been on bisoprolol & flec since April; Apple Watch told me new trend for my heart is lower

[Dolly1234566]

So it seems my HR is now down into the 50’s it’s about 52 in my sleep and through the day it can be 50’s/60’s/70’s and up to 99 when ever I do more physically. Sometimes it will randomly peek up to 190 or 210 for a few minutes. My range seems to be getting wider … HR lower and nice and settled and then out of the blue it jumps up infrequently…. ( I don’t feel it at all ) I just know from my Apple watch stats … can bisoprolol cause your HR to be low ? My doctor said it’s fine to be low in the 50’s …. ? Also why on earth is it jumping up … I am waiting to be seen back on the NHS now (5 month wait ) as the private route didn’t quite work out so well. I am going to try and speak with another GP next and have my referral expedited up the list.

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Dolly

This is just my personal opinion.

Most people, even those without any abnormal heart rhythms can have a few extra beats, which could account for you saying your heart rate briefly spikes. Doctors/Consultants are not generally worried about heart rates until they go below 40bpm.

The most important thing is how are you feeling?

Jean

[Dolly1234566 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks for this I am mostly ok I just get those weird Cotton wool headaches and I see stars when I stand up, bit breathless sometimes ( the usual ) otherwise I just plod on with my day. My blood pressure is text book x

[Buffafly]

Mine does that, but as Jean says if you feel ok not to worry.

[wilsond]

My heart rate is around 52 on Bisoprolol,which is a rate controller drug. Our heart rate naturally fluctuates on demand and will rise .I sometimes get the same dizzy bits and tiny stars .

BP is spot on.

[Hidden]

Hi Dolly - as far as your HR being lower goes, that's what Bisoprolol does, ie lower your HR, it's the drug's main action and purpose in life. I only take it as PiP because my normal HR is low - resting is low 50's and it goes below 45 every night while sleeping . Your numbers seem fine. It's also quite fine and normal for your HR to go up quite a bit from resting as soon as you're active - and I mean normal walking around, going upstairs etc.

Why your HR is suddenly jumping up to 200ish is another matter and I'm wondering if it's the Flecainide? I just Googled possible side effects of Flecainide and the first one of the list was "fast or pounding heartbeats". As others have said, it's also possibly just your Apple watch doing its thing.

Oh, I just read your reply to jeanjeannie and "shortness of breath and sudden dizziness" were next of the list of possible side effects of flec!

If you're concerned you should perhaps speak to your GP. If you're experiencing unpleasant side effects (the dizziness & shortness of breath) this could be helped by adjusting or changing your meds.

[Dolly1234566 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for looking into this Helen it’s good to get a good response and some ideas as to why it’s happening…i have a tel app booked in with gp next week 👍

[Teresa156]

Hi Dolly,

My applewatch In the past has shown an odd ’spike’ and it can be a ‘feature’ in the applewatch itself if it’s just a ‘dot’ that appears in your HR reading i.e if it was say 200, or 210 and then goes to 65 before and after for example. A lot of people get these ‘blips’ and please don’t necessarily think it’s your heart playing up as everything else you say seems fine.

Does it really stay at that level for minutes? Are you 100 % sure?

Is your watch tight on your wrist?

Sometimes mine is too loose.

It can also happen if I’m in the car, as it seems to mistake the engine or bumps in the road as my heart beat 😳 or if I’m doing housework etc as my arm might move into odd positions.

If however it goes to 210, 208 190, etc…there might be a problem of course, but it could be what is called an ectopic beat, which can also be normal. But as I said random blips can happen on the applewatch which is Not helpful for us, I know.

As others have said, everything else it’s doing is absolutely fine and if you feel ok, try not to worry as it will make it worse. Your HR is similar to mine. Bisoprolol does lower heart rate quite a lot, it has done for me too, Try not to look at your watch too much too ( easier said than done, as I do it myself).

If you Google ‘blips’ in applewatch HR, you will see a lot of people get these. Of course if it really worries you or if you feel these and get symptoms, you could get them checked out.

Teresa

[Dolly1234566 in reply to Teresa156]

Oh thank you for this ! Well worth noting … I will keep this in mind x

[Jmc43 in reply to Teresa156]

Very good post on the Apple Watch blips Teresa. I get those all the time when exercising. My HR is in the 50’s when starting, and for the first five minutes or so, I often get readings of 100-150, probably double my real HR. Then when it gets above 70, it seems to read the rate correctly. Odd quirk. And no matter how tight the band is or where I place the watch the same thing happens. So I stopped worrying about it some time ago. I am also on Flecainide and Lebatolol so my HR at rest is sometimes between 40-45, rest of the time between 45-60. My cardiologist isn’t worried as I have no other symptoms.

[Teresa156 in reply to Jmc43]

Hi JMC43,

I’m glad it’s helped…when I first got these ‘blips’ it was alarming and it was only when I started looking in line and on Apple forums that I saw it happened for a lot of people. I do always double check the Apple data outputs too, just to see if my heart was like it for a while or if it was at say 180, then 178, 177. But it never is. Often it says they were ‘background’ when recorded and like you I notice them if I suddenly start doing something energetic. I delete these random blips too as I don’t want to look at them! It doesn’t happen a lot.

Incidentally they can also be the other way - a random 30s or early 40s, but not so many.

Teresa

[Jmc43 in reply to Teresa156]

By the way, the same thing is true with the Apple 7 blood oxygen level tests. i think they are accurate if the band and wrist are in the correct positions, etc. But one can get odd low readings on those too…alarming at first until I checked and found that that happens.

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

Hi

After Metroprolol for 1 year 3 months after stroke and AF. Undiagnosed thyroid cancer removed 4 months after stroke, I was fatigued and breathless. Avge H/R day 186.

Changed by Bisoprolol avg day rate down to 156. No breathlessness but energy not there.

Priv Specialist changed to CCB Calcium Channel Blocker Diltiazem 120mg (180mg too much) am but separated the Bisoprolol 2.5mg at night.

Bisoprolol brought me down bt 30 H/R beats per minute. Whereas Diltiazem brought me down to 51 (106 less) avge day rate .

CCB made the huge difference so I am finally controlled.

Some use a Pill in the Pocket but unless it shows on a monitor or you feel it (I dont either with my abnormal ribcage) that will be difficult to keep ahead of things.

Keep hydrated with milk or water in your hot weather.

cheers JOY. 73. (NZ)

[jwsonoma]

Hi Dolly,I've had AFib for 7 years and this is my experience.

I have something similar. PAfib and and occasional episodes of Super Ventricular Tachycardia . The SVT would last about 10 seconds and my HR would go up to 200 bpm. If not for the Apple watch I would never know I was having them. My cardiologist is not at all concerned about the SVT or the odd stray beat. I'm on 75 mg Flec 2 x day which controls heart rhythm and 1.25 mg Bis which slows your heart rate and reduces blood pressure. Your heart is now slower to react when you stand up quickly so you may feel dizzy until your body equalizes the bp. That also happens with age.

My SVT went from daily to weekly when my Doc upped my Flec from 50 to 75 mg. I haven't had an episode of afib for several years.

Instead of preventing an AFib episode Flec can sometimes make your heart go crazy. The Bis prevents that. My Doc says you shouldn't take one without the other. I was on 2.5 mg Bis but my HR would dip into the very low 40s.

That's just me not you. Maybe screen print the hourly HR graph from your watch / phone and show it (email it) to your doc. Good luck