Bisoprolol withdrawal

[Mollykin]

Hello everyone, I am currently on week two off 1.25 bisoprolol. I’ve not been too bad regarding withdrawal but have noticed my heart rate bounces around more and is much higher with walking about etc and also more breathless. Is this withdrawal and will it settle. I’be been in afib for a year now and am on digoxin but EP wants to trial me off bisoprolol for at least six weeks to see if I feel less breathless and foggy headed.

[CDreamer]

Hard to say but possibly. Many people do struggle with withdrawal - have you had a recommendation as to how to withdraw? Did you just stop or take one every other day?

I just stopped & it probably took about 3 months for the breathlessness, fatigue & brain fog to lessen - & I was in NSR.

Sometimes it’s hard to know if it’s the meds or the condition which causes symptoms.

[Mollykin in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks CDreamer, My EP said just to stop as 1.25 a very low dose, however it really lowered my body and heart rate so that 1.25 was very effective. I did cut the tablet in half and weaned off over 7 days

[Auriculaire in reply to Mollykin]

That might not have been long enough. Some people are very sensitive to Bisoprolol and 1.25 mg is just as side effect producing for them as 5mg is for other people. You could always go back on .65mg and try a slower weaning off. The body has to gradually get used to it's exposure to adrenalin when the beta blocker is removed especially if it has made extra receptors in response to the meds. If you decide to do this I would stay on the .65mg for at least a fortnight and preferably a month. Then if you can cut the pill in quarters and repeat. Then go down to every other day. The first time I came off Bisoprolol I did this and had no problems at all.

[Kellylou1712 in reply to Auriculaire]

That's really helpful thank you

[Kellylou1712]

I would be confident to say it’s the meds - I don’t have Afib but I have been on 1.25mg of bisopropol and I too am currently weaning off, my breathlessness on these tablets was crazy which is my reason for coming off, I’ve reduced to half a tablet and the breathlessness still occurs. I’m a bit behind you in my journey in terms of not fully coming off yet but I know these tablets have really affected my breathing and after doing a ton of research I have come across numerous articles from members of other sites to suggest that it took ages after withdrawing completely for their ‘brains to feel like they were talking to their lungs again’ and for their lungs to feel full again. Hope this helps settle your mind somewhat!

[RichMert in reply to Kellylou1712]

Yes, a brisk walk would have my heart rate around 100bpm for close to an hour after I had sat down.

[Fazerboy]

I’m the other way. I had svt and was on 1.25 mg of Bisoprolol and it made me very tired. I was due an ablation so stopped it in one go. The ablation got postponed but I didn’t restart my Bisoprolol because I felt better without it. I had an ablation about a month later. I’m not on any meds and all is good. I had no issues stopping the Bisoprolol though.

[RichMert]

Crazy to just stop that Bisoprolol, if you wanted to be able to sleep and not climbing the walls. You should have been halving the dose over a week then every other day for a week. You would still be noticing a change for a while but no where near as severe.

[Barbara72]

Strangely, I was on 12.5mg of Bisoprolol for four years, but was taken off it in an exercise to see what was causing constant diarrhoea. There was no step down, just a sudden stop. When they were juggling my meds in this procedure I had just about every heart related medication, but in the end I wasn’t put back on Bisoprolol although it wasn’t the culprit.

[colin772]

Did have problems, was on 1.25 and tried to stop taking it completely. Dropped down to half a tablet but after that my heart rate and blood pressure went all over the place. Doctor said to keep taking 1.25 or half that so that is what I do.