Atenolol and stomach

Posted by JJ on April 26, 1999 at 11:15:58
Hi,
for a month i've been taking 25 mg's Atenolol for my palpitations etc. It really helps! But.. last week i had some stomach problems and it got worse. Last weekend i really got sick. I think my stomach is badly irritated (growing to be an ulcer????). Knowing my own body by now and the influence of medicine on it, i'm am relating it to the Atenolol.
Does anyone recognize this problem and more...have a remedy (advise on another sort of beta-blocker for instance).
Regards,
JJ

Posted by CCF CARDIO MD-APS on April 27, 1999 at 14:37:39
Dear JJ,
It very well could be the medicine, but you could also have stomach problems just because you have stomach problems. Stress is more likely to cause an ulcer and other stomach problems than is the atenolol. Do yourself a favor, do not try to be your own doctor-go see your general physician (not the cardiologist) and tell him or her of the new developments.  If it turns out to be a side effect of the medicine you are on, the good news is that there are many different kinds of beta-blockers that you can be tried on other than atenolol.
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only.  Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please
call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the
cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your
cardiac problem.