maxred1]

Mmmm, no obviously. I am on 15mg a day, the only way to control my heart be low 80. I am very slow, breathless, tight chested, brain foggy, need I go on? Felt a bit better last week, but my term feeling better, changes week by week. I am scheduled to fly to London to see Prof Richard Schilling, first week October, because I am getting no where with my current NHS-"treatment"......

[Japaholic]

No

[Mazza23]

I have been on 10mg of bisoprolol for nearly 2years I have CHF ,AF LQ TS so very few. Drugs I can take I ha ve never had a. Problem with bisoprolol my heart rate is low between 45/50bpm but feel ok when I am in AF I have to be cardioverted

[Nannadee]

Hi there. My answer is a big YES.

I'm totally lacking in energy.

I take 2.5 Bisoporol twice daily. It was increased to 3.75 for a few weeks but I struggled to function.

The only positive that I'm aware of is that I sleep like a log, albeit the bed is in a mess in the morning, so I must be very restless, and I have fallen out of bed in my sleep twice, total shock, bearing in mind it's a double bed that I sleep in on my own!!

I also take 100mg of Flecainide twice daily so don't really know if that's asluggish drug as well

[AnneTS]

Noooooooo!!! I thought my heart was going to slowly die on me. It was prescribed it by a Consultant at my local hospital who hadn't read my notes. Go back to your medic and ask for an alternative. I do sympathise with you. Anne

[dommydops]

I was put on 1.25mg back on November, upped to 2.5 in February, when I had a bout of AF. I find it fine: it's slowed my HR (very commonly to the low 50s, and sometimes lower - but before taking it I'd often be in the low 50s) and generally lowered its upper end, but I'm able to exercise (I do a fair bit of cycling), and I feel very normal on it. I found that it took a few weeks to adjust when I initially started on it, and when the dose was increased. I've found that it also has the nice effect of reducing my tendency to get antsy in certain contexts; and I've not had a bout of AF for heading towards 7 months, which is the longest gap between attacks that I've had since my heart started misbehaving. I'm relatively young for an AF sufferer - 41 - and I'm also quite fit, so I don't know how far that bears on my response to the drug, but basically my experience with it has been positive.

[VeeT]

I'm on 10 mg a day and really struggle with energy levels. I have just changed to taking it before bed rather than in the morning and that's made a huge difference. I'd still like the dosage reduced though and planning to ask that at next hospital appointment in October.

[Dadog]

Here I go....I'm going to be all philosophical now! Bisoprolol affects everyone in different ways; the main effect being fatigue, lassitude, foggy barained - it's all been stated in the posts above. I've been on it for three years now and suffered all those things. Realising that it is, for me, doing a useful job and keeping the old ticker at an acceptable rate, I and my GP, have worked on reducing the Bisop to as low a level as possible and still keep things right. This essential bit of monitoring doesn't happen at hospitals. Now on 1.25mg, things aren't too bad. I sometimes wonder if the body adapts and gets used to some of these drugs we keep taking. I really don't feel so bad these days. At 78 I'm going to feel a bit tired sometimes anyway. So hey ho! Keep taking the tablets. I often think things could be a lot worse!

david

[Mrspat]

Been on 10 mg for three years. No problems that I can attribute to the Bisoprolol.

[seasider18]

When my heart rate went into the 130's a doctor said to take 2.5mg now and another at night and then 2.5mg a day. The next morning my heart rate was down to 36bpm.