11 Weeks since Ablation but cant come off Bisoprolol

[BorgUK2of9]

Its been 11 weeks since my ablation at the QE in Birmingham due to SVT. I was supposed to only take 2.5mg of Bisoprolol if I had any off days. What I am finding however is if I take the betablocker in the morning I am pretty much guaranteed a quiet day. If I don't take one in the morning then by about 2pm in the afternoon I will have to as the flutters start.

Things are drastically improved since the OP but I am wondering even through they "burnt me 6 times" if I am cured or its back in again.

My post op cardiology catchup review is in December (NHS wait times for you).

Any experienced people on here to give advice.

[Ianp66]

Hmm, I had an ablation 7 weeks tuesday gone and was on 2.5mg of bisoprolol for the past year . They told me to stop it dead at hospital, tried it two weeks afre the ablation and felt awful, flutters and fast heart into 150 sat still doing nothing . So I went back on it day after, perfect gain low pulse and felt better . After speaking to my gp i have stayed on it past 6 weeks then he's lowered the dose to 1.25 last Monday with a view to a couple of weeks at that then come off altogether . Within a few days I've noticed my pulse is regularly at 140 now doing nothing , it's been a little up and down with a few anxious horrible feeling moments since. After reading up it seems the "easy to stop" version from doctors re bisoprolol is not all it seems. Others I've read have big issues coming off the drug with varying degrees of withdrawal,personally I've had panicky feelings, fast runs, and high pulse then OK once settled or Lying down listening to music or anything taking my mind off stuff, but it's not pleasant or easy. I have been exercising still and walking and cycling this seems to help but maybe that's in my own mind. I've read that the body makes more adrenal receptors with the dampening affect of bisoprolol, so once your coming off it goes into overdrive until natural homeostasis is achieved, I now wish I hadn't ever took bisoprolol, and had I known how it would affect me, or indeed know how hard it would be to discontinue it, then I would have been less likely to have accepted it as a treatment in the first instance. Hopefully the symptoms will diminish as the weeks go by, I'm dreading the next drop, cold turkey, but determined to get off it.

[Hidden in reply to Ianp66]

I agree, it's not an easy one to stop. I had weeks of palpatations and fast HR when coming off it

[Ianp66 in reply to Hidden]

How's things Mikee? you off it altogether now, and how you getting on..

[Hidden in reply to Ianp66]

Hi Ian, I have been off bisoprolol for over a year now. I'm mostly ok. I have palpatations daily and the odd run of tachycardia that just comes out of the blue.

My HR was in the 90's following my ablation (on bisoprolol) but this reduced over the following months. I started feeling terrible at about 9 months post ablation and my HR was in the low 50's during the day. I had a halter moitor and the results showed that my HR was in the low 30's when I was sleeping so I was taken off the beta blocker.

Several weeks of hell with palps, tachy and headaches, but I came out the other side and my HR is low 60's at rest now

[Ianp66 in reply to Hidden]

Nightmare Mikee,sounds like you had a mixed bag with it all, and still going through it . I'm the same since the ablation it's dropping to low 50s and was feeling off , told me just stop it ! That went well, not! , had awful pains, high heart rate 150s and just felt anxious and tired, advised restart it a week then titrate off over a couple of weeks , then he said reduce the dose to 1.25 I'm on now , but past week my pulse seems to sit 130-140 at times for no apparent reason, been told itl settle as the bisoprolol reduces and goes out my system , its two weeks Monday since they cut it to 1.25 from 2.5. According to gp its a low dose and I must be "sensitive" to it, but I've read otherwise, seemingly not the easiest drug to wean off. Not looking forward to the next couple of weeks stopping it again but determined to come off it this time.

[Hidden in reply to Ianp66]

Good luck with it all, Ian.

I have a medical friend that said I should get off beta blockers, and I'm glad I rode out the storm and was able to.

Fyi , the number of ectopics/palpation and tachycardia have vastly reduced since I stopped taking bisoprolo.

[Ianp66 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Mikee, il get off this ASAP 👌

[Auriculaire in reply to Ianp66]

You don't have to go cold turkey . You can choose to wean off it very slowly by cutting pills up so that the dose is lowered very gradually and the body does not notice as much. If you stay on each new lower dose for several weeks till the body has got used to it before cutting the dose again the withdrawal symptoms are less. Once the lowest feasible dose is reached - usually .65mg then some people futher wean by taking every other day , then one every three days before stopping completely.

[Ianp66 in reply to Auriculaire]

Ah thank you, il try that this time , I seem to have levelled off more or less at the 1. 25 dose after a horrible two weeks , il half that next week then see how it goes horrible thing these bisoprolol, wish I'd never started them in the first instance.

[Auriculaire in reply to Ianp66]

I weaned off Bisoproplol like that with no withdrawal symptoms at all the first time I was put on it but I was only on it 6 months . After my afib made a reappearance in hospital after major surgery I was put back on and this time found weaning off far more difficult. I have since changed to Nebivolol at 1.25 mg which I prefer but it's still a beta blocker and I hope I can eventually wean off this.

[JoolzC]

Hi. I am three years post ablation. I still take Bisoprolol. I take 1.25 twice a day as my EP said that it is a useful drug to take long-term as it has other benefits not least that after an ablation your heart tends to beat faster and Bisoprolol helps control that plus there are other benefits of being on it. I don’t seem to have any issues with it and everything seems okay. It’s interesting to read the different approaches by doctors around the country re medication post ablation. Good luck

Julie

[Morzine]

I’m five months post ablation and still bisoprolol.....cardio halved it to 1.25 two months back......not seeing him till August.....he said it is good to keep in so heart can heal....

Sue

[Auriculaire in reply to Morzine]

I have recently changed to Nebivolol and find it better. I have a bit more energy and it does not exacerbate my asthma like the Bisoprolol did.

[Hidden]

I was on bisop for over 9 months following my ablation. Hang in there !

[BorgUK1of9]

Thankyou all for the comments I feel a lot less on my own with the issue now.