Bisoprolol

[LMor]

Hi. I’ve been given Bisoprolol by the hospital today for svt. I’m very concerned about the possible side effects I may have from these. What’s everyone’s experiences with these beta blockers?

[Hidden]

Hi there,

I've been on 5 mg of Bisoprolol now for over 8 years. It's one of two of my best mates (the other being Warfarin). It was originally prescribed to be taken in the morning but this caused frequent, random nose bleeds. I complained to my GP at the time and she said take it at night. I still do this and have had no problems ever since. It holds my resting heart rate in the range of 62 to 65 bpm - although - it gets carries away with itself once in a while and causes my HR to drop, sometimes as low as 46 bpm but usually to around 55 bpm.

Apart from these minor dramas - no problems.

John

[jwsonoma]

Hello,

I was prescribed 2.5 mg a day and now take 1.25. It is to prevent side effects from Flecainide. I am in good physical shape but have PAFib. Bis reduces my HR which is already low, seems to make me tired more easily, can cause dizziness for the first couple of weeks as your body adjusts, light headless if you stand up too fast due to lower BP and possible weight gain as your metabolism is slower. If you are into aerobic exercise it can cause performance issues if you are topping out your HR. Let your doc know if your resting HR is dropping into the low 40s. You might want to get a watch that tracks your HR if it is a concern. Otherwise lots of web sites list other side effects and what to avoid.

It can also calm you down.

Good luck.

[LMor in reply to jwsonoma]

Thank you....I’m very slim but I have an under active thyroid as well and take Levothyroxine for that. (The two don’t go hand in hand so I count myself lucky) Exercise is very difficult because my energy levels don’t cope well but I work 8 hours a day so I class that as my exercise lol

[Hidden]

Bisoprolol is an effective drug which works well for many people. Ideally, they say you should start on a low dose to give your body the chance to get used to it, then under medical supervision, increase the dose until it effectively controls your heart. Once the body gets used to the drug, for many, any side effects are not a major issue but breathlessness and fatigue are frequently mentioned here on the forum. The difficulty is that they are the much the same as AF symptoms, so can be difficult to distinguish.

There are alternatives available should the side effects become an issue, but it is worth persevering to see if it works for you for as far as I know, no beta blocker or calcium channel blocker is free from some side effects.

[LMor in reply to Hidden]

The consultant gave them to me at the hospital and told me to see how I am. No supervision was said. He gave me a months worth and then I assume I will go back to my Gp for another prescription. Do I need monitoring on them? I would prefer the ablation as I’m already on thyroid meds and don’t want to take another medication for life. 😔

[Hidden in reply to LMor]

No, not monitored but you should not change dosage unless advised by your doctor. I am not medically trained so cannot advise on dosage. If you want to know more about treatment options including ablation, ask your GP if he can refer you to an Electrophysiologist (EP) who is a cardiologist who specialises in arrhythmias. This would be a good idea as there can be a link between thyroid problems and AF and discussing it with an EP could work well for you. Seeing EP’s on the NHS can take time so if it’s possible, a private consultation might be a good way forward, but first checkout all the information about AF which is available on the AF Association webpage......hope this helps

[CDreamer]

The main side effects are breathlessness and constant fatigue. It’s a Marmite type of drug - you either love it or hate it. For me it’s one to avoid but everyone reacts very differently and for some, like Carneuny, it really helps.

You will know if it’s the Bisoprolol or the AF which causes symptoms if you have PAF - not if your AF is permanent - Bisoprolol makes you feel rubbish everyday - AF only when you are in AF or for a day or so after.

All drugs have effects - depends whether you feel better with or without. There is no way of knowing until you try but do heed advice above, it can take several weeks for your body to adjust so some effects are temporary.

[IanMK]

I was started on a low dose that was gradually increased to my present 7.5mg per day. I have been taking this for around 6 months and it works well for me with no appreciable side effects. I know from reading on here that it is not well-tolerated by some people but I would recommend perseverance to give it a chance.

[bennie06]

Can take a week or so for your body to adjust but with a little "mind over matter and positive thinking" has been no problem for me. Good luck.

[gwyn53]

Been on this for 18 months, I'm on 10 mgs daily.

Yes I get tired.

But I'm working full time.

I'm nearly 65 it helps keep it in check I'm told.

Everyone has different reactions to any pill given I think.

Good luck.

Hope you feel ok soon.

[LMor in reply to gwyn53]

I get so tired all the time without starting new meds lol. I have under-active thyroid so it’s already a struggle every day. That’s partly why I’m so concerned. I suppose I’ll never know unless I try.....thank you 👍

[shirljo]

Hello, I've been on Bisoprolol for 4 years and had no adverse side affects. I take mine before bed which works for me and I have a resting heart rate of 59bmp. I also take Rivoraxaban and Flecainide and (fingers crossed & touching wood) have only had the occasional AF episode. It's great when you can find a medical cocktail that works for you. Hope this helps

[Thomas45]

While I was taking it, it did the job of reducing my heart rate to about sixty beats per minute. (2.5mg). It really did a good job, and I'd still be taking it, were it not for the "very rare" side effects (between 1 and 9 people in every 10,000 who take the drug). I could put up with a fairly common side effect of a runny nose, but not with the intermittent, but at least daily if not 5 times daily, painful rashes, and the one occasion the exacerbation of asthma caused by bisoprolol landed me back in hospital for 2 days (I was one of the unlucky 3 people in a thousand who had that side effect). The unwanted side effects are rare.

[LMor in reply to Thomas45]

Oh no....I’m so sorry to hear that. Did they change it to another medication?

[Thomas45 in reply to LMor]

I was taken off 2.5mg for a month and prescribed high doses of antihistamines and then put on the lowest dose 1.25mgs for a month but the rashes continued. Unfortunately while I'm no longer on a beta blocker the shock of it to my auto-immune system means that I'm still having rashes and still taking antihistamines. It is a very rare side effect, so don't be put off by my experience.

[CDreamer in reply to LMor]

Beta- blockers, especially Bisoprolol, are not advised for anyone with asthma. If you have any autoimmune disorders like me, it is really important to check out all contraindications of meds before taking. Pharmacists tend to be much better informed than GPs about contraindications but I have learned to check everything for myself.

[Ndelap]

Hi, I suffer from tachycardia, and I was on bisoprolol for 3 years, unfortunately I experienced some nasty side effects. Mainly faintness, confusion and dizziness, which really impacted negatively on my life, so eventually I stopped taking them. However you might not experience these kind of side effects, and if you do, you’ve got to way up if taking bisoprolol is harder to deal with than experiencing episodes of tachycardia if that makes sense? My advice would be to take them for a while, see how you feel and speak to your cardiologist about it. Thanks

[Redders]

When I was on bisoprolol it dropped my heart rate so much that I fainted and fell face first into a metal filing cabinet at work and did a lot of damage to my nose and teeth. Just take flecainide and dabigatran now but does not control my af or heart rate. Going for a cardioversion on the 11th July so fingers crossed it will work. The other 4 that I’ve had hav’nt worked though. Good luck

[LMor in reply to Redders]

That’s a terrible thing to have to go through. I sorry. Good luck with the cardioversion. I hope it goes well 🙂

[BStanding56]

I could not tolerate bisoprolol, I was not on a high dose but I felt I was wading through mud, I was not on it long because of how they affected me

[Buffafly]

I take Diltiazem which is an alternative, it also makes me tired all the time but better than the exhaustion after my HR was much too fast!

[Hidden]

Hi

I'm on 3.75mg and for the first 6 or 7 weeks I had the worst time with it. Painful leg and arm joints, headaches,blurred vision, weight gain which was particularly disturbing as I have lots to lose. After a month the blurred vision went away followed by the painful joints and the worst of the headaches. I had my three weekly weigh in on Monday and had lost just over 9lb so hopefully that will be back to normal. All that I am left with is the breathlessness and lethargy which on occasions I do find debilitating if I'm honest.

[CDreamer]

I think you now have the full gamut of experience with Bisoprolol.

[KMRobbo]

I could not even tolerate eve. 1.25mg bisoprolol. Excessive tiredness, pain in chest and arms next to zero exercise toletance. I did that for a week then got changed to Atenolol which is another beta blocker. This was better but still terrible, so I had this for 2 weeks and I went back to my GP decided I could not tolerate beta blockers and put me on 120mg verapamil a calcium channel blocker. Not perfect but so much better(for me).

So the good news is there are alternatives and also your GP should be able to adjust these rate control drugs (mine did) which is so much quicker and easier than getting an appointment and arguing with the cardiologist. When we were happy with the dose she wrote to the cardiologist and got him to agree. We even tried the verapamil as a PIP but I was not happy with this as I could feel occasional arrhythmia which I could not on the regular dose. I eventually ended up on 60mg per day (Half a tablet). It's all about finding what stops the problem whilst causing you least side effects.

[bill11]

netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/h...

Heart and Blood Pressure Medications

Several drugs prescribed to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions carry the risk of increased breast tissue growth. ACE inhibitor drugs, such as lisinopril, ramparil and enalapril, treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. These drugs may disrupt sex hormones and cause gynecomastia. Calcium channel blocking drugs, such as verapamil, are another type of heart medication that carry a high risk of abnormal breast enlargement in men. Digitalis, also called digoxin, and amiodarone are other common heart medications that have been linked to gynecomastia.