Scaredy Cat !

[Berylsmum]

First day cold turkey from beta blocker....& admit to being very anxious. Luckily I don't need to leave home today but have the grandchildren all day tomorrow.

Anyone else stopped Bisoprolol suddenly like this ?. Would welcome hearing of your experiences. Hey !, I may actually start feeling better !.

[Midgeymoo17]

I stopped Bisoporolol suddenly (against the advice of my cardiologist) and had never felt so good. The side affects had rather dismantled my life.

Firstly the drug made very tired, sleeping 16 hrs a day, was falling asleep in lessons at school. Eventually I was suspended from school in no less than my A level year- I had to retake the year to go to University.

I also have a rare disorder called Hirschprungs, the combined treatment left me totally incontinent. Least to say I rapidly dawned some horrid nick names at school. But this is what you get for gracing this world 10 separate life threatening congenital conditions.

At the beginning of this time frame I was an ammeter competitive athlete (Regional/ National Level) and was in the city wide performance pathway. This meant around 15 hours a week training- obviously if i could not function at school and was incontinent that all went out the window and eventually I lost my place on the performance pathway. Not so bothered about loosing my place as I had a severely leaky valve and enlarged right heart so was never going to meet what was referred to as my development goals but I can honestly say it is still a sore spot process was unnecessarily expedited.

I am so pleased I stopped the drug. It wrecked virtually everything.To illustrate the damage it left I still have my last set competition gear in my cupboard and I persistently lie to my cardiologist about my exercise status (I tend to understate my exercise status) . I really regret not making the decision just to ignore the advice of my cardiologist much earlier (I had an operation on my GI tract as a baby and the advice given by NICE state Bisoporolol is problem for patients like me, clearly my cardiologist had not bothered to check the drug was safe).

[Berylsmum in reply to Midgeymoo17]

Thanks for this. Hoping my fatigue & light headedness will lessen but fear rise in BP. If I can improve my activity as you did, I shall be chuffed !.

[Heather1957 in reply to Midgeymoo17]

Wow - you have gone through such a lot . I am lucky in that I have no trouble with the Bisoprolol and would be afraid to go 'cold turkey' but it sounds as if you have gone through enough. I hope it was worth the big decision.

[Midgeymoo17 in reply to Heather1957]

To be honest i was only on 2.5 mg and yes its effect were a nightmare. But by far the biggest nightmare was that despite clear evidence that people with my previous surgeries respond badly to it my cardiologist was adamant I made it up and still say "Yes the effects were surprising". But yeah stopping the bisoprolol i would do 100 times over.

I agree going cold turkey is a really difficult decision speaking as i am again facing the same decision again.

Post my valve replacement I have been placed on Aspirin again the National Instate of Clinical excellence do not recommend it in people who have had gastric surgery. The big risk is if I continue to take it is that my gastric surgery will fail and I will have to have a feeding tube (like those used in eating disorders) for the rest of my life( no solid food)- i am only 20 and have a normal life expectancy. Mostly i am angry my cardiologist did not discuss this plan pre op because i am 99% sure I would have said no to the aspirin (they give it as they believe it adds a couple of years to the life of the valve not for stroke prevention in my case). However going cold turkey once it started puts you at an elevated risk of a stroke for 10 days after stopping so

Also going cold turkey doesn't half leave one feeling guilty that you have not followed doctors orders (even when you know my cardiologist has zero understanding and cares zero about the effect of my heart treatment on my gastric treatment).

[KEN65]

Hi, on 1.25 Bisoprolol and also weaning off but not cold turkey, as per doc 1 every other day for first week then 1 every 2 days until 5th week should be enough time for me to stop, I like many others do think it has made me tired etc but other drugs do have similar side affects so no more when I get there.

[Twobells]

Mine was stopped immediately after crashing to the floor, but no real issues with withdrawal.

[Berylsmum]

Thanks for the reassurance. Day 2 nearly over....