Bisoprolol

Bisoprolol is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure.

If you have high blood pressure, taking bisoprolol helps prevent future heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

Bisoprolol is also used to prevent chest pain caused by angina.

It's also used to treat atrial fibrillation and other conditions that cause an irregular heartbeat.

This medicine is only available on prescription. It comes as tablets.

• Bisoprolol slows down your heart rate and makes it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.
• Your very first dose of bisoprolol may make you feel dizzy, so take it at bedtime. After that, if you don't feel dizzy, it's best to take it in the morning.
• It's usual to take bisoprolol once a day in the morning.
• The main side effects of bisoprolol are feeling dizzy or sick, headaches, cold hands or feet, constipation or diarrhoea – these are usually mild and shortlived.

Bisoprolol can be taken by adults aged 18 and over.

It is not suitable for everyone.

To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor before starting bisoprolol if you have:

• had an allergic reaction to bisoprolol or any other medicine in the past
• low blood pressure (hypotension) or a slow heart rate
• heart failure that's getting worse, heart disease, or you have recently had a heart attack
• severe blood circulation problems in your limbs (such as Raynaud's), which may make your fingers and toes tingle or turn pale or blue
• metabolic acidosis – when there's too much acid in your blood
• a lung disease or severe asthma

It's usual to take bisoprolol once a day in the morning.

Your doctor may advise you to take your first dose before bedtime as it can make you feel dizzy.

If you do not feel dizzy after having the first dose, take bisoprolol in the morning.

Important

Take bisoprolol even if you feel well, as you'll still be getting the benefits of the medicine.

Dosage

Your dose depends on why you need the medicine.

For high blood pressure or angina, you'll usually start on 5mg to 10mg once a day. If this dose isn't working well enough (your blood pressure doesn't go down enough, or your angina keeps happening), your doctor may increase it up to 20mg.

For heart failure, you'll usually start at a low dose of 1.25mg a day and increase gradually up to 10mg a day. The dose is usually increased slowly over a few months.

How to take it

Bisoprolol does not usually upset your stomach, so you can take it with or without food.

Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Some brands have a score line to help you break the tablet to make it easier to swallow.

Check the information leaflet for your brand to see if you can do this.

What if I forget to take it?

If you miss a dose of bisoprolol, take it as soon as you remember that day.

If you don't remember until the next day, skip the missed dose.

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one.

If you forget doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.

You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.

What if I take too much?

If you take too much bisoprolol, contact your doctor or nearest hospital straight away.

An overdose of bisoprolol can slow down your heart rate and make it difficult to breathe. It can also cause dizziness and trembling.

The amount of bisoprolol that can lead to an overdose varies from person to person.

Call your doctor or go to A&E straight away if:

Like all medicines, bisoprolol can cause side effects in some people, but many people have no side effects or only minor ones.

Side effects often improve as your body gets used to the medicine.

Common side effects

These common side effects happen in more than 1 in 100 people. They're usually mild and shortlived.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if the side effects bother you or last more than a few days:

• headache
• feeling dizzy or weak
• cold hands or feet
• feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting) or diarrhoea
• constipation

Serious side effects

It happens rarely, but some people have serious side effects when taking bisoprolol.

Call a doctor straight away if you have:

• shortness of breath with a cough that gets worse when you exercise (like walking up stairs), swollen ankles or legs, chest pain, an irregular heartbeat – these are signs of heart problems
• shortness of breath, wheezing and tightening of the chest – these can be signs of lung problems
• yellow skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow – these can be signs of liver problems

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, bisoprolol may cause a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

These are not all the side effects of bisoprolol. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

What to do about:

• headaches – make sure you rest and drink plenty of fluids. Do not drink too much alcohol. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a painkiller. Headaches usually go away after the first week of taking bisoprolol. Talk to your doctor if the headaches last longer than a week or are severe.
• feeling dizzy or weak – if bisoprolol makes you feel dizzy or weak, stop what you're doing and sit or lie down until you feel better. Do not drive or use tools or machinery if you're feeling tired. Do not drink alcohol as it'll make you feel worse.
• cold hands or feet – put your hands or feet under warm running water, massage them, and wiggle your fingers and toes. Do not smoke or have drinks with caffeine in – these can make your blood vessels narrower and restrict your blood flow. Smoking also makes your skin colder. Try wearing mittens (they're warmer than gloves) and warm socks. Do not wear tight watches or bracelets.
• feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting) or diarrhoea – stick to simple meals and do not eat rich or spicy food. It might help to take your bisoprolol after you have eaten. If you're being sick, try drinking small, frequent sips of water. If you have diarrhoea, drink plenty of water or other fluids. Speak to a pharmacist if you have signs of dehydration, such as peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee. Do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor.
• constipation – eat more high-fibre foods, such as fresh fruit, vegetables and cereals, and drink plenty of water. Try to exercise more regularly, for example, by going for a daily walk or run. If this doesn't help, talk to your pharmacist or doctor. Watch this short video about how to treat constipation.

Bisoprolol and pregnancy

Bisoprolol is not usually recommended in pregnancy or when breastfeeding.

If you're trying to get pregnant or you're already pregnant, talk to your doctor about the benefits and possible harms of taking bisoprolol.

There may be other blood pressure-lowering medicines that are safer for you.

Labetalol is a similar medicine that's often recommended for high blood pressure in pregnancy.

Bisoprolol and breastfeeding

There's not a lot of information about the safety of bisoprolol if you're breastfeeding.

Small amounts of bisoprolol may get into breast milk and this can cause low blood pressure in your baby.

Talk to your doctor, as other medicines for high blood pressure might be better while you're breastfeeding.

Tell your doctor if you’re:

There are some medicines that may interfere with the way bisoprolol works.

Tell your doctor if you're taking:

• other medicines for high blood pressure – the combination with bisoprolol can sometimes lower your blood pressure too much, which may make you feel dizzy or faint (if this keeps happening to you, tell your doctor as they may change your dose)
• other medicines that can lower your blood pressure, such as some antidepressants, nitrates (for chest pain), baclofen (a muscle relaxant), medicines for an enlarged prostate gland like tamsulosin, or Parkinson's disease medicines, such as co-careldopa and levodopa
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen – they can stop bisoprolol working as well as it should
• steroids, like prednisolone
• cough medicines that contain pseudoephedrine or xylometazoline
• medicines for diabetes – bisoprolol may make it more difficult to recognise the warning signs of low blood sugar
• medicines for allergies, such as ephedrine, noradrenaline or adrenaline
• medicines for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• rifampicin, an antibiotic

Mixing bisoprolol with herbal remedies or supplements

There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements with bisoprolol.