Aa
Arrhythmia
Im a 34 year old female. Ive been taking 25mg Atenolol daily for 4 months for caridiac arrhythmia. exta heart beats. I've had weight gain, depression, headaches, tied all the time, and i cant sleep. can I stop taking this medication?
Ive been on atenolol for almost 2 years,and have had the some of the same side effects,but I did get used to them.I agree that you just cant stop it abrubtly. I did that 3 days before my ep study,and felt like crap. Just ask your doctor about gradually weaning off of it slowly ,maybe cutting your dose in half for awhile,then you should have no problems.For me atenolol had the least side effects compared to other beta blockers.I would seem to think that weaning off of it would not be too bad seeing that its only been 4 months.
I had most of the same symptoms during the 10 years I was on Atenolol, so I can relate and emphathise.
However, DO NOT stop taking the meds. The first thing you need to do is call your doctor and tell him about the side effects you are experiencing. There may be other medications he can put you on instead. Listen to is_something_wrong - he is correct - it can be dangerous to tinker with the dosage yourself. And if you stop taking the meds you could end up with worse side effects than you already have. If the doctor decides to take you off this med, it will have to be done gradually.
Not trying to scare you, but this is something that needs to be handled by a doctor so you don't end up with a worse problem.
However, DO NOT stop taking the meds. The first thing you need to do is call your doctor and tell him about the side effects you are experiencing. There may be other medications he can put you on instead. Listen to is_something_wrong - he is correct - it can be dangerous to tinker with the dosage yourself. And if you stop taking the meds you could end up with worse side effects than you already have. If the doctor decides to take you off this med, it will have to be done gradually.
Not trying to scare you, but this is something that needs to be handled by a doctor so you don't end up with a worse problem.
You can NEVER stop taking meds based on advice on an internet forum.
However, you can, after consulting your physician, evaluate what is worst. I assume, if you are a 34 year old healthy female with no heart disease (is this correct?) that the extra (premature) beats are treated with beta blockers for symptoms only - premature beats are usually unpleasant but benign in healthy hearts. What do you prefer? Extra beats or Atenolol side effects?
Like I told you, this evaluation should be done in cooperation with your physician. There may be reasons why you take Atenolol that we don't know about. Also, there may be other meds with less side effects. You should never adjust dosage or stop taking beta blockers instantly, as your symptoms may worsen dramatically.
Conclusion: Ask your doctor.
However, you can, after consulting your physician, evaluate what is worst. I assume, if you are a 34 year old healthy female with no heart disease (is this correct?) that the extra (premature) beats are treated with beta blockers for symptoms only - premature beats are usually unpleasant but benign in healthy hearts. What do you prefer? Extra beats or Atenolol side effects?
Like I told you, this evaluation should be done in cooperation with your physician. There may be reasons why you take Atenolol that we don't know about. Also, there may be other meds with less side effects. You should never adjust dosage or stop taking beta blockers instantly, as your symptoms may worsen dramatically.
Conclusion: Ask your doctor.
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