Has anyone got any advice on combating tiredness while on beta blockers and blood thinners.

[Electricblue1]

Beating tiredness

[rosyG]

Hi

I don’t think anticoagulants cause the tiredness but know many people have got their doctors to change to alternatives to beta blockers because of fatigue. See what they tell you but may be an option

[jeanjeannie50]

I used to blame my AF and tablets for the dreadful tiredness I was getting, then it was discovered that I had an underactive thyroid. If you haven't already, I'd recommend getting your thyroid level checked.

Jean

[Palpman]

By "blood thinners" do you mean your blood viscosity is too low or do you mean medication to prevent clots? Each have differing meds.

[Finvola]

I started on Bisoprolol which totally wiped me out - once I was changed to Nebivolol, I got most of my energy back. Anti-coagulants are unlikely to cause tiredness and it is a known side-effect of betablockers for some people. YourGP may be able to advise on a change of drug.

[CDreamer]

Bit like looking for a tall pigmy - doesn’t exist - not for me at least.

[Brenda-j]

Early on I had beta blockers and they knocked me out too. I was changed to Verapamil ( with Flecainide). I now have no problem with tiredness

[Tilly1957]

I believe I have read somewhere that in a lot of cases, the thyroid issues are linked with af in some way. GP has reduced my Bisoprolol by half to 1.25mg. I know it’s early days, but for the first time in years I have the energy to do some proper housework, to even get up the stairs - My house is a dust hole! Also, I changed to a DOAC from warfarin in Jan, and I feel different in some way with that to - for the better. Penny

[Tilly1957]

Also, my GP is doing a thyroid blood test for me. He says these are the first steps to exploring why I am so exhausted all the time. I was thorium to warfarin and beta blockers started about 5/6 years ago - I had trained for and completed a power walk marathon the year before I went onto the meds. Very quickly, I could barely manage to walk my dog round the block. It is only recently I have started to join the dots and that maybe, just maybe, i can get my life back, I am only 64 and am feeling very decrepit! X

[CDreamer in reply to Tilly1957]

Thyroid test should be one of the 1st tests done with anyone presenting with AF as if you have Thyroid dysfunction which is then treated, the AF often goes away. Unfortunately many GPs don’t and that is why it is important to inform ourselves, IMHO.

[Hidden in reply to CDreamer]

That’s really interesting- my thyroid was fine when they tested it when I was menopausal and they were testing all my friends while my younger male cousin who really did have a problem didn’t get it discovered for years!!

[Jeaniebeans]

Hi. I am quite new to this group. I was diagnosed with AF when I got Covid in Oct 2020. Was cardioverted 2 weeks ago. I was given Rivaroxaban in Oct but only started on Bisoprolol 5mg when I was cardioverted. It has really knocked me for six. My tummy has been upset, headaches and constant fatigue.

Do people get used to this beta blocker in time.

[Auriculaire in reply to Jeaniebeans]

Some do, some don't. 5mg often seems to be some sort of standard dose. I was started on this twice by hospital cardiologists. After about 10 days the first time I told my GP that if I had to live feeling so awful for the rest of my life I did not wish to live. He said to reduce the dose by half. When I saw my own cardiologist a couple of months later I had reduced it off my own bat to 1.25mg and he said I could come off it after another couple of months. The next time was after a major bowel op. I went into afib a few days later and again the hospital cardiologist put me on 5mg. But this time I reduced the dose myself the next day . 5mg works well to bring down my heart rate when in afib but to take it as a daily dose leaves me feeling like a zombie. Now I take Nebivolol which I am happier with. I had all the side effects you mention. The headache would arrive 2 hours after taking the tablet. There seem to be more complaints about Bisoprolol than any other med on this forum.

[CDreamer in reply to Jeaniebeans]

I had similar experience to Auriculaire but I stopped all heart meds in 2014, with consultation with EP, and never went back on them and felt much better as a result.

[Hidden in reply to Jeaniebeans]

Do get a lower dose of Busoprolol and I wasn’t even able to take that as it brought my heart rate down too low! After only three days the pharmacist took my pulse and told me to stop taking it and doc agreed- we are all different and must work at getting doctors to realise this! Good luck getting what works for you - I’m still hoping to get my energy back!

[Morzine]

In all honesty I haven’t any clue. I’ve kind of accepted the Bisoprolol is a factor , but I see it as a balance I’m living with. But you could see your doc and ask about dose etc.....

[Gdav]

Same as you moraine, it's a risk versus benefit thing. I have split my 5mg bisoprolol into 2x 2.5mg morning and evening and it seems to have given me better results in energy levels.

[gokf]

HelloI use Juice Plus which is recommended by British Heart Foundation. This was through my kinseologist. If you are interested message me and I will give you her details.

[Electricblue1 in reply to gokf]

Hi , if you don’t mind me asking, what is juice plus.

[gokf in reply to Electricblue1]

It's natural fruit and vegetable supplements. If you Google their website, juiceplus.org you will find further info. They have definitely helped me, I have dilated cardiomyopathy and AF. I also gave insomnia so I would be very tired of I didn't take them. Hope this helps.

[ATSF]

Both myself and my wife are on Bispropol, my wife as had no problem at all, but I’am a absolutely worn out 24 hours a day. But still can’t sleep. Both of us think the medication as worked for what it was proscribed for.

[Goldfish7 in reply to ATSF]

I had major sleeping issues amongs other problems with bisoprolol (1.25mg), I would fall asleep OK but wake up every hour or two and really struggle to get back to sleep. It took me years to realise what was causing it. I also suffered from vivid unpleasant or exhausting dreams. Luckily Im off bisoprolol now other than pill in pocket so my sleep has improved. I notice now that just one dose of bisoprolol can cisrupt sleep for a couple of days as well as make me breathless, cold and tired.

[ATSF in reply to Goldfish7]

Your sleep pattern is exactly same as me, unfortunately our GP’s have gone into hibernation and currently seem to have no interest in my problems. We have found this as increased since our original 5 practice doctors all retired and seem to have been replaced by a group of 3 who seem to have lost interest in anyone over the of 75. At the same time they have taken on n extra 26,000 patients and hire junior trainee doctors to see most of the patients since the virus struck. We have not seen our allocated doctor now since February 2020 and my wife since September 2019.

[Goldfish7 in reply to ATSF]

I know a lot of things appear to be going down the tubes with a lot of GP practices lately (mine seems OK so far). I fear its all part of the plan to collapse the NHS and get health services privatised like selling off a large number of GP practices down south to some huge US company without any discussion with patients.

[Hidden in reply to ATSF]

Similar problems at my surgery- you need to be fairly fit to work through the system of getting appointments and that goes back well before the virus! The trouble with us over 75s is we still remember the excellent family GPS from our youth!

[Nerja2012 in reply to Goldfish7]

Goldfish. How to did you reduce the Bisoprol . Im taking 1.25mg and would also like to stop taking them. Many thanks.

[Goldfish7 in reply to Nerja2012]

Hi Nerja - I ignored the specialist nurses advice just to stop them dead thanks to information gained from this site which warned about the possible serious side effects in doing so. I very gradually reduced the dose - 1st week took it 5 days that week, 2nd week 4 days, etc - I think when I got down to 2 days I halved the doses spreading them over 4 days and dropping down weekly until I was down to no doses. I was very worried that getting off the bisoprolol would kick me straight back into Rapid Paroxysmal AF as it had done before, after my 1st ablation. I also made sure to take magnesium citrate daily to ease any minor heart arrhythmias. I did and still do get occasional arrhythmias and tachycardias) if I'm not careful with stress, exercise, eating, but I didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary during my long winded withdrawal period other than a few more very short, fast, uneven heart issues than usual. Best of luck getting off the Bisoprolol, but make sure that you check it out with your Dr to see if any other medication may be more useful to you.

[Nerja2012 in reply to Goldfish7]

Thanks for that Goldfish. Ive given up trying to get through to my GP so going to help myself. I have a naturally low Heart Rate and Diastolic so with Bisoprol both are in the lower 50s during the day which makes me very tired. "WHEN" I did manage to speak to Doc She suggested I take 1.25 every other day instead of daily. I have PAF with very few episodes. Many thanks for message.

[Goldfish7 in reply to Nerja2012]

Best of luck in getting off bisoprolol. They initially had me on 7.5mg for erratic blood pressure and wouldnt take me off it when my bedtime heart rate was often below 50bpm. I was never sure if this contributed to me getting the PAF, which until after my 1st ablation always started when I was asleep. Im far more assertive with Drs now thanks to this site.

[Nerja2012 in reply to Goldfish7]

Your right Goldfish. I have no faith in Doctors anymore. Especially mine. Its a sad way to feel. But I'm not the only one. Take care.

[Tilly1957 in reply to Goldfish7]

Interesting about sleep, I had missed the connection between Bisoprolol and sleep! I have started sleeping do deeply and for longer now my dose is reduced!

[Goldfish7 in reply to Tilly1957]

I know - I'd been putting it down to stress, but it became very obvious when I had been taken off Bisoprolol temporarily a couple of times and then when I fully got off it other than for pill in pocket. Its a very weird drug or I'm a very weird person considering all of the unpleasant side effects I got from 1.25mg of it!!

[Snowgirl65]

I don't know how long you've been taking them, but I've found that my body eventually got used to my various heart medications and the tiredness subsided. The only med for which that didn't work, was verapamil, though I know many tolerate it very well. We're all different.

[Coeurdelion]

Stop the beta blockers and go for something else. I couldn't tolerate beta blockers and am now on Calcium channel blockers.

[Bennera513]

I concur with everyone's statements. I've been on and off with Atenolol for 20 years. Currently I'm upward titrating again and the old fatigue and sleep disruption are kicking in. I have my yearly in cardiologist appt. this next week and intend to discuss exactly this. The only thing I know is to push back. I know that my body does ultimately get used to the tiredness to some degree. To help it along a bit I try to challenge a bit by staying active or standing and walking around the house or up the stairs to get things flowing a bit. The body resists with HR held low, but it doesn't stay in the basement if I am sure to keep moving. The Beta Blues....not much fun! Slow upward titration across weeks can lessen the blow too.

[Magson]

It's horses for courses I am afraid. I used to take 1.25mg of Bisopropol and just couldn't tolerate it. Glad I stopped it about 4 years ago. Meanwhile my wife takes 5mg and it doesn't present any problems.

[Zozzy]

Hi

I was put on Bisoprolol (beta blocker) by the doctor who diagnosed my paroysmal fast AF.

A few weeks later I saw the consultant who subsequently did my ablation and asked him if I could come off the Bisoprolol as it seemed to be lowering my heart rate too far and I suspected it was making me very tired. He agreed that I could stop and immediately I felt much better.

Just before the ablation he put me on Rivaroxaban (anti-coagulant) which I stayed on for almost 4 months - until he was satisfied my ablation was successful. I didn't experience any side effects from the Rivaroxaban.

Steve

[Hidden in reply to Zozzy]

You are fortunate! The Rivaroxaban resulted in terrible diarrhoea with me, a common side effect in one in ten people!!!

[sarniacherie]

Is your heart rate at a proper level? Beta blockers lower heart rate but if it reduces it too much this could account for your tiredness. I am not aware of blood thinners causing tiredness. See your GP to put your mind at rest.

[AQuilter]

I used to get extremely tired when I was first on beta blocker and anticoagulant but after 2 years, it no longer affect me that way anymore.

[Hidden]

I have been feeling increasingly lacking in energy over the time I have been taking Apixaban even though I’m on the half dose and the docs have admitted this is one of the side effects so I am trying Edoxaban again though I seem to remember that wasn’t too great either! As we are all different it is quite a struggle to discover what works for us as individuals so good luck with your search and with persuading your doctors to support you!