Atenolol for High Blood Pressure User Reviews (Page 2)

• S Ven...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 25, 2012

"I have been on Atenolol 100 mg for 17 years now. I find my body adjusted to the medicine and it keeps my blood pressure and pulse rate under control (125/75, 60). I switched to Amlodipine but that doesn't work for me, and I'm back on Atenolol."

• melony
• August 7, 2009

"I am a 38-year-old female. Before taking atenolol, I had a high pulse and a fast heartbeat (very scary feeling), also heart palpitations. I was a nervous wreck. I would wake in the morning with my heart pounding and out of breath. My doctor started me on atenolol 25mg about 2 weeks ago. I have never felt so normal. I can actually wake up in the morning and feel good. I am walking every day and on a strict diet with no problem. Thank goodness for atenolol."

• dian
• April 28, 2013

"I have found that atenolol has brought my blood pressure numbers to a good, acceptable level. Prior to atenolol, I was running 168/108. I have noticed some weight gain. I will have to work out more. I saw somewhere on one of these posts that someone mentioned very low to no sex drive. I think this is a very common problem with a lot of meds like atenolol, beta blockers, and antidepressants. I too experience those problems. I also take high cholesterol medicine and an antidepressant."

• mcpep...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 20, 2012

"I have had good results with atenolol. My blood pressure was at 189/109 before I started taking it. After only one month, my blood pressure consistently reads at 124/82. I have had no side effects at all, and it's very inexpensive."

• Anonymous
• February 9, 2018

"I'm 23. One fine day, I checked my BP, and it was 146/104. No symptoms. After several readings throughout the day, the average reading was the same. My mother was already on 50 mg per day of atenolol. She was worried, and so I had a tablet of 50 mg just in case a heart attack didn't show up. With no knowledge of abruptly stopping it, I skipped the next dose. And wow, the days after that were like a ride to hell. It was like having a heart attack constantly for days. Although I checked with a doctor immediately, and he put me on a lower dose, getting off that one dose of 50 mg was like surviving death every moment. Guys, seriously, I don't know if this medicine works or not, as I've been taking it for less than a week now. But one thing for sure, don't leave this medicine abruptly, once you are into the game, you've got to play by the rules. Damn it."

• Sarab...
• June 10, 2016

"I was put on a very low dose of Atenolol, and after 27 days, I stopped taking it. Worst ever. My heart pounds, my chest is tight with a burning sensation and difficulty breathing. Add cold soaking sweats and huge bruises on my arms, and I have had enough of this poison. Called my cardiologist and told him I was not taking it anymore, and he didn't call me back. Woke up at 4 a.m., and my heart was beating so hard I thought I was having a heart attack. Happy it works well for some. And it is the only medication I was on."

• BigDa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 12, 2017

"I would stay away from atenolol. I was on it for 6 years, and the entire time I had chronic gout flare-ups, really bad cholesterol, and even worse triglycerides. Doctors couldn't figure it out. Then one day I woke up and thought the only med I've been on consistently for those years was atenolol. So I lied to my doctor and told him it wasn't lowering my blood pressure anymore and asked for amlodipine, as my mother has been on it for a long time with great results. As soon as I stopped taking the atenolol, within a week, all my joints started feeling better. It's now been about 2 years since my last atenolol pill and the same amount of time since my last gout flare-up. Also, I just tested my cholesterol, and it's perfect!"

• Valerie
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 16, 2019

"Doctor originally started me on lisinopril; constant, chronic diarrhea from the moment I started it. Within hours of stopping it, diarrhea stopped. Doctor switched me to atenolol and been on it ever since. Only side effect was when doctor decided to double the dosage, and I nearly wrecked the car! Never again! Back to 50 mg. BP always between 110-116 over 65-70."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 18, 2012

"Have been on this medicine for over 10 years. It does control my BP rather well, but have been looking for other alternatives recently. My main problem is the shortness of breath, especially if I do any type of cardio. I started running last year and immediately noticed that I can't run for long periods and am stuck doing intervals of jogging / walking. Next is rhinitis, always hacking out clear phlegm, and my last complaint is the edema (swelling in the ankles/feet)."

• skipman
• July 29, 2017

"I very nearly died when taking this drug. I became confused, had difficulty standing up from a chair, felt dizzy and uncoordinated, and worst of all, at night, when I could hear my heartbeat, I noted that my heart stopped for about 6 beats before jump-starting again. I told my kidney specialist about the symptoms, and he gave me an IQ test as he thought I had Alzheimer's! I was very confused, but I managed a high score on the test. He still did not link my symptoms to atenolol, but one day at the dialysis center my heart rate was so low I had to be rushed by ambulance into Resus at the hospital. Adrenaline was injected as by that time my heart rate was only 7 beats a minute. I was taken immediately into theater where a pacemaker was inserted."

• RobertP
• August 11, 2016

"Great medication when used properly. Spend some time and get the correct dose (I'd wager it's never correct the first time they write a 'script). I started at 50 mg and immediately had to go to 25 mg because it was too much for me. Do not stop taking this medication or change your dosage without doctor's orders, though. This medication is also good for anxiety. But it has nothing to do with hair loss or other symptoms of aging. C'mon, guys... you can't blame one very targeted, subtle drug on every malady you experience in your body."

• Dmano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2018

"I have been taking atenolol for 3 months. From about 3 hours after the first dose, I noticed a weight gone off my chest and the tension in my neck and head. I take 25 mg alongside 5 mg amlodipine. My BP is constant at 115/62."

• fibro...
• July 7, 2011

"I really like atenolol. It helps bring all of my numbers down but most importantly, it brings my heart rate down a huge amount. My heart rate can get up to 165 when I'm resting. When I take my atenolol, it goes between 70s and 60s so it helps quite a bit. I've been on it for years now and haven't had any side effects. I would highly recommend it."

• Lucky
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 30, 2019

"I have been on this drug for many years. I tried lisinopril for a while, and it made me cough. Came back to atenolol and am happy with it. My BP is generally in a safe range, and I feel good most of the time. No side effects as far as I know; I do have trouble sleeping, but that has been my life story, so I can't blame it on atenolol. Thumbs up. It was not covered under ObamaCare but only costs $4.00 per month."

• stres...
• November 14, 2009

Tenormin (atenolol) "I am a 48-year-old male and have been taking 50 mg a day as directed for 6 months. My blood pressure is now 125/80 and stable. I drink approximately 1 liter of whiskey every two days and notice no other side effects other than I cannot maintain an erection for as long as before taking this. I should mention that I've been drinking this amount of rye since I was 20 years old and that this is the only medicine I take."

• Margo
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 15, 2013

"This is an update regarding my previous post, which you can read at the beginning of this thread. My medication has been reduced, the doctor said he thought it was the furosemide that was causing my ankles to swell. I came off it, and now my foot pain has disappeared also. My ankles never swell. I was also taken off ferrous sulfate, ascorbic acid, and Vitamin B12 injection. All my tests are fine, I now take 3 x 500 mg metformin a day, 100 mg thyroxine, pravastatin, losartan, and atenolol. I have come off so many tablets. Did I need them all in the first place?"

• DerGr...
• February 19, 2009

Tenormin (atenolol) "I take a combo of Dyazide and Tenormin daily. Have been doing so for more than 30 years (80 now). I find this combo works very well for me. I have always had a high pulse rate and a high diastolic pressure. They have been excellently regulated with this combo."

• Rattled...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 22, 2016

"I've been taking Atenolol 50 mg since 1996. I had no idea that I had stage 3 hypertension. Atenolol, from what I have been reading today, I have had side effects mentioned here: gout, water retention, chills, and feeling very dizzy, almost passing out. It took a month or so for it to all settle down. It's probably been two years total after I started on Atenolol for the gout pain to go away, seemingly. Keep your doctor and pharmacist in the loop about your reactions, good or bad. I haven't paid attention to my blood pressure other than taking my Atenolol. Oops. I was just at my dentist, and my blood pressure was insane: 217/118. Obviously, I'm going to have to toddle over to the emergency room. That rate is about where it was in the beginning. I gave the drug a high mark here. It has worked very well. I've nosed around, and there seems to be a pattern with Atenolol and men over 60 with HPB that appears to imply that Atenolol loses effectiveness. So boys, keep track of your numbers."

• Lady...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 14, 2016

"I've been on Atenolol for the past 3 years, but previously have been on many other types of BP medications that did not work as well. The problem is now I'm experiencing the side effects that others have reported on, such as sensitivity to light, decreased sexual arousal, dizziness occasionally, swollen ankles, and gout. I have pain near my heart, and my legs, hands, or feet 'fall asleep' all the time. In regards to lowering my pressure, it does the job. But the side effects are starting to get to me, and the longer I take this, it may get worse. So I'm talking to my doctor to wean me off this stuff."

• gabby...
• September 3, 2011

"I have used Atenolol for years, and it controls my blood pressure very well. One good side effect I found is it helps me not to be so shy in public situations, i.e., I can read out loud in public without my voice shaking. I also can now be very opinionated, which might be a bad side effect for my friends and family!"

• Jake
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 6, 2018

"I'm 49, 6'2", 185 lbs. and have been on Atenolol for about 10 years. I have a bicuspid aortic valve, which has been stable over the years. The drug keeps my BP a consistent 112/70. This is the only drug I take for my condition. My cardiologist sold Atenolol to me as 'heart conditioner'. I am fairly active; I try to run a 5k every day (road or treadmill), lift weights several times a week, and mountain bike whenever I can get it in. I do experience some common side effects, such as occasional dizziness, 10 lbs. extra weight (in spite of my exercise) that I cannot lose, and insomnia. I never liked taking Atenolol, but I am starting to wonder about the long-term side effects."

• Ron
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 18, 2019

"My cousin took atenolol 50mg, the first week still working well however on the second week started to have sudden mild shortness of breath which last for 5-10 mins, and my BP can be as low as to 98/65 . Reduce the dose to 25 mg, however the sudden mild SOB still exist, reduce it to 12.5mg , on monitoring status... Reduce the dose slowly if having such side effects, with consultation with your Doctor."

• Anonymous
• December 7, 2009

"I have been on atenolol for about 3 1/2 months. I am only 23, so my blood pressure wasn't too, too high, but for my age, it was a concern to my doctor, so she had me start taking half of 25 mg every night. It did help for my blood pressure. It also helped me get to sleep at night, since I have a slight insomnia problem. But I do have a problem with depression also, and it seemed to make that a little worse. Since I started taking it, I also went from about 130 lbs to 146 lbs in those few months, and with dieting and exercise, I still have not been able to get that weight to go away, and it has also made me no longer have a sex drive."

• Sha
• December 9, 2017

"I was born with high blood pressure and a slight arrhythmia. I've been taking atenolol since I was a kid, as soon as it was medically safe for a kid to be on a beta blocker, so I've been on it for about twenty years now. It works great for me. Might make me a bit drowsy, but I take it at bedtime for that reason. Docs tried to take me off of it once because they worried about an interaction with albuterol for my asthma. Worst mistake of my life, and I made them put me back on it. For those worried about the above interaction between atenolol and albuterol, I did some research using scholarly articles and medical journals. Atenolol is a selective beta inhibitor and doesn't affect the same betas that albuterol increases. They're okay together."

• Lisen
• December 28, 2017

"I'm a 46-year-old woman, 130 pounds and 5.5. I exercise regularly. No other health issues. I was put on 25 mg atenolol 8 years ago. Before then, I tried multiple BP medications, which all made me feel bad. Atenolol has been the answer for me! The only side effect is that I also got rid of my crippling migraines! Vomiting, calling sick. No more!!! My BP is perfect and I have no more migraines, just occasional regular headaches like a normal person. It makes me drowsy, so I take it at bedtime."