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Info for people taking Bisprolol

Posted , 11 users are following.

Alison_wasNacho
Alison_wasNacho

Hi, this is more of a warning or hopefully help to anyone prescribed this drug, or a family member that has. My father, a previously active 78 year old was prescribed bisprolol after a pacemaker was fitted in Sept last year. We were warned about possible side effects but nothing could have prepared us for how horrific they were. Cutting a long story short, once Dad’s prescription was upped, he started displaying symptoms similar to dementia. He was very quiet, but also very confused and struggled to get his words out. Over the coming weeks, he turned into a shell of the man he once was; barely any conversation, no personality and he just constantly hid behind his newspaper (but he didn’t appear to be reading it). 

The worst came when he started to look for his mum....she died 50 years ago and he just couldn’t understand it when we told him this. Then he got my sister (his eldest daughter) and his wife (our mum) mixed up....then he started not recognising my mum altogether. To say this was hideous is an understatement - my poor mum, Sams age as him was caring for him but he didn’t know who she was. One day he even said to me ‘you can’t expect me to believe that’s my wife’. 

As a family we were obviously distraught. My sister was convinced it was dementia, however it just didn’t seem that way to me. Eventually after a horrific 3 months, we frogmarched Dad to the GP and insisted they start withdrawing him from bisprolol. Within a week the difference was amazing - Dad was back! Within a fortnight he was practically back to his normal cheeky self and now it’s been 2 months he’s back to normal completely. The GP said it was likely hallucinations caused by these beta blockers and that some people can’t tolerate them but it was so much worse than that. 

I’m writing this in case anyone is struggling to work out why their family member isn’t quite themselves - if I had read this at the time it would have given me hope. 

1 like, 26 replies

26 Replies

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  • victor99184
    victor99184 Alison_wasNacho

    Posted

    I just turned 30 and have been on this disgusting drug for 14 years, finally after months of careful weaning with a scale I'm almost off of it, there are alternatives to bisoprolol I would recommend go other routes before taking bisoprolol, glad your dad is back to normal!!

  • peter01729
    peter01729 Alison_wasNacho

    Posted

    Now this is interesting, I was put on 1.25 mo Bisoprolol Jan 17. Right away I said it made me feel like a drunk zombie. 

    Even though I cut the tablets in half, I was still so ill on them that they took me off.

    Trouble is, the side effects Bisoprolol gave me remained, here we are over a year later and the drunk zombie side effect is even worst at times. today was a bad day, just standing up and I felt as if gravity was to the side of me, trying to pull me over, I had to lean against the wall.

    • Alison_wasNacho
      Alison_wasNacho peter01729

      Posted

      Peter that’s horrendous. What does your GP say about this (probably don’t believe it to be linked I bet).  What you describe also sounds a lot like labyrinthitis - may be worth mentioning that to the doc? Wishing you better very soon. 
    • peter01729
      peter01729 Alison_wasNacho

      Posted

      I have pretty much lost my job as a result of these beta blockers and the NHS being so slow, I have used up a year of  sick pay, so am now using all the annual leave so that I still get payed.

      I had one cardiologist at St Thomas' get a little angry on my insistence Bisprolol had given me permanent side effects, he said he had been a cardiologist for 15 years and Bispolol comes out of your system in 12 hours, (even though you take it every 24 hours)! He said nothing to with them, see my GP, maybe the breathlessness is lung cancer, he said. 

      Every time I see my GPs they would say, "we are waiting on your cardiologists", so for months nothing at all was being done, so I had to train myself to be a doctor via Google. I learnt all my symptoms are a result of disruption to my Autonomic Nervous System, I learnt that beta blockers block adrenaline receptors in your autonomic nervous system, I learnt that beta blockers can cause Autonomic Neuropathy.So I even did a flow chart for one of my GPs showing her exactly what was wrong with me, she handed it back with a barely concealed sneer, I just walked out when regarding one of my symptoms of brain fog she said, "whats brain fog"? 

      Last December I finally got one of my cardiologists to listen to me at St Georges, he said he knew very little about the ANS but said I may well be right, so he referred me to the Neurology Hospital at Queens Square, a five minute Autonomic Blood Pressure test that a GP could easily have done earned me the initial diagnosis of "Autonomic Instability", told of a huge amount of tests I must now have, but their is a five month waiting list!

       

  • Mardi
    Mardi Alison_wasNacho

    Posted

    Sorry to hear this.

    Not surprising, I believe that this medication is capable of doing this.

    I am a young person that has been on this for just over 12 months. I cannot say they have effected me to this extent, The brain fog is horrible through. I used to be an organised, early , prompt switched on person! I had to be because of my line of work. Now I am lucky to get out the door in time (and not have to go back 3 times for things I have forgotten) 

     

    • Alison_wasNacho
      Alison_wasNacho Mardi

      Posted

      That’s dreadful to hear. I know there are other alternatives out there but of course you’d need to wean off the bisoprolol first. I hope you can get support to do that. 
    • Mardi
      Mardi Alison_wasNacho

      Posted

      Thanks Alison 😀 we tried Nebliet. took my heart rate to 130 so was apprehensive to try it again...  was back to bisoprolol until I can talk to my doctor. 

  • Me123456
    Me123456 Alison_wasNacho

    Posted

    I took the stuff for a month. 2.5 for a week, then down to 1.25 as the side effects were mental. Diarrhea, constipation, dizzy all the time, could hardly walk. Im 26 and was feeling 80. Been off it for a week and a half now and still suffer from a constant brain fog. 

    • Alison_wasNacho
      Alison_wasNacho Me123456

      Posted

      That’s awful. Did you wean off them slowly, as that’s the best way (really hope the brain fog clears for you) 
    • Me123456
      Me123456 Alison_wasNacho

      Posted

      Just went cold turkey and my doctor said it was ok. Almost 2 weeks now and i seem to still get very lightheaded and dizzy and visual problems when out and about or excercising. 
    • Alison_wasNacho
      Alison_wasNacho Me123456

      Posted

      The fact your doctor supported going cold turkey makes my blood boil! You always need to wean off them slowly - urgh doctors!!! I think it’s probably just a hangover from the meds and hope you’re ok soon lovely. 
    • Me123456
      Me123456 Alison_wasNacho

      Posted

      Thanks alison smile

      The doctor has a feeling it could all be down to anxiety but the symptoms of that and my arrhythmia which im taking biso for are very similar so until my cardiac testing is done i have to just sit and tough it out as no one can tell me whoch is causing all this. For sure though bisoprolol made it a hell of a lot worse. I slept 20 hours out of 24 one day 🙈

    • Mardi
      Mardi Me123456

      Posted

      They put too much down to Anxiety. 

      They wanted me to see a psycholigist rather than believe it was the medications 

      These tablets should be weaned off! Never cold turkey, ive heard so many stories of fatal heart attack and stroke just after coming off cold turkey 

    • Me123456
      Me123456 Mardi

      Posted

      Do you think i should have been weaned even after a month at such a low dosage?  I suffered for about a month with panic attacks and flu like symptoms before being admitted after a collapse (due to sertraline i was prescribed by the doc 3 days prior). I was diagnosed with pvc arrythmia and was give the biso which made me feel crap and still had all my original symptoms. Convinced i have a brain tumour or something but a quick reflex test and an eye exam seem to have ruled that out. Would feel better with a mri or ct etc. Docs dont seem to care about my diziness and vision. Ive asked about the possibility of an ear imbalance also bit again they wont do anything
    • Me123456
      Me123456

      Posted

      Should add that this all came out of the blue one day. Wasnt sick or stressed in any way leading up to this but then again underlying things arent always obvious
    • Alison_wasNacho
      Alison_wasNacho Me123456

      Posted

      It all sounds awful. Having suffered with anxiety a lot in the past I can sympathise. You just have to keep on at the doctors until you get the answers you deserve. Good luck!
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