Atenolol-side effects - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

RANDYGIRL · 02-08-2004, 05:54 AM

Hi....I was just curious...I know atenolol has alot of side effects, but Have any of you ever gotten an itchy red rash all over your body? I have that now, and nothing I use will releive the itch, and I am wondering if it could be the Atenolol....I have 95 percent of all the side effects listed with that pill, and everytime I complain to the doctor about it, his answer is simply "It's a good pill keep taking it" or "It has nothing to do with the pill" Which is Bogus, because there are side effects listed that he doesnt know about! UGH! Sometimes he gets me so frustrated...So if anybody out there has had that problem, let me know! THANKS!
Cathy

zip2play · 02-08-2004, 06:19 AM

I had to get off atenolol because it had cut my sleep down to 3 hours a night...After qa mnonth of this I was the walking DEAD! (no rash though)

My personal feeling is that this class of drugs should NOT be used strictly for BP control without other cardiac sysmptoms that can benefit from the drastically lowered heart rate (where they do a VERY good job.)

Eventually, I think the medical profession will catch on that they're not worth the hassle they cause. This class of drugs was developed to battle angina before the age of catheterized arteial treatments...but they found the side effect of BP lowering and OFF THEY WENT...and the doctors like sheep prescribed and prescribed. Hang the patients that HATED the drugs. They were more profitable than diuretics and that's usually the FINAL CRITERIA!

Just once I want to hear a doctor speak honestly and say: "I'll prescribe this drug that doesn't work well but the markup is Phenomenol PLUS you'll have to come in very often for monitoring."

Or better yet:" Yes, that was a class of drugs I used to prescribe a lot but now I've found that I was hurting people and decided it was the wrong thing to do."

CobaltBlue · 02-08-2004, 10:41 AM

Cathy:

The only thing I want to add (in addition to what Zip told you) is that my physician, when I took Atenolol, told me "the way we are told to treat hypertensive patients is to push the dosage up until the patients starts to complain of symptoms." Heck, I always thought, lets push the dosage up until we achieve the desired effect and stop there. I didn't mind the beta blockers at all, my HR was in the 30s and 40s resting, but it was only the ED that caused me to abandon that whole class.

zuzu8 · 02-08-2004, 11:00 AM

Cathy-
Adding to what Zip and Ubernier have already mentioned, skin rashes have been reported and associated with the use of beta blockers. It's not a common adverse reaction, but nevertheless, your doctor should definitely be at least considering the possibility that this is what's happening with you.

If your doctor is dismissing your discomfort... run, don't walk, to another physician!!!

zuzu xx

Rsipe1 · 02-08-2004, 11:44 PM

I have been on atenlolol for about 2 years. Never had any side effects like that. At first I was a little drowsy. But, after a couple of months I was back to normal.