Hi my name is Jenny and I have been lurking since August when I was diagnosed with Afib. I have had an Echo Cardiogram which came back clear for any other problems.
I have had a few attacks now, the last one being three weeks ago when they upped my Bisoprolol to 5mg daily. I am also on Eliquis Blood Thinners.
My question is, is it normal to have such awful crushing tiredness and be really short of breath at times even when you are not having an attack, or should I go back to the Doctors.
Thank you, Jenny x
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AF is a long journey with many twists and turns. Many of the drugs used to treat it can cause symptoms as bad as the condition so it is always a case of trying different doses and drugs till you get the balance right. I sugest that you see you doctor to discuss.
Hello Jenny, I see you are from the UK. First, I would suggest that you read all you can about AF and below is a link to the AF Association webpage.
There are a number of drug options available to AF patients but Bisoprolol is nearly always the first choice by doctors, and for some it can cause the side effects you describe. If you have had an Echocardiogram, it suggests that you have been referred to a Cardiologist but the best person to see is an Electrophysiologist (EP) because these are cardiologists who specialise arrhythmias and they are better placed to determine the best treatment plan and medication for you. This may not be easy and will certainly involve a longish wait so consider a private consultation if possible. As BobD says, you will need some patience but there really are things which can be done to help improve your quality of life......
Hi Jenny, you asked if it was normal to have crushing tiredness and breathlessness, I would say yes, partly because you have an irregular heartbeat and because you are controlling your Arrhythmia with Bisoprolol. BobD and Flap Jack will be your guiding light to becoming more comfortable. Very Best Wishes. Phyl.,
Hi there, How are you this morning, I was the same at the beginning out of breath. And the tiredness yes. It is I myself think it’s the medication. Even now after 10 years I find myself having to take deep breaths. I can fall asleep just by clicking my fingers. I was always one for keeping going. They say we need our sleep with AF but I just nod off anyway. I hate the breathing bit. Try doing some breathing exercises they usually help. Have a good day. Xx
Not mediclly trained but had 3 years on the job training! Very possibly the Bisoprolol causing your symptoms. Was easy for me as I was asymptomatic in afib then took the 1.25 mg bisop and I was terrible. There are other drugs I tried Atenolol another beta blocker with similar results but then my GP decided I did not tolerate beta blockers and put me on verapamil a calcium channel blocker. That was fine for me.
Awe poor you welcome to the forum.....for me when they upped my bisoprolol it was as if I was lurched into second gear from fourth.....they lowered it and I was back in fourth.....but I think it still limits getting to sixth gear if that makes sense.....Bob is so right, it takes time to get balance right......go and discuss it.....
On Bisoprolol- yes. I couldn’t tolerate it at all & found it more disabling than the AF.
I felt better immediately I stopped it.
At its worst, AF in itself was disabling and normally took 24-48 hours to recover from for me but it affects everyone differently and as Bob said, long journey.
The tiredness is from the bisoprolol. I felt like I was dragging a weight around and the last 3 steps of stairs, wow! My cardiologist took me off bisoprolol but told me to carry a PIP (pill in pocket). It is absorbed into the system within 30 mins if needed. So far with me I've been fine but still under going tests but I can function normally and I'm gaining confidence. Talk to your cardio /doctor.
They started me on betas of 50mg twice a day and I was totally zombiefied... so much so that the exhaustion hurt and I couldn't move around... After 3 days of it, I reduced it to 25 mg (April) and I have done really well on that dose... It's powerful stuff and coming off it has to be VERY gradual... That's why I wont do Statins ..they have a big rebound effect if you stop them...
Hi everyone, thank you all for taking the time to reply to me. I am going to the Doctors at 4 o'clock and will let you know how I get on.
I am nervous, as I am not very good with tablets and am worried in case she gives me a different tablet and it is just as awful.
Jenny x
I'm guessing this will stop your Afib. Give it a try and let me know if it worked. Good Luck.
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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt?? I also found that strenuous exercise does no good – perhaps you make yourself dehydrated??
Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer
PS – there is a study backing up this data you can view at:
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