Bisoprolol and exercise

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JohnnyD

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Does anyone here take Bisoprolol and what are the effects on exercise. I am very concerned I wont be able to work out anymore as I read you can get light headed from this beta blocker. I would appreciate any feedback as my doc, pharmacist, and cardiologist, just say take it and see what happens… they do do not want to talk about it. Thanks for reading.
 
Hi

I don't take bisoprolol I take metoprolol, but my points may be applicable. so I'm going to address the bolded points below

I am very concerned I wont be able to work out anymore as I read you can get light headed from this beta blocker. I would appreciate any feedback as my doc, pharmacist, and cardiologist, just say take it and see what happens… they do do not want to talk about it.

Firstly these things are not 100% predictable which is why both the pharmacist and the Dr are saying take it and see what happens. No science is as exact as you may imagine.

As I mentioned, I take metoprolol and you can read on a thread (or two) here about that the varied reactions people have had

https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/to-metoprolol-or-not-to-metoprolol.889192/
https://www.valvereplacement.org/threads/metprolol-tartrate-side-effects.888984/
As I mentioned I take metoprolol, but I take the tartrate version. It has a shorter half life and so there are opportunities for me to get out of its effects range and then back in again. I time my morning routine to be out of the effect range but take it soon after I finish. I take it for tachycardia.

From a publication:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9823244/
In summary, carvedilol exerts similar benefits as metoprolol succinate and nebivolol in CHF patients. Bisoprolol is considerably more effective than the other several β blockers, and the curative effect of metoprolol tartrate is worse than the above several β blockers (Figure 1F). There are similar incidences of adverse reactions among different β blockers. However, head‐to‐head comparative trials on the efficacy and safety of different β blockers in CHF patients are awaited.​

Nobody just prescribes this because it'd be fun to see what happens, so you must have some underlying arrhythmia which they are attempting to treat. If left untreated you may suffer some permanent problems (I don't know but a stroke may be one).

Because each of us is different and because the Dr only has 20 minutes with you (not 3 days of exhaustive analysis) they are probably going to say "try this and see what happens". As to them not talking about it, what do you expect? I've already spent probably two consultation slots in (for no fee or charge) giving you advice. Given that they see upwards of 20 people per day who all probably push back a bit can you blame them?

You express a fear (very concerned) which seems a bit irrational, nobody is suggesting risky things (like amiodarone for instance) and so why not try it and see what happens? Do you have a genuine reason to be concerned? You've already seen (when you read those threads) the sort of variation that can occur.

IF you find that it interferes with exersize (which by the way we do for health, not vanity) then either change the medication or work in with your routine. Its an iterative process of tuning in what works best for you.

Best Wishes
 
It is interesting that you mention amiodarone as the cardiologist had me on that a while back and it made me quite ill. I also have menieres disease and it made my symptoms intolerable. I was just asking for anecdotal reference from other individuals. I am 60 and take karate from what I understand you can not just stop taking bioprosol if it has adverse affects.
 
Don't see how one person's take on metoprolol is even relevant to bisoprolol. There are a lot of medications that you have to "take it and see what happens." Each person is different and the non-therapeutic effects of a drug can vary widely. For example metoprolol takes the wind out of my sails. I told my doctor and he took me off it.
 
How long did it take for the adverse symptoms to show up.
I've never had adverse symptoms from metoprolol.

On my first run with metoprolol (post my #3 OHS) I was on it for the very purpose helping my heart repair and "remodel" after the surgery.

On my present run with it (starting in May 2022) I have also had nothing adverse and indeed the opposite. Before I started it (perhaps coincidentally after being exposed to COVID in the wild) I was experiencing increasing ectopic beats, which led to tachycardia bursts which led to 100% full time HR > 130. Interestingly this was not "typical" tachycardia but proper sinus wave tachycardia.

If I hadn't been on warfarin (blocking strokes), hadn't had a mechanical (making my HR clear to me) I'd probably have had a stroke or worse. I'm still on it now and it does not interfere with anything in my life, indeed quite the opposite.
 
worth reading
1692222980547.png

https://www.researchgate.net/figure...mg-twice-daily-immediate-release_fig2_8203294
remember I'm on metoprolol tartrate not succinate ...

Best Wishes
 
Well I assume you
I understand you can not just stop taking bioprosol if it has adverse affects.
I believe what you mean by this is that you should never abruptly stop any beta blocker and you should wean off of the med and perhaps try a different one if you find you cannot tolerate the med. At first you may feel a little slow, short of breath on climbing, your heartrate may be decreased and you may have a problem with getting into what you may feel (and published) is the ideal cardio heart rate based on age. Believe it or not, you can get used to the "side effects". I am not personally familiar with bioprosol nor the differences in the tartrate derivative that Pellicle mentions, but I am familiar with carvedilol and when I first started on carvedilol I preferred the extended release compared to the twice daily. My personal preference is always ER. Good luck.
 
I was just asking for anecdotal reference from other individuals. I am 60 and take karate from what I understand you can not just stop taking bioprosol if it has adverse affects.
I'm 59.

All betablockers are started with the advice that you shouldn't just stop taking them because you feel like it. The adverse effects are usually the return of the symptoms that you were given it to treat. AFAIK you just cease it when the condition is no longer in need of treatment.

In my case after the surgery (as I wrote in the first linked post) I just ceased it when my surgeon said "its not needed anymore, but report any symptoms.

When its said "you can not just stop taking ..." what they mean is without our intervention (I conjecture because I've observed that people make bad decisions with respect to medicines).

As to anecdotal evidence, there were quite a few points raised in both threads, I'd hope that would help read a few anecdotes you while you waited for other replies.

When I (for whatever reason) fail to take my metoprolol I notice that by lunch time my HR is getting heavier and faster; when I go "ahh, drat, did I forget to take my metoprolol again?"

I make sure I make no such mistakes with my warfarin (which also you shouldn't just cease either).

Medicine is by and large a great thing, I'd be dead long ago without it.
 
Simply speaking, the beta blockers will throttle or slow down the heart. They block adrenaline by attaching to the adrenaline receptor sites. So speaking very broadly and generically, I'll suggest that if the exercise in question pushes against a person's max heart rate, he/she will definitely notice. Importantly - especially as we age - most people are not doing things that test their max heart rate. Hence, most people tolerate these quite well.

I was briefly on metoprolol and, as a runner, I could tell immediately. More specifically, I believe I went for a run 12 hrs after my first pill and I could tell on that run that my heart rate was throttled. We (cardiologist and I) stopped it after 2 weeks because it clearly bothered me. So I will second the suggestion to try it and see. Most people that I know on beta blockers are not bothered.

At the risk of speculating even further I'll offer that:
- you will certainly be able to exercise . . . perhaps an intensity adjustment will be needed (I too am 60 ... we have reduced our intensity regardless!!!)
- lightheadedness probably accompanies the blood pressure drop and unless it is truly excessive, your body will likely adjust to it. Personally, I don't notice lightheadedness unless/until my bp drops to about 80/50 and that is always from dehydration. My doc's are absolutely more concerned about high bp.
 
Hi
particularly for the OP I wanted to say that while woocutter went into other details (which in this case I didn't) when he says:
as a runner, I could tell immediately.

I will again mention what I said above
As I mentioned I take metoprolol, but I take the tartrate version. It has a shorter half life and so there are opportunities for me to get out of its effects range and then back in again. I time my morning routine to be out of the effect range but take it soon after I finish. I take it for tachycardia.

So there are work arounds (and my tachycardia rate isn't actually at my Max HR so its not so much of a problem if it "triggers" when I'm training
 
Does anyone here take Bisoprolol and what are the effects on exercise. I am very concerned I wont be able to work out anymore as I read you can get light headed from this beta blocker. I would appreciate any feedback as my doc, pharmacist, and cardiologist, just say take it and see what happens… they do do not want to talk about it. Thanks for reading.
Heya, I’m still pretty new to all the of this but I take, Bisoprolol, along with a bunch of other fun meds. I do my gym time every day, I go hard usually 60- 100 minutes a day and I’m good, honestly just pay attention to your body.

The one time I had a light headed feeling my protein levels were way to low (I’m also on a weight loss journey, loving learning a new way of being)

My sisters wife is also on it, she gets more light headed then I do, but she’s also half the the Size of myself, and has pots. So different reactions from different people
 
Hi,
I'm 59, take 1.25mg Bisoprolol every morning. I suspect I'm not as physically fit as you generally but, usually running 45-60 mins in the evenings my HR gets up to 170-180 without any noticeable negative effect.
My experience of changing from one BP management regime pre AVR to Bisprolol post AVR is that this beta blocker is less noticeable than the the ACE inhibitors I took pre-op.
 
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