Taking Atenolol And Can't Sleep

zuzu8

Kekebird-
Boy, whenever I hear of a young adult in their 20's being diagnosed with hypertension, and then put on meds, my antenna goes up. Especially if you have an anxiety disorder.
How was your high blood pressure diagnosed? Were you monitored over a period of a few months? Or were you put on meds after just a couple of doctor visits? Did the doctor run all the tests for a possible secondary cause of HBP?( kidney function especially, including a 24-hour urine test?) It is highly unusual for a 28 year old to have primary hypertension. That's why I ask if your doc investigated further.

Atenolol is notorious for causing fatigue. However, don't fool around with half-dosing without consulting your doctor. If indeed you have primary hypertension there are other alternatives with less side effects for you. Sounds like your doctor thought it might be a good choice for you because it often lessens anxiety in some people.

zuzu xx

kekebird

i went to the docs cause i was felling dizzy shaking and very stressed. that is when i first discovered the high blood pressure but i think it is just cause i was at the docs office it was so high and all my anxiety. i went to the er and they did tests ekg, chest xrays, and blood work everything was normal. sent me home with prevacid for my stomach. when i go to the store to check it , it is fine . i think i have that white coat thing.? i,m on zoloft 1oo, buspar 15mg,and antenolol 50mg. my doc also gave me alprozalam 1mg up to 4x a day. took all that in two weeks and she gave me 30 more pills but ive seen bad effects and stuff so i stopped that slowly. im a worry wart about everything. afraid i would have siezures on that med. anyway i go to the docs on wed we,ll see what she says. thanks for repling.

zuzu8

Kekebird-
You say that you originally went to the doctor because you were feeling dizzy, shaky etc. You also mention in your other post that you feel cold all the time. Is this feeling cold only since you've been on Atenolol or were you feeling cold along with the shakiness and dizziness before Atenolol?
Have you had a thorough thyroid evaluation?

And I have to ask again, did your doctor prescribe the Atenolol just based on one anxiety-ridden shaky, dizzy visit to his office?

You could very well have white coat syndrome ,and if you were in a panic to begin with when you first saw the doctor, no wonder your reading was high.

Did you ever monitor your own BP at home for a while before you went on the drug?
Bottom line is, I'd love to know how long (over what period of time) the doctor "watched" your BP before prescribing? 130/97 is not catastrophic. In fact, the top # (the systolic) is near normal @30, especially if that's the # you got in the doc's office while nervous. 97 is high, but again, is it always that high?

zuzu xx

kekebird

yes the doctor put me on it the first time i had high blood pressure. she said that it would help with my anziety also to calm me down. i get cold easy only after taking the medicine. i had my thyroid checked out a year ago. i assume that it cant change in a year cause the doc mentioned that but seen i already tested negative a year ago.
ive been to the docs like 5 times in 2 mos and my blood pressure has been fine. i was at my mother inlaws and took my bloodpressure lots of times and norm was about 112/70, . i think i answered everthing. i really think my high blood pressure has to do with my anziety, which is really bad. i always think the worst is wrong with me. my zoloft is helping a little. i was on zoloft 3 years and went off for 1 year and then all this??????????

zuzu8

If your elevated BP is due to extreme anxiety, then obviously the best thing would be to get your anxiety under control. The Zoloft usually kicks in at about 4 weeks. You have been on it six weeks now, right? If you don't feel it's helping much, discuss with your doctor the option of trying a different anti-anxiety agent so that hopefully your BP comes down and you can get OFF Atenelol.
I'm still a bit confused.....Was your BP 112/70 at your mother -in -law's on or off Atenelol? Forgive all my questions!

zuzu xx

kekebird

the bp was on the atenolol at my mother in laws. but did you have trouble sleeping on the atenolol? ive also heard zoloft can take up to 6-8 weeks so thats why im sticking to it for know, it worked great for me before, when i was on it. ive been on it for almost 6 weeks.

stormy78

Hi KeKe, you're almost in the same boat I was. Last sunday I went to the dr feeling dizzy, tired, shaky and they did the same thing, did x-rays, bloodwork and ekg's. They did find out that my thyroid isn't producing enough hormone and told me to follow up with a dr. I'm only 25 and they diagnosed me with high blood pressure and hypothyroidism. It's very scary.

kekebird

did they put you on any meds for your high blood pressure?

zuzu8

Kekebird-
In answer to your question:I sleep very badly anyway, so didn't notice that Atenolol made much of a difference for me in that area.

Let us know what happens when you see you doc.
Good luck!

zuzu xxx

kekebird

sorry about that , it was 112/70 . does that sound a little better.

zuzu8

Whew! That's better! Good #s.

zuzu xx

stormy78

They put me on Labetalol in the hospital, then when I went to a clinic, they put me on Atenolol, 1/2 pill a day. My last BP reading was 147/89 last night and this morning's reading was 162/98 and I hadn't taken the medication yet cause I had to go to the dr for lab tests. It makes me drowsy to no end and I didn't want to drive lol. I've only been on it a week, so I'm guessing it will take awhile to kick in. This morning she told me to take 1/2 twice a day, which I don't trust because it slows my heart rate down to the upper 50's. I'm afraid it will drop it even lower.

nux

It seems to me that we need to be careful about making sweeping generalizations, which I see a lot of in this forum.

For instance, one of the veteran posters here, who isn't a doctor but seems to play one on the web, has pointed out the possible adverse effects of diuretics and beta blockers on the lipid and glucose profile without mentioning that these effects are usually MINOR, and TRANSITORY (at least two long-term studies have shown this).

I see many examples of this kind of commentary on this forum, and though I know that for some people, the side effects of these drugs are severe, I still say, come on guys, let's put it in perspective. Or at least, let's get the whole story before jumping to conclusions.

I've been on Tenoretic (50 mg Atenolol/12.5 mg Chlorthalidone) for more than a year. I get great BP control (120/70) and the initial drowsiness I felt went away after about 3 months. I am not impotent, have not gained weight, no rash, not anxious (except when stuck in traffic late for picking up my son in day care!), cholesterol (ratios) and glucose less than 2% deviation from what they were before going on the med.

I execise regularly, and am on a low carb (but NOT high fat) diet. I eat lots of fruit and vegetables, chicken and fish and weigh 155 lbs.

Cheers.

Tamsin

I think it's great that you've found a solution that works for you. Some of us are not so lucky. Some of us find that medical professionals are less than forthcoming on the side effects of some of these meds. It helps us to share our frustrations with others, and to gain insights on information that our doctors don't always share with us.

If someone posts on this forum, 9 times out 10 we *are* experiencing the side-effects you talked about. We're just looking for a solution. I'm sure you can understand that.

Cheers!