Beta blocker/Bisoprolol withdrawal and breathlessness
Posted , 116 users are following.
Hi. I am 43 yrs old and have been on beta blockers (initially metoprolol and then bisoprolol) for svt the last ten years. I had an ablation which went wrong and I ended up on higher doses of beta blocker after that (8yrs ago). They added in flecainide a year ago as they wanted to drop my bisoprolol down becacause I was still having daily runs and my BP was a bit on the low side. I have managed to drop the dose down to 1.25 bd over the last few months. Then 4 weeks ago, I started to have awful episodes of ?different kind of arrhythmia where i would feel very faint and shaky and it would last for a few minutes. Because they then wondered if I was having a ventricular arrhythmia, they stopped the flecainide and halved my bisprolol. However a week ago I had a couple of prolonged svt episodes so they stopped my beta blocker altogether and started me onto something new dronaderone (like amiodarone with less side effects). I was relieved at the thought of finally being off the beta blocker once and for all but all week I have steadily been feeling worse and worse. I know that there is likely to be a withdrawl period but it's been a week now and I can honestly say that I'm more breathless today than I've ever been. Even just sitting at rest. I can't talk or eat without stopping for breath all the time and I have never felt so unwell in all my life. I am aware that I can get marked postural tachycardia and if I so much as walk slowly to another room my rate climbs from 75 to 120 in seconds. Has anyone else experienced such marked side effects after stopping bisoprolol or another beta blocker? I would really appreciate any thoughts. R
5 likes, 426 replies
marco1966 rachel1511
Posted
yes i did experience this , and let me tell you i will not assume that s**t ever again
i prefer to die
marco1966 rachel1511
Posted
hi Rachel
are you in Australia or Usa?
peter01729 rachel1511
Posted
I had that breathlessness and feeling like I was forgetting to breath when talking, as if it wasn't happening automatically. It lasted from when I first took Bisoprolol for only five weeks, and just like that cleared up a full year after coming off beta blockers for good.
When I was in hospital for my VT, connected to their machine, the blood oxygen alarm was always beeping. So I bought my own quality oximeter, the sort that wraps around your wrist, as you can see that feeling of breathlessness was not just a feeling. My blood oxygen levels returned to near normal the same time the breathless feeling went after a year.
My theory is that beta blockers disrupt the Autonomic Nervous System, and the ANS detects oxygen levels in your blood and gets your breathing to adjust without you even being aware, as long as its working OK. I think my ANS took a full year to regain its equilibrium.
Here is one of the overnight blood oxygen readings I took.
bright91070 rachel1511
Posted
I stopped taking propranolol 9 days ago and I can't go anywhere without feeling tachy. It used to be worse when climbing the stairs but that seems to have settled a bit, just when I thought it was all over I decided to go for a walk, 40min brisk walk and I had a full blown panic attack. From what other people experience, withdrawal is real so brace for it. Hopefully it will settle in about 2 weeks, I learnt the hard way not to do anything that makes my heart beat faster at least for the next 30 days.
yazmin92487 bright91070
Posted
are you ok now?
nelson52187 rachel1511
Posted
Oh wow, am I ever so greatful I found this forum!
I am trying to get off of Atelenol. Ever since I was put on it for a slightly higher heart rate (high 90's rest, 100-115 during normal activities) an BP on the cusp (138/89 ish) just over a year ago, I have never been the same. Been trying to taper off now, am down to quater pill a day. Been dealing with a whole whack of symptoms now, but to be fair some of these were also present whilst be on this crap. Cardio DR is being a schmuch and told me just to stop while my GP says dont just stop. They both want to put me on an ACE inhibitor mainly for the BP. They didnt seem to concerned with the higher normal at rest rate as it was still within the "60-100 range". I have made some life changes since then with diet that managed me to drop 15 lbs. Now that I understand what I'm in for in terms of expectation, I feel a bit of confidence attempt to see this through. CBD, Magnesium and knowledge (through this forum especially) will be some of the tools to lean on to help get me through. Wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to get down from the quater pill to the eventual stoppage of the BB? Hard to half a quater pill already. My dosage was 12.5MG. Thanks to anyone in advanced, and may your challenges be met with ultimate success.
Tom90594 nelson52187
Posted
Hi Nelson...no specific advice I can give you but lots on people here have done what you are doing i.e. cut down slowly. If possible try slicing the quarter pill even more if you can. At some point you need to get down to zero. Use this forum to keep reminding yourself of the withdrawal journey you are going to face once the drug is completely out of your system. Good luck. Tom
nelson52187 Tom90594
Posted
Thanks Tom. Im on day 3 of no Atelenol. I had slept in on Saturday and forgot to take it when I got up...then I remember later in the day about it and thought to myself ok lets see how I do. Sunday woke up an decided to try again without. I could feel my rate being highish (didnt measure it tho as to not create panic) and felt just weird kind of like out of breath but not really if that makes sense. It was very mild/barely noticable. Decided to take some magnesium (Natural calm) almost as a preventative measure for anxiety and heart rate. Here we are Monday on day 3 and just trying to take it easy. Going to try and see my DR to tomorrow as a recomendation for an ACE inhibitor in place of Atelenol for the BP was made by a cardiologist. I had done a stress test very recently and the results were good thankfully. The cardiologist had not initially perscribed the Atelenol my fmaily DR did. What started this all was I though I was having a heart attack in July after getting into a yelling match with someone. That was one thing I found about Atelenol, every time Id get angry or very nervous, my heart rate would spike up. Possibly anxiety. Anyway, went to ER they said I did not have a heart attack, but recomended I go see a cardiologist. After talking to him he said get off the Beta Blocker and go ACE, and that he wasnt concerned my rate was in the high 80's/low 90s as it was still in the range of normal and hes not sure why I was even on Atelenol. GRRRR that was hard to hear. What bothered me about him tho (cardiologist) was that he said to just stop taking Atelenol! I knew better and my family DR had also said when I first started taking it to not just stop. Luckily I think lowering the dosage very slowly and gradual helped here, and as you said at one point you gotta just stop I want to go a few weeks before I start taking anything new, as I also been trying to lose weight and change my diet to see if I could lower my BP naturally. I dont know why my heart beats faster/higher than other people other than genetics maybe? Reading this has been helpful as well to keep me aware that certain things can happen. But I guess it will also depend on each individuals situation. Lots of water, and magnesium was told to me by a natropathic DR to help ease off of it. Crazy ride this has been, but thinking back to all the weird things I have experienced and the timing of going on Atelenol, it all makes sense. Thanks again Tom and good luck to everyone else in this situation.
tara77076 nelson52187
Posted
Nelson how are you now?
tara77076 rachel1511
Edited
are you still on please? Anyone?
Tom90594 tara77076
Edited
Hi Tara yes I still check this forum from time to time. Tom
tara77076 Tom90594
Posted
I have read so many forums on these BB these things suck! I am currently trying to get off mine from doc recommendation since I am having some shortness of breath.. but my gosh you cannot get off in the time they tell you too. I am also going to see a new cardiologist tomorrow, but I am hoping the breathing returns to normal once I get this crap out of my system.. I was put on metoprolol 25 mgs July 20th 2020 and I was given a 3 month supply.. well I am STILL On that same bottle if that says anything.. I am trying to taper, but my gosh this stuff is a demon!
julianne15637 rachel1511
Edited
Hi,
42 year old who started on Metoprolol during christmas, due to palpitations and an elevated pulse.
was on 50 mg for about two months when the dizziness started.
My doctor prescribed Propranolol instead-20 mg two times a day.
the dizziness went off the charts and he told me to quit all together.
it has now been a week and I am feeling worse by the day.
The dizziness is mindnumbing. Afraid to walk and to drive. Feels like I am going to pass out any second.. also I have this weird pressure in my forehead and eyes. It is horrible. my doctor says it can't be because of the BB and says he thinks it's a virus...that this is not a usual sideeffect after a week after stopping them..
Feels like this is killing me.. can anyone shed some light?
Thank you<3
Tom90594 julianne15637
Edited
Hi Julianne....so if you started around Christmas it sounds like you were on 2 different BB's for about 3 months in total. Dizziness is a common complaint for people who don't tolerate BB's well, and can be even worse when you stop them. To my knowledge, a virus will typically last 7-14 days, 21 days in some extreme cases, so give it a month and see how you feel then. If your GP is right and its a virus, then the weird pressure in your forehead should be gone. If he's wrong and its just the BB's trying to work out of your system (and the nasty withdrawal symptoms you get e.g. dizziness), it could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to 6 months for you to fully get past the withdrawal. BB withdrawal causes all sorts of weird symptoms / sensations in different people, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the cause of your pressure symptoms in your forehead and eyes. You have to also remember, that if you're feeling stressed because of what you're going through, that can also give you strange symptoms, like pressure in the forehead. Stress can have lots of different and strange affects on people.
As with most people, getting back to normal following BB withdrawal is a gradual process, so its not that you'll be dizzy every day for weeks or months, and then suddenly better. Rather its a gradual process. You'll feel a little less dizzy each day over time until you're back to normal. Some days during that time, you won't have any symptoms, then they'll come back for a few days etc. But also remember that the first few weeks following BB withdrawal are usually the worst for most people. Best advice is to stay calm and don't overly worry. BB's are horrible drugs for people who don't tolerate them and they really mess with your body, but it will get fully better. You need to give it time...lots of time in lots of cases. Hope that help Tom.
julianne15637 Tom90594
Edited
Hi Tom,
thank you so much for your answer.
Aftet finding this forum I realise that these side effects might be real, and not something I imagine or even a virus as my dr suggest.
I started on slow release metoprolol 50 mg right before new years and started getting dizzy in the beginning of february. My doctor switched me to Propranolol 2 mg, two times a day, two weeks ago and the dizziness got worse, so he said I could quit cold turkey. And so I did a week ago.
now it's worse then ever...:(
Pressurefeeling and somewhat of a headache as well.. the anxiety as you also suggest isn't helping.
My dr says that these can not possibly be sideeffects since the medication is out of my body by now..:/
i forgot to mention that I also have gotten a blisterlike rash on my face after starting.. myndr says he thinks it's rosacea, not a reaction to the BB...