Medication change for blood pressure

My low BP caused me to fall down and injure my back. So the resting around the house I am having to do is ideal for BP recordings as my days are so quiet and peaceful. I have started to try myself out on half the dose that the doc recommended and so far, two days later, so good; no surges and nice low readings.

Thanks Alexa To be honest I don't monitor my BP until a few days before I go for my medication review.
I find it a pity that the majority of these medications appear to make us more lethargic. At the age of 75 it is normal to feel more tired as you get older so this type of medication is is no help in that direction. I don't want to slow down to the degree that I am experiencing at the moment!!

Apologies, gangy. I note that you are no longer on the calcium channel blocker. Maybe you don't know if you have surges in BP readings? Do you monitor your BP?

Gangy, I have wondered if specific brands of calcium channel blocker affect individuals differently. I believe it's so important to avoid surges in BP that maybe you should tell your doc about feeling poorly and perhaps get a different brand of the calcium channel blocker. Are you on 5 or 10 mgms?

After a few weeks faithfully recording my BP twice daily I identified a pattern of late day surges. I asked my doc should I discontinue the other BP med and have nothing but Amlodipine which is calcium channel blocker. He said yes but take full 10 mgms of Amlodipine instead. This is my third day of new regime and I do feel more tired than before. I will persevere as early signs are that my BP is fluctuating less.

Alexa Before I was on this current medication I was on a calcium channel blocker for a month and felt so poorly that I had to come off them. Perhaps if I had persevered for longer things may have settled down?

Monitor your BP at least twice daily to see whether or not you get surges of high BP. If so, take calcium channel blocker BP meds.

Your GP should be interested in careful monitoring. Note when in the day you get low readings and when the high readings, and be prepared to report concisely to the GP.

Thank you Telly I might suggest the change.

Thank you Telly I might suggest the change.

Thank you Telly I might suggest the change.

I was put on Lercandipine by a heart consultant. He told me it was the one his relatives were on, effective and few side effects. He said GPs were reluctant to use it because of the cost. Has been useful for me, with candesartan, and no side effects at all.

Yes -that is a good idea!

Your welcome gangy5 I was a prescribing nurse so I have some insight. How about asking for a telephone conversation with your GP for reassurance?

I've been on this new one for 6 weeks so initially I might take Teetime's advice and hope things settle down as I'm due to have things reviewed in 6 weeks. If things are still not good then I shall insist on coming off Bisoprolol. It is nice to beable to come on here and hear other peoples' experiences.
Many thanks.

Please Gangy5 do not persevere with your meds but go back to your GP. I persevered with blood pressure meds, felt very ill with the different ones my GP put me on and ended up in A&E with a long episode of atrial fibrillation. It seems that I was not suffering from blood pressure but white coat syndrome and the AF was brought about as a side effect of the meds that I didn't need.
I am not on blood pressure meds any more and do take my blood pressure regularly at home. I do however have AF for life and this has changed my life drastically.
Lots of people do have need the medication because it is needed but please don't suffer the side effects.

After many false starts on various meds to control my B/P from the age of 25! I was put on Bisoprolol - some mild side effects to begin with but none now- sometimes things just settle down.

Yes,I went down from from 10mg to 1.25 and I was still getting the side effects.I was originally prescribed it for AF.

Thank you for responding. I'm only on 1.25 mg of bisoprolol -- 10mg seems alot in comparison!!

What dosage of bisoprolol are you on ?I was on 10 mg and had light headedness and low pulse/heart rate which made me feel very tired.I was put on a much lower dosage but still had the side effects.Eventually my GP allowed me to come off it entirely to see how I coped.As well as feeling much better there was no change in my blood pressure. Please go back to your GP.

I had to come off one because I had very high sodium!

I am not on these meds , but I think you should check with the Doctor , or the Pharmacist . A friend had her meds changed and became extremely unwell as she tried to get used to it , she had to come off one tablet after a blood test showed she had very low sodium