I was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF a couple years ago and took Bisporolol as pill in the pocket to calm my racing heart episodes. ( not always in AF)
They were so infrequent it worked well .. maybe 2 a year. Over the last 6 months they are more frequent and I hate them as last for about one hour and wipe me out so I decided with my cardiologist to take 1.25 bisop at night but they make me feel dizzy and I nearly fainted at the gym today - my heart rate drops to 48 at night but sits well around 65 75 in the day
Can anyone advise if when taking it constantly is the symptoms will ease and I will get use to them? If not I will just stop and speak to my cardiologist for for else
I have been taking them for 5days
The whole thing is making me so anxious it’s really impacting my life so I need to sort it as soon as I can 😩
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Spudly22
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If you are still suffering from the symptoms you describe I would be back to your doctor. I couldn’t tolerate beta blockers and they made me feel worse than the AF.
Normally you are asked to stick with it for 10-14 days to see if your body adjusts.
I can’t see the point of taking a drug which makes you feel worse than the condition you are taking it for.
l agree with C Dreamer. My pharmacist said a drug should make you feel better, not worse. Bisoprolol is an intolerable drug for me. There are alternatives, so you need to get more help. Don’t be fobbed off because only you know how you feel.
Hang in there; it’s tough, but you’ll get used to them. I’ve been on four different beta blockers, including bisoprolol, and it took me about three months on beta blockers before I started to feel more like myself. Everyone adjusts at their own pace, and I found that each beta blocker felt a little different. I’m now on carvedilol, which works best for me, after trying metoprolol, atenolol, and bisoprolol.
As for the low heart rate, try not to worry. Low heart rates are generally only a concern if you’re experiencing symptoms. You don’t need your heart pumping fast while you’re resting. Mine often sits in the 40s, and my doctors aren’t concerned as long as I don’t have any symptoms.
I’m now experiencing the adjustment period of a new drug I have been prescribed - this one is dropping my blood pressure and my heart rate even more and giving me insane headaches. I’ve been advised it will take up to 2 weeks to settle. Not fun but managing the symptoms with a bit more rest and lots of paracetamol.
I know the anxiety you're feeling only too well. I take the same as you, along side apixaban. It took my body a month to adapt and find its new normal. I'd talk to your doctor, and give it some time. I hope you find your 'normal' soon.
If new normal means feeling worse and forgetting what it's like not to feel worse then I can't see the point in taking a drug every day instead of PIP if it is not preventing episodes.
From Metoprolol I was finally changed to Bisoprolol. But 185 and pauses to 156 heart rate didn't control my RAPID H/RATE.
Then introduced CCB Diltiazem. 180mg + Biso went from 156 to 51 in 2 hours. Light headed I had our NZ Healthline Dr and then NZ Heart Foundation on it.
Best advice from Nurse at NZHF.
My Biso was reduced to 2.5mg NIGHT
Diltiazem 120mg CD taken MORNING
Normal H/Rate at NIGHT 47avg bpm. Stays there.
Day H/Rate 60s which climbs late afternoon and then 47 NIGHT.
So it is a matter of easing into what suits you.
Bisoprolol I think makes me tired and I can sleep 2-3 hrs late afternoon if a big day out. Then back to sleep at 12.
BP settles at 110-140 . /. 68/79
That's OK but I am persistent with no other symptoms.
Hi, I take 1.25 biso daily in the morning for infrequent PAF & SVT ( non sustained) I had a sleeping heart rate as low as 43 before and a resting heart rate around 65. Resting is now around 56. No issues with feintiting, but it took a good 6 weeks to feel improved and get consistent BP readings. My BP Is around 100 /98. Maybe take the meds in the morning when your HR is naturally higher as you are vertical and trial this on a day when safely at home? We are all different and have individual experiences but this low dose Biso has really settled things for me unless under emotional duress.....good luck
Are you checking your BP? This might be dropping too low and causing you to feel faint. Overall I agree - if the pills make you feel worse you can ask to try a different medication.
As a heart drug, the beta blocker family is said to be the safest of what we can be given, alongside the calcium channel blockers. My own doctor insists that bisoprolol is the best choice. Within reason, I would try any new drug for at least a month, myself. The changes wrought by beta blockers are going to affect various bodily functions and these will need time to adjust to.
I think, given how frequently this kind of drug is prescribed for heart conditions, most users do manage to settle with them.
As I have posted here before, after being diagnosed I was put on that lowest dose of Bisoprolol to take daily but I was taken off it after three days as feeling tired with heart rate in low 40s. It just reduces the heart rate and does nothing for the irregularity. Flecainide does that- I was prescribed that by an EP I saw privately - at first taken as a Pip, it stopped episodes in a few hours, but now I take it regularly it has virtually put an end to episodes.
I do think that five days of bisoprolol isn’t really enough time to judge if it is working for you, as ideally, it can take a couple of weeks to settle down and your body to adjust. However, as others have said, bisoprolol isn’t enough alone to stop AF unfortunately.
I’ve had to up my daily dose from 1.25 to 3.75, split into two doses of 1.25 in the morning and 2.5 at night, following a failed ablation in June, and initially during the first few days my already low BP really dropped significantly and I thought I was going to pass out. I was seriously thinking about stopping the higher dose as thought I couldn’t function. However, over the course of two weeks, although my BP is still quite low at times during the day, I have got used to the higher dose. Your body ideally should adjust. Your HR at 65-75 during the day is a normal rate, as is your sleeping HR, as it can be quite normal for some people to go much lower.
I took Biso 1.25mg for 6 months whilst awaiting my second cardiology appointment. Had zero effect on the frequency of my PAF (half hour episodes), whilst reducing my heart rate during them from 200bpm to 175bpm. Made me feel I was doing aerobic exercise with brakes on! With good echocardiogram results, I stopped Biso altogether and started an ACE inhibitor (Lisinopril) for blood pressure. I currently prefer just to put up with the PAF if and when it happens and have so far been lucky in naturally converting back to NSR within the hour.
I had the same experience Drone01. My heart felt as though it was in a vice and being restricted which made me breathless. I also felt like l was in outer space. Never again for me.
You need to see if the daily Bisoprolol has any effect on the frequency of your afib attacks or if it reduces the duration , though frankly one hour is hardly anytime. I would be over the moon if my episodes were as short as that. If it is not making any difference to either and only acting as a rate reducer when in afib then you might as well go back to using it as PIP.
It's a good awful drug. Fatigue, brain fog and bradycardia, even on minimum dose. That feeling like there is cotton wool in my head. I absolutely hate them. Makes it impossible to get my heart rate into moderate fat burning exercise not to mind cardio. Kinda defeats the purpose there as I can't exercise my heart, it just won't go there.
Your comment about not being able to get your heart rate up to exercise your heart on these meds caught my eye. I was recently told by my cardiologist that even if I am not getting the heart rate up the exercise is still very important for your heart and overall wellbeing. I was limiting my exercise to avoid triggering numerous arrythmia's. She advised using the metoprolol prior to exercising but by all means keep exercising. ( I use it like the PIP protocol). I checked this with her because previously a Pulmonology NP said go ahead & exercise, get the heart rate up & if it doesn't return to your norm under 10 mins. then medicate. But honestly, the cardiologists advice does make more sense. Just thought I would share my experience in case it helps you.
Thank you. It's just frustrating as I can't get into fat burn and I have weight to lose. Only put back on bisopropol two weeks ago and wondering this morning why I was still tired after good sleep. Bisopropol! I'm staying walking every day, my EP recommended the weight loss program, his secretary told me two weeks ago he's doing it himself at the moment. I have found it phenomenal to be fair. I walk double the distance in a hour that I started with, down nearly four stone and much better relationship with food. But, the bisopropol won't help, lower heart rate, lower metabolism. And this mad feeling of a ball of cotton wool in my head which goes away if I stop it.
I couldn't function on daily Bisoprolol, the fatigue & fog brain were bad even on a low dose so I convinced my EP cardio to switch to the PIP protocol. ( a long story because I had rebound hypertension from what seemed to be a too rapid weaning from the Bisoprolol & had to be on Lisinopril for months to get my BP back to my norm which actually is low). I can relate to the weight loss issue. One thing I have recently done that has helped in addition to the walking is monitoring my blood sugar two hours after eating so I know which foods are elevating it too high & track my carbs. I am prediabetic but this has helped keep a better level & I have lost near 10 lbs in 6 months, not rapid but hopefully better maintained. Good Luck !
Thank you. I'm 52lbs down since January with another 28 to go, ish. I was prediabetic last Nov, I was not prediabetic by June, bloods were really good. I find if I don't keep on top of my magnesium I get super tired.
I was originally on bisopropol, medical team in hospital, EP switched me to sotalol, same side effects. I gave out so much about the side effects that he told me to go off it to prove it was the sotalol causing the fatigue, brain fog and bradycardia. Rebound arythmias. And he refused to prescribe anything else except amiodarone. And I refused it. I didn't think all meds had been tried. He refused an ablation because I weighed what I weigh now. Bmi of 31. Switched EPs and ablation done three weeks later. He's now put me back on bisopropol at night, 1.25mg, and already my heart is dipping to 47. I'm really super sensitive to beta blockers. BP is weird at the moment, has risen for no reason and I need triple the meds to control it that I did six weeks ago. Weird! So frustrating. Weight good, exercise good, and BP rises. Aagghh.
thank you all for taking the time time to reply I really appreciate it. Unfortunately it’s not easy to speak to a GP where I live in the UK so the group helps support me shared experiences before I decide on next steps and pay £200 for 20 mins with my private cardiologist.
My anxiety is fed by my indecisive moods and then that is something else to deal with and makes the tachycardia and sometimes PAF worse!
I think we have all been where you are right now Spudly. AF is such a complex condition and as it is progressive, for most of us, it changes course and brings with it more anxiety. Not only the anxiety of AF itself, but the anxiety of medication and the trial and error of finding what is best for our individual situation. The worry of side effects and the unknown. You do have the advantage that your burden is light and should be more controllable because of that, l am sure it will all settle down again once you get a clear direction and this awful time will pass. It will be ok. Let us know how you are please. 🙏
Sounds like similar situation to me. Diagnosed with PAF about 4 years ago and been on 120mg slow release diltiazem daily since then. Had a second attack in August this year which was entirely my fault as had convinced myself that maybe I didn't need the diltiazem so halved the dose at first then stopped taking it. About 5 weeks later had my second attack which put me in hospital overnight, so back on the diltiazem and been fine since. Short version is the diltiazem works well for me with no noticeable side effects. I felt a little out of sorts for the first 2 to 3 weeks when I first started taking it but that settled shortly after. I would describe it as a general malaise for a few weeks which passed. Maybe worth a try to see if it works as well for you?
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