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Lowering Bisoprolol dsge and exercise

Crash88 profile image
32 Replies

Hi everyone, im 31 years old, been on bisoprolol for about a year due to some night episodes of supraventricular tachycardia and PVCs here and there other than that very healthy heart, started with 5.0 daily then after a few months 2.5 daily and now, 1.25 one tablet at night heart rate is at 59-65 at night and 70-75 during day or lower, so taking bisoprolol 1.25 after 4 days i decide to start exercising as i normally do but i took a few days off to let my heart settle the new dosage, im on the cardio eliptic machine and it haz a built in HR monitor so i grab it 10 min in a sweat and my HR is 140 mind you i am going extremely easy, 25 min into the workout out of nowhere i feel a hot rush and start to get extremely sweaty and my heart starts to race uncontrollably i grab the HR monitor handles and its at 160, 170, 185, i decide to get off and my knees are weak i feel nervous a bit confused and heart feels like its gonna come out, i sit down trying to catch my breath and after 10-15 min my heart starts speeding down, why did this happen to me? is it because i lowered the dosage or anxiety attack in the middle of the workout? this never happened when i took 2.5 of bisoprolol and i did cardio. if anyone can relate or give me tips let me know because now i am scared of working out :(

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32 Replies
fallingtopieces profile image
fallingtopieces

That sounds like svt again to me.

I think exercise can induce svt or take it away.

I’ve heard of svt sufferers( and AF), who during an episode, intentionally go on a treadmill to run for a while to Increase their heart rate further before they stop running. The svt then becomes the normal exercise heart rate which comes back down naturally post exercise.

I used to frequently wake in the night with svt but have not had an episode since taking daily magnesium.

As for an anxiety attack, I don’t think so.

GPs like to use and blame ‘anxiety’ which I think is a cop out for real diagnosis, just as they diagnose IBS initially for all gastrointestinal problems.

Pat

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to fallingtopieces

Oh no, so my SVT is still there? i dont know what to do, should i give it another shot tomorrow and exercise for half an hour or should i just halt all exercise and up my bisoprolol dosage again??

fallingtopieces profile image
fallingtopieces in reply to Crash88

I’m no expert, it’s only my guess from experience. None of us are qualified to diagnose, just to share our experiences.

You won’t know what this is for sure unless it’s recorded I suppose.

I think you should take some professional advice but I wouldn’t take anxiety as the reason, especially as it’s happening in the middle of the night.

Personally I think you’ll be told to up your dose again.

Have you thought of investing(~£100) in a Kardia? An ecg device attached to your phone.

Very handy for knowing what is actually going on.

Pat

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to fallingtopieces

I never got SVT episodes at night since the diagnosis about two years ago, but this lower bisoprolol dosage and light exercise has triggered it sadly enough i honestly hate bisoprolol haha my resting beats get as low as 51-53 bpm at night, and yeah ive heard of that watch might give it a shot is it accurate? so far my cardiologist has not replied to me so i dont wanna up the dosage yet you know, i wanna try exercising but im scared honestly i feel like i will have a heart attack :(

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer in reply to Crash88

Just to be clear here arrhythmias do not get cured. Any treatment is only for quality of life (QOL) and whilst the bisoprolol may well keep your rate down it doesn't cure your SVT. If you push through the drug you will get event such as this. I know that you wish to exercise and that increasing your dose of beta blocker will hamper this but life is about balance.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to BobD

scary, but you’re right so you think i will be taking bisoprolol all my life?? are you on it yourself and do you exercise? thankfully i dont have AFIB

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer in reply to Crash88

I had AF for some years but after three ablations to 2008 my AF stopped. I do have paroxysmal atrial tachycardia for,which I am currently waiting for another ablation. At 74 with arthritic knees exercise is a distant memory of bike racing as a youth , fell walking and skiing all of which are why my knees are shot. I have not taken beta blockers since 2005. Nasty horrid things.!

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to BobD

incredible you’re a warrior, but how do you cope with your current tachycardia if you dont take betas? what tips can you give me if i get tachycardia after my workout???

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer in reply to Crash88

When I have events I take anti arrhytmic pills not a beta blocker. Don't work out so hard. Listen to your body and ease off when it tells you it doesn't like what you are asking of it. Exercise is good. Over exercise is asking for trouble.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to BobD

What kind of pills? think they might be a good option for me? i could ask my cardiologist about then, and yeah tomorrow ill go very light and see what happens just a light walk maybe some crunches thats it but its the anxiety of it happening again that worries me ya know?

Fruitcake100 profile image
Fruitcake100 in reply to Crash88

Hi, I was on Bisoprolol and going to the gym, exactly the same happened to me on the same machine.

To cut a long story short after trial and error, I came off Bisop , went in to Nebivolol , I felt loads better. I cut out pushing myself on cardio excercise, now walk everyday for minimum if one hour including a steep hill and do weights and stretch at the gym plus a bit of rowing. I still get breathless but in general feel a lot better and fitter.

I am 73, and I think age does have a bearing on gym stuff. Good luck, hope all goes well.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to Fruitcake100

really??? i am wondering if to give it another shot but im scared how did you change from bisoprolol to nebi? if you have any tips on coming off bisoprolol without stopping going to the gym hehe

Fruitcake100 profile image
Fruitcake100 in reply to Crash88

I persuaded my GP to change my prescription from Bisop 2.5 to Nebivolol 2.5 . He was not very happy but agreed to try it for two months, the results were so good that I have stuck with them ever since. However different drugs suit different people and I felt dreadful on Bisop . I read lots of stuff on this site and lots of advice from the people on site. I personally think one of the rules I stick to is to have no extremes of anything, excercise, food, booze, dancing, etc but still do everything and have fun. I am sure after you have got over the fear of having a heart attack you will do the same . I am also on warfarin.

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer in reply to Crash88

if you go to Af Association website there is a fact shet on drugs used for AF. Since we are all different it wouid be wrong to suggest one. Also checdke need to be made to see if a person is appropriate for each drug. Best discuss witrh your EP.

JanettePearson profile image
JanettePearson

I too am on 1.5 of Bisoprolol at night. The 2.5 was making my blood pressure too low and giving me too many dizzy spells. I exercise regularly but only gently I.e. Aqua Fit, Stretch and Tone and lots of walking including hills!! I sometimes get 'funny spells' but with a few deep breaths and stopping for a couple of minutes and drinking water it passes. I think mine might be due to low blood sugar sometimes so it might be an idea to rule this out too. I make sure I eat a light but good meal before exercise and take a banana or cereal bar with me. And stay well hydrated. Don't let the AF rule you but treat it kindly and you should be fine. Good Luck.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to JanettePearson

what are ur resting pulses with the low bisoprolol dosage??? and those funny spells you got how did u feel and did u get them during exercise? when i did cardio 20 min in i felt funny, but i got a full on SVT attack but i feel it before it happens; i get hot, more sweaty, nervous, body tenses up and my heart starts to race more and more and more gradually until i feel kinda weak at the knees and shaky legs and stays that way for 5-10 min and then it goes away

JanettePearson profile image
JanettePearson in reply to Crash88

My resting heart rate has always been high even when I was very fit. It's normally around 70 to 80 but with exercise it would soar and still does. If I overdo the exercise I get light headed and sweaty and shaky. But luckily I don't go into AF. It's a horrible feeling though which is why I only do gentle exercise now and I know my limit. I take a water bottle with berries in as it helps the blood sugar. You have to really take notice of your body and adapt to its capabilities.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to JanettePearson

very interesting, its curious how everyone is different because in theory the more fit you are the les the resting pulse is, athletes usually have a 39/50 resting pulse. yeah it sucks when ur bearly warming up and ur heart beats at 120/130 x minute and thats just warm up lol but im glad ur doing better i will try listening more to my body gotta start trial and error now

Blavet profile image
Blavet

Hi there. I would say from my own experiences of SVT and PAF that it was the combination of reducing the bisoprolol and pushing yourself with exercise. It is all about balance and Ivagree your GP will probably tell you to increase the bisoprolol again. You’re only 31 so please don’t be afraid to exercise, most people with Arrhythmias are afraid to exercise in case it aggravates their symptoms. Try and get the best control of your Arrhythmia with the correct dose of beta blocker and gradual build on your exercise routine. Hope this helps call the best.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to Blavet

thanks for ur reply, is it very dangerous to get a few minutes of SVT during or after exercise will i die??? it is so scary honestly

Blavet profile image
Blavet in reply to Crash88

No you won’t die. It’s just feels scary because of all the adrenaline. Why did you decide to reduce your bisoprolol?? Was it due to problems exercising

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to Blavet

my cardiologist said my pulses were getting better and better right now my resting rate is between 53-60 tops so he said by the looks of it you wont need bisoprolol anymore so go from 2.5 to 1.25 and i do it and this bullshit happens after my workout, when i was doing 2.5 i was hitting 140 beats x minute after 40 min of moderate cardio and no SVT at all but my resting rate was 45-50 tops, so i dont know what is going on with my body if i should give it another go at cardio with the small dose or go back to the other dose and just live with a very low resting hr, i have no idea, im at a point where i dont know whats a good dose for me or if i need meds or not, i dont have AFIB and SVT i only got like one or two episodes in my entire life thats why i was put on bisoprolol! blood pressure is usually at 120-130 over 65-80 max

Blavet profile image
Blavet

The thing is with beta blockers, when you reduce the dose, it takes a few weeks for your heart to settle down again. The receptors in the heart have been suppressed by the tablets and by reducing the dose these receptors are firing off again. You could stay on the lower dose and not exercise and see if everything settles then start gradual exercising again. If your svt symptoms return then you probably will need to increase back to 2.5mg and exercise. Has your cardiologist thought about referring you for an EP study to confirm where the svt is coming from. My svt started when I was 29 and it steadily got worse over the years. Any exertion would bring it on, walking upstairs hoovering etc. I became too scared to exercise. Loved Tennis and babminton and gave them up which in hindsight was silly. Fortunately I had an ablation and it cured my svt, that was 14 years ago. I then went on to have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and had an ablation for that 3 years ago with success. I’m probably one of the luck ones. I’m very sensitive to adrenaline. If only doing slight exercise like a brisk walk my heart rate shoots up very quickly but I’m used to it now but thank god its all normal sinus rhythm, Mynheart just seems to run a little fast.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to Blavet

ahh i understand, i could try to just stay put sometime and start to walk slowly again and see what happens, so if the SVT does not return anymore with that small bisoprolol dosage does that mean some day you could completely get rid of the bisoprolol? i really hope so but honestly this baby dose doesnt cause me problems, neither did the 2.5 dose but made me more sleepy and very low HR, what is that EP study tell me? only studies that they did is holter which marked 300 episodes of SVT or less, and the heart stress test which came back ok and SVT didnt fire during stress test only when i was sleeping and being awake AM hours. that is so horrible that at such a young age u got that, how fast did ur heart get when u did tenis and brisk walking??? and what tips can u give me if i get an SVT episode to try to stay cool about it because i get very scared. Thanks alot for ur replies

Blavet profile image
Blavet in reply to Crash88

I was the same. Stress test didn’t bring it on HR went up to 220 and no svt. It took 5 years to get it caught on a monitor. I took atenolol 150 mg a day. I was only 8 stone then no wonder lol, but it worked for about 4 years had no svt, then one day all of a sudden I felt ill and SVT broke through the high doses of beta blocker that’s when I got my ablation. I’m my case I had tiny catheters inserted though both groins and the left side into my neck to reach my heart. They found my svt was caused by an extra electrical pathway, basically an extra circuit which they burned through to stop the extra impulses in my heart which caused the fast heart rate. It funny but my daughter had the same when problem when she was 14 but she was still growing and hers settled down with no treatment. She’s 29 now with no problems. Hers was exercise induced too. When I played sport back then I would have a heart rate between 160 and 180. It’s no wonder Ivwas so skinny. My heart rate now easily goes up to 150 trampolining or when doing circuit training but I’m ok.

Maybe talk to your cardiologist see what he says about a study. Tablets can work for some people, unfortunately not in my case in the long term.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to Blavet

guess what, just got back from doing a 30 min walk and ab and core workout and i didnt get a single svt episode!! i am so excited my fear is beginning to disappear i just have to take it slow and listen to my body i feel very happy

Blavet profile image
Blavet in reply to Crash88

That’s good news. Just deep breathing and try not to get anxious. It only fuels it. I know easy said than done. It won’t hurt you. Best wishes

ACC107 profile image
ACC107

Hi, not sure about your personal problems but all i can say is that after being put on Bisoprolol 5mg for 3 weeks and then 1.25mg for a week after being on Lisinapril for hypertension i'am 2 weeks into taking none at all, improving but slow, i hate Bisoprolol side affects it has wasted 2 or 3 months of my life.

Good luck mate.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to ACC107

i feel u mate, how did u feel coming off bisoprolol? have u gotten any events? and why did u come off it? would love to hear how u did it and how u felt cheers

ACC107 profile image
ACC107

I came off it because at 5mg it dropped my pluse too low 40s but it was the side affects that i couldn't cope with even at 1.25mg, anxiety/headaches/weakness/loss of appetite/dizziness to name a few.

Reading on here i think i should have weaned myself off a bit more, first time in 2 months i felt safe driving today, so for the last two weeks i've been cold turkey after coming off blood pressure med all together, still had all the side affects but like i say today is the best i've felt for ages.

My bp even not on any meds is not bad at all apart from statins which makes me think was i misdiagnosed all those years ago about 10 i would guess, because i have white coat syndrome every time i go to the nurse at work or my gp my bp quite high but i have my own monitor now so i have a better idea what's going on.

Crash88 profile image
Crash88 in reply to ACC107

amazing i have heard quitting bisoprolol cold turkey could lead to heart attack or an unstoppable tachycardia is this true?? and quitting everything how high is your BP and HR?? do you feel more alive now?? bisoprolol 5mg is the nastiest drug ever but bisoprolol 2.5 is not that bad FOR ME and right now 1.25 is very nice but my heart feels more racey when i do activities so i have to just try and cope

ACC107 profile image
ACC107

Bp around 140/85, pulse around 62

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