Bisoprolol : I contracted Miocarditis... - Atrial Fibrillati...

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Bisoprolol

Alanz profile image
21 Replies

I contracted Miocarditis in July last year and spent a week in hospital m, I was put on Bisiprolol 2.5mgs a day amongst other medication then the Bisoprolol was reduced this January to 1.25mgs a day as the side effects was terrible, now I am told that I can stop them all together 2 weeks ago so I started halving the 1.25mgs once a day for a week , now after a week of not taking them I still feel terrible and wondered how long it takes for them to completely clear my system and start to feel my old self again,

(Sorry if this seems long winded lol )

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Alanz profile image
Alanz
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21 Replies
PeterWh profile image
PeterWh

I was told it can take upto a month for the body to adjust whether increasing or decreasing dose so I assume that the same applies to stopping. My adjustments from 0 to 7.5 and then to 5mg were always done in 1.25mg steps with a minimum of 4 weeks between.

Alanz profile image
Alanz in reply to PeterWh

Thanks Peter

A lot of the time doctors don't believe the side effects people have with medication I personally have been pretty much a zombie for the last 12 months on these tablets and I suppose another month won't make much difference as long as the end result is normality,

Thanks for the reply 👍

PeterWh profile image
PeterWh in reply to Alanz

Agree. However I am convinced that in many cases they don't know about side effects or problems because patients don't tell them because they've forgotten or they play them down. They just get on with things and suffer in silence. Then those who do mention may be thought of as OTT or a bit wimpish.

At our GP's surgery GPs come to waiting room to collect their patients. A few ask how are you doing or the like. When I was there 2 weeks ago 4 people collected. Of those 2 said absolutely fine (why were they tgere then?) , 1 said ok and one just hello but he wasn't asked that question!!!

Alanz profile image
Alanz in reply to PeterWh

Our GPs have a light board which your name apears and a buzzer so you go to their room, all they say is what can I do for you and make you feel as if you are bothering them and the receptionist wants to know what's wrong with you before they will give you an appointment, I ask them how many years they went to medical school and tell them it's between me and the doctor (lol) our old doctor ( who has retired ) did have time for you and listened with a warm welcome ,

PeterWh profile image
PeterWh in reply to Alanz

Total opposite at my practice. You can book appointments through an App or online via the web or on the dedicated telephone appointment booking line and lastly by the old fashioned method of speaking to someone.

When the surgery was rebuilt about 12 years ago tanoy system was installed but discontinued for the most part a few years later (I think a couple of GPs downstairs, 1 is newer, still use it (4 GPs on each floor). Once I asked why collect and she said most GPs prefer to collect because it is much more personal but also this way they get some exercise and stretching rather than staying in the room for 3 hours.

Alanz profile image
Alanz

Our surgery in only a year old , we can book online but it's like booked up for 2 weeks unless there's a cancellation and you are lucky but they do leave a few slots for emergency appointments luckly .

Hi Alanz, good to hear from you. It's my turn to agree with Peter......I was taking Bisoporol for around 9 months, starting at 1.25mg, but increasing to 2.5 in a week and again to 3.75mg about 4 weeks later.....it was not a pleasant experience for me. In addition, I took Diltiazem, but after a successful cardioversion I was told to stop the Bisoporol, reducing the dose each week so I guess it was a month before I stopped taking it altogether. Bearing in mind I was now in NSR, I recall thinking that I didn't feel any better until maybe 6/8 weeks had passed so clearly it can take some considerable time for it to clear the system......of course we are all different, but I hope this helps......good luck, John

Alanz profile image
Alanz in reply to

Thanks John it dose help me this information , this is a terrible drug , I was on 2.5mgs when I ended up in hospital then they reduced it to 1.5mgs 6 months later , 2 weeks ago I received a letter from hospital saying I could stop altogether so I cut the 1.5mgs in half for a week till I got confirmation off my GP which was last Monday so I've been off it a week so far and still feel terrible , now started with palpertations which I've been told that it's adrenaline spikes which should calm down as my system re-adjusts , stomach cramps as if I need the toilet and still getting lightheaded , fingers crossed it will all pass soon , I've not worked for over 12 months I'm a HGV driver so I don't want to take the risk until I'm fully recovered.

Many Thanks John for the reassurance as it was a worry.

Wish I had found this forum many months ago as this has been a scary experience for me as it has been for others.

I was on 12.5mg daily when I was in AF

Zombie isn't the word.

I gradually came off it 3 months post cardioversion, I felt much better a couple of weeks after stopping.

Unfortunately I have been back in AF twice in the last month, so I'm back on this hateful drug, only 2.5 mg at the moment, but I've put on about 2kg in 4 weeks and I'm barely able to hold down my job right now

Alanz profile image
Alanz in reply to

I have full sympathy for you mikee , I haven't worked since I started the drug, surely ya doctor can find an alternative drug that suits you better if you insist that the side effects are too much.

I must have pulled a load of weight on in the last 12 months as I have constant back aches which I putting town to it.

in reply to Alanz

My GP is a total waste of space, luckily my EP is great, and I have an appointment to see him on 9th September (He bought the appointment forward from December 23rd after I emailed his secretary )

I'm guessing (and half hopeful) that we will be discussing a possible ablation. I want my life back!!

in reply to

I went for a walk at lunch time, and my 1 mile time has increased by 7 minutes since starting the bisoprolol again. 😢

Alanz profile image
Alanz

I waiting for the biso to wear off because I wasn't even able to walk into the kitchen without resting , breathless, lightheaded and nauseous , this is a terrible drug for me.

Grannycake profile image
Grannycake

I also had problems,in 18 months I put on a couple of stone,swollen ankles and needed a stick,within a few weeks of stopping I didn't need a stick. This drug affected my joints badly

Over around 6 months after stopping my weight dropped and ankles returned to normal

Alanz profile image
Alanz

What's most frustrating thing about it Grannycake is that nobody believes the side effects and the amount of time it takes to recover after you stop them unless you experience it, at the moment I'm having ups and downs during the day (I,e short palpitations , headache, tired, hot flushes, insomnia at night etc ) hopefully these will settle , I've only been off them just over a week.

Alanz profile image
Alanz

You also mentioned your joints , my knees and hips ache and my back is terrible when I try to walk.

G'day Alanz,

I've been on 5 mg of Bisoprolol since Jan 2010, and yes it does the job. In a perfect world I wouldn't take it or any other drug, but, AF ensures I don't live in a perfect world !

I had a terrible time with it during the first 4 months following diagnosis and the two worst things were 1) slowing the heart too much - down as low as 45 bpm. and 2) massive nose bleeds. During these first 4 months I would go so cold, not just extremeties but all over. I'd go to bed, with gloves and socks on, hot water bottle and an electric blanket on (not ideal with a hot water bottle I know). This occurred pretty regularly. Originally I was prescribed to take it in the morning. But following this low heart rate and massive, random nose bleeds - any time, anywhere for no reason, I was told to take it at night. At one point my GP did cut the dose but the heart rate shot up to around the 88 bpm - no good. So, 5 mg daily works for me.

Job done!

No more nose bleeds, very little low heart rates.

Yes I still get low heart rates, maybe several times a year, always occurs when at home resting as opposed to when I'm working. they last several hours and things go back to normal. Usually my blood pressure goes up and heart rate falls. I go ice cold at the extremeties. All I do is go to bed, have a mug of hot sweet coffee and hug a hot water bottle to my chest - for several hours then bingo - heart rate picks up, BP drops and I'm back to normal. Normal = 67 bpm - I'd prefer 72 bpm ( historically since AF, I function best at that). Prior to AF my heart rate was 88 to 90 bpm. The day AF was diagnosed I was clocked at 160 bpm.

I could get it checked out but the process isn't regular enough for an ECG to clock anything, I mean, when I'm home resting my GP's surgery is usually closed. If this pattern suddenly changed and it became 1 event daily (or more) then I'd be fighting them away from the surgery doors ! Lol. Yes, I still get a weariness but I can cope with it - at least the squadrons of butterflies in my chest ain't there, or the mob of octopuses aren't wriggling their tentacles at me or the bag of worms ain't wriggling away.

John

Alanz profile image
Alanz in reply to

It's good to hear that this drug dose work for you carneuny and that you are feeling confident , it's reassuring that there is a use for it and not just a cheap alternative but it's trial an error to find a drug that works for people,,👍

Alanz profile image
Alanz

Hiya everyone

Just an update of me coming off the bisoprolol ,

As I was only on 2.5mgs to start with 12 months ago then reduced to 1.25mg 6 months ago just recently was informed by the hospital that I could stop this medication ( which I suffered terrible side effects all the way through taking them) I finally reduced them as advised by a lot of readings on this site to, i halved some of the 1.25mgs ( which is slightly difficult in cutting the 1.25mg tablet in half but you are able to do if careful) I took these halfs for a week then completely stopped, it has been just over 2 weeks and the side effect are now slowly wearing off , I am sleeping better , I don't feel lightheaded as often and all the other effects are settling down so hopefully within the next 2 weeks I will be back to a fully functioning person,👍👍

Sorry if this is abit long winded but I thought it may help if I gave abit of detail, I am in no way a medical expert and this is only my experience with this medication ,,

Hoping everyone is well

Alan👍

Alanz profile image
Alanz in reply to Alanz

P,S

I would like to thank everyone for the replies that really helped and reassured me about this medication 👍👍👍

Alanz profile image
Alanz

Well it's been 4 weeks since I came off the bisoprolol and I feel terrible, headaches, dizzy, nauseous, palpitations and unable to sleep properly, so I went to doctors yesterday and he gave me antibiotics and a nasil spray for my sinuses , my bp is 178/88 bit on the high side so seeing nurse on Monday for bloods and bp check to see if has come down "fingers crossed" pulse rate in the morning is around 77 bpm and I'm hoping everything will settle ,

If anyone has any info about these withdrawl symptoms it would be much appreciated.. Thanks

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