Atenolol and Insomnia: What Users Say

• DrJ...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 17, 2024

For Anxiety "About 8 years ago, I was having bad heart palpitations, insomnia because my heartbeat was so loud I couldn’t rest. The insomnia, unbeknownst to me at the time, was making everything I did more difficult and harder to deal with. My life was stressful, no doubt, with travel all over the world, an aging father who, due to Agent Orange, had cancer and other issues needing daily care, house, bills, running a business, dealing with taxes, and everything else in life, not to mention my own medical issues. My doctor put me on 100 mg of atenolol and my life just relaxed. Things were easier to handle because, for the first time, I was getting sleep. My heart rate averages 62 now and used to be near 180. I never had high blood pressure and atenolol did nothing to change that; I’m still 110/68 on average. I can get 8 hours of sleep, and because of that, I’m organized and handle most everything that comes my way. I feel blessed that this medication is available because I think I’d be dead if it were not."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2021

For Anxiety "I needed to share my experience with this drug. If I could go back in time, I would have never taken this! It worked well for my anxiety, but the side effects I experienced a month later of taking this at a 12.5-25 mg dosage were awful. I had extreme shortness of breath, chest pains, tingling in my arms (especially my left arm), and feeling lethargic. I stopped taking this medication right when these side effects started, as I thought I was having a heart attack, and it has been the worst medication to come off of. I stopped taking this a week ago, and I have had unbearable anxiety, heart palpitations all day and night, lethargy, insomnia, etc. I see my doctor this week to get an EKG and do other testing after taking this drug. I know everyone's experience is different, but this drug for me was a true nightmare. Side effects on any medication can start at any time, not just right away. What I had to go through this last week withdrawing from the drug, I wouldn't wish on anyone."

• Luc...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 30, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "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."

• Jak...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 6, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "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."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 7, 2015

For Ventricular Tachycardia "I take atenolol to treat tachycardia caused by dysautonomia. Like some others with my condition, there are many beta-blockers I cannot tolerate. I also have asthma (potentially caused by dysautonomia), which is a concern when taking beta blockers. Atenolol is cardioselective and less likely to affect respiratory function. In my case, this has been true. It is the only beta blocker I have been able to use without having horrible, debilitating, and/or life-threatening side effects. It has brought my resting HR down from 120-130 to 80-90. Now my HR only goes above 120 with strenuous exercise or infections. Side effects: cold extremities, slight worsening of asthma symptoms, insomnia if taken within 6 hours of bedtime."

• Wea...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 18, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "Have been taking this for years, basically I'll self-medicate to get the right dose for the day. Some days I don't need any, others, I need a bit more. (Doctor is fine with me doing it also.) Was put on it after a nasty experience with Vioxx. I do lots of running, cycling, swimming, and just an all-around fitness junkie. Aside from a cough when my HR gets to 152 and a bit of insomnia, it has worked great."

• yay...
• April 14, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "I was 27 and overweight when I started taking 25 mg of atenolol, which worked great for about 6 years, but last year at age 34, the doctor put me on 50 mg, which started causing anxiety about once every 2-3 months and lack of sleep. Now, at age 35, I'm on 75 mg, and the side effects are weekly migraines, lightheadedness, anxiety, leg pain, and jaw pain... don't feel like myself..."

• Mar...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 16, 2012

For High Blood Pressure "I have been on Atenolol 25 mg for over 10 years along with furosemide and Losartan, also metformin, ferrous sulfate, levothyroxine, pravastatin, and ascorbic acid. I have pains in my feet, and sometimes I cannot sleep, it is hard to say which tablets cause side effects when you're on so many. All I can say is my blood pressure is fine now."

• kln...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2023

For Ventricular Tachycardia "While I was in the hyperthyroid stage, I was put on 25 mg of atenolol to control my heart rate. My side effects included: insomnia, brain fog, depressed mood, and anxiety. I am now going through withdrawal symptoms, which are just as unpleasant."

• JTa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2020

For Migraine Prevention "Atenolol was my second try at a preventative (the first was another beta blocker-propranolol). I came off propranolol due to insomnia. Atenolol unfortunately also caused insomnia for me. I would have frequent dizzy spells and fatigue, but could not sleep at night. On to the next!"

• Jan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 24, 2022

For High Blood Pressure "Do not take this medicine if you have trouble sleeping. After taking 25 mg for a week, I was sleeping only 3 hours a night even though I take a prescription medicine for insomnia. My BP dropped from 151 to 136."

• lh1...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 8, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "Atenolol has been very good for me. I had a racing heart and somewhat high blood pressure caused by Graves' disease, and it really helped out while I was stabilizing my antithyroid medication levels. Helped a lot with anxiety, too. I had a thyroidectomy later and stayed on the atenolol while trying to find the correct dose of thyroid hormone. With all those fluctuations, I could have had annoying heart symptoms, but thanks to the atenolol, the transition to synthetic thyroid hormone went smoothly. No side effects, except for some fatigue and mild lightheadedness for a few days when first starting on the medication. The only downside is that atenolol is hard to taper off, at least for me. I went down to 12.5 mg for a month and it was okay, but when I stopped it altogether, I started having insomnia and episodes of racing heart (after waking up and light exercise). However, I might not be fully stable on the thyroid meds yet, and some of this could be their effect."

• GBS...
• May 24, 2022

For Mitral Valve Prolapse "It works, but I could not tolerate the side effects. I started taking 25 mg once a day for high blood pressure, chest pains, and mitral valve prolapse. At first, it was great. After taking it for a few months, I started getting worse chest pain with tightness that spread to my back down my arms, back pains, muscle pains, joint pains, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, extreme fatigue, bouts of depression, and mood swings! I finally talked my doctor into taking me off of beta blockers. I wish I could tolerate them, they are good at keeping anxiety with a fast heart rate at bay!"

• Bob...
• April 14, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "Insomnia. Severe depression. Sadness cravings for alcohol."