Pill in your pocket

[Bella160]

Hi all, hope someone can shed some light on the term, pill in your pocket. The doctor in the hospital said it, but never came back to explain. When i asked my doctor he just said if you need to you can take an extra one. Im confessed

[Cliff_G]

Bella, what pill are you talking about and what is it for?

[Bella160 in reply to Cliff_G]

Bisoprolol

[Cliff_G in reply to Bella160]

So, was this for a fast heartbeat? Pill in the pocket is used for some short-acting drugs to correct a problem when you don't need to take the pill full time. I've heard of it (and used it) for Flecainide and Disopyramide, but not heard of it before for Bisoprolol. Worth trying, if your doctor has said so

[Bella160 in reply to Cliff_G]

Thanks i take 5mg a day fot AF

[Caitlyn6]

Propanalol can be taken ‘pill in the pocket’ and sometimes bisoprolol.

[Bella160]

I forgot yo say the pill is Bisoprolol

[JennyRx]

Pill in the pocket refers to using flecainide for PAF. It’s a structured approach as laid down by NICE and the first time you use it you have to attend A&E. It’s an approach used when a patient has been assessed as appropriate to use this rather than take meds daily. Taking an extra beta blocker isn’t the accepted understanding of this particular protocol but may work too.

[Hidden]

Hi,

I take bisoprolol like that to reduce my ectopic beats. I have a dose I take every night before bed, then on days where they are more troublesome, I can take an extra tablet in the morning.

It works well for me as the higher dose can make me a bit tired, but the amount of ectopics I get can be a lot higher some days, and the extra dose helps keep me going.

I guess it depends on what your situation is and when you might need an extra dose.

[Bella160 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you x

[Runningman21]

I take Flacanide (pill in the pocket) when a arrhythmic episode happens, which usually stabilises my arrhythmia after an hour or two. I more recently was prescribed Bisoprolol 1.25 mg and take 1 tablet at bedtime, which is helping reduce the frequency of my arrhythmia episodes.

[Bella160]

Thank you x

[Warm-heart]

I understand it to mean 'take it as and when you need it & keep it therefore with you at all times'. My doctor said the same to me. I vary the dose of my bisoprolol slightly when I need to due to side effects and balancing that with how my heart feels. The idea is to increase it if I get an obvious episode of atrial fibrillation. Propanolol is the most usual 'pill in the pocket' beta blocker as far as I know as it is often prescribed for anxiety or panic attacks in which case it would be taken as and when needed.

[Bella160]

Thanks x

[DCIHarry]

In ye olden days, the TNT/GT spray used to come in pill form, and you were always advised to keep one in you pocket in case of chest/angina pain. So that may be the origin of the phrase.

It could also refer to aspirin, because the first thing an ambulance crew would do is ask you chew on a high dose of aspirin (300mg I think, but don’t take my word for it) to thin the blood and prevent further clotting.

But rather than listening to more sensible and educated guesses from fellow hearties, I recommend seeking clarification from your support team.

[Bella160 in reply to DCIHarry]

Thank you x

[benjijen]

I always have a 300mg aspirin with me along with my GTN spray (and contacts etc) as instructed by my GP - just in case!