I’m taking Bisoprolol 1.25 and the side effects are super weird

[Flo38]

I feel slightly unstable from this medicine and I experience really strange feelings that I never had before taking this medicine I took this for more than two months now but I just can’t deal with the side effects

[Flo38]

I would like to know what can I do to stop taking this drug as I strongly believe is not good for me

[glosfrog in reply to Flo38]

Hi. I also take bisoprolol. When first on it I had odd feelings too. spoke to my GP and she asked me to bear with it for 3 months as it takes that long for body to adjust. She was right in my case. Speak to your GP as some people do find that bisoprolol is not the right drug for them - it is the cheapest I believe so everyone usually started off on it but there are others. good luck.

[Hidden in reply to glosfrog]

Bisoprolol is cheap but we found that it is actually cheaper the higher the dose!!! Yu couldn't make it up!

[Brandibell in reply to Flo38]

I told my Gp he told me to stop taking it. So i did straight/ hardcore .No no no don't all original symptoms returned. So then i decided to wean myself off it very slowly half/quarter/tiny bit over a period of a month. It is a terrible drug. I had headaches/constipation/sleep insomnia/dizziness/gained weight all within a month. I have now been diagnosed with multiple drug intolerance syndrome. Every tablet I take has adverse reactions.

[Hidden]

Hi there

I was put on Bisoprolol last September took it for three months with loads of side effects but not realizing that it was the Bisoprolol that was causing them. New Year’s Day was rushed into hospital with what was a thought a stroke and again this was a side effect of Bisoprolol so as it also caused me to have othostatic hypotension I was told to wean off it (only 2.5mgs a day) This again has caused me severe withdrawal symptoms but I am now down to 1mg a day and cannot wait until I am off this awful drug altogether but for some people it is a life saver and maybe a lower dose would suit you better. I would discuss with you doctor he may also be able to change you to another beta blocker with less side effects.

[Shcldavies]

Everyone reacts differently, Bisoprolol is one of the better and safer drugs but does not suit everyone. In the vast majority of people the body will adjust in time, some hours, some months a few not at all. Personally I would keep Doc informed of your side effects (do not over or under play them as then the Doc cannot advise appropriately). Do not just stop taking them without Docs advise, your body learning to cope with the drug and may not like it stopped suddenly. Likewise a gradual start up may be a good option where you take half a tablet a day for a week (or so) before you take the 1.25 (which is a low dose anyway).

[CDreamer]

I, along with many people on this forum, have had difficulty tolerating this medicine. Come off it super, super slowly over a long period and take heed of the possible withdrawal symptoms.

[irene75359]

I came off 1.25mg in January (with my doctor's approval) and am still having withdrawal symptoms. I was told it as a tiny dose and shouldn't affect me.

[Hidden in reply to irene75359]

Hi can I ask How long and what dose ofBisoprolol you were on and how long did it take you to wean off

I have been weaning off since January and will not be of Bisoprolol until December this year. I am dreading the thought of having to go through rebound for a further six months after that. Can I ask what sort of symptoms are you still experiencing?

[irene75359 in reply to Hidden]

So sorry for the delay in replying to you; I had hoped to post a graph of my heart rate in the months since I stopped. It was so high my immediate reaction was to go back on Bisoprolol; I thought this is what my heart is like now. But I googled withdrawal from Bisoprolol and came upon a host of other sites where people posted horrendous side effects. So I decided to bite the bullet and stayed off. Now, early June, I am almost back to normal although still slightly higher than I was before my diagnosis. I would like to say I don't feel so tired, but I do. Coming off has made no difference to that whatsoever, so I think I am just feeling my age!

[Hidden in reply to irene75359]

Thank you for your reply it does give me hope although I still have a long way to go that I will get back to some normality in my life.

[Hidden in reply to irene75359]

I really hate that response from " professionals" even half a 1.25mg dose gave me horrible side effects.

I also had a really hard time stopping taking it

[irene75359 in reply to Hidden]

Well, I didn't have the side effects but I did have the most awful time coming off. I really wondered at times if I was doing the right thing but my last episode was October 2019 and I just felt taking drugs daily (and building up a dependance) for such sporadic events isn't a good thing.

[Desanthony]

Stick with it for a little while longer if you can. I found I couldn't tolerate beta blockers or calcium channel blockers after trying I think 4 different ones and combinations. Before my first cardioversion I was on low dose digoxin for about a month which didn't have the same effects but since then even between cardioversions - 3 so far, all of which have been successful and waiting for an ablation, have not been put back on digoxin just anticoagulants.

[Magson]

I couldn't tolerate1.25mg of Bisopropol at all . Took it for 2 years. HR down to early 40's . Fatigue. Dizziness. No side effects when I stopped. But plenty of folks tolerate the drug.

[Hidden]

I was only on that dose daily for three days before, exhausted, I consulted the pharmacist who had expressed an interest in how I got on with new drugs. He took my pulse and told me to stop taking it at once. The GP agreed as it brought my pulse down dangerously low but extraordinarily several years later, I had a telephone consultation a few days ago with what I had expected to be an EP but turned out to be a registrar who said he wanted me to return to taking it daily, ignoring all I had said (and presumably not having bothered to read my notes!) I have returned to taking flecainide 50mg twice daily and hope it results in fewer AF episodes as it did previously though as it failed to stop them I returned to taking it just as a PIP which worked well. Sometimes I take the bisprolol as well during episodes to help reduce the heart rate. We are all different but doctors seem to be trained to tick the boxes and treat everyone the same! Sorry about the change of text- not sure how that happened and good luck with finding what works for you.

[RichMert]

Ditto CDreamer. The issues normally start during the come down rather than the start up. Take your time coming off of this tablet. Halve it then every other day on half over a 2 week period. You will be hyper otherwise and will not get much sleep. The drug was good for me with least side effects.

[P0rtnahapp1e]

I’ve been on 12.5mg Bisoprolol for three years, but my cardiologist told me to stop taking it to address my constant diarrhoea problem, (which I think is caused by Entresto).

I’m now on Carvedelol which I think has worse side effects, but it’s only been two weeks so I’ll keep trying it.

[oliviab9]

Hi Flo I was also started on bisoprolol and felt really awful after just two days I stopped it myself and was then started on nebivilol by my EP which has much less side effects for me . But know how you feel never experienced anything like feelings I had on bisoprolol.

[Mari4325]

I would like to come off Bisoprolol also as I have terrible problems with it. I feel awful...irritable, exhausted, bones ache etc. I finally had to take it at night and half the dose to even be able to function but would prefer to be on something else. My Dr. is very much "his way or the highway" so I am shopping for a new M.D.

[Ducky2003]

Hi. I was put on Bisoprolol when my AF started 4 years ago and felt dreadful. I could barely breathe and it was my pharmacist who explained that it also can attach to receptors in your lungs, slowing them down as well as your heart. After months of suffering, I begged my cardiologist to put me on Diltiazem instead, which he did and I felt a lot better then whilst waiting for a cardioversion. I did have water retention with that but took diuretics.........it was still better for me than Bisoprolol. Best wishes .