Bisoprolol

[bumbles2008]

Hi I'm on 7.5mgs of bisoprolol and a. experiencing breathlessness. Does anyone know if bisoprolol could cause this

[Hidden]

Highly likely I would think......check your pulse rate and blood pressure. If pulse is below 55 bpm and BP is also low, talk to your doctor as they may decide to lower the dose.

[Mariajoy in reply to Hidden]

When first developing AF, I was prescribed bisoprolol. Just couldn’t tolerate it so my EP suggested trying Atenolol which suited me much better after a couple of weeks. However as FlapJack has said, perhaps it’s the dose so speak with your doctor. Best wishes

[Finvola]

Bisoprolol, even at a dose of 1.25mg made me so breathless I had difficulty doing normal daily tasks and was changed to Nebivolol - no more breathlessness. Have a talk with your doc who may blame the AF itself, rather than a drug - even though you may have infrequent episodes and constant breathlessness.

[bumbles2008 in reply to Finvola]

Thank you. I've just had a recent episode of af but have had some breathlessness for a while but never got it checked. They then uped my does from 5mg to 7.5 and now I feel even more breathless. Speaking to my GP today

[Flimmeri in reply to bumbles2008]

Yes, it is bisoprolol. Your dose is fairly large also in my opinion. I had to get pacemaker implanted, so my heart would beat a bit faster and also pacemaker doesn't let the heart take long pauses, which mine did. I was very breathless even with the pacemaker. It was adjusted and also my dose was reduced from 5mg to 2.5mg and now 1.25mg. I'm trying to take 2.5mg two to three times a week, and see how I feel.

Good luck to you.

[CDreamer]

Yes it does!

[Nick1957]

Very similar to my bisoprolol episode. Prescribed 10mg which whacked me out breathlessness numb fingers and cold toes. Visit to my GP and dose lowered to 7.5mg - felt much better immediately. Now on 5mg bisoprolol after successful CV in December 2019.

[Mrsvemb]

I was on 2.5mg Bisoprolol twice a day, which was increased gradually from the minimum dose. I became more and more breathless.

At my request my cardiologist agreed to change me over to Nevibolol and I have never looked back.

My cardiologist wasn’t over keen on the change, but I have proved to him that it was right for me.

Bisoprolol is well known for causing breathlessness, so have a talk with you doctor regarding either reducing your dose or changing to another beta blocker.

Val

[Finvola in reply to Mrsvemb]

Same experience with my cardiologist who kept telling me Bisoprolol was the 'drug of choice'. Put up with it for four years before going to my GP who changed me to Nebivolol.

[KMRobbo]

Yes. I was breathless on 1.25Mg. I can't imagine what 7.5 my would have done to me! I had other side effects also.

Bisop is a beta blocker . I also tried Atenolol 2.5mg ( i thonk that was the dose) another beta blocker . That was Better but still bad. There are many

other beta blockers one if not try thst may work for you. My GP decided i may not tolerate beta blockers and switched me to a calcium channel blocker instead.

[bumbles2008 in reply to KMRobbo]

It's a nightmare I've had bouts of breathlessness for a while but didnt think anything about it but now this is starting to affect me. My chest just feels tight and doing any physical activity seems hardworking

[Finvola in reply to bumbles2008]

bumbles - try the search box at the top right with bisoprolol and you'll get some idea of how widespread the side effects are on this forum.

[KMRobbo in reply to bumbles2008]

I recognize all that. I actually went to sleep 40 minutes after taking every one of the 8 tablets I had before I stopped. When I woke up 4 or 5 hours later I was still very tired, my arms and upper chest ached and i felt bad, "drugged" is the only word I can use to describe it, in addition to the breathlessness. I went for a walk and tried to run , and could only manage 100 yards and my max HR was 117bpm. only 5 days earlier I was running 6.4 miles at 8 min per mile pace, my max HR was above what I could run at , certainly in the 180s. I had only one afib attack and that had stopped, so I knew it was the drugs. (the passing out after 40 mins also gave me a hint!!).

If I recall my GP was concerned at my resting HR was 45 ish (from memory its 5 years ago) where my normal was 68 to 70, and her concern was it would be in the 30s when asleep which is not good for most folk).

As I said I was better on Atenolol but it still restricted my exercise massively so that too had to go.

You do not seem to react as bad as I did but I am sure that you can get a better drug or dose fit. My (selfish?) view is you keep trying drug/dose combinations until you get one that that has no side effects but does the job , or you run out of drugs to try, in which case the least worst is what you stick with!

FYI I ended up on 20 months on Verapamil 120mg a calcium channel blocker which no side effects, so I got my life back. However not sure CCBs are as effective at controlling rate as Beta blockers (not medically trained) as my AFIb progessed and I had more frequent attacks over 20 months and ended up on flecainide with diltiazem another CCB. However My afib may well have progressed on bisoprolol anway, no way to tell.

An ablation sorted out the issue for me. I have not taken any drugs since May 2018

Best wishes

[johnMiosh in reply to KMRobbo]

I was a cyclist, suddenly laid low by AF. Any exertion at all would send my HR through the roof, although my resting HR was only 55. A prescription for 1.25 mg daily prevented the rise, but dropped my resting HR to 42. I became breathless with very little effort. I called bisop my performance reducing drug; I thought that it was actua.ly worse than the AF at times. I asked if it was possible to change, but I was part of a medical trial and bisoprolol was the required treatment; changing would mean not getting the trial treatment, so I reluctantly continued.

I was still able to function and limited my exercise to suit. I was happy that at least I wasn't damaging my heart further. After my ablation the breathlessness was less severe. After my second ablation, I came off all drugs and am now largely back to normal.

I reluctantly accepted the breathlessness from bisoprolol as a necessary part of the treatment, but in different circumstances, I would certainly have been pushing for a change.

[Desanthony]

Oh yes! It may be worth your talking to your Doc and getting the dose lowered. I couldn't take anything like bisoprolol at any dose.

[Dandare in reply to Desanthony]

Same here I’ve stopped takin it breathless and panic attacks

[Desanthony in reply to Dandare]

I had to ring my consultant one morning as I was breathless going downstairs!

[bumbles2008]

I've spoken to my Dr and shes not happy to reduce it and says the drug doesnt cause breathlessness. She has referred me to cardiology now and have had a chest xray. I really do think it is bisoprolol

[Desanthony in reply to bumbles2008]

The cardiologist should be able to sort you out. As I said I experienced breathlessness on bisoprolol and other similar medication. The worst was when I was breathless just walking downstairs. My wife immediately called my cardio and he stopped the bisoprolol.

[therug in reply to Desanthony]

Hi , was your Bisoprolol replaced with anything else, my husband's doctor has told him to stop taking it after a week of taking it every other day , she hasn't suggested a different med so a little concerned

[Desanthony in reply to therug]

The Private Cardiologist I saw did try and replace it with other similar things - both Beta Blockers and calcium channel blockers - the only one I remember now is verapamil and a cocktail of other drugs over about 6 months but they all gave me the same side effects so he decided to keep me on bisoprolol (?). This time was terrible and a wasted 9 months of my life as I just couldn't do anything when I had been so fit. Once off the bisoprolol I could go back to the gym doing a phase 3 cardiac recovery programme and it has made such a difference. In the end my wife had to ring the private cardio one early morning and tell him I couldn't even walk downstairs without getting breathless and he just said come off them right now. For about 6 months I didn't take anything- when I managed to get on the cardiac recovery course and felt the best I had in over a year even though still in permanent AF. I managed to get to see an NHS cardiologist - took me over a year to get to see one on the NHS, and she suggested digoxin but the higher dose of digoxin did the same thing - I then went onto lower dose and that seemed OK for the short time I was on it. - about 6 weeks. I didn't have side effects until after 3-4 weeks on these medications so hard to say if the lower dose would have given me the side effects. The Cardio said they wouldn't usually prescribe digoxin for a person like me - usually older people who couldn't get around at all apparently. To be honest I don't know that the digoxin helped all I know is that with the lower dose I ddidn't get any side effects ont he 6 weeks I was on it. I then had a successful cardioversion and even though I have gone back into AF twice since then and had successful cardioversions and am awaiting an ablation - cancelled three times since last March due to Covid, The cardiologist said they wouldn't put me back on anything as I had such a bad time on the others and that if I went back into AF the best thing to do was see an EP - best move ever. Still on Apixaban (Eliquis) anticoagulant and doing well.

My brother-in-law also had a bad time on bisoprolol when he went into AF after chemotherapy and he came off and was not put on anything else - other than an anticoagulant - same for our next door neighbour. When we moved to this house he could hardly walk down the drive without getting breathless but after coming off bisoprolol he can walk his dog down the lane and back and as a consequence has managed to get fitter and lose weight. Some people are fine on one or other of these medications - I was just someone who couldn't get on with any of them but bisoprolol seems to be one that a lot of people can have trouble with.

[therug in reply to Desanthony]

Thankyou so much for taking the time to write in such detail, it was very interesting and enlightening, I wish you all the best especially good health, stay safe and thanks again .

[Desanthony in reply to therug]

You too.

[bumbles2008 in reply to Desanthony]

Thank you so much for replying. My dose has been lowered and been taken off flecinade which I think was the main culprit and my breathing is so much better. I wish you all the best when you do get your ablation

[Desanthony in reply to bumbles2008]

Thats good to hear. Thanks

[Peony4575]

I couldn’t tolerate bisoprolol 1.25mg made me breathless amongst other things. If I had a doctor who wouldn’t listen or respect my intelligence and knowledge of my own body I would change my doctor as well as my beta blocker . That’s how bad drugs stay on the market