So since hospital cardio upped me to 5mg of bisoprolol I've been suffering with light headedness and tunnel vision. Took my blood pressure and it was 87/57 so a touch on the low side!
Called GP and the duty doctor advised me to go back down to 2.5mg for now. Still feel like crap and this warm weather isn't helping.
I just want to get back to normal! I'd rather cope with the high HR and palpitations than be sweating my bag off and almost passing out when standing up.
Hello 
Keep hanging on in there as hard as it is to do they will get there in the end and find the right combination for you
I totally agree this hot weather is doing no one any good and especially affecting heart patients not sure where you are but here it says come Tuesday it starts getting cooler and some rain so I hope you get some to and that might help x
I was started on 2.5mg bisoprolol but my heart rate went down to around 40 bpm. The GP knocked it down to 1.25mg and I've been on it for 18 months with no problems.I agree this weather is far too humid, especially for me. We are going away for a few days next week to Northumberland and it's forecast showers and temperatures around 18 to 19 degrees and I'll very much appreciate it, waterproof jacket at the ready 😉.
Lily
have a lovely trip
feeling similar on just raising my dose to 3,25
hang on in there we can do this
On 2.5mg at minute and still staggering about like bambi.
Yes that's it Bambi, on ice lol
I really don't understand when I was happily on 180 propranolol Sr capsules for 40 years !! But these tiny little pills are doing this
Today I've switched to taking my 80mg statin in eve to see if that helps the shaky hands, I've been on 40 mg for yrs but a recent retinal tia led to a dose update
I'm rattling with these plus my diabetic meds lisinopril etc
It can take some time to get used to mate.? But If they don’t suit you they can try other meds.?
Hang in there and see how it goes. Iv been on 10 mg daily for years and yes they can definitely make you feel rubbish sometimes.
10 mg no no no no on 5mg I feel like bambi on an ice after drinking a bottle of smirnoff ( other alcohol is available)
😅😉 lol drinks are on me
😂👍
I've just started on the 1.25mg dose and have heavy legs and I feel confused sometimes too. I hope you feel better soon.
Hi, my cardiologist switched my bisoprolol to diltiazem after I had same problems as you, been on this since November last year with no problems. It may be worth asking about this.
Good luck Dave.
I had the same problem with being on the highest dose of 5mg twice a day, my body ended up getting used to it after a while and my BP improved and the dizziness stopped, but it came back again a few weeks ago and my HR was mid 40's too. My HF nurse has now dropped it to 7.5mg which has resolved the all the symptoms and extreme fatigue, but unfortunately they refuse to drop it anymore or change to a different drug as they said it's what got my heart better, so I need to just get on with it! So frustrating 😫
My dose of Bisoprorol was reduced from 5mg to 2.5mg after my pulse dropped below 40 for 10 mins , 9 times (6 times before I woke up). I ended up with chest pain and headed to AE where it was found I had elevated troponin level. I’m so glad I was wearing my Apple Watch as it notified me of the drop in my pulse, otherwise I would not have been aware of it. My dose has since been dropped to 1.25. You’re dose may need tweaking til they get the right dose that suits you. Good luck.
I'm hoping I don't need it forever but who knows!
HelloI am agree with Carriefarm about the smart watch. They are very helpful in cases like yours. Also there are smart watch for Android.
You will need to check yourself at least once every day.
I have a friend that had the same problem with her blood pressure and the doses she was taken. So she bought a small blood pressure machine to use it in home.
She was scared because she did not have the correct dose of her pills, so she checked her blood pressure in the morning, after noon and before bed time. She had like a diary 📔 of her daily number. That way she was more in control of herself and she knew if it was necessary to go to her doctor or not yet.
Hope you feel better.
I would suggest you keep a close eye on both pulse and blood pressure.
Bisoprolol is quite a potent drug and even small changes can have a significant effect.
5-mg of Bisoprolol is equivalent to 50-mg of something like Atenolol.
I take it you are being treated for hypertension or an arrythmia.
I might be wrong, but my GPs have always favoured Atenolol, but the hospital people seem to favour Bisoprolol. The hospital started me on on 1.25-mg daily, then quite quickly through 2.5, 5, and now 10.
It drives the pharmacist spare and chopping those little pills up to get the right dose isn't easy. I accidentally took 20-mg one day thanks to all the changes is dose and frequency.
I can tolerate quite high doses of Bisoprolol and am on the maximum daily dose of 10-mg, but I do have a pacemaker to counterbalance that.
Unfortunately things have taken a turn for the worse and on this combination of BS and pacemaker, I've been getting all the dizziness and have had several falls from the low blood pressure and erratic slow pulse.
I'm due to see the consultant in 4-weeks time.
The heat recently and especially last night, don't make things easy and I didn't feel 100%. I woke up to a heart rate of 32 BPM early this morning, despite the pacemaker.
Possibly watching Tina Turner didn't help.
The pharmacy chop up bisoprolol pills? That sounds really odd
I have 5mg 2.5mg and 1.25mg tablets I've never had a 'split' one?
That just sounds sketchy they are so so tiny and have alarming contraindications if doses are taken incorrectly?
Feeling very lucky with my pharmacy 🤣
Don't get too worked up about this.I never said the pharmacy chopped up the pills. What happens is the hospital phones and says change your dose to 7.5-mg Bisoprolol.
I have to let the surgery know.
They have to change the repeat prescription template before I can order the new dose.
By the time it's ready at the pharmacy to collect, nearly two weeks have passed.
I have 5 mg tablets, so I chop one in two to get 2.5 mg.
The 5 mg tablet is already scored into quarters so it's easy to split.
What else are you supposed to do?
Hahaa was I getting worked up ? !You do whatever you are supposed to do ... im not qualified to pass any opinion not of my business either really
I'll wind my neck in ... no offence intended
Hi anxiousguy. Everyone’s experience with medication is different and it affects us all differently. Here is my experience of Bisoprolol. I was put on 2.5mg after an ablation just over a year ago. This made me foggy and light headed so the GP reduced it to 1.25. Which seemed OK but I didn’t overall feel well but put this down to my heart issues. When I questioned the medication I was told that it’s just a very small dose and shouldn’t affect me like that. So I accepted this. I went on to need a CABG still on Bisoprolol but 6 months after I was not feeling any better and really struggling to recover. Kept being told it takes time. I had been promised that having the bypass would improve my quality of life. Anyway a couple of weeks ago my Cardiologist cut the Bisoprolol as my kidney function was not great and now I feel so much better and actually feel like I’m getting somewhere. I’m not falling asleep every time I sit down, my head is clearer I feel I can now exercise without my legs feeling like ton weights. This drug is an effective and an essential drug for some people but not everyone and there are alternatives
I have also experienced problems with Bisoprolol, all the dizziness, fatigue and generally feeling awful, and all this on only 2.5mg a day when the target dose for heart failure is 10mg. I persevered with this for almost three years. I was aware that reducing the dose was not a good option for me because beta blockers are important to protect my already reduced heart function. Thankfully my heart failure nurse eventually suggested I switch to Carvedilol. I have found this drug much easier to tolerate and under the heart failure nurse’s supervision have been able to increase my dose to 12.5mg twice a day, which is half the target dose for this beta blocker for heart failure, so progress compared to how much Bisoprolol I could tolerate.
My heart failure nurse also emphasised the importance, in my particular circumstances, of making sure I stay well hydrated, which contradicted previous advice I had been given about limiting my fluid intake. I have found that this has helped stabilise my blood pressure when it has dipped very low and lessen nausea and dizziness, so something else that it is worth getting advice about.
There are alternative drugs available, I just wish that the change in medication had been suggested to me earlier. I now wish that I had been more proactive about asking about the possibility of changing beta blockers sooner.
I had awful side effects from just 1.25mg of Bisoprolol and the light headedness was the worst. I've since been switched to Amlodipine and Ramipril and get no side effects at all.
Pharmacist from docs called me today as she was concerned that instructions on my repeat prescription was 5mg twice a day! Good job I listened to the doc and only took it once a day. If I was shaky on 5 I'd likely be in a coma on 10!
Got to go in Friday for a BP and HR test.
ASD and more
Yet another procedure!!
More advice please :)
More pain than usual !!
