hi i read that atenolol has been withdrawn for use as high blood pressure as it can increase the risk of heart attack , stroke and diabetis, after asking my GP i was told that she hasnt had any information on this and i cant find the article i saw has any one else any information please
I don't have information about its official withdrawal as a blood pressure med, but I can verify that it has little to no effect on my BP. I take it in addition to other BP meds simply to keep my heartrate down. That is the ONLY thing it does for me - lower my pulse. Meanwhile, it lets my BP soar if I don't take something else to lower the pressure.
So I can certainly understand if it is withdrawn as a BP med. For me, it does not control blood pressure. It slows the heart rate and reduces any hand trembling...ONLY.
Atenolol hasnt been withdrawn for use as an antihypertensive, however, I will say that for years now, evidence has shown that beta blockers are not great drugs for hypertension because they are less effective than the other drugs at reducing long-term effects of high blood pressure on ones health. Beta blockers lower HDL, raise glucose, impair exercise endurance, and cause fatigue in many users which may partially offset their benefit of lowering blood pressure. Beta blockers also do not reduce central aortic pressure as much as the other drugs (this is not measured with an arm cuff).
If you want to read more about beta blockers, search "beta blockers for uncomplicated hypertension" on the internet.
My doc says that beta blockers are not first line drugs for high blood pressure, but are very useful in keeping heart rate low and reducing the forcefulness of each beat. Atenolol did little for my bp, but does keep my heart slow and regular, something I need as much as bp control. I use other meds for the bp problem.
