Bisoprolol

Bisoprolol is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. Bisoprolol belongs to a group of drugs called beta blockers. It works to decrease blood pressure and heart rate by blocking beta receptors in the body.

This medication comes in tablet form. It is usually taken once daily, with or without food.

Common side effects include diarrhea, fatigue and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how it affects you.

Bisoprolol is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Bisoprolol may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Zebeta

• Ziac

Common side effects of bisoprolol include:

• diarrhea
• fatigue
• dizziness
• muscle aches
• vomiting
• runny nose

This is not a complete list of bisoprolol side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• other beta blockers such as
  • metoprolol (Toprol XL, Lopressor)
  • carvedilol (Coreg)
  • betaxolol (Kerlone)
  • nebivolol (Bystolic)
  • propranolol (Inderal)
• reserpine
• anti-arrhythmia medications such as procainamide (Procanbid, Procan), disopyramide (Norpace, Rythmodan), lidocaine (Xylocaine, Lidoderm), phenytoin (Dilantin), mexiletine (Mexitil), flecainide (Tambocor), propafenone (Rythmol), amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), sotalol (Betapace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), dronedarone (Multaq), digoxin (Lanoxin), and adenosine (Adenocard)
• calcium channel blockers such as verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Covera, Verelan) and diltiazem (Cardizem)
• diltiazem (Lanoxin)
• rifampin 

This is not a complete list of bisoprolol drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with bisoprolol including the following:

• Heart Failure. Tell your doctor if you have a history of heart failure, or if you develop signs/symptoms of heart failure. These include
  • sudden weight gain
  • feeling excessively tired and short of breath when doing things that are normally easy
  • needing to prop yourself up in bed to avoid feeling short or breath
  • persistent cough
  • swelling in the arms, legs, and other limbs 
• Worsening heart arrhythmias or chest pain. Stopping use of bisoprolol can worsen conditions such as arrhythmias or chest pain. Do not stop taking this medication on your own without talking to your doctor first. 
• Peripheral Vascular Disease. Tell your doctor if you have a history of peripheral vascular disease or if you experience the following signs/symptoms of peripheral vascular disease:
  • cramping in the arms or legs that occurs with exercise and goes away with resting
  • pain at rest, especially in the feet
• Worsening of bronchospastic disease (such as asthma or COPD). Use of bisoprolol and other beta blockers is not recommended in patients with bronchospastic diseases. Your doctor will want to monitor your condition if you are prescribed this medication and also have a bronchospastic disease.
• Risk for those with diabetes. This medication may mask some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). It may also cause hypoglycemia for those especially for those at risk for developing hypoglycemia.
• Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). This medication may mask clinical signs of hyperthyroidism, such as a racing heart beat. Stopping this medication suddenly may worsen symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Other symptoms of hyperthyroidism include
  • sudden weight loss
  • increased appetite
  • nervousness, anxiety and irritability
  • tremors or shakes
  • sweating
  • heightened sensitivity to heat
  • more frequent bowel movements
  • fatigue, muscle weakness
  • trouble sleeping
  • skin thinning
  • fine, brittle hair

Do not take bisoprolol if you:

• are allergic to bisoprolol or to any of its ingredients
• have recently experienced cardiogenic shock
• have overt heart failure
• have second or third degree heart block
• have marked sinus bradycardia

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of bisoprolol, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking bisoprolol, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to bisoprolol or to any of its ingredients
• have diabetes
• have liver problems
• have kidney problems
• are scheduled to have surgery (including dental)
• have heart problems
• bronchospastic disease (such as asthma or COPD)
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

It is not known if bisoprolol crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using bisoprolol.

Take bisoprolol exactly as prescribed.

This medication comes in tablet form. It is usually taken once daily, with or without food.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of bisoprolol at the same time.

Take bisoprolol exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The usual starting dose is 5 mg once daily. In some patients, 2.5 mg may be an appropriate starting dose. If the effect of 5 mg is inadequate, the dose may be increased to 10 mg and then, if necessary, to 20 mg once daily.

If you take too much this medication, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

If this medication is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Store at room temperature.
• Protect from light and moisture. 
• Dispense in tight, light-resistant containers.
• Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children.