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Bisoprolol buddies

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Guest
Guest

Hello fellow Bisoprolol buddies - I cannot actually believe that I didn't think of doing a search on Bisoprolol earlier as it is so comforting to have discovered this web page. I have been taking Bisoprolol Fumarate 5mg daily for the past 3 years following a frightening episode in town which resulted in my spending a week in the Cardiac ward of our local hospital. I had SVT while in hospital and the 'specialists' couldn't actually put a cause to my soaring blood pressure and rapid heartbeat. So, I've been told to stay on these tablets for life... I'm 48 now, was 45 then.

The comforting thing about reading the majority of these posts is that so many people are feeling ridiculous levels of tiredness; I don't recognise myself from 3 years ago. This isn't whingeing, just stating a fact. I have piled on the pounds - particularly blubby around my midriff - yet I eat less than ever. I am sometimes so overcome by exhaustion that I have to stop even the most trivial of chores. I have lost my 'get up and go', yet used to be so active with my three kids. I used to be so house proud, yet now can'tbe bothered other than to 'keep on top' of the housework. I used to love socialising, again, can't be bothered most of the time and when I do, I am glad when it is over. I love the peace and quiet of my own company so much more now and feel exhausted by company. Yet I AM ONLY 48 YEARS OLD!!!

I realise I am lucky to be alive, to be uncursed by serious ills, but still, it is healthy to have a little moan now and then, and gratifying to feel online empathy with other 'sufferers'. I find that my partner and children don't really understand - can't blame them, I don't truly either.

Take care one and all.

28 likes, 428 replies

428 Replies

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  • dh29599
    dh29599 Guest

    Posted

    Hello to "Guest" from 5 years ago - and to "Cuz1" of 10  months ago - and all the in-betweens I just read.......I'm also glad I found this site - if just for the reason of finally having my condition confirmed... that I am not the only one experiencing every side effect in the Bisoprolol-book of SEs.{side-effects}.  I recently did a thorough search of Biso...10mg/6.25 { that's biso fumarate plus Hydrochlorothiazide {HCTZ} - the combination pill - I have been on it for 10+ years...plus the 5mg Biso/HCTZ I was on about 5 years before that...   After an MI in 87 and a very stressfull life after that my BP eventually required a beta-blocker and I made it thru 78 birthdays this year... should thank the Lord for many years allowed me, but like most of you I am sick and tired of the cicadas buzzing constantly in my ears,{that's a Biso-SE also}, the weight-gain, the tiredness, the forgetfulness that may have been associated with the Fosomax that was Rx'ed for a full 10 years which I slowly discontinued after it was announced that it can cause memoryloss, etc...and the dizzyness from the biso... that is dangerous now, which caused a fall recently - Got away with just a sprained ankle.

    What I really do not like is that the combination Biso... with HCTZ also causes SEs of the HCTZ - which even the Doc's don't seem to think of ... HZTC is a diuretic which has it's own set of SEs... the worst of which in my opinion is the fact that the kidneys get used to it. So if you forget the medicin for a couple of days you start to swell up, because the kidneys have forgotten to work well... they have gotten used to the diuretic helping to do their work for them.... So changing betablockers has to involve getting a separate dose of diuretic prescribed along with it... as a seperate pill... and how that works with a new betablocker is a matter of individual trial and tolerance, which I have not had the courage to try yet.... I plan to research if it is possible to withdraw {the kidneys} from longterm adjustment to thiazide, and will the kidneys regain a higher percentage of function -  and if another Betablocker will have fewer SEs.  Betablockers are designed to slow the heartrate, and at times have slowed mine to around 36 beats / minute...

    After 1/2 hour of trying to wake in the mornings,  I end up with an average rate of 56........ needless to say ... I'm the slowpoke of the day..... and for the last few years, have made it a habit to sleep - when ever I get tired... read the latest research... which confirms that congestive heart patients, need to do just that !!!

    I hope the above "bloggers" are doing well ... I'll relate any future research as I run across it... God Bless all !!!

  • andyh1964
    andyh1964 Guest

    Posted

    Hi all, Ive just joined the site after a year on bisoprolol which rapidly left me feeling breathless, lethargic and weak. I could not carry out the simplest of tasks without feeling like all the breath had been sucked out of me. I repeatedly complained about this to my GP so concerned was I. this drug was prescribed after I suffered 2 heart attacks in a fortnight in January 2013. I have been an asthmatic since the age of 5. I finally got my Gp to take notice in January this year as I am fighting a tribunal casxe to keep my meagre benefits. He looked visibly shocked and declared "Oh God, you're an asthmatic you really shouldnt be on this" he immediately changed me to another drug but I feel like the damage has been done. I still experience the symptoms I describe above though to a lesser degree. I was particularly annoyed when I broached this with my GP and he tried to blame it on my having been a smoker with the comment "well tahts how your lungs were before the heart attack" No my lungs were not like that and I had none of those symptoms. I feel like I have been damaged and they still want to take my Benefits away. sad 
  • nippertx
    nippertx Guest

    Posted

    I have been on 2.5 mg for the past 3 yrs after suffering a blockage and having a stent fitted,  i relate totally to everything thats said here, i was 60 when i had my heart attack ,always on the go ,didnt want to slow down, since i started taking this and other meds i just cant seem to be bothered with anything, my legs and feet feel heavy and i get out of breath after a few yards, i also seem to have developed rhinitus, hay fever like symptoms that after a day of sneezing leave me drained and exhausted. its not hayfever or an allergy as such as i have had tests.

    my nose tickles and runs constantly and i sneeze just thinking about it.

    has any one else suffered this, i came off Asprin as a trial a month ago to see if it was this causing it but to no avail, still got it , so my next plan is to discuss coming off the bisoprolol with my doc.

    It is refreshing to know ,( if refreshing is the right word?) im not imagining the tiredness and apathy, i really do have to push myself to keep going somedays.

    Bedtime dosent come soon enough.

    I am just hoping someone else has the runny nose and the other symptoms as im running out of ideas ( and tissues lol).

    regards to all.

    • spotty1
      spotty1 nippertx

      Posted

      Yep, runny nose, hayfever symptoms, sinus-like headaches, post nasal drip and a couple of years of trekking to and from ENT appointments. Lots of different meds but nothing worked.

      Came off the bisoprolol (for hypertension) and the symptoms mostly resolved after a month or two.

      Turns out that rather than being hayfever etc, the symptoms, for me, were actually a constant migraine.

      I was surprised to find that migraine doesn't always cause a headache.

      Sometimes I just have a tender scalp or slight flashes that seem to be at the peripheral edge of my vision or very blocked nose and sneezing episodes. Other times I have a debilitating headache and weird visual patterns. Tinnitus gets very loud too, sometimes.

      I think the drugs mess up my hormone metabolisation and, for me, this ends up causing migraine.

      it's not just bisoprolol that causes this, I have essentially the same reaction with every anti-hypertensive I've tried.

      The other thing that I've found it that what I thought was pretty bad fluid retention in my legs is actually venous pooling. This makes my legs extremely tired and heavy feeling.

      When I elevate my legs though, to 'drain' some of the blood, I get a very blocked nose and breathing difficulties as a result.

      For venous pooling, if you're up to it, anything to strengthen the legs (esp calf muscles) is good - walking or using an excerise bike or doing squats etc (I have a recumbent ex-bike).

      Hope something here is of help!

    • nippertx
      nippertx spotty1

      Posted

      Hi,thanks for replying.

      I think that the bisoprolol and me are going to part company as soon a i can see my doc, i have been wary about coming off it but to be honest i am fed up with this rhinitus or whatever its called ruining my life, People dont realize how tired and exhausted you get with this constant sneezing and nose tickle and blowing your brains into a toilet roll every two minutes.

      watch this space is all i can say ?

    • josephine32
      josephine32 nippertx

      Posted

      Good luck.  I made the same decision and have had no ill effects.  It is three months now and every day I am feeling more energetic.  Buy a monitor and keep an eye on your own blood pressure and pulse to see if it rises.  If it does, then you would probably have to take something for this (but not Bisoprolol).  Just keep an eye on things...
    • nippertx
      nippertx josephine32

      Posted

      Thanks josephine32

      Its always good to hear a sucsess story,

      To be honest im not even sure i still need it , i never ever suffered with BP but my heart had a slight blip when i was in hospital, so consequently the threw medication my way. Asprin, Ramapril, Statin and Bisoprolol.

      my GP seemed reluctant to take me off anything but we have just got a new guy who does appear to listen and is approachable

      Its amazing how such a tiny tablet can kick the energy from you . anyway as i said I am intending making a comeback lol.

      thanks again for your reply and may you continue in good health.

    • dh29599
      dh29599 nippertx

      Posted

      Dear Nippertx- You are on 2.5mg for 3 years...  I am beginning to think I must be a horse... I've been on this stuff for more or less 15 years, at 5mg, last five or so on 10mg...and only in last year or 2 have I gotten to the point you are + so many here are suffering at low doses ... AND - YES I have the sneeze days, and the runny nose days, the hayfever days, and the numbness in my feet, thinking it might also be Neuropathy.I have the midriff bulge, but at 78 I feel like - so what... what really gets my goat is the dizziness.

      I fell once, pinned my foot under me, took me 1/2 hour to get up, and had sprained my ankle by then... So now it's " have that cane in the car" and "another at my chair-side".  Still have not figured out where to hide a door-key, in case I need to call 911 - they would have to break in, if I could not tell them where the key is. Carry my cell on me 99% of the time. Hope I don't fall during the 1% time...

      MOST IMPORTANT though - does  your Biso contain HCTZ..  Some of the symptoms we all suffer are influenced by what the kidneys do.

      Look at your palms - and finger-pads: are they wrinkelt - then you need to drink something fast... Are they puffy, then you are hydrated !

      With me, when de-hydrated, the Biso-symptoms are worse. ... Widh you the best !!!

       

    • dh29599
      dh29599 josephine32

      Posted

      dear jo32, you are a lucky one who could get away with stopping abruptly.

      That can be dangerous, and should be done under Doc's supervision....

      it's not something I would recommend to anyone... just read the text by googling "Bisoprolol"... it has a page of side-effects... and it says to withdraw slowly.. Glad you are o.k. though...Wish you well !!!

    • NickPick01
      NickPick01 nippertx

      Posted

      Hello, I realise this was 3 years ago. But just wondering if you came off bisoporol and if your congestion improved? If so, how long did it take? Currently experiencing the same thing!
  • jennifer15389
    jennifer15389 Guest

    Posted

    Hi All, I've been taking the dreaded Bisoprolol for nearly a year after suffering a SCAD (spontaneous coronary artery dissection).  Like all of you I am constantly tired, my legs feel like lead weights and ache all the time and have loaded the weight on. I am so close to stop taking them because the thought of feeling like this for the rest of my life is almost worth the risk of a repeat SCAD. Its so depressing to feel this way every day. I was such a positive happy-go-lucky person now I don't recognise myself - neither do other people. I am just wondering if anyone has changed to taking their tablets at night before going to bed, and has it helped? I'm desperate to feel like my old self again.  I am only 49, yet I feel an old person now.  My doctor has sent a letter to the consultant who treated me at the time to seek his advice and see what the alternatives are.
  • ian19404
    ian19404 Guest

    Posted

    I found myself on a CCU ward after "a bit of a cough" developed into heart attack symptoms. After a week of being told I'd had a heart attack (but arteries were clear) an MRI result changed the diagnosis to myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation) brought-on by pneumonia.

    I was discharged within 2 hours with a bag of goodies, including Bisoprolol (1.25mg), Ramipril (2.5mg) and anti-biotics.

    My opinion at the time was Ramipril was the main culprit preventing me from going back to work. My GP agreed to halve the dose and the dizziness and near-blackouts lessened and I was able to drive again.

    I continued to suffer fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches and spasms, and eventually followed the advice (8 weeks on)of a trainee pharmacist to take Ramipril every other day - which again helped, particularly with the near-black-outs. Just recently (@12 weeks) I had a repeat prescription of Bisoprolol in different packaging; I'd been used to the individual tear-off foil tabs but these came in a 28 pill blister-pack. By the second day I had severe dizziness from morning to night and extreme irritability (with everything and everyone!) - I simply could not bring myself to take again that evening. The next day (without) was much better, and I took both Ramipril and Bisoprolol that evening.

    The following day I saw my consultant, and again I was in the mood to bite everyone's head off (totally out-of character for me). She agreed I could stop Ramipril and should taper off Bisoprolol over 4 weeks.

    That was when I found this site and other info which led me to understand I'd be safe to stop abruptly. Starting from minimum (1.25mg dose) it decays by half every 15 hours. So skipping one day reduced the dose in my system to 12.5% (1/8 after 45 hours), skipping 2 days would reduce the remaning level to 3% (1/32 after 75 hours). I'm now in the second skipped day and feel totally lifted!

    I must state I never had any prior heart condition, and it was never really explained why I should take them - so I'm not proposing this is right for anyone else!

    Has anyone else noted a difference between manufacturers?

    • josephine32
      josephine32 ian19404

      Posted

      This site has been a revelation and of great help to me also.  If you have to take Bisoprolol, then take it at night (Tip 1 learnt here).  If you feel crushing fatigue and a loss of interest in life, then Bisoprolol is the culprit usually.  I was on 7.5mg and felt terrible most of the time.  I stopped it from one day to the next, also stopped an anti arrhthmic at the same time.  Each day I am feeling better, no ill effects.   Yesterday I did the gardening for the first time in a very long time.

      Incidentally, Ramipril gave me a deep coughing fit at least twice a day.  My friend who is a GP says it stimulates the part of the brain which has the coughing reflex and this reacts in some.  You can only try and see with most of these drugs.

    • ian19404
      ian19404 josephine32

      Posted

      Yes, that's something I figured out after a few weeks; the Dr said to take in the morning (so that the residual dose is lowest at night when not exerting) - I found I had more energy in the afternoon by allowing the worst of its effects to wear-off overnight.

      I've never had high blood pressure --> Ramipril gave me several near-blackout episodes per-day

      I've never had a fast or erratic heartbeat --> Bisoprolol made my heart-rate low (Dr measured on Tuesday morning) and made me feel generally awful; dizzy, thick-headed, unable to concentrate, and extremely irritable.

      This is my 3rd day off both drugs and I feel great with no withdrawal symptoms. In my opinion I should not have been prescribed either drug. I fully sympathise with all those here who have a symptom which the drug is meant to treat.

      I'm confident I would have been left on these for way-too-long and for no-good-reason if I hadn't kicked up a fuss and taken some control. 

  • jamesbrown
    jamesbrown Guest

    Posted

    Josephine, This is just my opinion. I honestly think it's a bad thing to "mess" with your medication, especially just stopping an anti arrhythmic suddenly. I imagine you were given that medication for a specific heart problem,if it were me I would speak to my GP first before doing anything drastic like that. Yes I agree the Ramapil, does give some patients a cough, me included, my GP changed that to Candesartan which results were equally as good for me personally. As for Bisoprolol, yes I agree with what you are saying re the side effects, but what alternative is there?I would rather my BP be controlled than maybe having to suffer a Cardiac event. I think you ought to discuss all this with your GP before taking matters into your own hands.I was amazed that anyone would do this.........................I stress this is my personal opinion.
    • josephine32
      josephine32 jamesbrown

      Posted

      Sorry, I should have made it clear that I elected to come off Bisoprolol and also Flecainide when my consultant visited me on the ward after my unplanned pacemaker implantation some four months ago.  He said it was my decision, but I didn't do this without careful consideration and he would have warned me if it was likely to have possibly dangerous consequences.  I monitor my BP each morning with a wrist monitor and take a Valsartan pill if I get a higher than normal reading.  This averages one pill a week.  I still have atrial fibrillation and have to take lifelong anti coagulation medication, Pradaxa in my case.  This is not negotiable for me, so I guess it does depend on what condition you have.  However, where Bisoprolol is concerned, if I had been told I could not come off it, then I would be researching alternatives pronto!
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