ectopics/anxiety

[Nelson42]

HI,just wondered if anyone had been prescribed propranolol for ectopic beats/anxiety? I guess my real question is, if so,do the symptoms of fatigue pass or is that just the cost you have to live with? I took them for a couple of days bit I was so tired I stopped

[Anon2023]

hi. I’m on 10mg daily if bisoprolol and feel exhausted most of the time. It’s hard to say whether this is due to the medication or my health problems though. My sister was on propranolol for years for anxiety and tells me that she had no side effects. My husband, on the other hand, took them for a couple of weeks and ended up with a visit to A&E. I guess we all have individual responses to medication and you just need to work out whether the pro”s of taking it outweigh the cons. Hope it works out for you.

[Nelson42 in reply to Anon2023]

Thank you so much for the reply. I guess that's the thing,people react differently to things. I will stick with them for more than a couple of days and see where I am. Thanks

[Hidden in reply to Nelson42]

Dear Nelson 42

Please don't stop and start your medication without your Dr saying it is safe to do so.

It is a know side effect of the drug and to be honest it took two or three weeks for me before the side effects diminished .

Also my Dr changed from me taking it in the morning to taking at night and that really helped,

BUT ONLY DO THIS WITH THEIR APPROVAL.

Hopefully the benefits will soon out way the side effects and it will help get your anxiety under control.

Take care

[Nelson42 in reply to Hidden]

To be fair, when I spoke to gp she said if I couldn't take it all the time just take it as and when if I had to but it would be better to take regularly. My problem is I'm a gardener and I walk miles every day and it's really hard to function. Gp reckons this is the best one and they can all have side effects. May try to stick with it. Thanks for the

[fishonabike in reply to Nelson42]

your GP says this is the best medication for your condition, but this means that statistically it is the best one - you are an individual and, as an earlier comment suggested, we all react differently to medication - if this one does not suit you and gets in the way there are alternatives - your GP and/or Cardiologist should be willing and able to offer alternatives - good luck

[Cricket23 in reply to Anon2023]

hi Anon2023, I know that this isn’t related to the original post, but I too was on Bisoprolol (5mg) and it made me so tired. For other reasons I had to chg to Sotalol, which I believe is an older drug. The results have been amazing, I have so much more energy. It might be worth speaking to your cardiologist.

[Anon2023 in reply to Cricket23]

hi. Thanks for your reply. I’ve always suspected that bisoprolol made me tired and one cardiologist agreed with me. They reduced my dose by 2.5mg at one point (I was still on 7.5mg) and my bpm shot up by quite a bit and I was still very tired. I was put back up to 10mg and asked to persevere with it. I’m absolutely worn out all of the time but it’s hard to know if it’s the bisoprolol or my health problems. I need to get it sorted though as its awful feeling so exhausted all of the time. Thanks again for your reply and I’m pleased that you are feeling a bit better 😊

[Cricket23 in reply to Anon2023]

I hope you get it sort. It's miserable feeling tired all of the time isn't it. I did a search a while ago about Bisoprolol and there seems to be plenty of evidence that it causes tiredness. My cardiologist also agreed and TBH was reluctant to change my medication, but had to as I was still getting VT at times even on 10mg

[Anon2023 in reply to Cricket23]

hi. I hope you don’t mind me asking but what did they change it to? I keep being told that bisoprolol is the best for my condition so I’ve been very reluctant to insist on a change but every day feels like I’m wading through mud. X

[Cricket23 in reply to Anon2023]

Hi, no problem. I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and have changed to Sotalol. I take 120mg twice a day.

All the best.

[GillPr]

Hey i had propanolol a few years back for anxiety. It crazily dropped my heart rate down to a ridiculous low level and so i stopped taking it =( I was so tired on it i could not go about my daily life. Maybe GP can give something else ?

[GrandpaM]

I am on 2.5 mg of bisoprolol daily and have not noticed any real side effects. I feel the cold more quickly and I need more sleep but both are common in ageing anyway.

[DLS25]

I have so many pvcs 2 to 3k a day and my anxiety is through the roof. Can I ask did you ep prescribe this for you ?

[Nelson42 in reply to DLS25]

Yes, my gp recommended a low does to reduce the anxiety as this releases adrenaline which in turn can contribute to increase in ectopics/palpitations and so on and so

[HANDY1]

Why take anything for your ectopic beats? They are a normal condition of the heart or do you have some other underlying condition?

[RG72 in reply to HANDY1]

Good question. It could be based on the number of ectopics and since anxiety was mentioned, could be related to the increased ectopics = increased anxiety = more ectopics spiral. I have previously been on bisoprolol and felt fatigued etc. My ectopics gradually reduced over time, so my doc reduced the dose and 2 months ago I stopped completely and what happened? The ectopics returned and are now on the increase again. Even though I know they’ve been under control, not as high as before and relatively harmless, the more you have, the more health anxiety increases. For now the doc is keeping me off any related medication, but sleep is becoming more difficult and I’m hoping that on my next visit I’ll be put back on the bisoprolol.

[Nelson42 in reply to HANDY1]

Gp recommended a low dose to help with the related anxiety and the spiral that causes. No other issues. Had a load of tests and the cardiac consultant said I should be very happy as my heart is in great condition. Its just a case of managing negative

[Benbobs]

Hello I have an ectopic heart beat and have been taking Bisoprolol for some year for it. I have found that you have to push through the feeling of 'wading through treacle', I would be quite happy sitting watching the world go by. Hope you find a balance for yourself.

[devonian186]

Those with ectopics are not always aware of the Vagus nerve which apparently plays a crucial role in the condition. To calm down the inflammation that causes some to be triggered or to stimulate the nerve so it overcomes the problems, a variety of measures are suggested in various web sites.

Burping often helps as does humming. Digestion problems are often a huge factor in the condition that are likely food related,.

[chickeninthewood in reply to devonian186]

Also, try this: when you feel them have a good stretch, arms above your head, like waking up in the morning. Watch the monitor- the ectopics go right back to normal beats instantly. Works for me. Try it.

[Nelson42 in reply to chickeninthewood]

Thank you so much! I will definitely give it a try. Thanks for the tip. I try all that box breathing and vagus nerve stuff but always open to attacking them with new tactics! Cheers

[Captain_Birdseye]

Anything that slows down the heart is going you feel fatigued for a bit, with propranolol you may notice it more at first as it's not cardiac specific - it blocks adrenaline from acting throughout the body (I used to take it to stop anxiety tremors in my hands)

I don't remember feeling too bad on propranolol, but with bisoprolol it wiped me out for a bit. I'm on a lower dose now but don't feel the same fatigue.

You might need to stick it out for a couple of weeks and see if it passes. If you want to make any changes, talk to your GP first.

[bwiltshi]

I hectopics pre pandemic, they were very frequent at times, upto 1 every 30 seconds. It was a physically strange feeling akin to anxiety, that in turn made me a little anxious, although I am not in any way inclined to anxiety. I was already on a tiny dose of bisoprolol, but this had to be ltd due to a very pedestrian heart rate. However, once pandemic came, and I got off the treadmill, both metaphorically and literally, the ectopics ceased, never to return. I have concluded I was over exercising in the delusional hope that my moderately damaged heart would somehow benefit. On the contrary, I think I pushed myself a bit too much for my age, and condition. I still exercise, but do not flog myself. I have now, as per cardiology treatment regime, come off beta blockers to bring my heart rate up a bit, but also take a small orchestra of heart failure meds that on the whole keep this, now 70y old man in reasonable working order, and good humour. Probably fall off the perch, now I've said that 😦ad

[chickeninthewood in reply to bwiltshi]

I was told going on a treadmill would bring them DOWN not up,

[Delphiniumsblue]

Hi Nelson42

I have had ectopics for 10 years , and was on bisoprolol for a number of years , then propranolol, then carvedilol. They all caused me intense anxiety , muscle fatigue , general fatigue and also night halllucinations (in less than 1% of people )

In my line of work I can’t take them for these reasons but before I came to that decision I struggled with the side effects for 10 whole years with no help from the specialist I was seeing.

I moved to Scandinavia for work , and found a brilliant cardiologist who spotted the link between my anxiety and my condition and suggested that I undergo ablation to correct the beats so that I don’t have to take bbs.

The fatigue on bbs is real…but if it stops your anxiety then you have to work out if it’s worth it.

All the best

[chickeninthewood in reply to Delphiniumsblue]

Hi, can I ask you what amount or percentage you had of ectopics?

[Delphiniumsblue in reply to chickeninthewood]

Hi chickeninthewood,

The last test was 17% before ablation then I had one ablation done and it only improved 3-4%. So I have just had another procedure this week. I have a genetic abnormality which means the ectopics actually cause cardiomyopathy.

[Knitnit]

I think all beta blockers make you feel tired, but if you take them regularly that feeling eases. However, my thought is that if you don't need to take them, try other methods to help. Cut out alcohol and caffeine, Smoking and overeating. Keep hydrated , get plenty of sleep and try yoga/meditation which is useful to de-stress. Basically, unless you have a medical reason, try to avoid them! Ectopics are generally not dangerous so just try and ignore them and concentrate on enjoying life! Good luck! 😁

[Nelson42 in reply to Knitnit]

Thank you so much. I do try stay away from all those things. I have dropped off the exercise wagon completely but I aim to restart riding my bike to work next week. Mentally I don't want to take them at all. Thanks again and same to

[MikeThePike in reply to Knitnit]

"Ectopics are generally not dangerous so just try and ignore them and concentrate on enjoying life!" Easier said than done.

[Nelson42 in reply to MikeThePike]

will do

[chickeninthewood]

What percentage of ectopic burden did you have,for them to prescribe medication? Was it a lot?

[Nelson42 in reply to chickeninthewood]

not really no, I think it was more to manage my anxiety. I had 2 holder monitor sessions. Both showed only a couple of low level ectopics and that was when I was asleep. Other than that, nothing. I have a real problem believing that its mostly in my head but apparently that's where it lives!

[chickeninthewood in reply to Nelson42]

I had 5% ectopics but what does "low level" mean?

[Hidden]

I take bisoprolol fumerate 2.5mg and take it at night with the other meds prescribed, so if it makes me tried, I don't know about it at night!

[september1990]

ask your doctor about either taking a lower dose or switching to metoprolol. i started feeling extremely dizzy on 25 mg of MET that now i cut them in half and take 12.5 mg. i feel much better now.

[cjenk1958]

Good afternoon....I have had ectopics for 50 years of my life . They haven't killed me, and won't harm you. You have to learn what triggers them. I took beta blockers, too, but that doesn't stop them. It might suppress then for a while, though. Learn to relax and deep breathe. Go out and enjoy your life. Once you relax, so will the ectopics. Wishing you the best always.

[Nelson42 in reply to cjenk1958]

Thank you so much for the reply. I am trying my best to do just that. I think chocolate is a definite trigger as is overeating. Plus they are definitely so much better when I relax. Thanks again