memory problems

[Electricblue1]

hi all, could anyone tell me if they have memory issues on bisoprolol, it’s causing some distress lately and is affecting my job, I get terribly confused a lot lately and it’s upsetting and my anxiety is also bad on it. I was ok in the beginning but lately it’s been getting worse. I would be most grateful for any advice or alternatives to bisoprolol. I’m also on flecainide and does anyone know if it could be that as well. Thank you.

[MeganMN]

I got that way on Flecainide. I got terribly moody and anxious as well. It took about three months to start feeling that way. When I stopped the Flecainide, the feelings stopped.

[BenHall1 in reply to MeganMN]

May I suggest that you read the paper in the packet for both drugs - if you feel that either drug is contributing then ( I think - from memory), there is a process to alert the drug manufacturer. In any event, the NHS also have a website which provides details and which tells you how to go about reporting these drugs.

[Afperic in reply to BenHall1]

Go to the Yellow Card reporting on drug advrse reactions and complete the reporting. So many seem not to know of this especially in regard to adverse reactions to covid Jabs .there is a special section for those .

[MeganMN in reply to BenHall1]

Thanks! I am in the US and the system is not so great here for reporting side effects!

[BenHall1 in reply to MeganMN]

Hi MeganMN,

Sorry I didn't realise you were in the States. In UK each packet of medication ( pills/tablets/capsules ) contains ( apart from the drugs ) a piece of paper giving all manner of details about the drug. This piece of paper, at the end of all the advice gives consumers in UK details of how and where to report side effects, particularly those that aren't already discussed in the paper itself.

Maybe there is something in this paper ( if you have it in the States ) that will direct you to an authority or maybe the manufacturer. My apologies in advance if you have already checked this out.

[MeganMN in reply to BenHall1]

I do not trust the US process AT ALL for reporting drug reactions. The drug companies, sadly, rule the roost here!! Thanks so much for the info though! Will check it out!!

[CDreamer]

Yes, had that and was in permanent brain fog, it was horrible. Came of all heart meds and very gradually improved and now back to my normal.

[Camelia23 in reply to CDreamer]

I'm intrigued. Are you just on anticoagulants? My gp, well 2 of them are not keen on me taking flecainide. I try to get back into nsr by other methods, walking, deep breathing but yesterday took flecainide prescribed 4and half years ago as PIP after about 10 hours of irregular heartbeat. Waiting to see cardiologist. Had appointment for May 7th followed by a letter saying sorry have to change this. Will let you know shortly. That was March 19th. I'm on 1.25 mg bisoprolol in the morning and 2.5 evening. The ramipril is 2.5 am and same pm. This was changed after bp was dropping end of July last year and I suffered some dizzy spells. I take Apixaban too.

[CDreamer in reply to Camelia23]

Yes, just on anticoagulants but only after Biso/Flecainide made me feel terrible the whole time so 2 ablations, about 3 years AF free but then gradually returned so I opted for Pace and Ablate but the pacemaker was an immediate solution for me so never went ahead with the Ablation of the AV node.

[Camelia23 in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks, CD

[jeanjeannie50]

I take Metoprolol and have had brain fog for many years. I don't put it down to that drug but getting older.

My main problem is remembering the names of things or people. Though I still manage to get a few quick answers when watching Mastermind.

I can be talking to someone and then completely forget what I was going to say. I volunteer as a room guide at a National Trust property. I rarely forget anything when there as it's been a part of my life for almost 13 years, but it has happened and you know what it forms a quick bond with visitors who understand, because as I said I think we all get a bit forgetful as we grow older.

Jean

[Buffafly]

I used to take Propafenone (similar to Flecainide) and diltiazem. My HR went into the fifties and thinking was like wading through treacle. Now I only take diltiazem and although my memory is very unreliable I don’t feel ‘foggy’. It might just be your dose is too strong but perhaps it’s the combo. Maybe a discussion with a pharmacist would help.

[Cavalierrubie]

Bisoprolol is a horrible drug for some of us. I can’t tolerate it taken on a regular basis. Brain fog, yes. I felt like l was in outer space. My heart felt like it was in a vice and restricted and it lowered my blood pressure too much. Wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. There is an alternative, so l would ask for a review of your medication.

[opal11uk]

I now take 10mg Bisoporal daily and I could claim that it makes me forgetful buy in my case I think it is more likely to be my age. I would suggest you have a word with your cardio team and see if there is another drug that would suit you better, that you could try to then see if it makes a difference.

[Model52 in reply to opal11uk]

Are you sure about the 10 mg? That would be a huge dose. I take only 0,25 mg and I’m not even sure if 10 mg exists.

[julielj in reply to Model52]

I take 7.5mg daily and have for 7 years now. I have had no ill effects what so ever from day 1. . Yes there are 10mg. It's been a great drug for me all round. No brain fog at all. I think it's a wonderful drug. We're all different.

[Abbyroza in reply to julielj]

OK! I see now that it exists in a very wide range of dosages. From as low as 0,12 mg to over 10 mg. That is a factor 100!

[Auriculaire in reply to Abbyroza]

I think you will find the lowest dose is 1.25mg.

[opal11uk in reply to Model52]

yes, 10mg daily together with twice daily Proponafol but then I have had A/F over 20 years, had a stroke as a consequence, an ablation, wear a pacemaker and am 80 years old on Wednesday BUT I'm still here!!!

[Tykelady in reply to Model52]

I take 5mg in the morning and the same at night.

[Abbyroza in reply to Tykelady]

I was mistaken: I take 2,5 mg, not. 0,25.

[WardijaWardija in reply to Model52]

Yes, it does exist. I'm on 10mgs.

[Mismerswe in reply to Model52]

I also take 10mg Bisoprolol, I can assure you the dose exists but I had a heart attack a few years ago and also have HBP.

[pusillanimous in reply to Model52]

Which manufacturer makes 0,25 mg tablets or do you have to cut up pills? I am on 1.25 mg tablets and the lowest dose I can get where I am in South Africa is 2.5mg, so I have to halve them, and all that are available are a silly heart shape and difficult to divide. I'd much rather take several small ones. Details would help so I can ask my pharmacist if he can get some. Thank you

[Abbyroza in reply to pusillanimous]

I was mistaken. It’s 2,5 mg.

[pusillanimous in reply to Abbyroza]

Thanks for clarifying it !

[Jamontoast in reply to pusillanimous]

Hi there - I am on 1.25mg in the UK you can get them without having to halve a larger one. I have attached a pic of the box so you can pursue

Packaging box for 1.25mg Bisoprolol tablets

[pusillanimous in reply to Jamontoast]

Thanks, but they do not have them in South Africa where I live !

[WardijaWardija in reply to opal11uk]

Me too 10mgs. No issues.

[Abbyroza in reply to WardijaWardija]

Yes. I was mistaken. 10 mg exists and I take 25 mg/day, not 0,25.

[WardijaWardija in reply to Abbyroza]

You definitely should triple check your dosage. Firstly you were questioning if 10mgs even existed, which of course it does. Now, you are now claiming to take 25mgs daily !! Which is not a standard dosage. 10mgs is the max.Don't you read the patient information leaflet that comes with every prescription item??

[Abbyroza in reply to WardijaWardija]

I meant 2,5 mg. Typo!

[secondtry]

I suspect it is the anxiety that is the main cause. I have been down that same road and with action my memory has got better.

I still have more work to do to reduce anxiety to normal levels but what has helped is: exciting stress free volunteer work, improving sleep & breathing, new hobbies and spiritual influences, in my case that has been getting close up to Nature and prayer.

[AKatieD]

Yes that is how Bisoprolol made me feel, awful. A zombie that needed to sleep head down on my desk in the afternoon, could not work or concentrate.

I was advised to stop in by cutting dose in half for a week, then cut out completely. Felt worse in those two weeks then ok again.

[Maglyn in reply to AKatieD]

Did you resume Bisoprolol after the two weeks or remain off it? I'm interested as my cardiologist is trying to wean me off flecainide and bisoprolol, but my BP escalates when off bisoprolol for too long.

[AKatieD in reply to Maglyn]

I have stayed off and would not take again even though I only took 1.25mg. Maybe there are better alternatives?

[Swimsyroke]

Maybe it's down to the dosage. I have experimented and still am with Bisopropol and have reduced it from 3.75 to 1.88 and no memory fog now.

I also take supplements some of which may help - vit b,c,d, mag glycinate, taurine, coq10 and folate.

Generally I feel good but am 78 and accept that my memory, particularly short term memory is getting worse but don't feel I'm in a fog.

I would suggest you don't give up but see your GP/Cardiologist until you get it right.

[AKatieD in reply to Swimsyroke]

Consultant said it was if you have low heart rate already then Biso makes you feel worse. Not sure if that is right.

[WardijaWardija in reply to AKatieD]

Yes, that is correct.

[Ppiman]

Yes, I do. I sleep dreadfully, though, now added to by the need to visit the bathroom several times each night. I don't know whether it is tiredness, being 70, the bisoprolol, my heart palpitations - or something worse. It can be frightening at times as it can cause a kind of instant surge of panic.

Steve

[Singwell]

I didn't have this on Flecainide but I did feel that Bisoprolol slowed me down. There were 2 things that gave me brain fog - hypothyroidism (so get your thyroid checked just in case it's a player) and anxiety. Someone else had mentioned this below. Anxiety seems to take up a huge amount of mental bandwidth and stops us being able to think clearly and causes us to be forgetful. Suggest you look at interactions of these drugs and discuss with your GP initially.

[Treschere]

Hi yes it does effect your memory, but you have picked that up by now. I have brain fog since starting it and anxiety sometimes too.

[WhitstableWanderer]

I too noticed a quite profound loss of memory a couple of years back. I often complete the various General Knowledge crosswords in the papers but found that things I definitely knew, I couldn't recall the word or name. Infuriating! I looked in to the many meds I was taking at the time, including (the 'max' dose of 10mg of) Bisoprolol and asked for this to be reduced. It was agreed that 5 would be sufficient, but over time, I titrated this down to nil. My Cardio Specialist was relaxed about this, and my memory improved noticeably, and with no change to my permanent but asymptomatic AF, which I ignore now. So, maybe ask the question of your EP.

[Vonnegut]

Bisoprolol lowers your heart rate and the lowest dose of that brought my heart rate down dangerously low! Flecainide controls the arrhythmia and works brilliantly for me - 100mg twice daily - I haven’t had an episode for well over a year and that last one was around the time I must have been infected with covid as I’ve written here before, no other symptoms but a positive tests, and an extra Flecainide ended that one in a couple of hours. Of course, we know we are all different and I hope you find what works for you. Good luck!

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

Hi

No trouble with Bisoprolol. I Take 2.5 PM for BP. Been taking it since April 2021.

Are you stressed?

cheri JOY

[Sweetmelody]

I just finished reading all the replies and understand why I read this forum every morning. I’m not alone! I feel gratitude for each and every one of you

I’ve experienced long bouts of brain fog ever since I was diagnosed with Afib four years ago. That’s when I started down the drug route. Diltiazem, Metoprolol, Amiodarone (I’m in the U.S.), along with Pradaxa then Eliquis, and now clopidogrel

The brain fog is one of the main reasons I opted for ablation and a Watchman. I want OFF DRUGS. At present, in recovery from ablation#2 and a Watchman implant, I am temporarily only on clopidogrel and baby aspirin as my body miraculously closes over Watchman with tissue that shuts off my left atrial appendage, where 90%+ of strokes begin.

The calcium channel blocker (diltiazem), the beta blocker (metoprolol), and especially the powerful anti-arrhythmic (amiodarone) all brought on bpm’s in the 40’s then gradually 50’s. I can’t think straight or remember where I just left my iPhone when my HR is that low. My BP also dips. (I’ve never had high blood pressure.)

My brain fog starts to clear when I get off these drugs, as I have here and there. Yes, at 82 my memory is not as sharp as it used to be but my thinking is still quite sharp. It’s not so much my age but the drugs that make me feel, as one correspondent wrote, like I’m walking through treacle. I tell my EP I feel like I have mud sloshing around in my head. That comes from drugs, not age.

Not being able to recall proper nouns is common as one ages, especially if it’s a name of someone or something you haven’t thought of in a long time. I pay no mind to that. It’s common. Having to search for the right word more often is age related, I think, but certainly exacerbated by drugs.

I’m grateful for the drugs. They’ve helped me on my Afib journey. But they definitely can come with side effects, one of which is brain fog for some, I think many, but not all of us.

Good luck on your journey. It’s not an easy one. And again, thank heavens for this forum—real people sharing real experiences.

[Precambrian]

I am on flecainide and I’m pretty sure it’s affecting my memory. I also get that brain fog feeling too. Especially if I take more than prescribed when I get an afib episode. I’ve learned to only do that at night so you sleep through it. Good luck and you’re not alone!!