Reducing Bisoprolol Dosage Post Ablation.

[djbgatekeeper]

I was hoping to be medication free after having a successful ablation last September. I have been taking Bisoprolol and flecainide since 2013 and unlike many people on here bisoprolol doesn't affect me at all regards tiredness or headaches ect, it has been great for keeping my ticker in check. I have been reducing the dose from 5mg per day then 2.5mg and now for the last two weeks down to 1.25mg.

What I have noticed and the reason for this post is to let others be aware if you stop this drug cold turkey you may get, like me a racing heart and some irregular beats thrown in as well.

I have been surprised how dependant my heart has become on this drug and my EP said just reduce all meds and stop when you feel right to do so. I stopped flecainide last year with no issues and I have tried to stop bisoprolol in the last couple of months but a resting pulse of 85bpm although in NSR did not feel comfortable. Taking 1.25mg per day I am about 70bpm when resting so gradually getting there. The message is I suppose listen to your body as always! Take care all.

[Ianp66]

Good to hear your on the mend, sound advice, hopefully am on 2.5mg so won't be as tough, hopefully.

[jeanjeannie50]

It's good to hear you're doing well.

Your heart has been restrained from racing away by the use of medication for a long time. Once that restraint is removed it can be a bit like a dog when you move to a new house and let it off the lead in your new larger garden for the first time. It runs around like a mad thing, but then calms down. I believe our heart behaves exactly the same, at least that's what I've discovered with mine. I wonder if your resting heart rate, when it was 85, would over a short period of time eventually dropped back to normal. How long did you leave it at 85 and how was your blood pressure at that time? My heart rate used to be around 62, but to be honest now its in the 70's and not under the restraint of drugs I feel so much more alive.

Jean

[djbgatekeeper in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jean, nice to hear from you, I tried zero bisop for 1 day and then bottled it around 5pm as I didn't want to upset the applecart .. I am in no rush as I don't have any side effects other than a dependency I suppose. I hope you are keeping well? I don't have any way of checking my bp sorry.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to djbgatekeeper]

I think our minds are very powerful and if we think something is keeping us well it will and if we think it's not, it wont. So we just have to go with what we feel is right for us.

Yes, I'm well thank you and not on any AF medication now other than warfarin. I still have my Flec and Metoprolol should I need it, but I think the Flec puts me into flutter. I hate taking drugs so much that I'm always keen to get off them - Mrs can't wait!

Hope you continue to be well.

[Kaz747 in reply to djbgatekeeper]

I’m not sure if it’s the same in the UK but here you can pop into most pharmacies and they will do a free blood pressure check.

[Auriculaire in reply to djbgatekeeper]

I have successfully reduced from 1. 25 mg to .625mg by cutting pills in half. I will reduce this by half then go to every other day before stopping completely. I stay on each new dose at least a month. I have weaned off Bisoprolol before like this with no withdrawal effects.

[foxglove in reply to Auriculaire]

Would you be kind enough to tell me how you manage to split the1.25 pill in half?....I've been trying to do this but find it difficult1. Thanks

[Auriculaire in reply to foxglove]

Actually I still have the prescription for the 2.5 mg . They are scored and easily break in half then I split that in two. The last time I weaned off I vaguely remember the 1.25 mg pills heing very small and I used a small pair of scissors to cut them.

[foxglove in reply to Auriculaire]

Thanks will try small scissors! Have used pill splitter and sharp knife with limited success

[foxglove in reply to Auriculaire]

P.S. Sharp small nail scissors worked better than pill cutter or knife!

[cycleman73 in reply to foxglove]

Buy a pill cutter from your local chemist foxglove for a couple of quid. This will

do a cleaner cut than a knife or scissors. I speak from experience and also found it fun in my own childish way. Good luck !

[foxglove in reply to cycleman73]

I have tried pill cutter with limited success. I found small sharp nail scissors the best bet!

[J2josy in reply to Auriculaire]

I did the same cut my 1.25 in half ,still take the half,think it's all in the mind but just can't stop that little half .A devil of a job cutting it in half though.

[jedimasterlincoln]

I have attempted to be off bisoprolol/meds three times (5 ablations) and only one way really felt "best" for me.

At 4 week intervals I dropped from 10 to 5 to 2.5 to 1.25 to nothing. This was having stopped dronedrone cold turkey.

At the moment I'm on 10mg and it's up to me how and when I stop it according to the EP. It's been nearly 7 weeks post 5th ablation and I'll probably end up doing the same again.

[Kiwi2]

Hi, I am having the same issues as you. Had second successful ablation 18 months ago. Wasn’t on flecanide but on 2.5mg bisoprolol with no ill side effects. Have reduced it to 1.25 and then tried to halve this dose. Heart started speeding up at night so was anxious it may kick something else off again so back on 1.25mg. It’s my safety blanket. Would love to hear if you do eventually manage to come it. Take care

[djbgatekeeper in reply to Kiwi2]

I will let you know if I kick the habit 👍

[Roony39]

Hi

I was initially on 5mg bisoprolol (2015) , reduced to 2.5 mg after my 2 nd cardio version back in 2016 , then reduced to 1.25mg after my first ablation in August 2017, second ablation February 2018 and finally come of it 4 weeks ago (after seeing EP for a year check up after ablation, HR 55bpm) , the only side effects of coming off it have been HR raised 70 to 75 bpm and slightly more energy . So as you can see it’s been a long slow process as you say listen to your body and give it time,, you’ll get there in the end, I did !!! ( over the 3 years I’ve also come off lansaprosal, spirolactone, amiodarone, dronedarone, and ramipril ( due to a cough ))

Good luck

[Hidden]

You are driving with the handbrake on

I was like you in that my heart complained and felt odd when trying to come off bisoprolol

Eventually I did it, and felt rough with palpitations, fast HR (never over 90 but felt bloody fast after being used to 40-50!) and headaches .

From memory it took about 10 days for my heart to stop complaining , but now HR is in the low 60's at rest, and I can now walk further and faster !

Good luck, you can do this!!

[Rosemaryb1349]

Four and a half months after my 3rd and successful ablation, my EP advised me to stop Digoxin immediately and that I could stop Bisoprolol too. I had been taking 7.5 mgs but when I asked how slowly I should wean myself off it he said I could just stop it immediately if I wanted. I explained that I had read that it was advisable to reduce slowly he said I could do that if I wanted. I stopped Digoxin immediately for 1 week then reduced Bisop down to 5 mgs for 3 weeks followed by another reduction down to 2.5 mgs for another 3 weeks then stopped it altogether. On day 6 with no Bisop I experienced an Afib episode, the first since 3rd ablation last August. I was very dispondant but phoned my Pacing clinic and got tgem to interrogate my PM. He confirmed there had been the one episode but so far nothing else has happened and thats almost 6 weeks ago now. I think it was my body adjusting to "no betablocker" and that hopefully I will remain in NSR for a long time.