Help please - 9 years deep and about to stop Bisoprolol

look at...tapering off bisoprolol...sent as a topic on here and sent by Bob. The info is brilliant....I doubt if you'd find such info elsewhere.

    About the side effects...after 4 years of bisoprolol and mentioning to my doc that I was having loads of symptoms...I wasn't given any reasons,no dialogue,no solution. I just put up with it thinking it was the a fib! I had more anxiety, dizzy, no energy, sleeping through the day, depressed,cold hands& feet, couldn't stand for fear so falling over, walking was like going through treacle, thinning hair, weight gain, runny nose and bleeds and eyesight was affected. Yes,quite a list,but my doc didn't listen..so I continued to put up with all of these.

   I then found this web sight and read what others were saying. I took a risk and decided to taper the bisoprolol. As you know ,it's not easy. I cut the dosage slowly over a few months. I can only describe it as hell. Some days I was ok,other days I had the palps, dizzy etc. I read that the withdrawal was likened to cold turkey...the effects of it would be worse than the effects of the bisoprolol.

   It can take months to recover. I persevered and the effects disappeared, however a new doc prescribed atenolol for my a fib! I took this religiously but the side effects returned. I persevered for 2 years,then decided to taper off this as well. Same issues ....withdrawal..hell again. I'm now beta blocker free. I'm off them ,never to be taken again. I may sound silly to some on here,but I'm not going through that again. I live with the anxious,jittery feeling everyday and my heart rate fluctuates...but my other symptoms have gone. I need to get the extra weight off and my optician has said that my eye test was so much improved..that was only last week Crazy!

  I know some find these beta blockers lifesavers...but not me! I've rattled on here,but I wanted to give you my experience in the hope that it may give you the courage to make the right decision and the courage to do it. Keep us all posted. You'll get lots of help here.

   At 46, you're still a bit of a chicken and plenty of golf in those bisoprolol free legs! 

 

Hi Simon, tell me are palpitations are form of  Arrhytmia as i'm not sure and i will come back to you as i suffer Heart Disease and have a pacemaker. please tell me and i will come back to you as i have had big problems with bisoprolol. I can tell you that any of theses drugs that end in the letters lol are the same drug just have diffrent names. i had 4 years of hell with theses drugs.

Hi Simon, Sorry to hear you have had such problms with Bisopropol. My wife was on it and it made her very tired and wanting to sleep all the time, this also applied to me, I spke to my wifes Cardiologist and he agreed for her to go on Atenolol in stead, I only took Bisopropol for a ver short time and it made me like a Zombie, likewise I came of it with my GPs agreement and both of us have beeb fine ever since.

I would add that every drug has a different effect on different people depending on what they have wrong with them also on what other drugs they take.

Good Luck Ken.

Hi Simon

I was on beta blockers for 20 years latterly bisoprolol. I was on 2.5mg with a heart rate of 41 I had to come of them. I reduced in November to 1.25mg and did have some problems.In February my heart rate was low again so I went ontobiting the 1.25mg in half which I did for a few days then stopped them altogether. Since then its been a rocky road with a very fast heartrate, mood swings, rapid speech etc.

I now take to Magnesium taurate capsules a day which helps to regulate the heart after 4 months my heart rate is normalising again. My resting heart rate is good. I still feel like my heart is a bit too excitable at times but overall I feel so much better good concentration etc I sometimrs feel a bit down as I feel the symptoms I have had in recent years has affected my quality of life.I think GPs should have a much greater understanding of side effects and people should not be kept on medication for years at a time without any review. Good luck.

I was on it for about 4 months every day I would wake up feeling so bad I didn't think I could make it through the day.Told doctor said same as yours no way its the med. Kept taking finally said enough called doc he said just quit it. That's the worst thing you can do. So I cut the tablets gradually back over a month. Blood pressure went back up but feeling great. Internal med doc trying different meds. In proof losing weight. That med should be pulled of the market

Tom

Simon, hi.

Please take a look at some older topics on this forum, you have 100s of posts from people about tappering off.

In short, you were taking it for 9 years and your body adjusted to a life with Bisoprolol. Your heart as a muscle is weaker now since it has been beating slow and weak for 9 years (due to drugs), to prevent tachycardias, arrhythmias, palpitations etc.

Try to picture your heart as a muscle in a leg, after you have been in bed for 9 years after a car accident and now you have to walk and run suddenly.

More or less, this is how your heart looks today after 9 years on drugs.

Some people don't have any problems while quitting a drug. Some suffer for a few weeks, some suffer for 6-12 Months. Some people, sadly, die (there were a few stories here also). A mom of one lady from this forum was taken off Beta blockers cold turkey and she died 2 days after that. 

In short, most common withdrawal symptoms when you quit the drug are:

Resting heart rate around 90-100-110 all day long. Blood pressure going up a lot, inability to walk or get out of bed for some days or weeks. Anxiety for weeks or for Months. Pain in abdomen, in muscles, in ankles, dizziness, headaches, nausea, different types of breathing problems. I had problems with loud noises and sunlight for a few weeks (part of anxiety and being nervous all the time after quitting drugs since BBs affect/block adrenaline).

Since you have been taking a drug for 9 years, it is very likely that you will suffer a stronger withdrawal, so it would be better to tapper it slowly. It will take longer, but long term you will be fine.

Try to do something like this: lower the dose from 1,25Mg to 3/4 of that dose (around 0,90Mg) and stay on that dose 1 Month until you will feel normal.

You will see that you will be less tired, you will have less breathing problems and you will have more energy.

But, on the other hand, you will also experience a mild withdrawal when going from 1,25Mg to 0,90Mg.

I used to feel ill all the time when I was going through it. I felt as if I had some sort of flu all the time (but I didn't have a flu) and a strange pain in whole abdomen for weeks.

Imagine that I had breathing problems around 10 out 10 (in strength) while I was on 1,25Mg dose and I felt tired for 10/10.

Then, when I would lower a dose to 0,90Mg, my breathing problems dropped from 10/10 in strength to 7/10 and I was less tired, let's say from 10/10 to 7/10 also.

But, on the other hand, withdrawal symptoms kicked in, and I had pain in the abdomen, some strange pain in my lungs, nausea, some palpitations, being anxious etc.

So, with a slow tappering, you will see that your original side effects from Bisoprolol will slowly disappear and you will know that it is getting better.

But, some new problems will kick in.

So, be prepared for your original side effects getting weaker, but new problems kicking in.

But, the good news is that these new symptoms are only temporary, and they will be here roughly for 2-6 Months.

And after that, you will get rid both of Bisoprolol's side effects and withdrawal's side effects.

So, again, when you will lower the dose, you will feel better in one way, and worse in the other way.

Then you should stay on that dose for 1 Month until you will feel slightly better.

When you will feel better, you can go down to half of a dose (0,60Mg), and the same will happen. Original problems will be even weaker and weaker since you are taking smaller amounts of drug, but THE SAME withdrawal symptoms will kick again. So, you had the first withdrawal when going from 1,25Mg to 0,90Mg. After suffering, you will start to feel better. But when you will lower the dose from 0,90 to 0,60Mg, the same withdrawal problems will kick in again.

But again, remember, this is temporary and think about a long term, brighter future.

When a 2nd withdrawal (at 0,60Mg) will slowly go away, lower the dose from 0,60Mg to 0,30Mg (1 quarter of 1,25Mg).

Also, the lowest doses are the strongest, and it is the hardest to get rid of them.

So, once you come to a 0,30Mg dose, don't quit it completely, but do this:

At first, take a full 0,30Mg dose for some time.

Then, when you will feel ok, take a drug once in 2 days for 2-3 weeks.

When you will feel fine on that dose, try to take a drug once in 3 days, and stay on that dose for 2-3 weeks.

Then you can stop it completely.

But even then, you will still have some rough time after that.

I have personally been through this 2 times. I didn't make it in the first time because I weaned off to fast and I ended at ER with HR jumping to 160 (and staying there) for no reason (40 days after quitting a drug).

In the 2nd attempt, 1 year later, I was weaning off very slowly, as explained above, for 6-8 Months and I am off drugs currently (7 Months off currently).

I can walk more and more again. I am not tired all the day long. I can breathe normaly again. My head and memory is less foggy etc.

So, please, go slowly, and read some other topics on this forum, you will find more stories and advices.

Oh, and for the end, drink a lot of water every day. A LOOOOOT, while you will be quitting drugs. If you will drink a lot, that will slow down your heart rate in a natural way.

Also, buy some Magnesium supplements, they are slowing down HR and they will help you during the rocky days.

My GP gave me tiny amounts of Valium while I was weaning off Beta blockers, because your central nervous system will be very sensitive (lots of anxiety, being nervous and scared all the time, your heart rate jumping up all the time whatever you do etc). I am not taking Valium anymore, since my Beta blocker's withdrawal is luckily gone.

hi Simon interesting reading your message on Bisoprolol i feel tired all the time too but only been on them 5 years after having a double bypass I am 71 so that's probably my age. have same effects as you though I didn't know taking supplements and vits interfere with it though I've just started on honey with Tumeric vit c & Vit D and it does help? as I'm fed up with taking tablets all time maybe you could try it

Hi,

I was unfortunately on Biso 15 months marked by:

• nightmares
• back pain
• anxiety
• WORST OF ALL SHAKING when its time for new dose

In my experience looks like Biso "locks in" and "changes" how CNS and periphery nervous system communicate via various synapses, ions and channels which prevents it from being functional like it used to. As a result some get nervous system that is slowly degrading and dying so called nephropathy and it shows in blurred vision, balance problems, pain, SHAKING, WEAKNESS etc. Ofc, the more time you were on Biso and bigger the dose THE WORSE it is. Doctors will ofc convince you its OK for 35 year old to have all those symptoms, testament to just how far Hipocratic oath has come nowdays.

Any way, easily biggest mistake in my life, better would have been to spent jail time.

Tried to ween off but impossible. Anxiety, all sorts of pain, SHAKINESS are just to horrible to bear. Its like a doomsday machine. As added sound of horror you can even hear your heart beat in the brain but as irregular and distorted sound. Biso will simply NOT ALLLOW anyone to tamper with its now properly "locked in" CNS and periphery neuro vegetative systems. You SIMPLY CANT "UNLOCK IT" to become normal again.

BUT, there was a solution in my case. Switched to Nebivolol it UNLOCKED IT at lowest dose 1.25 mg and in moments I started to feel much better. Its than possible to ween off Nebivolol if you wish but I don't have any side effects any more and Nebivolol as beta blocker does provide support against arrhythmia AND heart attack as is vasodilator so I stayed on 1.25 mg.

Regards