Bisoprolol

[Ninjacat]

Just a quick question - 1.25mg of Bisoprolol I’ve been taking for the last 6 years to treat palpitations and ectopic. Saw cardiac nurse y’day and she told me just to stop it - like that, immediately as I was v bradycardic and as it was just a small dose it wouldn’t make any difference? Just wondered what your views are? Thanks 😊

[Hidden]

Low dose but for a long time, think I would be seeking a second opinion.

[Ninjacat in reply to Hidden]

Ok thanks Gaz

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Ninjacat]

I agree with Gaz_chops, ask for a second opinion.

We are are a peer to peer support group.

None of us are appropriately medically qualified to give information about medication.

I suggest you speak to the Cardiac nurse who advised you, ask them to review the situation and seek further advice if necessary.

Alternatively contact your GP.

[Mart25]

1.25mg is the lowest dose you can get. I'm taking this dose and I think it helps my arrhythmias....even though the dose is miniscule. But, if I was asked by a cardiac nurse, I would be OK to see what happens if I stopped taking it. I'd use my blood pressure monitor to keep an eye on what happens to my heart rate and BP. Everyone is different and you may react differently from me. But stopping such a low dose is very very unlikely to harm you and you can always start it again if you find it's helpful to you.

[Ninjacat in reply to Mart25]

Thanks 😊

[DazzyB]

I’m sorry but nurse is wrong. Your heart will jump around if you just stop. I have had to get a pill cutter and now take .625mg to slowly taper off. 3 cardiologists agreed with this method to avoid unnecessary withdrawal symptoms. Good luck.

[Prada47 in reply to DazzyB]

Hello Dazzy

and your qualification in Cardiac Medication is what ?? Could be your Cardiologist was pandering to something you may have said !!

I know we are all different but I can drop from 10mg to 7.5mg instantly without any effects, except my HR will increase slightly when I do drop. Today my stats are 115/82 HR 52 and I function quite well on those kind of readings, others may not function so well. It's a bit of a lottery to know how we all respond to medication in particular to Bisoprolol. I would be a little hesitant in saying a Cardiac Nurse is wrong I know mine can write prescriptions so is well qualified.

Regards

[DazzyB in reply to Prada47]

Yeah that’s the difference though. You’re on a higher dose so a small reduction will have very little effect. Persons who have only ever taken 1.25mg and then suddenly stop will have a negative impact on them for around 2 weeks until b receptors settle down.

[Mikamoo2]

Hi I take 1.25mg too. I had to stop abrubtly for 2 weeks to have some tests I was fine until day 8 then had some issues with heart spikes this was some time ago. I have now been told to try taking 1 day on 1 day off as I am now having lows like yourself along with spikes. My cardiologist told me to play around with it until I find what's right for me. We are all different but hope this helps x

[richard_jw]

I came off BS recently. I was on 2.5mg for a year after a heart attack, and it made me feel lethargic. The cardiologist suggested coming off it slowly. On it my heart rate was 60-65 at rest. I cut the dose down to 1.25 for a week, and the heart rate went up slightly, and then 1*1.25 every other day. He said the half life of BS would allow alternate days I'm now off it. My resting heart rate is 70-75 and BP has gone up a bit to 110/75.I am getting some ectopic beats, but nothing to worry about. If you are bradycardiac, BS will make it worse, that's the purpose of it to slow the heart down as well as to reduce ectopics. Might make you feel better by coming off it. Worth getting a blood pressure monitor before you come off it.

[richard_jw in reply to richard_jw]

BTW cardiac nurses usually know what they are talking about

[Ninjacat]

Thank you all for your replies .. I’m going to do as you suggested and monitor. ❤️

[Hidden]

We are really NOT allowed to give advice here and I'm not sure why some people continue to do so? It's dangerous and unfair to the person sking the question. The moderstors should be watching this!? Please dint take any advice given here no matter how well meaning. Speak to your gp or cardio nurse.

[PeterpPiper]

Be pleased you are coming off a med .. it’s always good news.. It’s more common for docs to keep increasing bisoprolol but you have gone in the best direction

[-007-]

I think we can only give our own experiences and not medical advice. However, we can say “if I were you” because that again is or should at least be taken from personal experience.

In my case I was on 5mg of Bisoprolol after having a heart attack and five stents.

After my quintuple bypass they dropped it to 2.5 mg.

around twelve months later I was experiencing fatigue and my heart rate was dropping. I was told to drop it to 1.25 mg.

I felt better.

A few weeks went by and I was told to come off it altogether.

Wow. My heart went all over the place. I woke one night and thought I was having a heart attack.

I went back on them for a few months and then tried coming off them again.

This time, apart from some palpitations I wasn’t too bad.

It took several weeks to get back to some normality. Six months after that and I’m pretty much back to normal. Yes my heart rate is up a little and seems to pump harder but I’m not so tired as I was and haven’t been to bed in the day for weeks.

That is my own experience and I hope you learn something from it.

All the best👍

-007- Licensed to Pill 💊

[Hidden in reply to -007-]

Hi 007, I know this post is a few months old but may I ask what time of day do you take the bisoprolol? I've suffered fatigue and bad sleep for many months, GP suggested I drop the morning bisoprolol 1.25mg completely, which I have, but sleep worse and now high heart rate all day. I have decided to try the 1.25mg dose after 9pm to see if it improves or resolves my issue. So basically, do you take it evenings? Thanks.

[-007- in reply to Hidden]

Good morning WildeGreat,Sorry if my post wasn’t clear, basically…

2016 - heart attack - 5mg Bisoprolol

2017 - 5 stents - 5mg

2019 - 5 bypasses- 2.5mg

2020 - feeling tired, heart rate dropping too low - reduced to 1.25mg

2021 - still feeling tired told to stop Bisoprolol

Heart went crazy

2 to 4 weeks later - went back on 1.25mg - heart feeling better, tiredness returned.

A few months later I stopped them again and apart from the odd heart palpitations and the odd occasion my heartbeats fast I’ve been ok(ish).

Now not on Bisoprolol.

I do not feel tired in the daytime, apart from the normal amount you would expect for someone that is 68 years of age and had the heart issues I’ve had (I guess).

I did not try taking them in the evening.

You actually replied to me in the other post about Bisoprolol. I’m the one who is currently refurbishing his bathroom. The point of that post was to say that I’m well enough to things like install showers and lay large floor tiles. All hard work.

Hope that helps 👍

My name is Bond, James Bond, and I take my aspirin shaken not stirred 🍸

[Hidden in reply to -007-]

Thanks for getting back to me 007, I hope the bathroom project is going well! Strewth you have been through the mill with your ticker! It pales mine into insignificance 😕. Mt HA was mild in July 2020, one stent and balloom angioplasty, I keep track of my heartbeat with a fitbit 3 watch and can clearly see on my phone fitbit app the difference yesterday without taking bisoprolol for 2 days compared to all the days before by looking at the graphs. My heartbeat was elevated even at rest matching my evening exercise rates (I walk up and down stairs 50 times), Anyways, update, last night I again started the bisoprolol 1.25mg with the usual atorvastatin 80mg at 9.30pm, apart from a couple of bathroom visits (not yours) I have slept the best in months getting in 7 hours. I know it may be a one off fluke but here's hoping. Take care.

[-007- in reply to Hidden]

It’s good to have other peoples experiences but in the end we’re all different and you have to sort out what’s best for you.

The bathroom project is going well thanks… removing the bath and installing a shower base the same size as the bath.

It’s going to take time as I do it all myself. Luckily we have an un-suit so we don’t have to ask nextdoor to use theirs 😳😂😂😂

[Hidden]

none of us are medically qualified to give you advice, so perhaps best to ask your gp to see what their opinion is