Bisoprolol Fumarate

What is Bisoprolol Fumarate?

Bisoprolol Fumarate belongs to the class of drugs called beta blockers, it is commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.

Bisoprolol Fumarate is one of two commonly prescribed beta blockers in the UK, the other being propranolol. To learn more about beta blockers, we recommend reading our guide to beta blockers.

You need to have a prescription to buy Bisoprolol Fumarate, although it can be ordered online from our pharmacy after an online consultation. 

What are Bisoprolol Fumarate tablets used to treat?

Bisoprolol is prescribed for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) and other associated diseases, such as heart failure, angina and arrhythmia.

It makes your heart more efficient at pumping blood around your body by slowing down your heart rate.

Bisoprolol Fumarate tablets are often used alongside other medications to help prevent heart failure, which occurs when the heart muscle is too weak to effectively pump blood around the body.

Bisoprolol Fumarate tablets are also highly effective in preventing complications associated with high blood pressure such as stroke or heart attack.

Why is Bisoprolol Fumarate prescribed to treat high blood pressure?

Studies have shown that Bisoprolol Fumarate can effectively keep blood pressure at a stable level, and is also well-tolerated. This means the risk of side effects is generally low. 

How does Bisoprolol work?

Beta blockers get their name from their beta-adrenergic blocking agents, which stop the body’s natural adrenaline/stress messages from being received by the beta receptors of the heart. The beta receptors are essentially a command centre; they instruct your heart to do certain things based on the messages they receive.

These messages contain adrenaline, the body’s natural stress hormone, which then increases the rate at which the heart beats and causes the heart to pump harder, resulting in higher blood pressure.

Stopping the natural stress signals from reaching the heart ensures that the heart beats at a slower and more consistent rate. As a result, blood pressure and heart rate are lowered due to the decreased cardiac output.

Who can take Bisoprolol Fumarate?

Bisoprolol Fumarate tablets are suitable for adults who are over 18 years old.

Speak to your doctor if you have any of the following conditions, to make sure that Bisoprolol is safe for you to take:

• You have had an allergic reaction to Bisoprolol or any other medicine in the past
• You have low blood pressure
• You are allergic to bisoprolol fumarate or any other ingredients in this medicine (please, refer to the ingredients tab for full details)
• You have a slow heart rate
• You have a lung disease or severe asthma
• You have serious blood circulation problems in your limbs, which may make your toes or fingers turn blue or tingle
• You have too much acid in your blood (metabolic acidosis)
• You have recently had a heart attack, heart disease, or heart failure that is getting worse

Can you buy Bisoprolol over the counter in the UK?

Bisoprolol Fumarate tablets must be prescribed by a doctor or qualified healthcare professional. Your blood pressure will also need ongoing monitoring while taking this medication

Can you buy Bisoprolol Fumarate tablets online in the UK?

Yes, you can buy Bisoprolol Fumarate online at most online pharmacies in the UK. However, you will be required to complete an online health questionnaire so a doctor can review your medical condition and ensure that Bisoprolol tablets are the most suitable treatment option for you.

Bisoprolol Fumarate alternatives

You can buy a range of high blood pressure medications online from Medicine Direct after completing an online consultation with a prescriber.

Aside from Bisoprolol Fumarate, we also stock the following high blood pressure treatments:

• Losartan
• Lercanidipine
• Amlodipine
• Lisinopril
• Bendroflumethiazide

Bisoprolol Indications and Dose

Our pharmacist and prescribers follow NICE prescribing guidelines when prescribing Bisoprolol.

Always take Bisoprolol exactly as instructed by your doctor. Read the patient information leaflet thoroughly before you start your course of treatment. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist for further advice if you are unsure of how to take it.

When used to treat high blood pressure and angina, the dose will usually be 5mg to 10mg once a day. If this doesn't improve your high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe you a dose of 20mg Bisoprolol.

For heart failure, your doctor will normally start you off on a dose of 1.25mg each day and increase the dose gradually, over a few months, up to 10mg.

How to take Bisoprolol Fumarate tablets

Bisoprolol tablets can be taken with or without a meal as this medicine will not upset your stomach.

You should swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Some brands sell tablets that allow you to break the tablets in half, making them easier to swallow. However, you must make sure you read the patient information leaflet to see if you can do this with your tablets.

Bisoprolol Fumarate Side Effects

As with all medicines, Bisoprolol Fumarate can cause side effects, although not everyone who takes it will get them.

Common side effects include:

• You have constipation
• You have cold hands and feet
• You feel dizzy
• You feel weak
• You have headaches
• Low blood pressure, particularly in patients who have heart failure
• Feeling sick or being sick
• You have diarrhoea

Rarer side effects of taking Bisoprolol may include:

• Hearing problems
• Dry eyes from a reduced tear flow
• Reduced sexual performance
• Changes in your blood test results
• Fainting
• Inflammation of the lining of the nose, which causes a runny nose with irritation
• Hair loss
• Psoriasis-like skin rash

Seek medical attention if any of the above reactions do occur while using this medication.

Always read the patient information leaflet thoroughly before you start to take any new medicine. This leaflet provides a full list of known side effects. 

Bisoprolol Warnings

Like all medicines used for high blood pressure, Bisoprolol may interact with other medications you are currently taking.

Before you start to take a new medicine, you should always inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are already taking any other medication, no matter what condition it is for. This includes both prescription and non-prescription medication, herbal remedies, vitamins and supplements.

Visit the NICE website for more information on drug interactions when taking Bisoprolol.

Can I take Bisoprolol tablets during pregnancy and breastfeeding?

Women who are currently pregnant are not likely to be recommended to use Bisoprolol for high blood pressure or any other condition.

If you are currently pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or think you might be pregnant, you should make sure you inform your doctor. There may be other high blood pressure medicines available that are safer for you to take while pregnant.

There is not much research available to prove that Bisoprolol is safe for women who are breastfeeding.

Small amounts of this medication may get into your breast milk, which can cause low blood pressure in your baby.

Other medicines may be more suitable to treat high blood pressure while breastfeeding, so you should speak to your doctor about possible alternatives.

See the BUMPs website for more information on taking Bisoprolol during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Bisoprolol Ingredients

The main active ingredient within this medicine is: Bisoprolol fumarate

For a full list of the inactive ingredients, please read the Summary of Product Characteristics.

Are Bisoprolol and Bisoprolol Fumarate the same thing?

Yes, Bisoprolol fumarate is the correct full name for Bisoprolol. Bisoprolol tablets for high blood pressure contain the active ingredient Bisoprolol fumarate. There is no difference between the two.