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Nebivolol dose

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Hi I have been on 2,5mg of nebivolol for 3 months and my life has literally been transformed. I have atrial fib and flutter and literally nothing worked and bisoprolol drained me and caused extreme chest pain. When I picked up my last prescription it was for 5mg and told me to break in half and now after a week I am back to square one! It was ok for the first 2 days but then I began having short episodes again and having to take the other half Any advice Is this a cost issue?

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15 Replies

Well there appears to be a huge difference in cost. So I understand why I have to split the tablet in two.

bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-f...

I have found a dose equivalence between Nebivolol and Bisoprolol in terms of benefit, but Nebivolol has fewer side effects for me.

I have permanent AF/AFL. At my next appointment I will ask about adding a small dose of Digoxin and reducing the dose of Nebivolol. I know that NICE don’t recommend Digoxin for active patients. Not sure about that. I had relatives who were on Digoxin for AF and were very active in to their late eighties.

cassie46 profile image
cassie46 in reply to

I was on Digoxin for about 9 months but had to come off it because it affected my memory - names of people were the worst thing, I could remember there first or surname but not full names and sometimes nothing. When I came off it all was normal within a few weeks, I was prescribed Diltiaziam instead was also taking Bisoprolol at that time but I have changed to Nebivolol at the beginning of this year. I would never take Digoxin again, I think Jean had a load of problems with it as well.

Cassie

Vonnieruth profile image
Vonnieruth

If your having problems. Again I suggest you go back to your doctor and let them know Maybe it's been a mistake this reduction We all know it can happen unfortunately

in reply to Vonnieruth

Its not a reduction its the fact that the original prescription was for singe 2.5 tablets and now I am breaking 5's in 2 and they don;t seem to be working Could it be the brand?

Vonnieruth profile image
Vonnieruth in reply to

Could be brand or dosage if not exactly half

in reply to Vonnieruth

Thanks that is what I am thinking as I had an old one in my purse as an emergeency which I took and it kept my heart steady all day whereas this seems to wear off about 4-5pm

Vonnieruth profile image
Vonnieruth in reply to

Check if the new ones are film coated Someone on here mentioned they had noticed a difference if they were

doodle68 profile image
doodle68

Hi Teddy :-) I take 2.5 mg Nebivolol and was told by my Doctors practice I would have to change to 5mg and cut them in half because 2.5 were too expensive but I said I didn't think I could get an accurate dose so they left me alone.

I would go back to your GP and say you are having a problem cutting them in half and getting an accurate dose.

in reply to doodle68

Thank you I think I will it has made such a huge difference the last few months being able to breath again etc and I am so sad to be back where I was

CaroleF profile image
CaroleF

I don't know the size and shape of Nebivolol tablets, but have you tried using a pill splitter if you have to divide them? They are not expensive. I used to use one to split bisoprolol tablets (which I no longer take) and the splitter cut through those cleanly.

cassie46 profile image
cassie46

I too am on Nebivolol but on 5mg. This may be a completely daft thought but when a drug is mixed with it's filler how can they be sure it is mixed evenly, the 5mg of drug is there but also a lot of filler!!!!!!!!!! If you compare a 5mg tablet of Biso it is tiny compared to a 5mg tablet of Nebivolol which is about 5 times the size so I reckon there is a lot of filler in it. Just a theory.

Cassie

NannyChickens profile image
NannyChickens

I have moved from 10mg bisoprolol to 5mg Nebivolol and just last week had that raised to 7.5 to try to slow my pulse a little. The point is I got the tiny 2.5 pills to raise my dose. Ask again at the pharmacy.

NannyChickens profile image
NannyChickens

Wow just read the tariff prices. That is astonishing. 2.5 is a tiny wee pill but why so expensive?

Mike11 profile image
Mike11

Okay this is worrying as I had the opposite problem. I'm on 7.5 mg a day so am prescribed the 5mg tablets and take 5mg in the morning and 2.5mg in the evening. But a few months back the 5mg were on backorder so the chemist gave me 200 2.5mg tablets.

And guess what - 10 days later I was in AF. I ordered a repeat and got some 5mg tablets and the AF went away.

So there's obviously something different between the tablets. It isn't the cutting in half as there is a break mark on the tablet and they only put those if they guarantee a reasonably even spread of the active ingredient. But I wonder if there are different formulations of the filler that disagree with us, or stop the active ingredient being digested.

I would certainly ask your GP for some 2.5mg ones again to test if the problem goes away. I know years ago I could only use one brand of asthma inhaler, and nowadays only one type of GTN spray works for me.

oscarfox49 profile image
oscarfox49

I am about to try transitioning from sotalol (40mg twice a day) to Nebivolol, 2.5 mg, once a day, after almost forty years of taking the former, and after a stroke two years ago. I am worried it may make me feel worse again but with sotalol I am always extremely tired and even breathless though I exercise as much as I can. Is this a good treatment for someone of 75 with permanent AF? I read on the notes it should not be taken with Fluoxetine, but my doctor refuses to let me end my anti depressant at least for the time being (after severe depression and anxiety over a year ago).

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