I was prescribed Bisoprolol 2.5 in July this year (along with anticoagulant: Edexaban), for atrial fibrilation. I was fine for the first few weeks, but then I started to develop aches and pains all over and found yoga and pilates increasingly difficult. The aches and pains, particularly in my legs, just got worse and worse. Ten days ago, I went to my GP, who advised me to give the Bisoprolol a rest and see how I get on. I stopped taking the medication (but continued with anticoagulant) - and the almost immediate effect was a threefold increase in intensity of my aches and pains! All movement is a struggle, particularly walking up and down stairs, bending or squatting, sitting down and getting up. From an active , flexible, mobile woman, I now feel disabled and depressed!
I make sure I stay as active as possible and I walk everyday - but at the slowest pace! It is early days since I stopped taking Bisoprolol (10 days and counting) but I’m worried that these horrible symptoms will never go away! Anyone out there experiencing same or similar? Any idea how long these symptoms may go on for?
my advice.. stop taking the bisoprolol. the longer you are on the harder it will be to get off!
Bisoprolol is one of those drugs that should never be just stopped, the usual advice is to cut down gradually. If you were on 2.5mg daily, then you should have been given a box of 1.25mg to take daily for a week or two, and then to cut in half (even though they are already tiny) to take for another week. Even then, you could expect withdrawal symptoms. I'm not a medical person or a doctor, but this is the advice that I have read elsewhere. Now you have stopped, you will have to continue without them and tough it out through the withdrawal period. I hope you are over the worst of it (I would expect so).
There are other beta blockers available, and if they don't suit you, you could adk your doctor to try a calcium channel blocker instead. I suggest you have a look at the Health Unlocked forum for AF sufferers like me.
https://healthunlocked.com/afassociation
It has been 7 days for me and literally feel like a train hit me. I can barely do anything. Been to the ER several times. I can barely do what i have to do for my children. Everything hurts from my head, face, all the way to my feet. I now have anxiety attacks. I am like you wondering will it ever get better. Anyone with answers
Thank you for your replies and advice. When I first experienced the side effects from Bisoprolol, I thought I had caught a particularly vicious virus! Then I worried that I had developed an MS type condition! It took a while for me to consider that the medication could be the cause - my symptoms were not listed in the information leaflet that came with the drug. It's reassuring to hear other people's experiences and to know I'm not the only one going through this. Particularly hard for you, Deek, as you have a young family to care for. I hope we can support each other via this forum.
And if anyone else could share their experience re the time span for withdrawal, that would be really helpful. We need to focus on a goal.
PS: I am not going back on to Bisoprolol or any other Beta Blocker drug. I feel like I've been poisoned! I'm not going through this again. I'll investigate alternative approaches to managing AF.
Hi PATRICIA I WAS ON THIS VILE BISOPROLOL FOR 8 WEEKS HAD TO CHANGE DR TO GET OFF IT ALL YOUR SYSTEMS AND LOADS MORE HE SAID HALF THE 2.5 FOR ONE WEEK THEN STOP WELCOME TO HELL I ONLY HAD A BIT HIGH BP I AM INTO MY 11 TH MONTH OF A NIGHTMARE MENTAL SUICIDAL HELL ALWAYS BEEN HAPPY GO LUCKY CHAP MENTAL WRECK NOW I WAS THAT ILL WENT A&E HAD ECG NURSE SAID YOU HAVE A HEART OF 21 YEAR OLD I AM 69 I SAID BEEN ON BISO SHE SAID THAT DRUG SHOULD BE BAND I FEEL AS IF I HAVE BEEN POISONED THE GIRL IN HEATH SHOP H&B SAID IT TOOK HER TWO YEARS OF BEING ZOMBIE SORRY CAN NOT BE ANY HELP
Hi Chico1950,
We note from a recent post which you have made to our forum that you may be experiencing thoughts around self-harm. If we have misinterpreted your comments then we apologies for contacting you directly. But if you are having such thoughts then please note that you are not alone in this, and there are people out there that can help.
If you are having these suicidal thoughts then we strongly recommend you speak to someone who may be able to help. The Samaritans offer a safe space where you can talk openly about what you are going through. They can help you explore your options, understand your problems better, or just be there to listen.
Their contact details are on our patient information leaflet here: https://patient.info/health/dealing-with-suicidal-thoughts, which also offers lots of other advice on how you can access the help you may need.
If you are having such thoughts then please do reach out to the team at the Samaritans (or the other people detailed in our leaflet) who will understand what you're going through and will be able to help.
Kindest regards
Patient
Hello Patricia,
My hubby was prescribed this drug after having a heart attack. It was 6 - 8 weeks when the side effects kicked in, which I have since found out is normal as that is roughly how long it takes for the drug to leach vitamins and minerals from the body.
Hubby had every side effect and more, he was so ill, being light headed along with the dizziness and being out of breath were scary for him as he was not used to any illness. The worst it caused was ectopic beats of the heart, which was responsible for him having to have a defibrillator fitted, then having an ablation, the cardiologist denies this but, there was no mention of ectopic beats until he came off bisoprolol.
The GP told him to just stop taking the tablet, that was it. His blood pressure was all over the place after stopping, that took around 3 weeks to settle down, overall it took about 6 weeks for him to feel 'normal' We changed GP's, the new one said it can take up to 3 months to leave the system.
I am was able to drop my dosage from 2.5 to 1.25 mg. I went to pcp yesterday and my bp and heart rate was good. I was supposed to ho to cardiologist today but I am having to reschedule due to work. I want off these meds!
HI THANKS FOR ENQUIRY ITS BEEN HITS NOW AND THEN SEEMS TO BE WEARING OFF S TIME GOES BYE
i came off bisoprolol last year and i had to do a slow phased withdrawl as i too found the pain in my legs unbearable. At times i was found sobbing in the corner in agony
Doctors will tell you its simple to stop, can be done by simply stopping in my experience it cant and as i said you need a staged withdrawl.However as your ten days in it maybe impractical to do now but i thought id comment to show it actually happens to loads and its the meds and it does get better. Like you i never thought it would end, But it does
mind are an excellent charity for mental health issues but i too had thoughts of harm, while on these meds
Thank you. Good to hear that withdrawal symptoms are not permanent!! Just hope I'm looking at days more of this, maybe weeks - oh, but not months, please !!! As low as this has made me feel, I'm, thankfully, not experiencing anxiety or severe depression. My thoughts are with those of you that are, and I hope you feel better each day.
That is awful... I too have been plagued by unexplainable muscle and joint pain. Stiffness, fatigue and pain everyday. have gone from a very active person to virtually sedentary. Just cleaning the house or cutting grass is all I can do. I have Fibromyalgia , but it has never rendered me like this. I too cannot even start to feel better as getting down on the mat to do some classic stretching is intolerable. I have told Doc but he says it is all anxiety which is relentless as well. Been on this awful med for 3 years coming. Next visit I am demanding an appointment with Cardiologist and get some answers. I urge you to continue reading this website and you will see you are one of thousands who have been changed by this drug. I hope you can find the right info to educate you and hopefully one day we all find a way to get back to who we used to be.
Re time span for withdrawal, my initial side effects from this horrible drug were feeling like a drunk zombie, feeling as if my lungs no longer worked, having to remember to breathe, blood oxygen levels below the 88% red line, burning and tingling from my feet to my thighs.
The blood oxygen levels returned to normal around 14 months after coming off Bisoprolol. (Beta Blockers act on the Autonomic Nervous System which is the system that also regulates your breathing by detecting oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your blood).
The cognitive symptoms still remain however, and its now getting on for three years since I stopped taking beta blockers so I am guessing the low blood oxygen over such a long period of time has damaged my nervous system, especially when tired and when its colder, I find my balance goes so people think I am drunk, my speech becomes slurred, I do something and instantly forget I have done it. I had to be medically retired because of this drug, I would say it has permanently ruined my life.
It was the constant beeping of the blood oxygen alarm on the hospital monitor that alerted me to the fact the breathing issues were actual and not just a feeling, so I bought my own oximeter, here is what my blood oxygen was like until my ANS reset itself.
I've had to come off bisoprolol for endocrinology tests and it has been an awful experience Reducing the dose over many weeks from the original 10mg daily was very difficult, even with the help of a different drug. I was off it completely for about 3 weeks and the anxiety, pounding hearbeat and physical weakness left me almost totally disabled on most days, relying on my family for support. My consultant arranged for me to have the test at short notice so that I could go back on a minimal dose of bisoprolol for the time being. Since then I am gradually improving, whilst awaiting the test results. My sympathy and moral support to anybody who is having to get off this drug.
Just to recap: I started taking Bisoprolol 2.5mg on 23rd July. for AF. It wasn't until 12 weeks later in October that I started to experience aches and pains. These increased in intensity, and I went to GP 6th November. Two weeks later I was sent for blood tests, (renal, liver, bone, B12) which, apparently, didn't reveal any possible cause. Another GP appointment on 25th November, I asked could symtoms be side effects of Bisoprolol and she took me off the Bisoprolol, saying the only side effect of coming off would be a heightened awareness of my heart rate! Three weeks into withdrawal and symtoms of debilitating aches and pains are getting worse! I have another GP appointment on Wednesday. Advice please: what other blood tests /tests should I be asking for - to test for other possible causes of my symtoms, or to confirm my symptoms as withdrawal. I'm getting very low about this. I don't want to resign myself to disability for the rest of my life!
If it is withdrawal from biso, I doubt you will have anything wrong with your blood.
I have had every possible blood test done from about 3 different doctors. Stress test,EKG 7 times, CT Scans about 4 times. Now I have to see a neurologist to see if there is any nerve damage. My legs, arms, chest hurt daily and they can not find a cause. Beta blockers are just an evil drug
Are you on statins Deek?