Bisoprolol

Just had the biggest what I think is an anxiety attack while reducing Bisoprolol. Lasted for about half an hour and I really did not know what to do, whole body shaking and very agitated. Ended up screaming into a pillow{ don’t know what my neighbors thought) then doing some aggressive cleaning. It has left me very shaken and I still have another 6 months of reducing before I stop this nightmare medication. Any good ideas out there. Doctors don’t have a clue what this drug does to you

[Sunnie2day]

Nanny, I'm so sorry to hear you're having what might be withdrawal symptoms as you wean off the Bisoprolol. Are you planning to telephone the medic who has advised you to reduce your intake tomorrow - I know I would!

May I say (and I'm no doctor so take this with a whole salt lick of 'grain of salt' thinking), Bisoprolol is prescribed for lowering heart rate, and for hypertension (blood pressure, aka BP) - when you were having what seemed an anxiety attack did you check your heart rate and BP?

Again, not a doctor but I'm wondering if perhaps your body was not happy to have the benefits of the medication taken away and demonstrated that unhappiness by...raising your heart rate and/or BP in response to the lower amounts?

It might be helpful to log your heart rate and BP next time you feel one of these attacks coming on.

[Hidden in reply to Sunnie2day]

Hi Sunnie

I am logging my b/p and pulse rate daily as the reason I have got to come of Bisoprolol is because my b/p is to low and dropping by about 40 points when I stand up so making me feel very faint and unsteady also the bottom of my feet are numb. My b/p and heart rate are only slightly raised when the physical anxiety comes along. I have never been an anxious person and also never experienced anything like this before.

I only went on them for palpitations and got even more palps while I was on them. Everything from what I have read is the rebound side effects. I tried to come off them at .1 of a milligram a week and ended up in hospital for three days. I am now reducing by 0.01 mg but still having theses awful side effects.I have no option but to come off them and I don’t really want to have to take further medication for the side effects as I would have to also wean off those.

[Sunnie2day in reply to Hidden]

Oh that can't be pleasant! Are you going to contact your doctor tomorrow?

[Hidden in reply to Sunnie2day]

They want be to go on antidepressants and I don’t want that. I don’t think there is anything else they will do as not very sympathic and tell me it just anxiety. They don’t believe in the side effects of coming off any beta blockers.

[Sunnie2day in reply to Hidden]

I'd still report it to the doctor in the morning, if for nothing else but it being noted as your having reported it.

Sometimes I think 'they' get to a point they've no answers and so sort of lose interest if they can't fix it quickly.

I hope things settle down for you soon.

[Hidden in reply to Sunnie2day]

Well have had the most horrendous night with anxiety attacks but went to the docs this morning and although very kind has given me anti depressants of which a side effect is anxiety and diazepam and told to keep trying different dose reduction to see if that helps. I can’t get any lower than reducing by 0.01

[Sunnie2day in reply to Hidden]

Thank-you for updating, I've been thinking about you!

Forgive me if you've said before but did you have anxiety attacks before you were prescribed all the meds?

[Hidden in reply to Sunnie2day]

No never had an anxiety attack prior to withdrawing Bisoprolol. I have been to docs today and she wants me to go on antidepressants and diazepam but very reluctant as I will also have to withdraw from this. Have filled two anxiety and depression questionnaires out today with a view to counciling the therapist definitely said it was Bisoprolol withdrawal and to contact hospital for advice but who do I contact I don’t think some of the consultants realize the withdrawals are so bad.

[Sunnie2day in reply to Hidden]

Fully understand your situation now, thank-you!

Could the therapist contact the doctor to remind them this is withdrawal and you are not having an easy time with it? Do you have a cardiac nurse you can talk to about the withdrawal problems you're having?

Do you live alone or do you have someone in the house who could drive you straight to A&E the next time (day or night) you have an attack? That might wake them right the blue blazes up that something is going wonky with your withdrawal and you might finally get some help with all this.

I've been told I'll be on Bisoprolol for the rest of my life - I'm 63 so I'm hoping for many, many more years. I'm responding to it very well (no side effects besides the occasional 'Bisoprolol Brain' fuzz and some tiredness especially at first), a far different experience than you had with it.

[Sunnie2day in reply to Hidden]

Meant to say, I also fully understand your concern about anti-depressants. What did the doctor say when you told her you don't want to take them as you know you'll have to wean off them eventually?

I think you have a very reasonable concern, I really hope this eases off for you, or they offer you something a bit more constructive than a tablet.

[Hidden in reply to Sunnie2day]

Good Morning

I have spoken to a therapist about the withdrawal and she has no idea who I could ask about the withdrawal as she pointed out consultants only dish out the medication and don’t normally see side effect sufferers and docs who do sometimes see them don’t have the time to go into great detail so do the next best thing and give antidepressants. I am going to try staying on each reduced dosage longer to see if that helps makes the side effects easier. I am coping with all the other side effects but the anxiety is by far the worse. As far as our A&E is concerned when I was sent up there by the doctor with prolonged palpitations several times I was there for 6 to 8 hours each time given a ECG and blood tests then sent home so I think they would only dose me with diazepam and away home again. I have got to come off the biso as both my feet are numb and blood pressure is so low that when I stand up I am on the verge of passing out as my b/p drops by between 30 and 40 points which again is what the biso has caused. I realize there are hundreds of people on biso with no side effects unfortunately I am not one of them.

Thank you for you support.

[Sunnie2day in reply to Hidden]

I'm going to follow you so I can keep up with your progress.

What does the chemist say? It occurred to me overnight your chemist might be the most knowledgeable person for side effects and withdrawal, have you checked with her/him to see if they can offer any advice?

[Hidden in reply to Sunnie2day]

Thank you for following me. I will ask the pharmacist next time I go to see if he has any better information. Although I didn’t get much sleep last night I do feel a little better today anxiety attacks not so fierce.

[Gladwyn]

What a nightmare! I'm so sorry you are suffering so badly whilst reducing Bisoprolol dosage. Can I ask what dosage you were/ are on? I was prescribed 7.5 mgs of it after a heart attack 3 years ago. I'm very nervous now at the thought of side effects when the time comes to reduce my dosage.

I wish you all the very best🙏🙂

[Hidden in reply to Gladwyn]

Thank you for your kind words. I was only on 2.5mgs for 3 months before I started reducing just before Xmas. I am now only down to 1.8mgs. I have never felt so ill from when I started them to the first day I started withdrawing them. Some people can stop them very quickly over 4 or 5 weeks and never have rebound side effects unfortunately I am one of the unlucky ones who has several of the rebound withdrawal effects. The problem with them is that they have a long half life so after only 10 days of taking them you have 5mgs in your body and not 2.5mg as it takes 10 days before the 1st tablet you ever take is out of you system so it has a knock on effect.

[Qualipop in reply to Hidden]

The foul things gave me horrific hallucinations. I had huge black worms crawling all over the walls, 3 feet long by 10 inches wide. My GP stopped them immediately- no ill effects at all. I was only on the lowest dose. It's possible your panic attack was not connected to the bisopralol but by what's happened to you. Anti depressants can hel p panic attacks but by far the best treatment is self hypnosis if you can find someone who teaches it well.

[Sunnie2day in reply to Qualipop]

It WAS you! I remembered the worms post but couldn't remember who had gone through something that horrific. I'd just started taking Bisoprolol and your worms post almost put me off taking them. Oooh, just thinking about those worms is making my skin crawl!

[Qualipop in reply to Sunnie2day]

Hahaha yes it did that to me too. I thought my eyes had gone and got rushed to the optics dept at the hospital. That only happened when my GP told me to take them at night. A friend put on them years back ended up talking to her long dead dogs that she could clearly see standing next to her. A bit better than worms!

[Gladwyn in reply to Hidden]

Heavens ! I don't think I'll live long enough to get them out of my system at that rate. There is of course the other pills ... Losartan.. Aspirin.. Metformin..Vipidia alogliptin.. Amlodipine..Furosemide..Atorvastatin..Azithromycin ..plus inhalers and eye drops and rescue meds. Oh I'm going to make a cuppa lol ...

You have my very best wishes 😘🎈

[Hidden in reply to Gladwyn]

Ended up at the docs today as up all last night with anxiety attacks and like ants crawling up my legs arms and even my tongue. Doc wants me to go on anti depressants and occasional Valium but very reluctant as I will eventually have to wean off those. If you don’t get any side effects from you meds then I would carry on taking them. It just that the Bisoprolol was lowering my b/p too much and my feet went numb.

Enjoy you cuppa

[Gladwyn in reply to Hidden]

How awful for you!! It’s scary what a small pill can do to you because you cut down the dose. I hope you are feeling a lot better by now. I do understand your reluctance to take antidepressants but if it helps the anxiety it would be a good thing for you at this time.... even a couple of days on a low dosage might help you . I do hope so 😀. Take care 🙏

[Hidden in reply to Gladwyn]

Too scared to start the antidepressants the side effects for the first four to six weeks are anxiety attacks and I don’t think I can take any more of them. Have been up since 1.15am again this morning. The thing is that after I have taken my dose of biso as The day goes on I do feel periods of time normal so I know my problems are the withdrawal. I think I am going to have to stay on each drop of the dose a longer period of time to see if that helps.

Thank you for you support have a good day