Bisoprolol problems

[linc2u]

My AF has recently returned and I have gone back on Bisoprolol.

I now realise why I opted for an ablation procedure…. my side effects on Bisoprolol are almost unbearable.

I have researched on the internet but just going round in circles…… there must be an alternative to this drug.

I don’t want another ablation at the moment as I am 76 and not sure I can do it all again.

Best wishes all

[bantam12]

I tried Diltiazem which is a calcium chanel blocker which worked well for me initially but then gave me side effects. It's trial and error to find one that works for us.

[BobD Volunteer]

Nebivolol is also more cardiac specific which means that it shouldn't drag you down as much as bisoprolol or cause SOB.(shortness of breath).

[G0dfather]

I switched from bisoporol to carvidelol which works much better for me in terms of side effects and seems to control my AF better as well...

[saulger]

Hello John. I get the same issues as Linc2u with bisoprolol. Does Nebivolol also help with heart rhythm control ; I am already low BP and 53 BPM resting HR ?

[BobD Volunteer in reply to saulger]

Nebivolol is a beta blocker (rate control) not an antiarrhythmic drug.

[saulger in reply to BobD]

Thanks, Bob. I am already low BP and low resting HR (53 bpm), so not for me. HNY

[Visacrem]

Hi Linc2uWhat side effects are you having please.

The reason I'm asking is because I'm having terrible hip pain and am not sure why, I've been taking Bisoprolol for about 9 months .

The fact that you've been on Bisoprolol before and just returned to them is a good indicator of its side effects. My doctor just keeps prescribing strong pain killers I'm wondering what the cause is. Thank you.

[linc2u in reply to Visacrem]

Hi thereJust side effects I can’t tolerate anymore, as my head doesn’t seem attached to my body!! I don’t feel safe out walking….. possibly feeling intoxicated all the time! Not exactly dizzy, just very very spaced out😩

[Visacrem in reply to linc2u]

Thank you linc2u All the best and hope you get sorted. Cheers.

[Ppiman]

When I last looked, it seemed clear that by far the majority of people taking beta blockers in general, and bisoprolol in particular, faired really well on them. I got the feeling when I looked that reducing the dosage, titrating it to an optimum, was the best way to reduce side effects since these were less to do with the bisoprolol itself than to do with the way the heart was responding to a beta blocker, i.e. any other beta blocker would create the same side effects for the same amount of beta-blockade.

When I asked my GP to change my beta-blocker to nebivolol (for the same reasons), he said he was convinced that it wouldn't make any difference as he'd had patients feel generally the same on all of the various beta-blockers. In the end, he got me to reduce my dose and gave me a small amount of digoxin, and that did the trick as I recall (this is back in 2019). I had atrial flutter, not fibrillation, though, at the time.

I gather also that no beta-blocker, in itself, stops arrhythmia but only does so as a "side effect" by reducing the heart's rate or pulse, i.e. the racing or tachycardia is causing the AF. I'm sure this is the case with me as I feel sure that it is tachycardia that sets off my AF. Thankfully, this is only occasional.

Steve

[saulger]

Thanks, John. Was hoping for a miracle rhythm controller...I am already 53 HR and 100/60 BP, so not for me, I believe.

Hoping you get used to it soon and feel better. All the best. Saul

[Giorgos1973]

my experience with bisoprolol is as follows, i started this pill for palpitations I was taking 2.5mg every morning for a year, at first it worked well then came vivid dreams difficulty sleeping and a feeling of pessimism and sometimes it gave me a worry like a crisis panic, I say for some it works well

[saulger]

Thanks, once more, John. Been reading a bit and it's a Class III agent that sounds promising for my slow HR. All the best and beat the beast !

"Class III agents predominantly block the potassium channels, thereby

prolonging repolarization.[11]

Since these agents do not affect the sodium channel, conduction velocity is not decreased.

The prolongation of the action potential duration and refractory period, combined with the maintenance of normal conduction velocity, prevent re-entrant

arrhythmias. (The re-entrant rhythm is less likely to interact with tissue

that has become refractory).

The class III agents exhibit reverse-use dependence (their potency increases with slower heart rates, and therefore improves maintenance of sinus rhythm). Inhibiting potassium channels, slowing repolarization, results in slowed atrial-ventricular myocyte repolarization.

Class III agents have the potential to prolong the QT interval of the EKG, and may be proarrhythmic (more associated with development of polymorphic VT)."

[Snowgirl65]

I too had problems with Bisoprolol. I changed doctors, and he changed my medication to Metoprolol Succinate. I've had no problems with it for years now.

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

Hi. Athough I am perhaps different from others as my AF was caused by unbeknown Thyroid cancer.. which caused a stroke.

I have been on metoprolol, but bresathless. Changed to Bisoprolol..

I have persistent AF. I dont feel it as an epidode. I was sweating with fatigue - no energy.

The control of my rapid heart particularly on exertion was lowered from 186 day to 156 between the above two drugs.

Night 48bpm.

Frustrated I went to aprivate heart specialist!

He has put me on a CCB Diltiazem.

Finally I am balanced with CCB 120mg a.m with Bisoprolol 2.5 at night.

Try CCB. Another way to curtail rapid AF.

Cheri JOY

[Mrsvemb]

I switched from Bisoprolol to Nebivolol 2 or 3 years ago. It was the best thing I ever did. I was so slow and lethargic on Bisoprolol, I felt totally spaced out at times. I asked my cardiologist to change me to Nebivolol and he said it wasn’t a good idea. I pushed and pushed and he gave in. I have never looked back. I feel so much better. Certainly worth speaking to your EP.