Bisoprolol

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

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

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!

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 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.

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?

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.