NEW TO AF

[Monman01]

Hello all, I have just joined as been diagnosed with AF 2 months ago and been prescribed Biosopol 2.5mg and Aprixaban, my question to you that may be in the same situation as me is, why is the medication making me feel so unwell.

All the time fuzzy head, ringing in the ears, unable to sleep well at night, if I wake in the night I have to get up put on the TV for an hour before returning to bed,sluggish and weak, my GP cut my Biosopol to 1.5mg but went into AF that evening so back on 2.5mg on A&E doctor.

I just wondered if this is normal, any help or advice would be most welcome.

[Loveswimmimg]

Hello, welcome to the forum. I also have AF, I was diagnosed five months ago and I’m on Bisoprolol 1.25 mg and Rivaroxaban which is similar to Apixaban. It does take a while to get used to Bisoprolol, but if you are still getting these symptoms after two months I suggest you go back to your doctor. Are you under a consultant or just your GP? There are other beta blockers that may suit you better, though Bisoprolol is the first drug of choice for AF. Or you could ask to reduce the Bisoprolol and add another anti- arrhythmic drug, though I suspect the doctor will be unwilling so early on in your treatment. Another thought - have you tried taking the Bisoprolol at night? The drug lowers the heart rate, causing that fuzzy headed feeling and if you can sleep through the worst effects then your days may be better. Although if you already have sleep problems this might not work for you. I’ve read on here that some people try cutting the tablets in half and splitting the dose, but I wouldn’t do that without your doctor’s permission. Good luck.

[Tombstone]

Hi I had AFIB had trouble breathing put on Bisoprolol 10mg,Apixaban, Beta Blocker & Blood Thinner,I had all your symptoms for a few weeks some of it may be anxiety but eventually the meds started to work, it does take time for meds to get into your system, any worries keep in touch with GP, Hope this helps.

[Bekiebexs]

Hello , I am also new to this forum and have found it such a great help.

I am on 2.5mg Bisoporol have been on it over a year now .

Previous to that was on it before found it hard to cope with, so went on 1.25mg. After going into AF hospital put me back on 2.5mg again. Took a good few months to get used to it but finding it ok now. I take it it before I go to bed and don’t get that fuzzy head feeling any more. My cardiologist said it was ok to take at night.

Also find higher dose helps with the AF, try and persevere if you possibly can. I used to hate taking it and now it’s fine. Takes awhile to get into your system.

Do hope it all goes well for you.

[Frequentshocker]

Hi, Im fairly new to this site but have had AF since a double cardiac arrest 6 yrs ago. I felt perfectly fine after my cardiacs, was ok when I came out of hospital with a defibrillator fitted but couldnt cope when out on Bisoprolol a few weeks later. I was started on 2.5 and apparently they wanted to increase them to 10mg daily. The min dose slowed me down, I had brain fog, felt so tired and my weight started to increase as I did less activities as before. I weaned myself off the Bisoprolol and felt good again but my consultant insisted I take them for my own good. On 5mg daily I struggled to get out of bed and couldnt return to work as I couldnt get dressed to leave the house. I still had regular defibrillator shocks and after 3 years of this I troed othet beta blockers, as they affect ppl so differently, but after allergies it was back to Bisoprolol, it was reduced to 2.5mg and resulted in less defibrillator shocks! Another year of awful draining fatigue and a few stone heavier still, and yet another shock I finally got to see an electrocardiologist. He agreed the beta blockers were not suiting me and not helping my heart so he tried me on Quinedine 300mg twice daily. Within a week my brain fog lifted, I felt so much better and it was such a relief. Sadly the side effects are an upset tum but I work around that. I have got v tired again over the years, and now have angina, I think due to my weight increase and lack of exercise through lockdown, but the good news is no defibrillator shocks once I got used to the change to Quinedine. I've yet to hear much about Quinedine, whether many people are on it and how they cope, but its worth mentioning it to your consultant. It is an anti malaria drug, unlicenced in the UK but used for arrhythmias/AF. If anyone else is on the same Id be interested to hear about your story!Good luck with the meds, sometimes a change or switch to calcium channel blockers is a good move.

Incidentally theres a lot of advice on youtube if you type in Atrial Fibrillation.

[Clarescluck]

Sorry to hear your meds are playing you up sometimes it takes a while to get used to them. I take my bisoprolol just before bed time knocks me out straight away. Don't feel so lethargic during the following day. Good luck.

[Monman01]

All good now, the longer I took the meds for the better I felt. I stopped taking them in the morning and take them at night,