Ectopics on bisoprolol

[Maggiemoon22]

I’m on bisoprolol 2.5 mg after one episode of AF after a really stressful day , been on it 4 months keep getting ectopic beats more than I did before , arnt they meant to stop them I’m scared I’m going to have a heart attack

[Happyrosie]

Hello Maggiemoon22.I don’t think we know enough about you to help you with this - maybe a phonecall to your doctors for reassurance would be a good idea.

[Crackerchops]

Hi Maggiemoon22,I know it can be very scary and I was getting palpitations for a month in March before I went and got medical support. I started on 2.5 mg and the cardiac doctor decided to up the dose to 5 mg once a day. This has helped me and almost stopped the palpitations. Speak to your GP or if you have one a cardiac nurse, they will give you advice and reassure you are okay. I hope this helps and you manage to stop worrying.

[Bob56]

Hi, If its just ectopic beats you are getting, I doubt very much you are going to have a heart attack. Generally speaking ectopic beats are harmless, but they can be very debilitating.Ironically, because the medical fraternity are generally relaxed about them, they don't always get much attention, which is a shame. Bisoprolol is usually prescribed to lessen the effect of ectopics, and I have taken them now for about 10 years, and they have generally helped without eradicating them.

What I would say is that it depends to an extent on your resting heart rate, as if its already quite low, Bisoprolol can slow it down even further, which can sometimes help the ectopics not hinder them. If you have a heart like mine which does sometimes slow down into the low 50s, occasionally high 40s, then a few "missed"beats thrown in makes it feel like your heart is actually stopping. It can be very disconcerting, but usually rights itself.

You also mention having a stressful day, and stress is a common bedfellow of ectopics. Ectopics make you stressed, and stress begets more ectopics. Doesn't seem very fair!

I repeat that these symptoms don't mean you are going to have a heart attack, but if you are worried then best to speak to your doctor, or better still your cardiologist to see if they can tweak anything for you. Best of luck!