Side Effects from Blood Pressure Drug Atenolol

I was on beta blockers for several years and did not like the way I felt when taking them. I also learned they effected my cholesterol levels negatively.

I was put on lisinopril and for the past 2 years have been working on eliminating bp meds.

I am 56 years old, generally in good health and committed to doing all I can to not use drugs. I started with Q10, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Resq1250 and 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil per day. I also added Resperate. In 2006 my average bp was 120/74 when I started this regime. In 2007 it was 121/71, in 2008 116/68 and in 2009 it is averaging 110/60.

In addition to above I manage issue with insulin resistance which also effects bp. I am an avid backpacker and can traverse AT trails at 25 miles per day.

Now, I am on a half does of lisinopril and will soon eliminate it completely.

It takes some work but it sure beats the med alternative

I was on atenolol 50mg, I had your same reactions except no cold feet, so the doctor changed the mg. to 25 mg but he also gave me cozaar 50mg. To me there was no change but the doctor tells me that is what I have to take..What else can I do?? Every pill I take seems to have a reaction to another pill but I ask the doctor to change and he insists that what I`m taking is what I need...

Is there something I should do to get rid of all those different reactions??? Please Help??

I changed doctor and the other one was not any better, so I`m back with my same doctor..

My dr. is a pulmonary dr., should a pulmonary dr. be a gp???

My mother has been suffering with a terrible itchy rash for about a year now. We have been to several dermatologists and allergy DRS.

Every prescription cream they have given her only makes her itch more.

She now only takes Zytrec and her 2 prescription meds - avilide and metoprolol.

I also started her on Borage Oil 2 X a day on a suggestion of GNC for itchy skin.

The rash intensifies at night. Eucerin cream also helps but the rash doesn't go away.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

I was experiencing shortness of breath and felt like I was having a heart attack every time I did the slightest exercise. After 4 yrs of being on Atenol, I asked my doctor to change me to something else. I am now on Bisopr/HCTZ and it completely eliminated the problem.

I was put on half dose of atenolol after tests proved I did not have heart problems causing my shortness of breath, and my problems with breathing have been greatly improved. I am now cutting the lisinipril dose in half as well and will see how my blood pressure responds. I have been on CoQ10 for the last 2 months as well. Thanks for alerting me that atenolol could be causing this problem.

I tried atenolol which caused leg "burning" . I went to lisonipril which caused coughing. Now on losartan and it makes me dizzy. HCTZ caused urge urinate but no urine. I also have issues with any of the statins. course I am old as dirt....bill

I was on atenolol for 18 months and developed increasing depression (I had never been depressed before). My cardiologist determined that beta blockers are not for me. After stopping atenolol, it was like a dark grey curtain lifting -- and I haven't had that problem since. Drug side effects can be mental as well as physical. Don't overlook these problems in relation to medications.

I was on Atenolol (25 mg) for two years after my doctor said that I had "hypertension."
No cold feet but I was literally exhausted and felt "drugged" all the time. The side effects don't happen instantly...they creep up on you until you realize that something just isn't right. My doctor then prescribed Diovan HCT 120/12.5-another low dose blood pressure medication but a diuretic, and like the previous commenter, it was like I had regained a new life. The exhaustion was gone, my energy level tripled and I have never looked back!
I cannot imagine what I would have felt like on a larger dose of Atenolol!

I have taken Norvasc for 20 years. My doc switched me to generic amlodipine and my blood pressure sky rocketed and I was nauseous and jittery. I have had to go back to the very expensive Norvasc. I do not believe generics are the same and the proof is in my response to the generic vs. brand name. We should not be lied to about this medication.

It is very possible that the rash is caused by her blood pressure medication. My mother had the same problem--the itching was horrible. When she got off the med and returned to brand name norvasc the problem disappeared. it seems like your mom does not need more meds--she needs less and the right stuff. I am sorry she is suffering.

Since taking the new bp medication Diovan HCT are you having any side effects? Any hair loss?

No side effects although occasional (slight) dizziness pops up. No hair loss-the opposite actually, and now there is a generic that my doctor says is just like Diovan HCT. And it falls under Walmart's $4.00 prescription plan.

I have had moderately high BP for several months. I take 160mg Diovan and started with 25mg Atenolol. I cut the Atenolol to 12.5mg because I was dizzy and my heart rate was very low. I stopped taking Atenolol completely 5 days ago (with my doctors OK). My BP has been going up a little each day and today it was 145 / 90 with my heart rate at 95. I have been light headed all day. I just took 12.5 mg of Atenolol about 2 hours ago and am hopeing for some positive results. My doctor is a GP and I think that I am ready to see a Cardiologist. This is scary.

I was put on atenolol for high blood pressure and it made me feel weak and dizzy and also depressed and suicidal. I was also on ramipril but I decided to wean myself off of the drugs and follow a healthy lifestyle. I now monitor my blood pressure and exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet and after 3 years off the drugs I feel great.

I had infarctions in 1979, bypasses in 1980, felt good, returned to employment in 1984, severely injured in 1985, now were fentanyl patch for pain last 8 yrs., again bypass 4-way surgery in 2001, everything fine until 2005, began Avapro and carvidol, now on avilide, but having extreme BPM of 120 and feel ill at all times.

Also wear pacemaker. Can't control BPM, any suggestions appreciated. My Cardiologist only adjusts pacemaker to no avail.

LLR How did you get off the Atenolol?

Mtb. Did your doctor wean you off the atenolo? how did you get off of it. I tried cutting it down and experienced palpitations, rapid heartbeat and feeling horrible.

I have been on numerous blood pressure medications, but none seemed to stabilize my blood pressure. One such med was Norvasc, my blood pressure would spike to extremely high numbers and I would cough all day and night and was exhausted. I have been on numerous medications without success. Benicar and Antelol seem to stabilize my blood pressure more so than the others, but not completely.

I have been taking 1 Benicar 40 mg and Atenolol 50 mg daily for about 3 years and still have spikes now and then, but less frequently. I am very dizzy, extremely tired, extremely cold all the time, and have gain an excessive amount of weight since taking Benicar and Atenolol. I have to use an inhaler several times a week and sometime a pulmo aide treatment, but rarely.

No weaning-straight change. Was on Diovan HCT 80/12.5 for 5 years then switched per doctor to the generic brand and am doing even better on that.

Plus it is $10.00 at Target for a 3 month supply!
I did feel begin to later feel some heart palpitations w/ Diovan but they are gone now with the generic-go figure :-)

I took metatoprol for 4 days and developed an itchy rash. By the fourth day it was so bad that my Dr. took me off the metatoprol, and it started going away. I have had no problems since. Perhaps your mother is allergic to the metatoprol.

Was put on Metoprolol for high blood pressure. Developed a burn like rash on my face. Very red and then peeling for a couple days. Then the cycle started over. The Dr. took me off the Metroprolol and put me on Bystolic.

This morning my face is very red with bumps appearing. Skin burns.

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: PLEASE LET YOUR DOCTOR KNOW RIGHT AWAY. IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH YOU MAY NEED SOME OTHER KIND OF BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE BESIDES A BETA-BLOCKER.

My blood pressure skyrocketed at the end of 2008, and my doctor, a naturopath, put me on a diuretic. Within hours I developed what I called "fuzzy brain", couldn't put two words together to make a thought, forgot words I commonly use and just felt, well, fuzzy all the time. I told her I wasn't going to continue taking it so she put me on Atenolol, which has worked, more or less, though my sistolic is usually in the 130's to 140's, while the diastolic is in the mid 60's. Still, at my annual checkup last week she told me she'd discovered that Atenolol is not considered a good thing for high BP, and that she's going to find something else to put me on. I told her, just be sure it's not a diuretic!!

I have been taking Atenolol for just over a month for premature heartbeats/Tachycardia. I have experienced many side effects and my palpitations continue. My BP is normal, I'm 130 lbs, and I'm only 27! I have no other health problems. I'm going back to my Dr to see if the med is more trouble than it's worth!

How did you stop the atenolol? I'm on 6 mg. daily and have trouble stopping.

I have been on atenolol (100 mg) for at least 20 years and 6 months ago I started losing a lot of hair--has anyone else had this experience? I am very upset. Has this happened to anyone else-is this a side effect? Kindly answer

I have not stopped taking atenolol.. not yet anyway. At my last visit my doctor doubled my dose from 25mg daily to 50mg daily. I still have palpitations. I go back in December, hopefully he will refer me to a cardiologist.

I stopped taking atenolol 50 mg about 12 days ago by my doctor's order because my heart rate was in the 40's. I was put on the atenolol for HBP about 7 years. I now have fast heart beats and anxiety since I stopped taking the atenolol. My doctor put me on Lisinopril 20mg. My BP reading has been ok 122/84. But the anxiety and fast heart beats come and go. Especially at night I wake up with fast heart beats. Would someone please tell me if this is a withdrawal symptom from the atenolol?

The post that stated "I started with Q10, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Resq1250 and 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil per day" created interest in me as to how much of each did you use. I have been on atenolol for 10 years or so and can relate to many of the symptoms described. I am looking for natural alternatives and would appreciate any suggestions.

Help! Every since I started taking Atenolol four years ago I've gained so much weight. I eat extremely well and exercise all the time. I have rashes, memory problems, fatigue, burning in my legs, and now shortness of breath. Every thing I eat has an adverse effect on me every since I started taking these pills. I lowered my intake to 1-25mg pill per day successfully (dropped 10 lbs. immediately). Possibly weaned off the 2nd pill too soon, felt like I was going to have a heart attack so I started back on the one 25mg atenolol, along with pure coq10 and literally saw/felt my chest swell within hours.

Daily regimen:

Lemon,cayenne and honey
Kelp and turmeric
Hawthorn
Garlic cloves with an apple
4 celery sticks

This was working well before weaning completely off atenolol and adding coq10. Unfortunately returning to the above regimen is no longer working. I want off these pills, they're slowly ruining my life. But afraid I could die if I stop completely taking them altogether. I don't enjoy being overweight especially without the benefit of eating fattening food, gone from size 12 to 18/20 (weight is in my upper body). Its not my thyroid! Laid off, no longer have health insurance. Need a natural cure! Please help!

Yes, I've been taking atenolol for about 4 years, increased weight gain over the years without the benefit of overeating junk food. I wasn't aware of the mental side effects since it was prescribed for HBP until I weaned off the first pill abut a month ago. Woke up in the middle of the night and ran around the living room in "sleep walking mode" briefly realizing in my sleep as to what was happening and fully aware in the morning when I fully awoke.

So, yes the medication has anxiety affective. Wish I never was prescribed this medication!

Do not take generics, pay the full price of authentic medications. They are not the same and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I am a nurse tech working in a cardiac unit.

I, too, have just been through over 2 months of intense itching with horrible red bumps/rash. The medicines I was taking were Diovan, Atenolol, HCTZ, and Armour thyroid. After finally consulting an allergy specialist, because my family practice physician could not determine the cause, I was advised to discontinue each medicine one by one to determine which was causing the awful symptoms.

After discontinuing both the Diovan and HCTZ, I am finally beginning to return to normal. My experience has been a real nightmare. It's very possible that your reaction is due to an interaction between your meds, or even an allergic reaction to one of them.

please expand; what is q10, resq 1250 and resperate? thank you

what is the generic for diovan?

I've found this site very helpful, after reading many comments on hear I've come to believe my breathing problems are contributed to atenolol 50 mgs. a day as when I fall to sleep my breathing slows down to a point of stopping, VERY SCARY. At this point I will be making a change. Thanks ya all, Tom T. Syracuse N.Y.

Oh my gosh I have been suffering for several years with this rash that itches so bad it drives me crazy. I keep asking the doctors if this could be caused by any of my medications (also on atenolol) the only response is I don't think so. Well now I think I finally got the answer. Thanks so much.

Why can't you stop the medication?

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: SOME PEOPLE WHO STOP SUDDENLY SUFFER FROM CHEST PAIN OR A HEART ATTACK.