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Global Patient Feedback for Atenolol ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
Hello,
I am a 28yr. old female and just a few days ago(9/2/08) my doctor prescribed Atenolol 25mg. She told me this was the smallest dose to take for my high blood pressure. I have documented high blood pressure for about a year from several doctors visits. I went to the doctors maybe 6 times throughout the year and my pressure was around 140/80 or so. I have gained weight, 18pds. in 1 1/2. I will admit, I eat anything, I don't excercise and I'm just being lazy. High blood pressure runs in my family and I have an undiagnosed heart condition. They say it's just anxiety and I had a 3day heart monitor that I took home but of course no irregular heart beats happened while I had it, so that didn't help with the diagnosis. I just feel like @ my age there has to be a better choice. I want to eat healthy, excercise and do it the natural way. Hopefully within a month when i go for a check-up, my pressure will have lowered. I am just scared that I won't be able to get off this medication or the side effects will drive me crazy, maybe make things worse.
What do you think?
29 year old Female
Posted: 2008-10-04 20:54:51
Answer/Reply:
Hi, I've been Atenolol for several years, no side effectes, except possible sleepyness. Other than that, its worked fairly well for me. I too am overweight. I know better and need to get to work on it. I don't know anything about getting off medications for BP because I've never done it, nor have i talked to anyone who has. But it is something to think about. Good luck and keep your chin up.
53 year old Female
Posted: 2008-10-05 20:00:06
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Hello,
I did read your message some time ago Sorry to be getting back to you so late. I appreciate the response and thanks for the the positive feedback.
Posted: 2008-10-14 12:49:59
Answer/Reply:
You blood pressure is a little high for your age, but don't listen to your doc on that one. You may be just suffering from WCS (white coat syndrome). Many people get nervous at the doctors office and that alone raises BP. Get a meter from wal-mart (avoid the wrist type) and take it yourself. Lye down for 5 minutes and take your BP on your left arm. Then stand up quickly and take it again. Start the meter as you are standing up to get the fastest read. Write down both #. If I have got your attention yet, reply back and I will tell you more. I can tell you the condition of your heart, adrenals, thyroid, arteries, mineral deficiencies and more. Most high BP is simply caused by a mineral deficiency. Magnesium and Potassium are the main ones for calming the adrenals which ultimately control BP. Ask your doctor what causes BP, he will not be able to tell you. It's not his fault he was not taught right. You are right to want to go the natural way. It's just a matter of knowing which way. Your BP is not high enough for them to be putting you on hypertensive drugs, but they are brainwashed into thinking everyone should have a BP of 120/80. Before these drugs came on the market and for over a century the accepted BP was 100 + your age on the systolic pressure. So you should be around 128/83 or so. If you address your diet, add trace minerals, get some excercise and some sunlight, you will be fine.
45 year old Male
Posted: 2008-10-08 14:37:40
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Hello,
Thanks for the reply. I just read your response. Good to get another response and it is very detailed. I will try over the weekend to get the bp machine and take my bp. I have been working on eating right, believe me I've had lots of salad and less salt. (kinda tasteless but if that's what's going to help) I've been excercising, but I need to do more. I spoke with my great-grandmother the other day and told her my situation and she said take the medicine b/c you could have a stroke. That really freaked me out but then my friend was like you're not in the same age range as she is.
Either way I certainly don't want to do my harm than good. I checked my bp about a week ago in Wal-Mart and I don't remember exactly what it was but it was something like 155/103. I got hysterical. I KNOW I CAN DO IT THE NATURAL WAY!! I don't want to doubt the doctor, at the same time there have been instances where my bp was lower than my last visit and even normal. So, it's not as if every time I've gone to the doc's it's been high! My dad has high bp and I have anxiety issues. I think all of these things together doesn't help my bp. Anything I can do besides taking medicine is my 1st choice. My therapist has given me ways to re-direct my anxiety and hopefully that will help in lowering my bp.
Thank you so much for your concern.
Posted: 2008-10-14 13:02:14
Question/Comment:
hello
29 year old Female
Posted: 2008-10-04 20:39:42
Question/Comment:
I am experiecing upper body fatigue on 25 mg of atenenol. Is this a possible side effecy. I'm also on coumadin,and amiodorone.
72 year old Female
Posted: 2008-10-04 15:54:00
Answer/Reply:
Atenolol sure makes me sleepy. When I first started taking it, the sleepiness was much harder to fight. As time goes on, I am less sleepy so I think that side effect may disapate as your body adjusts.
53 year old Female
Posted: 2008-10-05 20:02:28
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
I had scarlet fever 30 years ago and was put on Atenolol, (Tenormin) back in my early 20's due to rapid heart rate of 130 or so at rest. I was started out on 100 mg once daily at bedtime. Any of the doctor's I have seen since then just continued to write out the script and never questioned the Atenolol. Well, lo and behold someone actually checked it out, took me off Atenolol and did a cardiac work up which revealed mitro prolapse and hypertension due to the masking of the Atenolol. I was cut down on Atenolol but my heart kept racing so I was put back on it. I began having night sweats, sweating during the day, miserable sweating, nausea, weakness, sleepiness and couldn't do anything. I could barely drag myself to work and back.After I went back on the 100 mg dose I began passing out sometimes for 9-12 hours at a time finding myself in the floor. My internest admitted me to the hospital for a few days, placed a heart monitor on me and after I had been totally off Atenolol my heart rate went as low as the 30's. Seems like what I thought was menopause with all the sweating and chilling was actually low blood pressure due to the Atenolol dose not to mention the number of years I have taken it. My dose was cut down 1/2 to 50 mg. and I seem to be doing great, no sweating, no weakness and I can function like a normal person. If you are on Atenolol please get a blood pressure home kit so you can keep up with your blood pressure should you experience any of these symptoms.
Posted: 2008-10-20 11:35:19
Answer/Reply:
I have taken atenolol 25 mg for many years with no side effects. I was also on coumadin that even with monitoring caused a mild stroke. I was on it in preparation of an ablation which went off ok, but didn't solve my problems.Then I was placed on a pacemaker with amiodorone by my cardiologist, which made me so tired and breathless I could barely walk, even after adjustments to the pacemaker. I am now off coumadin and amiodorone and feel much much better; however, they increased my atenolol to 50 mg which does make me tired; however, no where near the extreme fatigue I had while on amiodorone and coumadin. I can dance again, slow, moderate, and relatively fast.......still trying to work up to the polka. This all happened in a 9 month period.. So good luck.
71 year old Female
Posted: 2008-11-20 11:39:45
Question/Comment:
Tenormin was the first bp medication I was put on 23years ago and I have never had a problem with it, in fact, the doctors tried to get me switched to another medication but none would keep my pressure down. I also take Norvasc as well as Benazepril but I take the later two in the evening and the Tenormin in the morning. 59year old
61 year old Female
Posted: 2008-09-29 13:46:56
Question/Comment:
how does atenolol and norvacs cause more heart problems when you take it together
61 year old Female
Posted: 2008-09-28 20:26:30
Question/Comment:
After trying several medications to lower my blood pressure, this is the only one that did. I've had no side effects. I've been on it for 3 years and my blood pressure stays normal.
56 year old Female
Posted: 2008-09-27 23:41:42
Question/Comment:
A year ago I was put on Atenolol for blood pressure and it was killing me..I had NO appitite (lost 8lb's) ( normal weight was 108) I could not even force myself to eat and even the smell of food made me sick..I was extremly worn out on on this drug and depressed because I felt SO BAD ALL the time..It TOTALLY messed up me and my life..All my doctor wanted to do was give me More drug's for the side effect's , but would not LISTEN to me concerning this drug..I felt like I was dying.. Switched doctor's and found a wonderful man who LISTENED and took me off that crap..Now on Lisinopril and back to normal..It was truley a horrible experience and I would Not reccomend this drug to anyone..It was literally killing me..And I fought for 10 month's to get off it.When I switched doctor's I weighed 97lb's and could not have gone on much longer in that state.. Be aware that this drug can make you think your dying and come's with MANY bad side effect's..
51 year old Female
Posted: 2008-09-26 10:35:39
Answer/Reply:
I've used atenolol for over three years, never experienced any of the side effects. Never lost any weight, never took my will to move around. May be different for each person, I just never had any bad side effects
67 year old Female
Posted: 2008-09-27 14:42:50
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Simply be aware that ANY drug can cause problems for any person. What works for one person may well NOT do well for another. My father could take almost any med without reaction. I have reactions with just about anything and most reactions are bad enough I have a VERY hard time finding one that works...
Posted: 2008-09-30 00:37:46
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
ATENOLOL 25MG THE MAX IT GOES UP TO IS 50MG THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE COLD HANDS AND COLD FEET,SLEEPY
Posted: 2008-10-25 22:44:14
Answer/Reply:
I have been on atenolol for 2/12 years and only experienced tiredness until I was put on Potassium. Atenolol causes a depletion of Potassium which you really need. Now I am no longer tired and my life is almost normal.
60 year old Female
Posted: 2008-12-10 14:01:11
Question/Comment:
I am on the atenolol 50 mg which it has been raised. I have felt good and no problems yet. If I forget to take this for a day I feel very tired and out of focus. I am also a diabetic and take Novolog 70/30 mix I take 90u in the am and 50u at bedtime. I do get hypoglycemic, but I always think it is the dose of the insulin. My Dr. is monitoring this .
53 year old female.
54 year old Female
Posted: 2008-09-24 20:29:21
Question/Comment:
I've taken Atenol(50mg) for 4 years now and I think it's great. I do not take it for high blood pressure but for tacycardia. I had gotten the flu6 years ago and it led to strep. My heart rate at resting was 120 or so and This continued for 3 years. My doctor said my pulse was high due to pain(I have chronic leg pain) so we did nothing else. Anyway I went for a routine visit and at that time I was pain free but still in hyperdrive. That's when the heart specialist was called in and after his echo and monitors and blood work he gave me the atenol. It worked in about a minute and my heart rate has been normal ever since. I am very pleased with this drug and it resets my pulse. Fantastic drug and I feel normal again.
54 year old Female
Posted: 2008-09-23 22:23:17
Question/Comment:
Due to a prescription mix-up, I've been taken 2 100mg tabs of Atenolol, twice daily, for a total of 400mg. I've taken this for a period of about 4yrs. I'm very concerned about possible long term side effects that I may suffer.
46 year old Male
Posted: 2008-09-18 21:35:30
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
This is a concern of mine too. I am only 22 years old, and have been on blood pressure medication for four years. I don't want to be thirty and find out that this medication causes cancer after years of use. I have been to numerous doctors and they all put me on medication, do blood work, but never tell me a root cause other than " It is your genes". Shouldn't i have been sent to a cardiologist? I don't have insurance, do you think that is why they have not sent me or told me anything?
Posted: 2008-12-17 13:01:39
Question/Comment:
My doctor ordered Atenolol 25 mg to supplement 100 mg Cozaar for high blood pressure. An immediate beneficial effect was noted. Now I'm wondering if I might try to stop the Atenolol and reduce Cozaar since my blood pressure has improved. I don't like being on a drug forever without seeing if there is an improvement in the health condition allowing me to stop or reduce a med. What do you all think?
71 year old Female
Posted: 2008-08-15 21:40:08
Answer/Reply:
I'm not a doctor but Cozaar is well known for not having sexual side effects. Atenolol on the other hand does *Although from the survey on this site its not noted as common. All I know is when I started on it my ability to get erect went to about zero. I am however taking the largest dose.
51 year old Male
Posted: 2008-08-16 16:03:37
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
I had the same question, not to be on drugs for to long, and up to now tha'ts the only one i take plus a baby aspirin every morning, with my over 60 years of age i fill good, and i ask the doctor, and he kind of told me that the body is get use to this prescription, and if you stop may the body feels diferent and the blood pressure goes up again. But if i miss a day, i get to nervous, my sistem shake, soon after i take the medicine all came back to normal, because ATENOLOL works with your nerves system, and that's what makes my blood pressure goes up, so i CONTINUED TO TAKE IT...and i been taking for this last 12 years allready.
Posted: 2008-09-04 06:24:10
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Don't make any changes before you consult with your doctor. I am about your age, and a few years ago while camping (3 months) I noticed that my blood pressure was normal, so I stopped taking the medication. My blood pressure remained normal. After the summer vacation I spoke with my doctor about my experience, He warned me NOT to do it. His reason was, that the medicine also thins the blood and by not taking this blood-thinning medicine there is danger of breaking blood vessels. So again, speak with your doctor.
Posted: 2008-09-23 03:22:35
Question/Comment:
I was prescribed atenolol by a Kaiser physician that did not know me for my blood pressure. I am a runner. It worked OK for a while, but after about 9 months, I no longer could run as well as I could previously, as I could not get my pulse rate up and I felt exhausted withn the least effort. I went to a exercise physiologist/nutritionist who told me I had the wrong medicine and should have been on an ACE inhibitor instead. When I saw my regular doctor, she agreed and switched me. When I ceased the atenolol, I felt alive again and running was much easier as if a huge weight had been lifted from my back. Also, my HDL cholesterol which had always been in the low 50's/high40's was reduced to 43 with the atenolol. This was very significant for me since need high HDL to offset my relatively high total cholesterol and keep my TC/HDC ratio near 4.5. Since I also needed running to keep my long term (20 year) impaired glucose tolerance (110-100) from turning into diabetis, a beta blocker like atenolol was a bad choice and never should have been prescribed. Beware atenlol etc., if you are an avid exerciser and need high HDL or glucose control!
70 year old Male
Posted: 2008-08-13 11:35:04
Question/Comment:
For all of you that keep saying take as prescribed - you guys need to think beyond what the doc tells you. Yes for the most part it is true that you need to take your meds as prescribed but only you will know how the medication interacts with your body and the other medications you take so make sure that you trust your own body's response. If you ever feel that the medication is not working as it is supposed to then you need to not just blindly follow your Dr. instructions you need to call your Dr. or pharmacist ASAP and explain the situation/symptoms so that you are sure everything is ok. Also alot of health insurance companies have nurse practioners on staff 24/7 that you can call and explain the symptoms and check it out.
In the end the most effective way to take your medications is to follow directions but also to make sure that you are well educated on what you are taking and if there are any out of the ordinary symptoms to immediately call and make sure there is nothing wrong -do not sit and fuss about it online trying to determine what is going on
31 year old Female
Posted: 2008-08-03 23:53:18
Question/Comment:
I take atenolol because it is a beta blocker. I have issues with extreme rage and violent outbursts (I also had slightly elevated blood pressure) so I was prescribed atenolol to block the uptake of the excess adrenline that causes my violent outbursts. This medication has worked wonderfully and has, in combination with my klonopin, been amazing in allowing me to calm down from what would be considered a violent outburst/panic attack. This is new approach and use for this medication but it has made wonders. I can feel it take the excessive adrenline out of comission and really calm me down.
31 year old Female
Posted: 2008-08-03 23:39:57
Question/Comment:
I just starting 1 pill of 50mg a day of Atenolol 6 days ago. Yesterday and today at about 16hrs into the 24hrs my blood pressure shoots up. I get weak with tremors, teeth chattering and can hardly speak. Feel completely revved up yet ready to pass out. My doc said the pill has worn off and sure enough I take a half dose and within an hour pressure is down and strange feelings are gone. Has anyone ever had this experience? I mean after 6 days I can't believe my body is so dependent on this. Plus I thought it was suppose to last 24hrs?
39 year old Female
Posted: 2008-07-21 05:06:03
Question/Comment:
I really is helping with my migraines, it works better than my previous medication that I was taking, which was Verapamil.
41 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
I think it is good, with fewer side effects than others
64 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
its a wonder drug but dont take in your 1st trimester
50 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
I am not sure what side effects are just from Atenolol - I take many different medications.
45 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
If you trust your doctor then take his/er advice and take this medication. You can always change to something else if this one doesn't work for you...
65 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
Make certain that you take as prescribed
71 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
if your doctor prescribes atenolol if you have a heart attack, I would recommend following his orders.
61 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
its a great drug to treat high blood pressure
59 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
Follow your doctors instructions on taking your medicine
58 year old Male
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
Question/Comment:
It's effects are not SUSTAINED as long as some other drugs that combat this condition, but as there are fewer adverse side effects, I prefer this med to others my doctor has tried.
51 year old Female
Posted: 2008-03-10 00:00:00
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