Bisoprolol 5mg and fatigue: hello all... - British Heart Fou...

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Bisoprolol 5mg and fatigue

Looking_4_support profile image

hello all. Looking for some experience before i see my GP. Had HA in December, 3 stents and doing well so far apart from tiredness and fatigue especially when waking and then in the afternoon. Wanted to ask GP if it could be the Bisoprolol which i take 5 mg every morning along with the other standard medicines. Anyone had any experience of this ? I know we cant give advice but was just after some experience which has helped me previously on this site. Thank you in advance for any info.

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18 Replies

ps heart rate is 50 bpm most of the day, and blood pressure is always around 110 /70.

baly_2023 profile image
baly_2023

Hi,many of us get side effects from the cocktail of medicines we get after a heart event.

I tend to get moments of feeling spaced out , which stays for a few seconds then goes. My legs ache after a night's sleep ( statins).

My blood pressure used to get on the lowside at times and I was told to up my water consumption which I did and which helped.

I think its hard to tell what is causing what so I just grin and bear it.

However I've read plenty of posts where people after talking to their GP have tried different drugs and all their issues have disappeared, hopefully some of them can add more value then my reply.

Looking_4_support profile image
Looking_4_support in reply to baly_2023

Thank you, since HA have not had an appetite for water at all !!!

Wooodsie profile image
Wooodsie in reply to Looking_4_support

I have that problem, 🍺 is a good alternative 😃

Happyrosie profile image
Happyrosie

as baly says.

You might think about a telephone appointment with the pharmacist working for your doc’s group of surgeries (assuming you like in UK) for a discussion about medication so that he or she can advise the doctor or you.

But more importantly- hydration is vital, otherwise the heart has to struggle to push the blood around the body, so I hope that even if you don’t have the appetite for water you can nevertheless drink a litre or two a day.

Juliaxx profile image
Juliaxx

Hi, the fatigue could be the result of your low heart rate; I don't know what it was before this so its worth going back to your doctor. I'm on propanolol 60mg a day, which has brought my heart rate down to 40 and caused a number of ongoing symptoms including fatigue and going up stairs or slopes is extremely tiring because of my low heart rate.

Andyman profile image
Andyman

Are you doing any exercise like walking as part of your recovery.If not this may be the cause. You have to get your strength back. Walking is the best way to do this. I was told by my consultant to start walking from day one after my HA and all the pills. My heart rate is in the 40s. Yes I get tired but I'm 72 so I expect not to be like I was in my 30s. I golf 3 times a week, cycle 50 plus Kms a week and go to the gym. I am on all the usual pills.

pasigal profile image
pasigal

I take 5 mg bisoprolol but split it, 2.5 in am and 2.5 in pm. Helped with dizzyness somewhat. Fatigue for me is a combination of getting older, heart issues and side effects , but I mostly muddle through. BP is 110/70, resting/sleeping HR is about 42-44. Usually around 50 bpm according to my watch.

Eric_ profile image
Eric_

Talk to your Doctor first. You need reassurance that your on the right medicine for you. After stents then CABG 14 yrs ago I am on a lot of meds. Each one I have to get used to. Every new med has side effects but if you keep exercising and eat well and keep your bmi in check thereabouts, your body should adjust over time and you will find the new you spot! But do check with the Doctor anytime you feel anxious. All the best 🙂

BeeBee79 profile image
BeeBee79

I was on Bisoprolol and suffered with immense fatigue - I was 42 and couldn’t climb the stairs without having to sit at the top and needing to lie down despite being very fit. I ended up switching to Nebivilol and this made a huge difference . The fatigue is still there but less brutal and I can exercise again. I’ve also started taking it with evening meds instead of morning so the majority of the fatigue is in the evening x

Bluelobby profile image
Bluelobby

Ask him/her can you take less I've been on 1.25mg since HA oct 2022 with no problem, my problem was with ramipril which I'm off and much much better . Horses for courses everyone is different mate

ardgay profile image
ardgay

I am on 10 mg of bisoporol but have been told to take it at night. Like you I was experiencing fatigue during the day but this has helped a bit

Puzzled8 profile image
Puzzled8

I was on 5mg Bisoprolol to try and bring my HR down, - it didn’t work and it made me feel like a zombie - was literally dragging myself around. Was switched to Diltiazem and doze increased to 240mg. That didn’t work either but side effects weren’t so bad. Consultant then asked if I’d be willing to try Bisoprolol again, splitting it to 2.5mg morning and night. I agreed to try. I then got a different lot of side effects - couldn’t sleep, waking every hour or so with pains in legs. I was starting to get depressed by it all.

I’m now on 2.5mg Bisoprolol once a day, plus Digoxin 125mg. Feeling much better now, sleeping well. HR has gone down a bit to 80s which is an improvement for me. I am on all the usual meds for Afib/Tachycardia etc and Bisoprolol is the only one that has given me any issues, so it does seem to affect some of us. If you’ve been taking it since December , then you’ve given it a fair trial, although you’re still recovering from HA. Would certainly recommend you discuss it with GP.

Hrty profile image
Hrty

I was put on 1.25mg of Bisoprolol after my NSTEMI back in 2022 but it slowed my already lower HR down into the low 40s and even into the 30s, and not just at night. I was like a zombie so the Cardiologist took me off it and I've been much better since. HR still drops into 40s overnight and hovers in 50s/60s most days when resting. I had similar issues many years ago when I was put on Atenolol for high BP. Luckily, a routine ECG at the GP showed a RHR of 32! so it was stopped. Definitely worth a chat with the GP

Qualipop profile image
Qualipop

Lots of things co uld cause the fatigue but bisopralol knocked me for six. I was like a zombie; just wanted to sleep all day and could barely get out of the chair. My GP stopped it and since my BP and heart rate were fine, he didn't try anything else.

momander profile image
momander

hi,

I have taken bisoprolol for 3 years and have been very lucky not to have had any side effects at all. If you have never felt like this before and the only thing that has changed is the bisoprolol, then perhaps bring that up with your GP and see what they say. I hope you get to the bottom of it. xx

Spanielrunner profile image
Spanielrunner

Yes! I only take 1.25 mg and initially it made me very fatigued. I’ve been on it a couple of months now and I’m feeling much better - seems the side effect is settling down

Jedi14 profile image
Jedi14

My Bisoprolo was started 3months ago todeal with my daily angina. I was told to start on low dose 1.25mg/day, to take it at bedtime to avoid feeling any side effects. It has worked treat, it has also helped reduce my BP and HR down to 120/70: 40heart beats/min. I think I feel mildly weaker and tire easily than before.

But I don't know for sure that it is the Bisoprolol, I have read many comments that say so! But I think it is the hearts condition and how it is affecting changes within the body in general?

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