Bisoprolol buddies

Thanks James Brown. Like you I find it comforting to hear from people who are having the same problems. I'm slowly getting back on an even keel but the discomfort continues. Strangely enough, I get discomfort about half an hour after eating. I can't decide if AF causes gastric problems or vice versa. Keep on truckin' old buddy and keep in touch.

Thanks Reddogleader Do you know, before I woke one morning with my heart going like a hammer I had never ever heard of AF. Are you on Warfarin by the way.?I have been on it now for four years, with Asprin before that.

Hi James. No I'm not on Warfarin, just bisoprolol and aspirin (as well as ramipril and other medication). I've just been looking at the connection between eating and AF. Interesting. The trouble is, as I'm sure you know, that every medication has side effects. I don't know whether the problem is a medical condition or the side effects of both. Even the doctors and consultants don't seem to know.

I took bisoprolol fumarate 2.5mg for a week before it was increased to 5mg. Although I feel incredibly tired and need to rest after doing the simplest of activities, I can acknowledge that I feel so much better in other ways. I was having almost constant palpitations and every 3rd beat was misfiring - I have had a full week of no palpitations and feel so much more settled. I am about to have an operation and think I have to stop taking it for the anaesthetic?

I found myself on this page when I googled "Bisoprol and Weight gain". I was diagonised with CHF in 2008 and soonafter put on Bisoprol 10 mg. After treatment with Lasix to remove the fluid build up, I was told to" walk like hell" > And walk I did. I used to walk from my house to go to the appointments at the heart function clinic. On evenings I would take my two pound dumbbells and walk in the neighbourhood. I shopped normally and went to the librabry. And then slowly I found myself slowing down, getting tired to go places and the weight gain. I told my specialist about the weight gain and she said "try again" saying that Bisoprol does not cause weight gain. She said "eat less". And less did I eat. I cut all breads and spreads, sugars annd ate more greens than a cow. Finally I cut even breakfast which is normal because I sleep all the way to almost lunchtime. At lunch I make light unsalted soup and a bowl of greens. I am never full just a feeling of comfort in my tummy.. At dinner I eat one normal meal balancing betweeen carbs, lots of leaves and just a piece of meat or none at all. Yet all i do is pack pounds. My bum is big, my thighs brush against each other, i feel heavy and haven't walked a block in almost a year. I take a cab because even walking to the bus-stop in so taxing. Last time in 2013 I saw a different specialist who cut down the dosage by half to 5 mg without me asking only because she felt my heart function was "very normal". Oh and I forgot to say that in 2010 took myself off the drug and had fluid build quickly I had to be readmitted. But then I was also taking very low amount of lasix. Now I take much more lasix and since last week i cut the dosage of bisoprol to 2.5 mg a day. So far I have not noticed any extra swelling and I am keeping my fingers crossed. I do yoga now which helps with breathing. Even my family doctor cannot believe how clear my lungs are but I know it is from the improved breating of yoga. If I notice a bit of swelling on my feet I stretch the with yoga moves and then sleep. In the morning they are flat. I am listening to my body and seeing if reducing Bisoprol will bring back some energy. Maybe it is wishful thinking but some heaviness on my legs seems to have improved a tad. God bless all of you.

I have been browsing through this discussion & so many of the experiences people have related are

familiar to me. The fatigue and tiredness are sometimes unbearable & it seems the medical

profession in general are unaware or couldn't care less about the long term effects of this God awful tablet.

hi i came on here 6 months ago after just having a heart attack, and to express my concerns with taking bisoprolol and ramipril medication, i had decided from the beginning not to take these tablets because of the instant side affects i was feeling, and have been on a raw veg and fruit diet since, with the odd slip of food sins i recently went for another check up with cardiac specialist who on examination said, "what ever your doing, keep doing it" as Hippocrates said...."let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food" i still take the blood thinning tablets at this time, but i have just recently stopped taking my statins, i don't trust pharmaceutical companies one bit, they are all about profit, and they are more concerned about easing the symptons than curing us, no profit in cures

I have read the posts on here with great interest. I have taken 5mg of bisopropol and a low dose aspirin for 7 / 8 years with seemingly few side effects. But lately that has changed and I don't know if my symptoms

are from the tablets or something else. I used to get dreadful palpitations which are much better now but

now I experience ectopics intermittently - so, weeks without, then weeks of feeling dreadful. Symptoms

include terrible fatigue, breathlessness even when walking short distances, numbness in feet / lower legs

and lightheaded / strange headaches [not pain, but almost tingling - often on one side]. I am 61, just retired from teaching but still involved in education-related work - so I am active. This is so unpredictable in that I

never know how I will feel from one day to the next. Just awaiting results from two weeks with a cardiac

memo. Any thoughts anyone, please?

I've had AF for about 8 years. Recently went for an echocardiograph and during this procedure was sent to A&E and kept in a ward overnight. Next day a cardio chap said to try Bisoprolol and stop taking Tildiem300, which I'd been on for years. This change happened two weeks ago.

Started at 1.25 mg for an afternoon in hospital checking my lung function with a peak flow meter for a few hours. Was then given a box of 2.5mg Bisoprolol and discharged.

Saw my GP a couple of days later. Check heart rate, still around 130 (normally 68). He said increase Bisoprolol to 5mg daily and see him again in five days. Anyway, long story short, ramped up to 10mg Bisoprolol daily.

Last night had to sit up all night. Just could not breathe. Ventolin inhaler did no good! Felt I was suffocating.

Today I've taken NO Bisoprolol or Ramipril; may take 5mg of each later. This combo is definitely no good for me. Hate them both.

Seeing GP again on Monday and will tell him what I'm feeling about these drugs; also seeing the cardio guru in a couple of weeks time and will see what the 'experts' have to say.

Definition of expert: One who knows more and more about less and less.

Oh, forgot to mention that today I looked at the leaflet for Bisoprolol and it recommends about 15 WEEKS to increase from 2.5mg to 10mg Bisoprolol . It's taken me 15 DAYS. Is this medical madness?

Don't know if this will be of use to anyone, but my cardiologist has recommended NEBIVOLOL as an alternative to Bisoprolol, it supposedly has less side effects.

The other thing that I found works, until I started getting migraine, is BEETROOT juice - 250ml per day.

I can't bear taking any more anti-hypertensive stuff though, so I probably won't use Nebivolol unless things get REALLY REALLY VERY VERY bad.

My health has deteriorated each time I've tried a new anti-hypertensive medication. I'm now housebound but I was ok before I started down this pharmaceutical road!

It's ironic that I've qualified for DLA since using the medication (for what was, with hindsight, a slightly raised bp - nothing like it is now).

My health (not inc my bp) hasn't fully returned to 'normal' since stopping the meds.

I still have, to some degree, fatigue, muscle pains, slight dizziness, tinnitus etc etc etc. At least the vertigo has stopped.

I wish I'd never used the prescribed drugs.

Exercise!

Watch your diet!

Try and avoid the meds, if possible!

For anyone being prescribed meds by their GP, maybe get an appt with a Cardiologist?

Some drugs are only available from a consultant - your GP will prob not know about the newest drugs.

Be prepared to go see a few consultants before finding one who even acknowledges the serious side effects of many anti-hypertensives...

I had a heart attack on 25th January, I am 40 years old - not overweight, dont smoke, normal blood pressure, low cholesterol and play tennis / badminton 3 to 4 times a week. Yet stil had a heart attack.

I have been prescribed a low dose of Bisoprolol, probably the lowest you can get (1.25mg) along with a host of other medications.

I played my first badminton match on Wed 5th March and could feel that I was fuelled purely by adrenalin; when I finished the match which lasted about two hours I was absolutely knackered, was falling asleep on the bench behind the court.

I also experienced my toes going numb in my shoes - I am led to believe that this was also due to the Bisoprolol.

I did go back to my doctor to see if I should be playing matches and he confirmed that I would be ok - the bisoprolol will prevent my heart rate getting too high and causing any problems. I played again Monday evening and am playing another match tonight.

I felt that it wasnt as bad on Monday as it was last Wednesday so hopefully there will be further improvement when I play tonight. My view is that every time I push myself that little bit further my strength / stamina and general fitness will take a step towards where it was before my heart attack.

Anyone else get the cold / numb toes thing, as that is really bugging me!

Speak soon

Richard

Hi Richard

Sorry to hear about heart attack. I've been taking 1.25mg for last 4 months for SVT. I have tingly/numb hands. Also feel lower in mood, and feel girder than usual. It has not lowered heart beat or blood pressure and I have had two incidents if SVT in last 2 months so have decided to stop taking it.

I'm 24 , its my second day on 10 mg of bisoprolol. I'm in my.last year of uni studying theatre and performance. I cannot believe how totally knackered i feel after a day of not really very much. I'm sure im.just getting used to the change in meds, i remember being put in 2.5 mg and thinking my world had turned upside down. I've survived 2 cardiac arrests do.i can survive a wee bit of tiredness, but I'm all of a sudden a little bi worried that all this lethargy will impact on my grades. Will it stop soon?

Charles

I would be very cautious of stopping any prescribed medication without your GP's approval. The numbness in my toes has improved and I think I am getting used to the medication. Dreading going back for my review though on 16th April where they will probably up the dose.

Paige

That's a hell of a dose of Bisoprolol!! I know its easy to say and difficult to do, but you need to worry as little as possible about your grades. While they are very important they can never be as important as your health. You should tell your lecturers of your medical conditions and your medications and the side effects that they have. They may take this into consideration when marking your submissions, especially if from the date of your prescription the standard of your work has materially changed.

From reading these messages it would seem apparent that the effect of the medication on every individual varies, there is no knowing how long it will last. There will be influencing factors, and again every person is different.

My tiredness has decreased a bit over a weeks, but I can still get very tired very quickly.

I have found that trying to keep positive helps, and thinking about what you can do yourself to help yourself improve. Your doctor will be able to help on lifestyle tips - what you eat has a lot to do with how your body works. When I was in hospital I found it easier to drink the 1.5 litres of water a day that the body needs, I definitely felt better in myself while I was doing this.

Stay positive guys