Bisoprolol side effects

[Gill2016]

My husband has been on Bisoprolol for almost 6 years for AF.

I'm currently researching side affects and I have found an article confirming this drug can cause Peripheral Neuropathy, has anyone else experienced this.

Also memory problems , these are worsening over time, short term memory as in things spoken of can be forgotten very quickly, repeating something he has said 5minutes ago. His long term memory is fine.

The neuropathy is driving him mad particularly in the evening. He's had investigations, a lumbar puncture included, no outcome or reason from those tests.

It does seem in hindsight that an ablation may have been preferable to drugs. A neurologist we saw for neuropathy smiled about the memory and just said it's the heart issue causing it I'm afraid.

any opinions or advice would be welcome

I've read on here sad stories of people coming off this drug feeling horrendous so its hard to know what action to take.

Thank you.

[Malayabalaya]

Hi Gill The Cardiologists love Bisoprolol as it’s cardio-specific and regarded as a safe drug. Both my husband and I have been taking it for a while. Funnily enough he has just been referred to a neurophysiologist for electrical tests for peripheral neuropathy. We’re currently on 3.75mg daily but Cardiologist said I can go down to 2.5. So could your husband’s dose be lowered at all safely? So difficult to prove it’s a side effect and sorry not heard that could account for short term memory loss. Bisoprolol does slow things up though! The other thing maybe to ask is if there are similar drugs your husband could take? Good luck x

[Gill2016 in reply to Malayabalaya]

Thanks so much for your reply, we will look into doseage. I found a study that mentions a link with Bisoprolol and Neuropathy so I'm inclined to think that maybe true.

All of my husband tests were inconclusive as to the cause.

Good luck to you both

[Mycal]

I have been on Bisoprolol for nearly 6 years for VT and VFib episodes. Started with 5 mg (2.5 twice a day) and cardiologist tried boosting me to 7.5 mg per day. I have had difficulty tolerating the drug at all dosages I have tried, especially near total exhaustion and tiredness, but also could not tolerate the slow pounding heart rate despite the fact that I have an ICD with defibrillator. When at the 7.5 daily dose, I had one instance of defibrillator shock due to pacemaker inability to control my pace, including the last one I had 16 months ago while riding my bike, falling on the pavement and breaking five ribs! Also had three other events where the pacemaker did its job and probably saved my life. After these episodes, I gradually tapered back to 5 mg per day and often take only 2.5 mg per day unless symptomatic. Thus, for at least 16 months now have not had any recorded instances of dangerous VT nor VF and have more energy than previous. As you are probably aware, Bisoprolol block Adrenaline as it's main mechanism. I have often suspected that too high a dose of Allegra antihistamine coupled with Bisoprolol is not a good thing which was the case when I passed out on my bike. I believe cutting back on both has worked well for me.

Funny, shortly after beginning Betablocker therapy, I too, was diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy. Multiple imaging and other diagnostics could never pinpoint the cause. At one point, the Neuropathy severely impacted all of my extremities. I even had to stop drinking coffee as I could not tolerate the increased nerve pain. Symptoms are still with me, but have greatly subsided since cutting back on Bisoprolol.

I have had some minor problems with short term memory, but cannot say if directly linked to Bisiprolol since I am approaching 80 years of age.

Hope you find answers you are seeking.

[Gill2016 in reply to Mycal]

Thank you so much for your reply Mycal

I'm so sorry for all you have gone through, you have clearly had some terrible experiences.

I shall check the dosage and see if our GP is willing to decrease, though they are generally unwilling to over-ride Consultants. My husbands Consultant will not accept there are any issues caused by Bisoprolol.

Take Care, Hest wishes

[Mycal in reply to Gill2016]

Thank you. Note, I am super sensitive to almost all drugs so typically can do well with the lowest effective dose. Therefore higher doses of almost all Rx and even OTC drugs are almost always problematic. I note that you are on 2.5 Bisoprolol which means you must be splitting tablets as 2.5 mg tabs are not available in the US. I split 5 mg tabs, too and suspect that sometimes I am getting considerably more or less than 2.5 mg due to irregular cut. My doctor agrees with my analysis. 2.5 mg tabs are available through Canadian and other pharmacies outside US, but tend to be more costly and are not covered by my insurance. Since I have cut back to 2.5 mg (without dr. permission) I had virtually no VT or VFib episodes.

[TracyAdmin Partner ArrhythmiaAlliance]

Have you visited the Arrhythmia Alliance webpage? heartrhythmalliance.org/aa/...

You will find information regarding anti-arrhythmic medication, including Bisoprolol.

If you or your husband have any questions regarding the prescribed medication, speak to a Pharmacist for their advice?

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