According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the United States, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. One-third of people will experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime, they report. However, they remind people that there are effective treatments and that research is developing new ones. They urge people who think they might have an anxiety disorder to seek treatment and information immediately.
Anxiety disorders can bring many biological and psychological symptoms that affect your general health. However, the right treatment combined with regular exercise, a healthy diet, and stress reduction techniques can help you regain your sense of well-being. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports that for most people, both symptoms and quality of life improve once they get treatment.
What is bisoprolol?
Bisoprolol is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. Bisoprolol is in a class of medications called beta-blockers. It works by relaxing blood vessels and slowing heart rate to improve and decrease blood pressure.
Bisoprolol is used alone or together with other medicines to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). High blood pressure adds to the workload of the heart and arteries. If it continues for a long time, the heart and arteries may not function properly. This can damage the blood vessels of the brain, heart, and kidneys, resulting in a stroke, heart failure, or kidney failure. High blood pressure may also increase the risk of heart attacks. These problems may be less likely to occur if blood pressure is controlled.
Doctors can also prescribe beta-blockers like bisoprolol off-label to help manage anxiety symptoms. Using a drug off-label means that a drug has been approved by the FDA for one purpose, and it’s being used for a different purpose that hasn’t been approved. A doctor can still prescribe it for this purpose because the FDA regulates the testing and approval of drugs, not how doctors use them to treat their patients. Your doctor can prescribe a drug off-label if they think it’s best for your care.
Bisoprolol is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. Bisoprolol is available as a generic medication. In 2017, it was the 268th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than one million prescriptions.
Why doctors prescribe bisoprolol off-label for anxiety?
Some doctors refer to beta-blockers as beta-adrenoceptor antagonists because these drugs block the effects of epinephrine, or adrenaline, on beta receptors.
Epinephrine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that plays a vital role in the body’s fight-or-flight response, which can lead to anxiety. Reducing the effects of epinephrine on the body may also reduce the intensity of anxiety. Beta-blockers such as bisoprolol treat heart conditions by dilating the blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. They can also help regulate and slow the heart rate.
Many people who experience anxiety report a racing heart or higher blood pressure. By changing the way in which the body responds to anxiety, bisoprolol may reduce the intensity of the symptoms and lessen the physical effects.
Emerging research suggests that some beta-blockers may also change how the body recalls and responds to fearful memories. This finding suggests that the drug could treat PTSD and phobias, but more research is necessary to confirm this use.
How should bisoprolol be used?
Bisoprolol comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day. To help you remember to take bisoprolol, take it around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take bisoprolol exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Bisoprolol is typically taken as 2.5–10 mg by mouth once daily. It is possible to take up to 20 mg by mouth once daily if lower doses are not working well enough.
Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of bisoprolol and gradually increase your dose. Bisoprolol starts to work after about 2 hours to reduce high blood pressure, but it can take 2 to 6 weeks to fully take effect.
How Effective Is Bisoprolol For Anxiety?
Beta-blockers such as bisoprolol work best for short-term event-related anxiety, such as social phobias and stage fright by blocking physical symptoms of anxiety including rapid heart rate, tightness in the chest, or sweating. They don’t affect the emotional and psychological aspects of anxiety such as worry. If you have chronic, uncontrolled anxiety, you may need a more regular treatment than an occasional beta-blocker—such as a daily medication.
