Bisoprolol and weaning it off

[Prk16]

Hi Everyone. I really need some advice and guidance on how to wean off the bisoprolol. I have been taking 2.5mg last 5 months and it has been a nightmare. Pain, aches, tingling, anxiety, breathlessness and allergic asthma. All this now I come to know that are the side effects of bisoprolol. Can anyone please advice how to wean off from this tablet or is it ok to stop it just like that. I was given this for irregular heartbeat. On having told the cardiologist all these side effects he won't listen and tells me to still continue. I want to get rid of it. Please advise. Thankyou

[Hidden]

Sorry, I don't know enough about it to advise you BUT the one thing I do know IS .......that Bisoprolol is NOT the sort of drug you come to a screeching halt with and just stop. So do not just stop it, even small doses. You should really seeking qualified medical advice ............ if you can't discuss this with the medical practioner who prescribed it go talk to your local Pharmacist at least.

[Hidden]

Do not just stop this tablet it can be very dangerous and please check with you doctor first and inform them of how you feel.

I had many side effects and was advised to come off it but please be warned you can also get some very severe withdrawal symptoms or you may be lucky and not have any.

I was only on 2.5mgs for 3 months and because my withdrawal symptoms are so bad I have been weaning off at .025 msg every 5 to 6 days and now after 8 months can just see the light at the end of a very long hard withdrawal.

If and when you do wean off stay on each reduced dose until you feel ok and then drop again.

Good Luck

[Peony4575 in reply to Hidden]

I have noticed the last couple of days as I am cutting down that I get an increase in symptoms HR but feel not very well just before my dose is due. Has anyone else noticed this please ?

[Hidden in reply to Peony4575]

Your heart rate will possible go up every time you drop a dose. It takes time for your heart to get back to a normal rate normally one to two weeks then You can drop again. You will also feel quite off it the nearer you get to taking the tablet this is all part of the withdrawal and you do learn to cope with it but it’s not easy. I buy Bach rescue drops (quite expensive) but they help me and I also drink tulsi tea which is also calming.

I am in my eight month of withdrawal And although my doses of bisoprolol is now very small I still suffer side effects, palpitations, nervousness and sleepless nights but because I have read so many people have these withdrawal effects I am learning to accept them and hope that I can soon get back to feeling like a normal human being.

[Peony4575 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Nanny that is very very helpful. An hour or so before my tablet is due I feel very very tired and unwell then the palpitations kick off . After the tablet the dry mouth kicks in. And I have headache . The people who can just stop are very lucky . I ve heard the two groups described as orchids and dandelions . I am a sensitive flower when it comes to all drugs unfortunately . I hope you get to the end of your withdrawal journey soon

[chris45558]

I had to come off it in February so I could have my ablation. I was also on 2.5. I just stopped it completely (Dr told me to) and has no issues at all

[Dodie117 in reply to chris45558]

Me too. I came off it on the day of my ablation on the advice of my EP. No issues and I am AF free since the ablation in 2013. Call your doctor/EP.

[Starboard13]

I just stopped overnight as well having been on it for around 9 years. No issues.

[Hidden]

Carneuny is right, we are not medically trained, but we know it’s not wise just to just stop taking Bisoprolol. Apart from anything else, we have to assume you were prescribed it for a reason. Normally, it’s because you have a rapid irregular heartbeat and if that continues unchecked, it can cause long term damage to your heart. If you feel you are not getting the support you need from your GP then ask to be referred to a cardiologist or an electrophysiologist because there are alternatives to Bisoprolol, but often they need to be prescribed on the advice of a specialist. You may have to thump the table, but you have the right to request this, particularly if you are asthmatic. The other alternative is to have a private appointment which should cost around £300 but be careful about additional tests as these can be very expensive.......

[Physalis]

I'd just chop the tablet in half and take 1.25 each day. But that's just me! My doctor wanted me to take 2.5mg and I refused because I thought that even 1.25mg was not doing me any good.

When I saw the cardiologist just before the lockdown he said I must take the bisoprolol every day and continue with it after the ablation so I took it for months even though I knew it was pulling me down. After the ablation I took it for a couple of weeks and then just stopped and have suffered no side effects.

The bisoprolol may not be causing your side effects. However I had an email from a friend yesterday evening saying "I only take the bisoprolol 1.25 every other day and feel much better".

[PaulDB]

Ignore any advice unless it says talk to your doctor. There's a reason you're on Bisoprolol and it's not for fun. Are you in the UK? If so go and see your GP if you aren't get any sense out if your specialist.

[Physalis in reply to PaulDB]

GPs have to deal with many different illnesses and the standard advice for AFib is bisoprolol and an anti-coagulant like apixaban. I feel that this advice is sensible if the high heart rate is say 140 and the lower 80, the rates come down to say 130/70 or 120/60. When the lower heart rate in my case was an average 60+ it took it down to 50+. When I told the doctor it had gone down to 47 at times, she just said "I'm not worried about that, I would worry if it was in the low 40s" and she wanted me to take 2.5mg and got a bit ratty when I refused. I said I wanted to see the cardiologist again and, fortunately, he said the bisoprolol just smoothed the rates but didn't cure anything and I was a prime candidate for an ablation.

I worry that there are a lot of people who simply obey what their doctor says and feel rotten because of it.

[RichMert]

Half the dose for a week then half again for a week then same amount every other day for a week. Good luck

[Prk16 in reply to RichMert]

Thankyou so much

[Cally53]

I was told by my GP and by my pharmacist that there are no issues regarding just stopping bisoprolol. I did just that and had no problems whatsoever.

[Prk16 in reply to Cally53]

Thankyou so much for your response. May I ask for how long did you take bisop and then just stopped it? Was it 2 5mg?

[Cally53 in reply to Prk16]

I took it for around for just under 2 years and yes, 2.5mg. I do use it as a pip though, which is what I agreed with my GP. Please speak to your GP before you do anything though. I have just had an ablation and my EP has also agreed that it is ok for me to continue using it as a pip.

[daithelife]

Please be careful and seek advice from your medical practitioner. There are many beta blockers that can be used instead of Bisoprolol, and it is not uncommon for a good cardiologist and general practitioner to work together to find a suitable alternative. I had many problems with Bisoprolol and eventually changed to a very common, yet old fashioned alternative that seems to suit me. My only advice is to be nice to your doctots because believe it or not they want to help you have a good life

[bantam12]

When I was on Bisoprolol first time round I felt awful and I did just stop taking it, on my Cardiologists advice.

I'm now taking it again at a higher dose than before and haven't had any side effects at all. This time I started on a lower dose and slowly worked my way up to 2.5, I also take it at night which has worked much better for me. Maybe you could try cutting back for a while and see if it helps before quitting completely.

[WhitstableWanderer]

I've been on 10 mg Bisoprolol for three years, having permanent but almost asymptomatic AF.

As I don't have a fast heart rate or high BP, but would always conk out with tiredness after taking the Bisop, I halved the dose six months ago. I've since reduced the daily rate to 2.5, and expect to move to this every other day soon. I am sleeping better, have improved my everyday fitness (golf twice a week plus cycling and walking) and don't suffer from muscle pain and foot cramps as before. By the time I get to see my cardiologist again in November, I will be happy to discuss with him that I'm off the betablocker and that my heart is just fine with this.

Plainly, not a recommendation for anyone else, just my view in my personal situation.

[Thomas45]

I took Bisoprolol for seven weeks before getting the first side effect due to it changing the pH of my skin, painful intermittent though continual rashes all over my torso and limbs. Intermittent in that each painful rash would last up to 4 hours, continual in that as soon as one rash disappeared another soon appeared elsewhere. When I saw a GP I was between rashes, and he told me that the practice had hundreds of patients taking beta blockers and they were not the cause of any rashes I'd had. He didn't believe I'd had any.

A month later I had an appointment with another GP in the practice who had dermatology qualifications. In the month between appointments I'd taken some photos of the rashes on my mobile phone, and she reviewed my medication and said it was caused by Bisoprolol. I was on 2.5mg a day.

She prescribed anti histamines, and to stop taking Bisoprolol immediately, then not take any for 4 weeks, then take 1.25mg Bisoprolol, which she prescribed, for 4 weeks then stop taking Bisoprolol and not to take any variety of beta blockers in future.

Two and a half years later I'm down to taking antihistamines every other day.

However we are all different, so I would check with your GP

During the month while I was waiting to see the second GP I had an exacerbation of asthma which landed me in hospital for two nights, which was put down to Bisoprolol

[Prk16 in reply to Thomas45]

Thankyou so much. Appreciate

[Hidden]

Hmmm I am wondering about all this as I'm on 7.5mg daily now, I'm wondering how I stand up! Whatever the amount, it's always important to get the go-ahead from a doctor before stopping - the drug advice leaflet says as much. If your main doctor's no help you have a right to a second opinion.

[RajaRua]

Hi PRK16, I also had big problems with Bisop. Not as many of the side effects you mention but horrendous dizziness, a very irritating cough. As has been said don't come off it quickly. I cut my tabs in half and then again in half and so one tab was in 4 pieces I took 3 pieces for a few days maybe 4-5 days then went down to 2 pieces for another few days then one piece for another few days then 1 piece every second day then stop. This worked well for me and gave my body a chance to get used to being without the bisop. If you feel unwell, as in having strong palpitations, at any stage take a little more for a while. I see here that a lot of people came off it and had no withdrawals. It's so individual Prk. I was told to come off 2.5 mgs and when I did I had a terrible time. I called our on call doctor as it was at the weekend and he said to taper myself off it as described above. My EP wants me to take a 1.5mg dose with my Flecanide but I refuse every time it comes up. Life wouldn't be worth living taking that awful drug into my system. I find it unbelievable that consultants expect you to put up with such awful side effects.

[Prk16 in reply to RajaRua]

Thankyou so much. Appreciate your help.

[TheHud]

I am now taking 7.5mg bisoprolol daily in two doses, it works better for me that way. I started on 1.25mg last July and its taken I have a Hyperadrenergic condition and the choices of medication is limited. As others have said, its given for a reason and should not be stopped without another med replacing it. I have had the full range of effects including enhanced and new allergy issues, increased GI problems, plus joint and muscle pain . Basically everything I had that was mild -moderate before is enhanced with a few knew ones thrown in. Mast cell disease testing is negative. Currently I take Montelukast, fexofenadine and Dymista nasal spray to try and counter the increased problems that my Prof says are not caused by the bisoprolol. I am seeing an immunologist to determine which auto inflammatory condition I have, thats been agreed a while ago.

But like everything else, even I can't be sure its bisoprolol because given underlying conditions caused by a dysautonomia and autoinflammation, many of us have this with tricky tickers, its a progressive chicken and egg situation that can be triggered by meds, virus, illness and may not go away when said things are removed or recovered from. Covid will be bringing a whole new group of reactives out of the woodwork.

Cardiologists have one main concern, preservation of life, your heart, it goes wrong you won't need to worry about side effects. That may sound blunt, but that's how it was put to me. Plus it has stopped the wobbly heart, angina like pain and I know at least I do not risk going pop anymore, well not so much. Its very quiet now lol

However, doctors should listen to us and take our concerns seriously, try other medication because I am not over happy with having to take other meds to compensate. If that's what I am doing. If they are correct about me, then some of us will react to pretty much all medication, more than other people will, because often we have underlying conditions. It's hard to argue with that as long as they are trying to determine what those conditions are and mitigate any side effects and take them seriously.

Don't do anything until you have seen a doctor, if the doc says your reason for taking the meds is to give you comfort, rather than life critical, then its your choice to live with the wobbly skippy heart. If they say you need the med, no choice, you only have one heart

[Magson]

I took a low dose of 1.25mg for about two years. Stopped overnight without any issues. I am not suggesting that some people don't have withdrawal symptoms.