As my AF has progressed and I’m now experiencing longer bouts of tachycardia and sometimes irregularities I have been prescribed Bisopropol as pill in pocket by a GP. The episodes are still only 4/5 hours with my heart rate at approximately 180bpm for much of the time. When first diagnosed with AF I was given Bisopropol 1.25mg and had to stop it as I felt like I was walking in mud. The dose the GP has given me as a pill in pocket is 2.5mg. ……is that the usual amount? Thank you for this wonderful site.
Mary.
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Clyde12
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I’m sorry for AF we can all relate since most of us are in the same shoes. I’m not a medical expert whatsoever but 180 bpm is a pretty high rate so to me the dose sounds a too little. Has it been reducing the heart rate ? And what’s your blood pressure while on the medication ?
I only got the bisopropol today and haven’t had to have any yet. I’m on losartan for my blood pressure and it is working well as my BP is normally 120/60 or thereabouts. My resting heart rate is around 53 (and 48 at night). Thank you for your reply.
Oh I’m so glad your numbers look amazing. I wish I had those number and I’m on a hand full of medication. The only thing is you will notice with this medication The bisoprlol is it will reduce your blood pressure but it doesn’t seem like you have an issue with your blood pressure.
Yes my resting heart rate is low (46 last night) but the bisopropol is to try to stop the episodes of tachycardia . During the last 2 episodes my heart rate was 180 for 4 hours. Thank you for your reply.
Hi Clyde12, I’m on Bisoprolol as a PIP too. Had an AF episode a few weeks back lasting around 16 hours and whereas it normally sends my heart rate into the high 180s and I’ve ended up in A&E, this time it stayed at around 100bpm. I took an initial dose as soon as I realised what was happening and, as suggested by the GP, a further 2.5mg about 9 hours after, as the rate was starting to creep up again. That kept things within bounds until I flipped back into NSR later in the day.
Like you I was prescribed Bisoprolol daily 1.25mg but felt too rough on that. The PIP approach seems to work better for me at the moment.
Hi again, it took around 30 - 40 mins to starting having an effect. The GP advised me to take the first dose as soon as I was aware I was in AF , before my heart rate had a chance to get too high ( it was around 130 bpm when I took the first dose). I can see why some would think it too low a dose and on paper it probably does look it but I can only speak from experience that it worked for me, although, as I said in my previous post , after around 9 - 10 hours I did take a further dose as the rate started to creep up again.
Thank you. That’s most helpful. Hopefully I won’t need to take it for a while! I’m hoping it works cos the GP wants to put me on verapamil if it doesn’t (the cardiologist suggested this drug). I’ve read that it can cause severe constipation and I’m prone to that so not keen to go on verapamil. Mary.
"180 bpm is a pretty high rate so to me the dose sounds a too little"
2.5 mg as a PIP sounds a small amount for a HR of 180. I am not a doctor and unable to give medicial advice. However for me personally (at that rate) I would certainly want a higher dose as a PIP. They put me on 5 mg a day for a HR of about 125 but it knocked me for six.
You will learn that we are all different with drugs one man's meat is another man's poison. I was put on 1.25 mg when I was first diagnosed , and that put me to sleep in 40 minutes. That lasted for 4 or 5 hours. When I awoke I had many other side effects which meant I could not take it. However the absorption time concurs.
Like you I had 1.25th daily when first diagnosed and it completely floored me! The first 3/4 days of taking it was wonderful cos it stopped the AFib. After a few weeks I was told to stop taking it and told that as it was a small dose I didn’t have to wean off! Wrong advice. I definitely should have weaned off. Hopefully as a PIP it’ll be different. Thank you.
You will need to wait until you have an episode of afib and see if the dose does the trick and lowers your heart rate effectively. If it doesn't then you need to speak to your GP about taking a larger initial dose. Taking 5mg is unlikely to do any harm. Many people are given this as a daily dose. Some are fine on it , others ( like me) feel like zombies. 5mg works for me as PIP but I always feel wiped out the day after though that is probably a combination of the af and the beta blocker.
Bisoprolol works very well at reducing my tachycardia but never worked as a PiP. In the early days of my AF I had a three or four day episode and Bisoprolol didn't make a mite of difference to the rhythm. Flecainide and Bisoprolol work well as a PiP for me.
I had to chuckle because I'm in A.F much of each day. I dont feel it with a bad ribcage apparently and my heart is pushed to left side.
The new private Cardiac Specialist took my at rest pulse.. 120.
My trigger is any exertion or was until he has prescribed Diltiazem but it worked so well I had to lower dose to 120mg (360mg normal dose!). Just as well he did not give me that.
Energy returned,
I need monitoring - I am the one.
Each needs a BP monitor. Stops one from worry. Dizzy/lightheaded you need to rest 5-10 min and check
This morning at 11am. 132/72. 77. Great. I take 2.5 Bisoprolol at night.
Never panic.
'Right it out" that's what a new A.F acquaintance does and he kept on working.
Recently had an Ablation so I dont hear from him as much.
Hi I'm on 10mg daily. Slows me down but as it works for me I just keep going. I was told on here to keep moving. Once I get going I'm fine. Some times I want to sit and stare at a wall. But I am on many pills that do that. Some folk on here really hate bisoprolol. Maybe I'm a functioning 🧟♂️ zombie.
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