My doctor decided that I might want to try
decreasing my atenolol dose from 50 to 25.
I have done that for the past couple
days. I feel more anxious, I am concious
of my heart beat, and I feel all around
strange. I haven't checked my blood
pressure yet. I have been on the
medicine for about 4 years now. Am I
going through withdrawal? Did my cardio
system forget how to function normally
without the larger dose? Will I feel
better in a couple of days?
|
Nikia
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 27 Nov 2003 Posts: 74 Location: Wisconsin
I Checked My Blood Pressure At Walmart Posted: 04-22-06 13:10pm
If I am feeling strange because of it, it
isn't because my blood pressure has
suddenly gone up. It was 113/64. At
the doctor the other day before I
decreased the dose, it was 132/84. My
pulse was 69, instead of the more typical
60, but that is not really a huge
increase. I shouldn't feel like my heart
is pounding when it is only that.
|
xlx
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 3
Re: I Checked My Blood Pressure At Walmart Posted: 04-29-06 15:32pm
I've been on atenolol 50mg (one per day)
for about 1.5 year now but recently tried
to wean off. I don't have health
insurance so it was about a year ago that
I saw a doctor who prescribed atenolol
50mg. When I saw another dr a month ago,
after he checked my pulse (he was shocked
at my low pulse rate) and bp and
recommended that I try to "cautiously
wean off" atenolol. Thus I stopped
taking atenolol for about 20 day and my bp
was perfectly normal at 120-80 (except
when I engaged in even just light workouts
my bp went up to something like 150-95.)
at about the 21th day after I stopped
taking atenolol I felt slight headaches
and my bp started to go up to 130-85, then
140-90 and to 145 95 etc... So I became
concerned and started to take the atenolol
again about 4 days ago.
What concerns me now is that for about the
last 3 days i've been rather fatigued,
dizzy and my bp is very low at 110-65 to
100-60.
Normally my bp is never normal/ 120-80
even with meds, let alone this low at
100-60, until about a couple of months ago
which was the reason the dr suggested that
I wean off(?) I suppose.
Now, like you, i'm wondering whether my
system has gone out of whack or something.
After reading your post i'm thinking
perhaps I should take just half tablets of
atenolol 50mg instead... Not having
insurance and not being under any
physicians care i'm just experimenting
myself.
P.S. It seems like no one's responding
to your post... Since I don't have a dr
to ask questions i'm hoping to get some
kind of feedback here (it seems I couldn't
get any response from any other health
forums either.)
|
Nikia
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 27 Nov 2003 Posts: 74 Location: Wisconsin
It Is Safer to Go to a Smaller Amount First Posted: 05-01-06 19:35pm
As I understand it, one's body gets used
to the medication for normal function.
Just stopping it can be dangerous. I
noticed that my information sheet said
that one should limit physical activity
while decreasing or stopping it. I don't
know if I was doing too much physical
activity. I wasn't really exercising,
just doing normal stuff that I have to do
at work like bring on my feet most of the
day, going up and down stairs, and some
lifting. I am feeling somewhat better,
but haven't checked my blood pressure in a
few days. It has been higher when I have
it taken at the doctor rather when I go
myself to the pharmacy. I just cannot
settle down while I am waiting for the
nurse to take my blood pressure.
In your case, I would probably guess that
it would be smart to go to 25, cutting the
50 in half. When I first started
atenolol, they had me take 25 for the
first month before going to 50. If you
are too messed up for long though, i'd go
to the doctor anyway. Paying for a
doctor's visit is a lot cheaper than the
er if you'd have a heart attack or
something. Atenolol itself is fairly
cheap if you worry about being able to pay
for it without insurance.
|
xlx
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 3
Re: It Is Safer to Go to a Smaller Amount First Posted: 05-03-06 09:49am
Yeap, i'm thinking of seeing a dr as my bp
was 100-70 just now. My bp's been mostly
low but fairly whacky between 140-90 to
100-60.
I read an online info on atenolol that
said not to break or crush them before
taking and it should be taken whole but I
see the tablets are scored so I think that
means it's okay to break in half...
As for you, you should get a bp monitor
and get in habit of checking your bp. I
have a traditional one by omron that works
good but it's a bit of pain to use and out
of question for out of the house usage.
I'm thinking about getting a wrist
monitor. This one at amazon gets pretty
good review so i'm thinking about ordering
it.
