Bisoprolol
Hi there,
I was diagnosed earlier this year with SVT (a form of arrythmia) and have tried having the cardiac Ablation procedure which unfortunately did not work. They have now suggested I start on a low dose of Bisoprolol but I’m slightly nervous about taking it as I’m only 21 years old and of quite a small frame anyway with a blood pressure naturally on the lower side.
Has anyone on here taking bisoprolol and can share their experiences on it please? Thankyou!
Hi
Bisoprolol is good for what it is designed for, bringing the heart beat down. Some people have side effects some don’t, ranging from lower blood pressure to fatigue. It makes your legs tingle especially if you over exercise them.
I have been taking 10mg for 4 years and sometimes I walk around like a zombie, the side effects are uncomfortable and annoying. I am seeing a GP again, about the fatigue side, hoping he will reduce the tablet but I won’t hold my breath as they don’t like to go against hospital instructions, even though I am no longer under the hospital.
Hi esherm
I’m very sorry to hear of your diagnosis and that your ablation didn’t work. I don’t know so much about supra ventricular tachycardia but I would have thought that you would have been offered a second attempt at ablation; I have been (but I don’t have SVT). You don’t say what symptoms you are experiencing. Some people with the condition are asymptomatic. My understanding is that the condition isn’t dangerous.
Bisoprolol is a beta blocker usually given to lower the heart rate. From what I read on HealthUnlocked, it has different effects on different people. I take 7.5mg/day -a large dose - and it has the intended therapeutic effect. Others can’t even tolerate 1.25mg - it saps all their energy. It seems to be the preferred beta blocker but others are available if this one doesn’t suit.
I can’t give you advice other than listen to your clinical team and provide honest feedback.
I hope this helps.
Take care,
Ian
Hi there!
They did say I could have the procedure again but I found the whole thing so unpleasant and traumatising I dont know if I could bring myself to have it again unfortunately. I have been reassured my arrythmia isnt dangerous but I have been known to collapse from it so I know that maybe the bisoprolol is a good idea im just very nervous about the whole thing haha, I get worried that I'm going to experience the dizziness and hypotension that can often occur from taking the drug. Its very positive to hear from yourself and others that the drug has been of valuable effect to you so thankyou!
I had my ablation under GA and it was no trouble at all. I had an EP study at the same time so I was ‘under’ for a long time. I can imagine that if you were anxious beforehand and were only sedated then it could be unpleasant. In view of your previous experience, behave you asked if GA is an option?
They only offered no sedation for EPS and mild sedation for the Ablation. I reported several times that it was quite painful but I didn’t get any painkillers until after the procedure and then I developed Pericarditis so I’m so reluctant to go through that again unfortunately.
Hi there
Only to say I was ok in low dose but higher does was a bit much so dr changed to metoprolol feel a lot better I have never had high B P so only a miantsince dose is enough
Did the unwanted side effects stop immediately after you stopped taking the drug? Or did it take a long time for the effects to wear off?
thankyou!
After about a week now even the metotrpolo are being cut down u see. Even before my NSTEMI. My b p was always round 110/70 heart rate 75 to 80 this morning with the metoprolol it’s 95/65 that’s on half tab 25mg instead of 50 our bodies r so diff
Hi There,
I myself have SVT and very recently was diagnosed and put straight onto 1.25MG of Bisoprolol and it was not by choice as I hate taking meds. I have to say it improved my symptoms a lot, It did reduce my blood pressure slightly but not on a dangerous level, It did also reduce my HR quiet significantly so in mornings it could be in the high 40s low 50s, however I did not get dizziness and this was mainly in mornings. I was worried about side effects but I think if you have SVT and get symptoms daily it can be quiet impacting on your life, and bisoprolol actually took away 95% off my attacks and I only get the odd palpitation here or there now. I am on the waiting list for ablation, however if it did not work it would be meds for life. I have heard of lots of people having side effects so I guess everyone reacts differently, and you wont know until you try but I had very few problems so far and can say its done wonders for my SVT.
Hi
What a shame the ablationdudbt work. I had ablation last year to fix my SVT which I’d had for ages. It fixed it and I’ve had nine since. For my ablation I was quite heavily sedated but awake and I didn’t find it awful at all. However, I had an angiogram last week and assumed it would be as easy as ablation - wrong. It was much more uncomfortable so I reckon the trick is to get the right level of sedation. As you’re only young I’d certainly have another go but more heavily sedated.
Re:Bisoprolol - I’ve been on it for years with no bad effects except when they do t get the dose right. Even an increase of 1.25 can make a huge difference between feeling fine and being excessively tired.
Good luck - it’s all just a balancing act!
Hi Esherm, I have SVT, I'm 35 and have been on Bisoprolol 5mg for a year after having two events in quite close succession. When I initially went on it, I had a very heavy chest for a few days but since then no problems. Many people use this drug with no issue but i have been told the effects it has can wear off after a long period of use. Having SVT myself, I would be interested to know what symptoms you have as I have experienced some odd symptoms recently and wonder if they have the same cause.
Hi Daisy,
Would you say the bisoprolol has helped with your SVT a great deal?
I've been having palpitations since I was 14 but no GP really took them seriously. January 2017 I collapsed and my heart started racing to around 200bpm, it took an hour and 30 minutes for my heart to go back to 100bpm. I went to A&E and they said I need to be referred to a Cardiologist, while waiting for the cardiac appointment I had a further 8 episodes like this in the space of 3 months. The serious attacks such as the one mentioned above have managed to die down a bit but i experience palpitations and prolonged palpitations usually every couple of days and I frequently experience multiple palpitations one straight after the other which makes me a bit dizzy. What experiences have you had of SVT?
Hi Esherm, my first experience with SVT was back in 2010...I was sat at my desk at work eating my lunch...all of a sudden I felt my heart start to race...no real other symptoms but it was very scary and an ambulance was called. At the hospital i was monitored, hr came down and i was discharged with no further action...I think they were putting it down to stress or caffeine even though neither were an issue. Two years later I had the same thing happen at home.. the hr again went down on its own. I went to the GP and he put a device on me which I needed to press if I felt something so it could be recorded but nothing did. Fast forward to 2017...and I had two events of racing heartbeat within a month. Hr was about 190 bpm and they used adenosine to bring it back down to normal levels. I was then referred to a cardiologist and was offered ablation, which I decided against for now. I couldn't say whether the bisoprolol is working really as my events are so infrequent. I was told that this is typical of SVT. However, I prefer to take it as a middle ground between doing nothing and ablation.
It sounds like we’ve both had very similar experiences! I know exactly what you mean though it’s the most frightening thing I kept thinking my heart was going to give way and stop it was going so fast!
What made you not go down the route of an Ablation if you don’t mind me asking?
I had an attempted one back in May but unfortunately it didn’t go my way and they couldn’t complete the full procedure but it really isn’t as scary as it seems! X
I decided against it for a few reasons. Firstly, there are risks associated with it (which seem to be played down!) and I weighed that up with the problems it causes me which are very minimal. I don't get the dizziness, fainting etc that some get. It seemed a lot to go through for something that is manageable etc. Plus my appt was a month or so before I went abroad and they said it would take a while for my heart to settle down so I wasn't keen on going abroad with the worry of this. Finally, I suffer from anxiety and I know it would have sent my anxiety levels sky high. Why couldn't they complete yours.. was it too close to your natural pacemaker?
Ah okay yeah that’s completley fair enough! All i remember them saying to me was we managed to catch some glimpses of your SVT during the procedure but if we tried to ablate it it would probably cause more damage than good so we had to stop unfortunately. I had an appointment a couple weeks ago and they offered it again but I really don’t want to go through all that again and it not work etc, I also developed Pericarditis after the procedure so I’d do anything to not get that again as it’s extremely painful! That’s why I’m considering taking the bisoprolol but I’m worried of getting the awful side effects (I get anxiety when it comes to taking new medication)
I was exactly the same with starting it too..everyone's experience is so different but any problems and you can always change medication. You should not just stop taking bisoprolol completely unless your doctor tells you to. It seems like half the population takes this drug or similar! The only thing I would be mindful of is the low blood pressure you mentioned as it does lower your blood pressure of course. When I went on it I had my blood pressure and pulse checked by a nurse twice in the first week to make sure all is ok. You could ask for the same.
I don't know to be honest as I didn't know what it was before! They did tell me at the hospital that when I have an event my bp remained stable or doesn't drop but that was before I went on the bisoprolol.
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Hi. I take Bisoprolol following a heart attack last year. I am much older though! However I am extremely sensitive to medication so when I started the drug I was floored by 2.5. They changed it to 1.25 but I agreed under the supervision of my doctor to cut the tablet (it’s not precise) and I started taking one quarter for a couple of days but then increased to half then three quarters etc. It worked well for me. But I stress it was with discussion with my GP and I do this with all of my tablets as I have particular sensitivities. I am now well settled on 1.25 and when I had to reduce other tablets have done the reverse ie going down to 3/4 then 1/2 etc. I hope that helps. Maybe talk to your GP or your local pharmacist who also has helped me enormously with my medication adaptation. Take care and let us know how you get on. Best wishes. Zena