Atenolol 50 mg Tablet

Asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Generally, people with asthma or COPD shouldn’t take atenolol. A doctor may still prescribe it, but only in small doses with careful monitoring. Atenolol works to block beta receptors on cells in the heart. But at higher doses, atenolol can block different types of beta receptors found in breathing passages. Blocking these receptors can lead to narrowing of breathing passages, making asthma or COPD worse.

Diabetes

Atenolol may mask important signs of low blood sugar, including shaking and increased heart rate. Without these signals, it becomes more difficult to recognize dangerously low blood sugar levels.

Poor circulation

If you have poor circulation in your feet and hands, you may have worse symptoms when taking atenolol. Atenolol reduces blood pressure, so you might not get as much blood to your hands and feet.

Pregnant women

Atenolol is a category D pregnancy drug. That means two things:

1. Studies show a risk of adverse effects to the fetus when the mother takes the drug.
2. The benefits of taking atenolol during pregnancy may outweigh the potential risks in certain cases.

If you’re pregnant and have high blood pressure, speak with your healthcare provider about your treatment options during pregnancy.

Women who are breast-feeding

Atenolol is absorbed into the mother’s breast milk and could be passed to the infant. Talk to your healthcare provider before breastfeeding.

The following common side effects may occur, but they don’t usually require emergency care. Talk with your doctor or healthcare provider if they continue or bother you.

Cold hands and feet

Atenolol can slow your heart rate. This is because it blocks the effects of the hormone adrenaline on your heart. When your heart slows down, your blood pressure decreases. Less blood is then pumped through your blood vessels all the way to your hands and feet. With less blood to warm them, your hands and feet get cold.

Constipation

Atenolol blocks the signals sent from your brain to your intestines. This can make your intestines relax when they’re supposed to be pushing food through your system. When food doesn’t get pushed along fast enough, it can cause constipation.

Diarrhea

Atenolol blocks the signals from your brain to your intestines. This can make your intestines relax when they’re supposed to be digesting your food. Sometimes, the food slides through too fast and the intestines don’t pull enough water from it. This results in diarrhea.

Dizziness

Atenolol blocks the signals from your brain to your heart and veins. This can slow your heart rate. When this happens, your blood doesn’t travel fast enough to your brain. Standing up or moving your head quickly can slow blood flow to your brain even more. This can make you feel dizzy.

Headache

Atenolol blocks the signals from your brain to your veins. This can make your veins relax, and sometimes make them swell. When the veins in your brain swell, they can put some pressure on your brain. This can cause a headache.

Reduced sex drive and impotence

In men, atenolol can interfere with the brain’s signals that are needed to get and maintain an erection. This can cause erectile dysfunction (impotence). In both men and women, atenolol can reduce sex drive and cause trouble having an orgasm. Why this occurs isn’t fully understood.

Shortness of breath

Atenolol can block signals from your brain to the muscles in your lungs. This can cause these muscles to tighten, which narrows the airways in your lungs. This leads to shortness of breath and wheezing.

Unexplained tiredness

Atenolol can slow your heart rate and relax your blood vessels. This slows down blood circulation throughout your body. Less blood flow reduces the amount of oxygen that’s available to muscle cells, which can make you feel tired.

Leg pain

This occurs most often at night in the form of muscle cramps. Leg pain may be related to high levels of a substance called creatine phosphokinase. The substance has been found in the blood of people taking atenolol. Levels of creatine phosphokinase are increased when your muscles are stressed or injured. However, it isn’t known if atenolol causes this stress or injury.

Another way atenolol may cause leg pain is by narrowing the arteries of your legs. This decreases blood flow to the legs, which can cause leg pain.

Blood pressure that’s lower than usual

Atenolol blocks the effects of the hormone adrenaline on the heart. This can slow down your heart rate, which lowers your blood pressure. If you’re too sensitive to atenolol, or if you take too much, you may develop dangerously low blood pressure.

Do not abruptly stop atenolol in patients with coronary artery disease. It can result in myocardial infarction or ventricular arrhythmias.

Beta blockade carries the potential hazard of further depressing myocardial contractility and precipitating more severe failure. In patients who have congestive heart failure controlled by digitalis and/or diuretics, atenolol should be administered cautiously. Both digitalis and atenolol slow AV conduction. In patients with acute myocardial infarction, cardiac failure which is not promptly and effectively controlled by 80 mg of intravenous furosemide or equivalent therapy is a contraindication to beta-blocker treatment.

Do not use in heart failure patients as it can worsen heart failure. It should be stopped immediately if someone develops new heart failure.

Do not use with calcium channel blockers: can cause bradycardia and heart block. In addition, left ventricular end diastolic pressure can rise when beta-blockers are administered with verapamil or diltiazem. Patients with preexisting conduction abnormalities or left ventricular dysfunction are particularly susceptible.

Patients with bronchospastic disease should, in general, not receive beta-blockers. Because of its relative beta-selectivity, however, atenolol may be used with caution in patients with bronchospastic disease that do not respond to, or cannot tolerate, other antihypertensive treatment. Since beta-selectivity is not absolute, the lowest possible dose of atenolol should be used with therapy initiated at 50 mg and a beta-stimulating agent (bronchodilator) should be made available. If dosage must be increased, dividing the dose should be considered in order to achieve lower peak blood levels.

It is not advisable to withdraw beta-adrenoreceptor-blocking drugs prior to surgery in the majority of patients. However, care should be taken when using anesthetic agents such as those which may depress the myocardium.

Atenolol should be used with caution in diabetic patients if a beta-blocking agent is required. Beta-blockers may mask tachycardia occurring with hypoglycemia, but other manifestations such as dizziness and sweating may not be significantly affected.

Beta-adrenergic blockade may mask certain clinical signs (e.g., tachycardia) of hyperthyroidism. Abrupt withdrawal of beta blockade might precipitate a thyroid storm; therefore, patients suspected of developing thyrotoxicosis from which atenolol therapy is to be withdrawn should be monitored closely.

Atenolol should not be given to patients with untreated pheochromocytoma.

Atenolol can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Atenolol crosses the placental barrier and appears in cord blood. Administration of atenolol starting in the second trimester of pregnancy has been associated with the birth of infants that are small for gestational age. No studies have been performed on the use of atenolol in the first trimester, and the possibility of fetal injury cannot be excluded. If this drug is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus.

Before taking atenolol, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: certain types of heart rhythm problems (such as slow heartbeat, second- or third-degree atrioventricular block), breathing problems (such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema), blood circulation problems (such as Raynaud‚s disease, peripheral vascular disease), kidney disease, serious allergic reactions including those needing treatment with epinephrine, a certain muscle disease (myasthenia gravis).

This drug may make you dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do any activity that requires alertness until you are sure you can perform such activities safely. Limit alcoholic beverages.

Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products).

If you have diabetes, this product may prevent the fast/pounding heartbeat you would usually feel when your blood sugar level falls too low (hypoglycemia). Other symptoms of low blood sugar, such as dizziness and sweating, are unaffected by this drug. This product may also make it harder to control your blood sugar levels. Check your blood sugar levels regularly as directed by your doctor. Tell your doctor right away if you have symptoms of high blood sugar such as increased thirst/urination. Your doctor may need to adjust your diabetes medication, exercise program, or diet.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. You should not become pregnant while you are using this medication. Atenolol may harm an unborn baby. If you become pregnant while using this medication, talk to your doctor right away about its risks and benefits.