How can I get off atenolol?

[joe1949]

I've been on 50mg per day (25 in the am and 25 in the pm) for the last four months.  My Dr. wants me to stop this medication immediately.  I am concerned about the possible effects of stopping all at once.  Could you please tell me if this is dangerous and suggest a tapering off schedule?

Thank you,

Joe

[mabebesc]

Hi Joe,  why did the Dr. say to stop this med immediately?  From what I've always read, beta blockers really shouldn't be stopped immediately unless you're taking a very small dose to begin with.  Gradually tapering off is the best way to go. I agree that consulting with a cardiologist and discussing everything  that is going on with you first would be the best way to go.

[MAB22]

I would not think you would want to stop at once.  You need some schedule to gradually taper.  I am on 25 mg Atenolol (for fast heart rate) and when I cut in half for a few days, my heart rate jumped pretty significantly.  What are you on Atenolol for?  If you stop all at once, you may experience spikes in heart rate and blood pressure.  Are you having signficant side effects?  Perhaps you need to see a cardiologist to help with this.  Hope everything goes okay.

[bscholar1]

Oh yeah, don't stop it all at once.  If/when I run out of it, I am really sick!
However, I've been on it long term and tend to run out since I travel a lot and refilling it is hard.  I'm researching how to get off it too - but don't do it suddenly.  I was told you like triple your chances of cardiovascular incidents if you do.

[Ermmisha]

Look I started to take Atenelol for the last three months and now since my bp is increaseing so I by my self increase the dose from 50mg to 100 mg per day does it harm my heart but it decrese my BP.What do ya think?please tell me about

[bscholar1]

I kind of got into trouble with Atenolol since if I do go off it, I have some serious issues.  I've had 3 heart episodes which are not like coronaries but in one my heart quit and I ended up waking up in ICU.  Atenolol controls a heart arrythmia plus high blood pressure, but I'm sort of like "hooked" on it since I cannot successfully get off now (I've been on it very long term).  I'm researching to see if I can find a way to get off safely.  I travel a lot and so they will only give me a 2 month supply - I run out of it in a place which is not home, and then its a problem to get refills.  (Long story but I've had quite the issues with it).

They really want me to be on something else, but I'd just love to be somehow be free of the whole thing.  I almost think its to force me to come to the Dr every month or so....(just my opinion).

[ava10]

Hi, yeah i don't know why your Doc wants you to stop immediately. But i am on Atenolol and i went to my cardiologist yesterday to ask if i could get off the meds and he told me yes. But i orginally started with 25mg, then for the last 4 months i started taking half because i know that i wanted to get off, but didn't want to stop all of a sudden without talking to my Doc. well i finally saw him yesterday, and he told me that i could stop all of a sudden if i wanted to because i was on such a low dose.

but i ask him about having withdrawl symptoms, and he told me that i really didn't need to worry about that because i was on a low dose, but if i was on a higher dose he would have to wean me off.

so because i still worry about what would happen if i got off all of a sudden, he told me to start taking half of a half.

i don't know if this helps, but maybe you could call the doc that told you to get off your concerns and see what he recomends.