Bisoprolol and low heart rate

[Norfolk_spaniel]

As my heart palpitations were becoming unbearable, I finally agreed to try bisoprolol, just 1,25mg daily. Well, the good news is that the palpitations and the breathlessness have almost gone . The bad news is that my resting heart rate is down to 45 in the afternoon, going up to 58 when I'm active. I feel very light headed and nauseous. Will this pass or will I get used to it? I'm going to ring the arrhythmia nurses tomorrow. I don't know which is worse, the palpitations or the light headedheadedness. I just want to feel good again.

[jeanjeannie50]

Your heart rate of 45bpm is getting a little on the low side. Certainly call your AF nurses and see what they suggest, especially as the pills are making you feel unwell. Your Bisoprolol dose of 1.25 is a low one.

Jean

[Peakoverload]

I used to be on bisoprolol years ago for ectopic bests and loved it. It did lower my heart rate by a fair amount as I recall but it practically stopped the ectopics. Then my GP decided to take me off them because the ectopics had stopped and, of course, they came back. Rather than put me back on bisoprolol, for reasons I don’t understand, they put me on propranolol. I’ve found that this doesn’t lower my heart rate by as much but equally isn’t as good at stopping the ectopics either. Maybe Propranolol is better suited to you?

[javo123j]

I'm on 2.5mg of Bisoprolol and also have a pulse rate around 45 but I've been on it a while and have no side effects. It comes into its own when I go into afib where my pulse stays around 65 so I think it's a great medication. I do know from past posts that a lot of people have difficulty with the drug. I'd be patient and give it a bit longer as it does take a few weeks to get used to.

[BobD Volunteer]

AF is a long journey. It often take ages to find the right treatment.

[KMRobbo]

What was your normal HR previous to the Bisoprolol?I was 70 bpm that dropped to mid 40s with Bisop, every tab put me to sleep and when I woke up hours later I felt terrible.

I went to my GP who felt it was lowering my HR too much and was worried it would be down in tge low 30s when asleep so she moved me to atenolol , another beta blocker, which was better but still caused similar tiredness, so she decided I did not tolerate beta blockers and moved me to calcium channel blockers instead. Verapamil. I had no adverse reactions to that.

[Norfolk_spaniel in reply to KMRobbo]

Resting heart rate was around 61/62. Have tried verapamil before and it upsets my stomach.

[KMRobbo in reply to Norfolk_spaniel]

Is quite a huge drop in HR though. Quite possibly explains why you feel bad.Have you tried Diltiazem, another Calcium Channel blocker? I was on this for 10 months until I had my ablation. It had some side effects for me but nothing loke the beta blockers

[macymoo007]

your heart rate is similar to mine post bisoporol. Mine went from around 70 to 50 bpm. I started off on 5mg a day but it made me light headed. It was reduced to 2.5. This kept it at bay for around 6 weeks till another episode lasting 4 days. The docs told me to increase it. I told them about the light headiness so got told to split the dose in the morning and evening. This was much better. Kept it at bay for 5 months. Am now in af as we speak. Am increasing my dose to 7.5mg maybe up to 10mg if it doesn’t stop soon.

Good luck with everything.

[Cabinessence in reply to macymoo007]

I thought that Biso doesn't really address the AFib. Just the rate?

[macymoo007 in reply to Cabinessence]

Yes I’ve learned that today however it’s not keeping my hr down at all today

[Ronnieboy]

I was actually on 2.5 bisol for a few years with a heart rate the same as yours,I ditched the bisoprolol a few years ago ,my heart rate is still 43 to about mid 50s, but I don't seem to have any undue side affects,and no AF attack for a long time.

[Bodydoctor12]

hi, I was on BISOPROLOL 1.25 post DCCV IN Feb and because of the side effects (bad foot pain /neuropathy style) I cut it in half each day so I was taking .625. It didn’t reduce the side effects much but it still controlled my heart rate. I was around 55-57. I’ve now stopped it completely - 3 weeks ago and the pains have almost gone. My heart rate is now around 64/65 and I’m aware that my heart is a bit more fluttery. It could be the withdrawal rebound effect or this is my normal. I don’t really know. I shall have to speak to my team about trying a different one. I’m still in NSR - for now.

[Ppiman]

Have you checked your blood pressure? Bisoprolol can reduce that, although not by a lot, I gather, but it might be sufficient to cause the light-headed feelings.

Since last March, I have also been taking 1.25mg bisoprolol each day and, looking at my Apple Watch reports, my heart rate often drops below 50, but it does rise during activities. For example, yesterday it shows a range of 47-128bpm, the high rate was while shredding a bush I'd cut down. It generally seems to reach the low 90s each day. I have never checked it overnight, but I suspect it goes even lower. I was told a low rate was fine if it was symptomless so, in your case, you need to ask your GP, to be sure.

Will you get used to it? I suspect so. I do sometimes get transient light-headed feelings when working at things like weeding, bending down a lot, but not nausea.

Steve

[Vonnegut]

1.25 mg daily was too much for me! I was told to come off it after only three days as it had brought my heart rate down too low-