Hello all. First off, I have extreme medical anxiety, and afraid of any medicines. I went to the dr today and my BP was high, he changed my Paxil to Lexapro, and put me on Atenolol.25 mg. He seemed to think the BP may be caused by my high level of stress and anxiety. Paxil wasn't working out for me. I am sitting here, with the pill in front of me, afraid to take it. Could I half the pill? Should I take it at night before bed? Are the side affects THAT bad? What should I expect? Sorry to be a pain! Thanks for your time. Amy
Hi...I was put on Atenolol 25mg a month ago and have been taking it and do feel much better. My bp was 158/94 when I went on the medication. I too have health anxiety and struggle every day with it. Take the pill, and see how you feel. You don't have to stay on it if you find that you have any side effects, it is your body and you know how you feel every day. 25mg is a pretty mild dosage. I write down anything that I feel is unusual or out of the ordinary and call my doctor with it.
I wish you the best of luck!
Take care of you!
Crazy
I was on atenolol for just a matter of weeks...and yes, for me the side effects were that bad. Unlike other bp meds, my brain fog lifted (which was good) and I think I slept better but I lost all interest in the things I cared about. It got to the point where I was going to do something drastic. My drug sheet said listed "mood changes" as a side effect but it should have listed "suicidal tendencies".
I don't want to scare you---I just want to make you aware of the possibilities because if you do you can call the doctor right away.
If you don't mind my asking, at what age were you diagnosed with high blood pressure? And are you overweight?
Thank you both. I am 33, and I won't say my weight..lol. I could afford to loose a few pounds. Is it possible my severe anxiety has cause this? My BP is usually normal. The time before the last 2 visits, the nurse said..that is a perfect blood pressure. My dr acted like he thought nerves were the problem. I am having blood work done next week, thyroid and all that. Thank you again!
Based on what you told us, I thought you may be young to be diagnosed with high blood pressure. Because of your "tender" age and because you may have a "few" pounds to lose, I would seriously investigate the CAUSE of your high blood pressure (that is to say if you actually "have" it and not white coat syndrome)...it sounds like your doctor is investigating possible causes because you're having blood work done.
If you are not experiencing white coat syndrome, and if your blood work doesn't reveal anything that would cause hbp, I would recommend learning about sleep apnea and high blood pressure before starting a drug regime. I'm jumping ahead of your circumstances but I'm mentioning it now in case I don't return to the forum.
Bethsheba
Last edited by bethsheba; 04-01-2007 at 07:29 AM.
Reason: sp
Is it possible my severe anxiety has cause this? My BP is usually normal. The time before the last 2 visits, the nurse said..that is a perfect blood pressure. My dr acted like he thought nerves were the problem. I am having blood work done next week, thyroid and all that. Thank you again!
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