Hi. I went to A&E in November due to heart palpitations and some chest discomfort. I have been very anxious and stressed the last few months, due to a car accident, being on furlough (money worries) been on my own (loneliness/isolation) and then my Mum died on 22nd November and her funeral was just before Christmas. They kept in me in for 6 days. I had an ecg. Ecocardiogram, Angiogram and MRI (still waiting on results of MRI from 3 weeks ago) I have no blockages but they are more or less certain its hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and inherited from my parents. They discharged me and gave me Bisoprolol on dose of 2.5mg in the morning. Every since I have been on them, I have been poorly. My stomach is swollen and sore, my shoulder is painful (especially the right one, which started hurting during the MRI) aching in my back, chest soreness, slightly out of breath, aching arms, and itching on my forearms and my big toe is painful and stuffy nose and worsening headaches as well as dizziness. I have psoriatic arthritis, and my symptoms of that have worsened, I have mild asthma and recently diagnosed with diabeties. Plus sleep apnea (using CPAP) and fybromyalgia and acid reflux. I have been in contact with my GP several times, and they just said half the dose. I have done, but no difference. They wont allow me to come off them, until I have seen a cardiologist. They just discharged me from the hospital (two weeks later the MRI) and then no follow up appointment booked. I am at my wits end. MY GP just gave me some Codene pain killers and Gaviscon and upped my omeprazole. I am so scared right now, as worried what will happen. I dont want to have a trip to A&E again in the hope of been seen quicker. But what else can I do. Has anyone else had bad reaction to these tablets? I am worse of than when I went in hospital. It ruined my mums funeral as my heart was pounding, as so upset. Thanks for listening.
Bisoprolol Fumarate side effects - British Heart Fou...
Bisoprolol Fumarate side effects
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I had all your symptoms and more on bisoprolol. It suits some people but others suffer like you and myself. It took me 8 months to wean off it and I do feel much better in myself but unfortunately it has left me with more palpitations than before I went on it. There are other beta blockers that can be prescribed for you. I would ring your GP and tell them you are still having side effects and ask if there is a milder beta blocker with less side effects that you could take.
Thanks for your reply. My GP wouldn't change them until I have seen the Cardiologist/discussed treatments. But I carnt go on like this. I was given no contact details for the hospital, so just been waiting and struggling though. I am due back at work tomorrow (working from home) but I just feel so lowsy.
‘Tell’ your GP that you are not prepared to put up with the side effects and ‘tell’ him/her that you either try an alternative or he/she advises you on how best to stop them.
Most meds have side effects some are effected to greater or lesser degrees, but No one has to put up with side effects that make them feel worse! There are almost always alternatives.
Thanks. Yes I will call them again tomorrow. These are defiantly not suiting me. They shouldnt have just discharged me with no follow up in place or contact details.
Hello and welcome to the forum!
Personally I am on Bisoprolol and have no issues with it but know a small percentage of people suffer side effects. As said previously I think you need to talk to your doctor about changing beta blocker as I think it has been prescribed to protect your heart.
With respect to your Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy you might the following link useful:
bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
Hi. Thanks. I think because of other health conditions, they are not the best for me, as also made those things worse. My quality of life has gone completely downhill just from these tablets. I will look at the link. Thanks you
If it’s a small percentage of people who have problems with Bisoprolol Michael, and where did you access your statistics to back that comment up ? Then I have to say an awful lot of them have found their way into this forum because I am another person who can’t tolerate bisoprolol and I think a great many people suffer in silence because they feel they have no choice or they aren’t believed
Hi,
You have already had excellent replies. To your point of no follow up appointment after MRI, they will generally only contact you if there is a problem but for peace of mind, you can make an appt to talk to your GP and discuss your MRI results.
Hope that helps.
Hi. I haven't had a follow up from my hospital stay to discuss my treatment. Just said this is what we are more than certain what I have, and we will be in touch when they have all the information. That was 5 weeks ago now. My GP said they hadn't had the results back yet either. But I cant stay on these tablets a moment longer as so poorly on them. Made me 100 times worse, than what I went to A&E for. But you carnt just stop them.
Could you ring the hospital and ask to be put through to the secretary for your cardiologist, you may get more help from them, think unfortunately we almost have to push and make a nuisance of ourselves at the moment to get a response!good luck x
Thanks. Unfortunately, I don't have any details of who to contact. That is the problem. I could just cal the hospital and see if they can access my details. I went to A&E and was kept in 6 days. Had the various tests and then discharged and been given these evil tablets. I have pestered my GP so many times, but they way they work at the moment, you are on hold on the phone for ages (last week an hour and 30 mins) and then they get a GP to call you back. I am not able to do this from tomorrow, as back at work. 
Hi Monty I can also relate to this whilst taking bisoprolol I have felt worse my stomach has been awful , pain in my shoulder blades and right arm I have lost my voice a dozen times due to acid reflux I have worsening palpitations anxiety and also very weak muscles which I find hard to do anything , i have lost weight also due to not being able to eat properly i have had stomach scans and they cant seem to find anything so I'm waiting to see my cardiologist bearing in mind this has been going on for a year now as it's taken this long for them to contact me due to what's happening .I am 1.25 in the morning and 1.25 at night I tried stopping the evening one but the side affects were awful and I was taken to hospital several times so I halved it it's not made a great difference but like you I can not stop them until I've been seen. they will not admit it's the medication but I've never felt like this before i really hope they change you to a more suitable beta blocker as I am going to ask for a alternative too... stay safe 😁
The doctors or consultants never admit it's the medication. We know our own body! Now - on my records they say I am non compliant with medication. ie you are not allowed a voice. I can't live with the side effects these meds produce. What quality of life is there. They cause more illnesses than they cure.
Bisoprolol gave me awful palpitations - a roaring headache - dizziness and breathlessness. I put them in the bin
Hi Georgie,
My 94 year old father was put on Bisoprolol by a young ward doctor during a brief stay in a convalescence hospital. He suffered with shortness of breath to the point he could hardly breathe. He had naturally low blood pressure and this drug lowered it even further compounding his problems. There was absolutely no reason on earth why he was prescribed them...he was convalescing from having had a bang on the head after a fall. He said to me he would rather die there and then than continue to live with the way he was currently feeling.
I told the doctor to stop Bisoprolol immediately. Her reply to me was “Your father will die and his death will be on your shoulders”. To which I replied “No, if he dies you will be to blame”.
I got him out of that hospital the next morning. The night before his discharge I was about to sleep in the floor beside his bed because I was worried they would force him to take another Bisoprolol. Dad said he would pretend to take his medication that night and then he would slip it into his pajama pocket, when they had left his hospital room, which he did.
I got him hone the next morning and emptied his PJ pocket and there was the Bisoprolol pill. Within 36 hours dad was back to his normal self and breathing through his nose again instead of gasping through his mouth. His appetite returned and he lived almost another 3 years.
Hospital staff and doctors don’t know our bodies or our make up like we know ourselves. It seems to me that for a lot of them that one product fits all!
Sometimes you just have to be firm in your beliefs and stand up for yourself (or your loved ones), against those who are supposed to be our medical heroes.
It is so bad isnt it. I feel the same. Why have the prescribed them to me, as I dont even have high blood pressure. Made me worse than before. I dont feel like carrying on with life with these horrible side effects
Hi. I am on Losartan 100mg which I take at bedtime and bisoprolol 5mg in the morning and just cut it down to 2.5mg at night.I am also on lansoprazole 15mg for acid reflux.
I have put on around 2 stone since my op in April 2017 and have thinning hair now. When I say anything to the doctors (2 different ones) in my gp practise they will not agree it's due to my medication.
My heart consultant said I could lower the dose of bisoprolol (I was on 10mg a day) and have now cut down on it.
I do still get dizzy spells and also I get sight disturbances. Plus I never really feel fully 'well'. Presume it's the medication but have to keep my BP down to 120 or lower so am worried to change the tablets. I am monitoring my BP now really closely due to reducing the bisoprolol if it is still ok I may lower it a bit more.
It's no good telling your gp what you think about the side effects as they never agree.
Hope you get sorted with your MRI results. (Could you contact your A&E Department to see about the results or who to contact, or the Ward you were on when you had the scan?? Just a thought.),
Isn't it awful - the poor elderly people in hospital or care homes - who are being medicated needlessly - and no family members can monitor it really with this pandemic going on now.
But hospital consultants and doctors in general just throw a prescription out now and most people are too afraid to question them. And start taking the pills and get even sicker with something else.
And they are too afraid to stop and go against their doctor.
Well I'm not
In fact I do my research first - then in the bin they go.
Because I would rather have quality over quantity of life any day.
Imagine if you hadn't been around to help your dad .......
Georgie, You are absolutely correct in that GP’s, ward doctors just throw drugs at us and in particular the elderly. They know that those in their 90’s are unlikely have the ability to use computers, phones or tablets to do research like you and I would.
I’m convinced that some just want rid of the elderly. That may sound harsh and it most certainly does not apply to all members of the medical fraternity, but I say so because I almost lost my dad through this but I did loose my mother who was not at all ready to go.....that was a awful shock.
Also, my husband developed a dreadful skin condition throughout this past summer. His arms, legs, torso, and even his ears were weeping. We’d never seen anything like it before. Our GP gave him some cream, and a course of antibiotics, but nothing helped....it just moved to another part of the body and certain areas like his ankles, hands and elbows began to swell. He was shedding skin like a snake and dripping yellow exudate from other dried up areas. It looked awful. He would dress it with our bandages twice daily which took him ages to apply. The ‘Hoover’ was out 3 times a day! This began in April and ended in August. His GP eventually said (through the surgery’s glass front door due to Covid), “Sorry that I’m not able to make you better”. That was it!
My husband had been taking Felodopine for high blood pressure. He stopped taking it himself and his symptoms began to slowly improve, though his blood pressure went up! It turned out that he was allergic to this drug or perhaps it was interacting with his other medication. When he read the warnings and side effects leaflet of Felodopine it listed all off the side effects which could apply and which my husband had had. Why hadn’t his GP noticed this and done some research instead of giving him a new drug and then not even thinking that it could be causing this? I have so little faith in doctors these days particularly after this past summer.
The elderly, as you rightly say are too afraid to question doctors. They hold them in high esteem. The younger generation though will ask questions particularly the more intelligent ones....and so they should.
We must learn to take care of ourselves and not relay on doctors.
T57
OMG that's awful - your poor husband. Thank goodness he realised it was the medication.
No I have no faith in the doctors anymore either - I don't think they even know the side effects or the interactions of the drugs they are prescribing.
And - in this pandemic - - I think they have had an easy time............
I hope you mean GPS . My daughter is an intensive care consultant and trust me on this, the intensive care and respiratory staff have been going through the absolute mill !!!!!!!
Me too. I just stopped taking them
Did you wean off them? or just stop them?
Just stopped taking them. I felt wonderful afterward.
I don't even know why I was put on them lols I've never had high blood pressure - infact it's always on the low side. The cardiologist put me on them.
That is what I feel like doing. Not had change to ring hospital due to been at work.
Hi Monty - why were you prescribed them in the first place? Do you have high blood pressure?
I don't know why I was prescribed them lols - as I've never had high blood pressure - mine is always on the low side.
I think -if you have been diagnosed with heart disease - they just throw the same cocktail of drugs to everyone. And the side effects from all the drugs mean you have no quality of life. In fact some are even more detrimental to your heart.
I only took them for a day I think - then when I couldn't breath and was nearly falling over with dizziness - I looked them up and the side effects - and it was bye to them.
If you have been taking them for a long time I'm not sure if you need to taper off them and can't stop abruptly tho. Have a look in the leaflet that comes with them.
But if you do have high blood pressure -you should be on something I think. There must be something else you can have -
If your diabetes is type 2 you may find that visiting diabetes.co.uk will give you better understanding of this horrible condition that can lead you into losing limbs and eyesight. However changing the way that you live, can put it into remission, lock it in a shed and throw the key away . One less major problem for you to contend with.
The BHF have lots of suggestions regarding ways of eating that help to change your nutrition and have lots of food suggestions that can help your change your way of living. Usually it means cutting back on thing like white bread, buns, cakes, sugar and biscuits and getting a bit more creative in the kitchen. For example 2 meat meals, 2 fish meals, 3 veg curries, chillies or similar, with wholemeal bread for sandwiches, with plenty of fresh fruit, apples, bananas, etc, for snacks,
Try and get some light exercise in every day. Gentle walking will do nicely, just 10 minutes out and 10 minutes back to get you moving and get your body burning a bit of fuel. I appreciate your P. Arthritis may well cause you discomfort but gentle exercise may help keep your joints working in the longer run.
If you are overweight it is now time to do something about it to try and lose just one pound a week. Chucking out the cakes and biscuits on a regular basis should do it. Just after XMAS you will be in good company as nearly everyone tries to lose about half a stone that they put on over the festivities. Takes time but steady effort will get you there, although it will probably take about 6 weeks before any weight starts to shift.
Good luck with your changes.
.
I only got diagnosed with the Diabetes in November, so just doing it via diet at the moment. I was on a diabetes prevention program, but was useless due to covid restrictions and just a phone call off them once a month. Not proper support. Was supposed to be in a group. So didn't work. I generally have wholemeal bread/pasta/fruit and nuts etc to snack on, and have some crisps and some chocolate, which I have started to cut out and wont be buying anymore. I used to dance, walk miles. cycle, swim and do yoga. All gone out the window. being stuck working from home has made things so much harder as not leaving the house. In the summer was driving places and going for walks, but then got Sciatica for 12 weeks due to car accident. But once they get me off these tablets and I feel more myself, I will get back on track. Just so depressed right now.
Try and get out into the green stuff If you can before the walls close in on you. Get some fresh air in your lungs and enjoy the feel of the wind in your face. If you are lucky you might even get some sunshine. Get yourself a step counter and set yourself a few easy targets. I am 75 and get totally unhappy if I can't get about 9-1000 steps in. Six years ago I could barely manage 6 steps in a straight line. Try and work on about 80% food control and 20% exercise. Your present difficulties will pass.
The days are getting longer and the sun is returning, You are young enough to get vaccinated and get out on a good holiday this summer. Get planning for it and set yourself some targets. Summer in the Italian lakes looks pretty good this year, but the English lakes will probably be packed out. Roll on summer.
Monty,
Ianc2 offers some sound advice above. Having something to look forward to is most important. As he says, the days are getting longer each day so roll on Spring. Try looking at holiday options of places to visit. Trying not to dwell on the current depressing situation, (which will eventually pass), is a must.
Ianc2’s Italian Lakes suggestion sounds like bliss...I’m going to take a look at the options myself 😃😁
T57
I really think it is about time that Bisoprolol as the go to medication needs to be seriously reviewed. One of the replies indicated that only a small amount of people experience this but from reading the posts it seems to crop up again and again. There are alternatives and accepting side effects as being just something you have to put up with is just not good enough. I had this experience myself and felt pretty shoddy for around nine months before being put on an alternative. My quality of life has improved significantly since then and surely quality of life is the most important factor. I really am not sure why there is a preoccupation with Bisoprolol prescribing, is it cost or pharmaceutical companies promoting this. I do appreciate that some people are fine with Bisoprolol are one size does not fit all.
Sorry meant to say one size does not fit all.
So true! Why are cardiologists so darn obsessed with this medication? What alternative did you get if you don't mind sharing?
In my case it was replaced by Carvedilol. Fingers crossed this has been much better for me.
From what people are saying. Its the cheapest drug, and thats why its prescribed first.
I had a terrible reaction to them. I got them to change then do a different brand. I could hardly put one foot in front of the other and also I had pains in all my joints. Thankfully I am now off them. Well I stopped taking them myself and then the cardiologist took me off them himself. I felt so much better when I stopped taking them. I am not suggesting that you do but there are different types of Beta Blockers.
Once I get in touch with the cardiologist who I saw as an in patient, then I am going to tell them how poorly I am on them. It is out of order isnt it. Supposed to help, but worse off.
I think bisoprolol should be taken off the market. There are too many people with bad side effects. I personally had constant blackouts and no quality of life. I thought it was because of my heart failure and all the time it was the bisoprolol. I only realised after reading the letters on this forum. I just told my g.p. l wanted to to change .
If I cant get though to the hospital soon, I am going to pester my GP again. There does seem to be a lot of people having same issues, which does make you feel better, that not alone in the side effects.
I've been on 1.25mg of Bisoprolol for some time now with no issues. I was put on amiodarone in hospital when I had Afib after my open heart surgery. I was on that for a few months and they put me on a small dose of Bisoprolol as they weaned me off it. I've just been kept on it since. Though I've had no issues with at all I may ask if I can come of it as I've not had any Afib issues for some time. Plus my heart was never really an issue as my surgery was for an Ascending Thoracic Aortic Anuerysm.
Hi Monty56Might I suggest you read again what you have written. Reading it made me anxious the amount of things you have had to cope with that a healthy person would be affected by. look at the dates quite a few days have passed and you are still here. All of the things in your life are not helping this. You had 6 days in hospital the hospital felt confident to let you home. Take the advice of the others on here ask your doctor as to what you and he can do to help alleviate all your issues which to be fair are more than the strongest of people would have difficulty with. The doctors can in most cases sort the problem but you have to do your bit. I was being a thorn in the Doctors’s side but these things they describe take time. I have been on Bisporol 1.25 for coming up to 3 months at long last things seem to be easing. It could be the same for you. I look forward to hearing that it has all been sorted. Happy new year
Well my GP originally thought it was all down to anxiety and stress with what I have been though. After my Mum died, I was more anxious and the palpitations became worse, so thats why I went to A&E. They kept me in to do the tests. My brother may also have the same problem as its hereditary, and is going to get tested. But he has no symptoms. I was put on 2.5MG and my GP said to half it, but still having the side effects. So I need to speak with the hospital.
It’s not just that beta blocker, propranolol has destroyed my life, I used to walk around five miles a day and now I’m basically housebound, was only on it for 11 days!!!
If you don’t mind saying,what happened to you ??
I’ve got body pain, severe shortness of breath, chest pain, GERD, nausea, and histamine problems I could go on
That does not sound good . I had severe histamine problems after a brief encounter with SSRis . Was difficult to manage and took a few years to calm down . Was frightened to eat anything . I used to wake in the night with burning legs, sometimes more widespread . And you developed all that purely from taking propranolol ? I don’t doubt it as because I had a nightmare reaction to SSRIs but only the histamine problem in common .
Funny you should say the peony, I’m currently withdrawing from citalopram (horrible drug) but been stable on a dose for over a year! I think the polydrugging doctors are to blame.
Go onto a website called Surviving Antidepressants they may be able to help you sort out what is causing what . You can get really severe symptoms from SSRIs if you are sensitive
Aw thank you my lovely, I know all about withdrawals unfortunately even have my own Facebook support group, this just seems different, what we’re your symptoms if you don’t mind me asking? I can deal with almost anything but not being able to walk is crippling me 😔
Are you too weak to walk or is it too painful ? Terrible anxiety I didn’t have before, couldn’t exercise like I d been drained of all energy , but could walk around the house. Felt terribly terribly ill and had dreadful muscle tension all over . Palpitations . Burning skin at night . They are the edited highlights !
Thanks. Yes need to make that decision if no news this week from medical people. It certainly does feel like a poison.
Hi everyone - please make sure you discuss any changes to medication with your GP. We're turning comments off on this post due to increasing reports. Many thanks.
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