PVST and Bisoprolol help

Treatment and medication
1

Hi Everyone,

I'm 18 years old and have been diagnosed with PVST after having it for about a year.

I have been prescribed Bisoprolol and have to take 2.5mg a day, however I am scared to start this medication after doing research and hearing how horrible it makes you feel and how difficult it actually is to come off this drug due to how bad it makes you feel and your condition can actually worsen if you come off the drug.

I know you are not supposed to stop this drug suddenly but I was wondering if I could test it for a week and then stop as my body won't be used to it yet?

Any advice, is it even worth taking because my Doctor said they "hope" it helps which doesn't sound like it will help and doesn't sound worth all the side affects and horrible feelings.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2

Even after just a couple days your body will get used to it so be mindful when starting this medication. I to had psvt ,prescribed this for 14 years and just have recently got off of it, if I can explain how good I feel it would be an understatement. Also in my personal opinion it's this is just me but I get the same effect from 0.5mg as I would with 2.5.mg. all I'm saying is really think about this medicine before taking it, your only 18 years old psvt can be a result of high stress.. why dont you try a natural herb like ashwagandha? It helped me tremendously with a whole bunch of issues I had including psvt. Goodluck bud

3

Thank you for replying, it means a lot.

What did you feel like while on the medication, also why are you allowed to come off it now after 14 years, was there a weaning process as I know you aren't meant to stop suddenly.

I've heard the majority of people say when they come of it their condition worsens or they feel terrible, how come you feel good?

I have always been really hesitant when it comes to taking medication, unless I really need it, like I've been fine for over a year dealing with PSVT so I don't see a need in taking this after weighing out all the negative effects.

Thank you for taking the time to reply mate 👍

4

I really only had one episode of psvt and my doctor just put me on this medication, honestly I wish I was never on it. While I was on it I was very lethargic, had no motivation whatsoever and was depressed. With this medication it blocks ephedrine aka adrenaline and makes your heart beat slower which then makes you depressed and it also definitely lowers a males testosterone. After being off it things started to get alot better , not tired whatsoever ,anxiety disappeared and now I have a better outlook on things, after 14 years ... I wish I knew earlier how terrible this drug was, I will say if you need it that bad then do take it but in my situation I did not have to be on it in my opinion.

And yes there was a weaning process, very very tidious, with a milligram scale I had to chip off 1mg (with a razor) every week just to properly get off. Before having a scale I was doing it by eye and that was the worst thing I've ever done. My body realized I was to low on dosage and it was looking for the drug, that sparked my body to have a crazy adrenaline rushes and panic attacks, I mean really serious panick attacks.

Like i said earlier being on ashwaghanda while weaning off was a life saver.

If you have anymore questions let me know!

5

I can go one or two days without having an episode but most days I have anywhere between 1 and 10 episodes, they don't last long and I've just come to deal with it over time.

I don't think I'm going to start taking this medication after all I've heard it just doesn't seem worth it.

Like you said, I'm only 18, this could eventually pass on its own in time, so I'll just wait it out and try to reduce stress, etc.

So was it your own decision to come off the medication or did your doctor tell you.

I'll definitely look into the natural method you suggested. I appreciate your help it's always good to hear how other people deal with it.

Thank you again for all the help!

6

Paul,

At the end of the day only you can choose what medication you want to take. You are allowed to say no to doctors. I personally think this drug is dangerous, it ruined my husband's health, he had every side effect listed and some that were not listed.

Since my hubby had his heart attack last february I have learned doctors have a list of go to pills they are told to prescribe for each condition, some will not listen when told of side effects suffered. Hubby was not told by the doctor to come off this pill slowly, when the doctor was told how bad he was he said stop it.

You are so young, read about this drug, then you can make up your mind. Good luck.

7

Reduce stimulants like coffee, eat good, not processed foods go for little runs if you could. Also look into cbd(not thc), that would help alot in my opinion. So many factors come into play with these conditions. Goodluck !

8

Yeah I cut out stimulants a while back, but not sure if it really helped in my case.

No problem I'll look into it, thanks again Victor smile

9

Thank so much for your reply Jen.

I am so glad I decided to research this drug before taking it.

I was prescribed this drug yesterday and I've spent all that time researching it and really deliberating over whether it is worth it and I've decided I won't start taking it due to the fact I've been able to deal with it for so long without the drug.

So there is really no point in taking the medication if I don't even know that it will help, and that it'll most definitely do more bad than good.

I'm sorry to hear about your husband, I hope all is well now and I wish you both all the best.

I appreciate you taking the time out to tell me this, It was really helpful for me, I'm hoping it goes away by itself in time before I resort to taking any medicine.

All the best!

10

Hi, Paul.

I am one of those who don't like this drug and who have weaned off and quit. But, I have heard from a lot of doctors and patients that only let's say 30% of people have strong side effects. My dad is taking some Beta Blockers and he doesn't have any problems (even though he is tired and sleeps a lot). My grandfather, while he was alive, was taking these drugs for 20+ years and never had any problems. On the other hand, I felt like in hell during taking these drugs.

Also, remember that on majority on forums, it is more likely that people who have some problems with drugs will bother to post and write. If you were feeling fine on drugs, you wouldn't need to go on forums and read other people's opinions since you would like a normal life and you wouldn't care about these forums, more or less.

So, on forums you will usually find customers with bad reviews and some problems with a product, and not people who are happy with a product.

So, a ratio of negative vs positive reviews on forums doesn't reflect a real life ratio perfectly.

So, for start, you may be one of those lucky people who don't have problems with Beta blockers.

Or, if you will have some problems, maybe you will be also among those luckier who have only some mild and tolerable side effects.

About Beta blockers and your question, I don't think that you will have problems if you will take a drug and stop after only 7-10 days. Imo, you need to take a drug for 20-30 or more days and then you can experience some mild withdrawal. But even then, it will be way weaker than a withdrawal after taking a drug for a year, two or ten.

My biggest problem with Bisoprolol and other Beta blockers was inability to breathe. 

It was as if my center in the brain which controls breathing was sleeping and I had to manually force myself to breathe majority of time. I had a feeling often as if my lungs forgot to take a breathe and as if signals from a brain to lungs are not coming.

So, I would just sit in my room, or walk, and ask myself: why aren't my lungs breathing normally like before?

When I stopped taking Beta Blockers, my lungs started to receive signals from my brain again and I am breathing normally today.

If you are reading this and you haven't experienced it, it may sound as if I am crazy.

But that is a thing with Beta blockers and other drugs. Only people who have been through the same may understand. These stories may sound totally crazy for normal people.

From other side effects, I was tired, you will have some slight anxiety from time to time, maybe some dizziness.

And in general, my brain and memory felt "foggy", as if you aren't thinking as fast and as clear as your normal self. Also, these drugs affect brain and for example, I had nightmares 1-2 times per week.

While today, off drugs, I have nightmares once in 30-60 days.

I don't know how dangerous is your condition.

It is up to you and your docs to decide what medicine you should take.

About a drug, imo, feel free to cut your dose in quarters and try 0,62Mg for a few days and see whether you feel good or bad and which side effects you feel.

Even though, a problem is that some side effects will start from the day 1, while some will start after a month or two. They don't start right away from the day 1.

So, even if you will feel good after 7 or 10 days on a drug, it doesn't mean that some random side effect won't appear after 30 or 60 days.

But still, if I were you, I would try a drug (in quarters) even for 2-3-4 days.

If you will feel bad right away, at least you will know that you don't want to use it.

If you will feel the same as before, as explained above, maybe you are one of those lucky people who won't have any side effects on this drug.

Good luck

11

Hi Bob,

Just a query here on your 30%. Everyone I know in the late 60s plus age group never question their doctor. Whatever is prescribed they take therefore, if there are side effects they just take another drug which is hoped will counteract the side effects. This is why okder people take loads of pills a lot which are unnecessary. Everyone I know believe a doctor is super intelligent and will not question them, my hubby is one of them.

I read, read and read more to learn about any condition which affects me, then find a natural remedy but that is just weird me.

12

Hi there Paul,

Back in Feb 2016, I started having SVT out of the blue.  \i was 61 years old.

\i was put on biso for it. I did not question my cardiologist.

Immediately I started to feel like a zombie, I felt like I had no energy and could not get off the soda.  My heart rate and blood pressure was very low, and my hands and feet were like ice.  I took the same dose for about 2 months and then dropped it by half because of this.  

Then the end of June I was going to have an ablation and the EP specialist told me I needed to stop the biso 5 days prior to procedure.  I asked if it was okay to just stop the biso.  He answered ......it is just fine.    So I did.   But it was not just fine.  I went into awful  withdrawals.  Terrible anxiety....mainly physical but some mental too.

Now at this time I did not make the connection with the biso withdrawal.......I know stupid eh?

I thought it was terrible anxiety and my gp put me on Clonezepam and Trazodone.   Well that was a big mistake.  I took it for about 1 1/2 years. |I then had to do a 10 month weaning, and am now at about  10 months post.  Still having protracted withdrawal, but the windows and waves are starting to be on my side now.

If I had only known that the withdrawals from biso would have been like that, first I would had weaned off prior to procedure.....or never gone on them at all.

Stupid me for being so naive.  I went through hell going through withdrawals from all 3 drugs

13

I get what you are saying.

Also, with older people, they often don't know whether some side effects (feeling tired) are due to drugs or just them being older.

But still, in my family I have 5 members (me included) who are taking different kinds of Beta blockers for years.

It seems that I am the only one with problems and side effects.

Regarding my breathing problems, I can see from the first hand, that other 4 members of my family are breathing normally.

About other things like being tired, well, all of them DO sleep a lot.

But again, they are all aged 60 or 80, so it is hard to tell how much of that tiredness is from drugs and how much is from an old age.

About dizziness, none of my family members have dizziness from Beta blockers.

And none of them seems to have any anxiety issues currently.

If you check some older topics on this forum, I am one of the biggest haters of Beta blockers and I weaned off of them and I am not taking them anymore currently, and I advised a lot of people to wean off if possible.

But still, in my opinion and from my first hand experience from my family, this drug really affects each person in a unique way.

Majority of people don't have any side effects.

Some people have only some milder side effects like being tired and some brain fog.

While others, like majority of us here on forums have lived the worst days of our lives while we were on this drug.

Today, my opinion is: if you really need to take this drug, try it for 1-2 weeks and see how it fits you.

If you are feeling ok, continue for some time, since a withdrawal after 1 Month or 2 Months will be way easier than after 12 Months.

On the other hand, if you are feeling bad after 1-2 weeks already, you will know for sure that you are one of us, people who can't take Beta blockers, so you will look for other drugs and other solutions in the future.

In this text, for example, they say that 1 out of 5 people will have severe side effects and will need to quit Beta Blockers:

"Side effects

If beta receptors existed only in heart cells, beta blockers would be a more ideal cardiac drug. But since beta receptors are found in so many other tissues, these drugs can have unwanted effects throughout the body. That beta blockers have been in use for half a century is a plus, because it has given doctors and researchers plenty of time to observe how well these medications work, how safe they are, and what side effects they cause.

Most people who take a beta blocker experience at least one side effect from the drug. Although these are usually tolerable, about one in five people ends up switching to a different beta blocker or to another type of drug because of side effects. The most common ones include

drowsiness or fatigue

weight gain

shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

tingling or coldness in the hands or feet

dizziness or lightheadedness

headache

trouble sleeping or disturbing dreams

upset stomach, constipation, or diarrhea

mild depression

lowered sex drive.

The lower the dose, the lower the chances that a beta blocker will cause noticeable side effects. The combination of individual differences and medication differences means it can be a balancing act to find the drug and dosage that work best with the fewest side effects. If a side effect appears, don't be too quick to switch — adverse effects sometimes go away as the body gets used to the drug. If it persists, changing to a different beta blocker can often take care of the problem."

14

Lolasmom, did you still have the ablation? I ask because bisoprolol caused my hubby to have an ectopic beat which in turn has caused him to have an ICD fitted. He has just seen a doctor regarding ablation but because this appointment was made some time ago another drug he was given amiodarone has apparently helped the ectopic beat and the ablation is not necessary but he can have it if he wants it.

15

Bob, I take your point, of course everyone reacts differently. I remember back around 1973, I was given beta blocker for anxiety yes, they were giving them to children back then. I remember it did not suit me, so I do know the drug is old,

One point I really have to make as you made me smile.

As a 62 year old (in 2 weeks) up until my hip replacement due to a fall in 2009, I was doing aerobics, pilates, walking and using my elliptical walker.

I know lots of people in their late 70s who are fit and do not take loads of pills because they exercise and join clubs to do activities. If you keep active, you do not lie around sleeping. It really is all about life style and not age. 🏃🏊🏂🏄🎾🎳

16

Hi mate. I can understand you fears over taking bisoprolol but you need to remember that usually on forums like this one you will mostly get the people with issues who will be airing their views or asking for advice. There are many more people who don't have issues or only have minor problems with bisoprolol. I personally did find it made me very tired and occasionally dizzy and am now reducing the dosage very very gradually. I know two other people local to me who have no problems at all with it and were surprised when I told them I was. if you go into it expecting a problem you are setting yourself up for a fall. Priorities first. If you need the drug then take it is my advice. But always with a view to coming off at some point as they will leave you on it forever if you don't question it at some point in the future. Good luck. 

17

Thank you for the reply Bob,

I agree with what you say about people on forums mainly being people that have a problem with the drug which creates a skewed reality of the effects drug.

I like your suggestion of reducing my dosage and trying it for a few days, I may give this a try if my condition gets worse, as of yet I wouldn't say it is serious compared to the stories I have heard.

For instance, today I haven't had any Psvt episodes, and I've been quite busy and active with traveling to uni and back and doing work, but other days I can have anywhere from 1-10 episodes that dissipate fairly quickly while some last longer than others.

I didn't want to just jump into taking a drug if my condition isn't that serious to begin with and it may possibly make it worse and have bad side effects.

However, if I have a particularly bad day full of episodes I will try reducing my dose and begin taking it for a few days.

Thank you for the reply it was very helpful ans I appreciate the information you gave me!

18

Thank you for the reply Lolasmom,

I just need to really weigh up the pros and cons of this medication before I jump into it, I'm only 18 and I don't want to be on this for the rest of my life so I may try other methods to help my situation out

19

Cheers Gary,

I know what you're saying about the forums and how it'll mostly be people who had problems with Bisoprolol.

I might try other things before I start taking it because I don't want to go through the weaning process and the withdrawals if I do get any.

In my opinion I don't desperatly need the drug as my doctor sent me letter and in the letter they said they will prescribe me bisoprolol in the hopes it reduces the frequency of my palpitations, so by the sounds of it, it's like they are just throwing this pill at me without really knowing if it'll benefit me.

Thanks for the reply mate.

20

Hi Jen

I have had 3 attempted ablations.

The first he could not stimulate my heart, and thought that was because the benzo I was on

The second attempt, he could stimulate my heart, but through the EP study, found out that |I did not have AVNRT, but it was AT.   |He needed a 3D nachine for the AT ablation but it was not set up that day

The third attempt was just last May.  He was able to stimulate my heart.  |But all of a sudden my blood pressure was 250/110.   They gave ne something to lower it but did not work. \then they gave me nitro.  \that lowered it yo 80/40.  Then they gave me something in incrrease it.

Prior to the  study, \I had a terrible time with the prep for it.  |It took 4-5 attempts at a foley catheter.  |It took 7 tries getting an arterior line into my wrist. \that was the most painful experience

I guess by time |I went into the cath lab, |I was a mess.

So went all this went on in the cath lab with my blood pressure, \i just finally told them that this party is over.  I just could not go through any more.

I then had the usual 4 hours laying flat because of the catheter in my groin and collar bone.

I just could not wait to get out of there

My poor husband driving 45 minutes home while I was having a melt down..........