My GP has prescribed Bisoprolol as my blood pressure was 151/91 when I visited to discuss the diagnosis of possible Atrial Fib from a 24 hr ECG . I think there might be an element of white coat syndrome especially as I knew he was going to do this and I has walked briskly to the surgery as I thought I would be late. I have heard scare stories of Bisoprolol really slowing you down and make walking far impossible. I am a keen walker.
I would like to be able to check it myself at home. I am confused by the array of blood pressure monitors and prices. Recommendations/personal experiences and pros/cons of different ones would be appreciated please. Thanks.
Written by
carer999
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Mine is actually a Boots make and cost £30 about 15 years ago. It's very accurate, but not if in very fast AF, then it comes up with error. It does record flutter though.
I have a Boots upper arm monitor - cost £20 and pretty reliable. Recommended by Which. It struggles if your heart beat is irregular or weak but I think they all do.I was prescribed Bisoprolol for a heart flutter. It didn't suit me - very faint and dizzy with the mildest exercise, so GP put me on Verapamil (calcium blocker) which keeps things under control till I can get a cardioversion. Hope that helps, and best wishes.
I have an Omron M30. Omron are the make used by our local GPs and district nurses. It's a bit dearer than Boots own equivalent model but I has issues with an earlier Boots one.
Hi carer999You are doing the right thing getting a monitor but if you can be white coat syndrome try to not over take your BP. I’ve found sometimes if it’s high the more you take it the higher it gets. I’m no expert on no machines so not commenting but as regards the Bisoprolol do as much research as you can before committing. It really can make you feel crap!
Make sure you stay in control of your own treatment. If unsure ask as many questions of your GP(sometimes it’s not the best medication they recommend, cost also I’ve found to be a factor and asked for and been granted an alternative) if you have a friendly pharmacist ask their advice also.
I got one from Amazon, 20 quid. They're very simple and you'll be fine whatever you get.As for Bisoprolol, you may have short-term side effects (I couldn't stop sweating for a week and my fingernails went blue with cold) but I'm far more active now than I was before my stent treatment in April. You mention being a keen walker & I certainly wasn't before my heart attack but I am now!
I measured my blood pressure twice a day for a week, and now I just measure it weekly. Try not to get too hung up on it.
Whatever choice you make keep it simple, less to go wrong and less to worry about. An upper arm version is better than a wrist version I was told....?Me, I use an Omron X2 Basic.
Don’t worry about not being able to walk as normal whilst taking Bisoprolol. I’m on 2.5mg a day and I walk often over 20,000 steps a day as I am a keen golfer.It does lower your heart rate and therefore lowers your blood pressure.
I would have thought your doctor would have given you a 24 hour blood pressure monitor before subscribing the Bisoprolol, but don’t worry, give it a try, it’s not as bad as many people make out.
I bought an off the shelf Omron BP monitor from Lloyds pharmacy and it is very straightforward to use.
My surgery suggested Omron too but in the end I got mine from Amazon which was in stock and cheaper. I took it to the surgery on my next visit and it produced the same results as theirs.However as someone else on this link has pointed out, when you use it you can still cause higher readings. Similar to white coat syndrome. Something that has happened to me. I’d suggest that if you’re feeling anxious then don’t take a reading then. Wait a little while then take it. Good luck
Very true, measuring BP yourself can produce unrealistic high anxiety readings, as such I normally discard the first couple of anxiety readings and as the anxiety comes down so does my BP.It is largely my fault as I can never be bothered to wait 10-30 mins before I monitor my BP, usually just after rushing up the stairs two at a time lol.
Agree with others that the Boots blood pressure monitors are reliable and reasonably priced. I was prescribed bisoprolol for fastAFib and, as my normal blood pressure was quite low, it has had a significant impact on my energy levels and normal activities and I feel like I am constantly sedated.
Hi I am sure if your blood pressure was taken again at home it would be lower than previous , as regards Bisoprolol l have taken a low dose for 9 years since a heart attack and my wife takes takes the equivalent of 5 mgs split into two doses morning and evening for AF and touch wood we have had no after effects , as for blood monitors we have had a Lloyds upper arm type for years and it's been very good .
BP monitors are all much of a muchness as far as I can see. I have a Boots one, and an Omron. The Omron records a series of readings which you can later retrieve, it also records irregular heartbeats (if you get the right one).Bisoprolol reduces your heartbeat and BP. It does this by basically reducing the levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. I had a heart attack last august and was put on 2.5mg of BS plus blood thinners and anti platelet pills along with statins.
Currently if I do much in the way of exercise, the after effects are that I am pretty much wiped out. For instance mowing the lawn takes 40 mins, and I feel OK for a while afterwards, then the fatigue sets in.
My cardiologist is suggesting reducing then stopping the BS along with reducing the statins from 80mg to 40mg.
I am now down to 1.25mg of BS. Certainly my BP has gone up typically from 95/65 to 110/80 nd my resting pulse from 60 to 70.
So BS certainly does what it says on the tin, but I don't have AF.
If the BS is just to reduce your BP, there are other drugs which can do this (e.g. ramipril) which my wife takes with no ill effects.
If you look on these forums you will see a lot of people who suffer from the side effects of BS.
I'm not a doctor, but I would ask for a referral to a cardiologist.
Hi,I take bisoprolol as well as other heart meds and statins.
I don't know yet if its bisoprolol but I cannot walk far anymore, I am walk abit as I have osteoarthritis in my heart it's difficult anyway, but, now its much worse I take baby steps and shuffle with my bad foot as well, its like my legs are dead weights and won't work, can i have to keep stopping as I'm breathless and shattered. It could be the bisoprolol iv researched online, I never used to be as bad as this, so it's my meds or I've got alot worse. Maybe there's another drug we could see I'm going to find out and see doc or even stop depends what they say.
You know at your docs do they have a BP and bpm machine, you can use whenever you want.
I'm thinking about getting a watch so I can track it.
Type it on Google and look at diff sites and one or two come up all the time should be ok. Or speak to bhf for recommendations,
Hi I have an omron which is really accurate and wasn't very expensive, I had heart failure and was on bisoperol and a lot of other meds my blood pressure was so low, I got a transplant and now on completely different meds and my blood pressure is now on the high side, I have been prescribed amlodipine for it char
Hi again,Sorry for being a little garbled, it's the auto correct and I'm very tired, but, I wanted to reply incase I forgot, I'm on 5mg BTW be careful with these heart drugs, because my life has changed dramatically, especially as you like walking, see your doc and again, I see some people are on very low doses that may help
MIne is by Omron because that's what my GP Uses. Get an arm monitor rather than wrist; they are more reliable. They come with clear instructions. My Omron also reports any ectopic or irregular beats
I got a Cazon blood pressure monitor from Amazon (approx £30 ) last Nov after my heart attack. I used it with the cable on a house socket for 6 months, when the cable stopped working. So how I have to use 4 longlife AA batteries with it.
Hi, I have two (long story but got paranoid about my BP for a while) Anyway, I have a top end boots one that connects to PC so O can send reports and keep info over a period of time, but was expensive at about £100, but I checked it against my Omron model from Asda that was £20 and the results are very similar, so unless you want to, it's not worth paying too much, Omron or Boots models are both well recomended. The key will be how to try and get the BP down and sorry as I don't know much about you, the key for me is keeping really active, I appreciate that's not possible for all but regular walks, stairs walks, runs if you can, cut out salt as much as possible, and I started to eat blueberries about 70g every day, beetroot drinks and watching some foods high in fat and salt, not saying it will work for all, I am 2 years post HA and a stent and have manged to drop the BP meds and manage with food and exersise to keep BP at a good level, its down from the high 140/85s to what is seen as good levels so it is possible, Good luck keep us all updated.
Hi there carer999 - I had a good old look on the web earlier in the year as I had been having higher blood pressure tests and rheumy said would be a good idea to have a check at home regularly.. So I purchased a great one via a high recommendation from a friend. It works amazingly and also tells you if your heart is out of rhythm, although doesn't say if it's AF or ectopic or supra ventricular etc... and it only tells you if you're out of rhythm when you are doing the test - so it misses mine nearly every time as it's very on and off AF! It was on 15% discount the other day... getqardio.com/qardioarm-blo... Sadly it seems that offer is gone but if you wait for a bit it might be on again as they seem to do it off and on.. probably as it's top of the range and a tad expensive. See what you think from the videos and info on the site. I'm very impressed. You can text your results to your docs and all sorts. I felt it was work investing in this rather than the Boots one, but yes, it is a tad expensive compared. I just bit the bullet, but couldn't have done that a couple of years ago as finances were not as they are now.
I used to have quite bad AF (now, post ablation, it's off and on throughout day but only for a few seconds at a time usually) and was on Sotalol and aspirin. I was on er 20mg(?) and then because my AF got worse, they doubled it... actually might be I was on 40 and it went to 80mg I think - anyway... I have to say I was nearly passing out at work. I went to A&E and they said I had bradycardia so halved my sotalol which really helped! I know the Bisaprolol is for blood pressure management but it's also for "heart failure" (gotta love that terminology so it's another beta blocker I think, especially considering the end of the word. So I guess just see how you go - they'll definitely be monitoring you and presume would start you off on lower dose to see how it goes.
Hi there we always used omron in general practice they seem to be the one that they opt for whatever you buy take with you next time you are at the surgery after they have taken your bp take it again on your own machine it will give you a good idea it’s callabrated correctly take care 😊
I've been taking Bisoprolol 2.5mg for 6 years, after a number of HAs, to slow down my heart beat as it's too strong for my damaged arteries! It has slowed me down a little and slightly reduced my stamina level.
Normally I don't have high blood pressure until I visit my GP. To address this issue I arrive 10 mins early for appointments, take deep breaths before BP tests,sit up straight and during the test I stop talking and think of relaxing things. It's amazing the difference these make. For me having a BP monitor is helpful especially during very hot weather when my BP drops - I brought mine from my local chemist for £20. Good luck.
I used to take bisoprolol .I used to regularly choke as if something went down the wrong way.Came off no problem with choking☹️My cardiologist said take 3 readings of BP ,disregard first ,take average of other 2 as true result .
Bisoprolol definitely does help with blood pressure and afib which I have. It takes a good couple of weeks to get used to the medication but you do start to feel better after that. I too was advised to buy blood pressure monitor which I did but try not to use too often as you become paranoid.
Having tried just about every blood pressure med available with varying side effects, I'm now taking bisoloprol 5mg and doxazosin 2mg and so far so good. No side effects from either and walk the dog at least 3 - 4 miles a day. I've not felt extra tired or cold. It has lowered my heart rate to between 55 and 60 beats a minute
Thanks for all the advice. I got a Boots one, (Ormon made) which records AF and the last 60 readings. I am starting to record them in a spreadsheet. Unfortunately I made the mistake of taking 1.25g of Bisoprolol fumarate before I purchasoed the monitor so I can't check to see if my BP was lower at home without the tablets.
My resting heart rate is in the 43 to 63 range for the last 4 days and my blood pressure has been down to 97/57 and as high as 128/74. At the GP surgery it was 151/51 with HR of 80. The downside is headaches and less energy.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
so it's another beta blocker I think, especially considering the end of the word. So I guess just see how you go - they'll definitely be monitoring you and presume would start you off on lower dose to see how it goes.
Blood pressure monitor 
24 HR blood pressure monitor 
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Monitors
Blood pressure monitors and irregular pulse and fibrillation
