You hear about the wonderful effects of taking a medication, and then you try it and realize that it’s not exactly what you had in mind. This is what happened to me with Atenolol and Viagra, two medications that are often confused with each other. When I first heard about Atenolol, I thought it was a form of vitamin C that would boost my immune system to help fight off infections. I’ve been on Atenolol for over a decade, and I’m constantly amazed at how many side effects I’ve experienced from it. Here’s a short list:
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Excessive thirst
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Sleep problems
- Somatic symptoms (feeling of warmth, tingling, numbness)
- Depression
- Impotence (Erectile Dysfunction)
- Falling hair
- Skin thinning
- Rash
I’ve seen all these effects in various patients, and they’ve all been documented in the medical literature. For a long time, these side effects were ignored or under-reported in pharmaceutical marketing material, but now that we have social media, they cannot be hidden any longer. What’s more, because these are well-known side effects of Atenolol and Viagra, patients might be overly cautious when taking these medications, and this can lead to dangerous situations. So, it’s important to figure out when it’s safe to stop taking them.
What Is Atenolol?
If you Google Atenolol side effects, you’ll get thousands of hits, because this drug is extremely popular and has been prescribed for nearly every medical condition. It was first approved by the FDA in 1975 and continues to be a mainstay of treatment for high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases. It is also used as a mood stabilizer for people with Bipolar Disorder and as an aid to sleep for those with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). If you’ve been taking this medication for any length of time, you know that it has many unpleasant effects. However, in most cases, these side effects are worthwhile.
Is Atenolol Always Safe To Take?
While it’s true that Atenolol has many beneficial effects, it also has some pretty serious side effects that must be taken into consideration. The first and most obvious side effect is the interaction with other medications and supplements you might be taking. The second and less obvious side effect is the interaction with foods or drinks that contain grapefruit or vitamin C. Let’s examine these side effects in more detail.
Atenolol And Medications
If you’ve been taking any medication over the past year, you might be noticing a pattern in your prescriptions. Atenolol is often paired with medications that enhance its effectiveness or reduce its side effects. One of the most common combinations is Atenolol and HCTZ, which stands for hydrochlorothiazide. If you’ve been taking this combo for a while, you’ve probably noticed that your blood pressure is more effectively controlled, and you experience fewer or less severe side effects. There’s also been a lot of research suggesting that Atenolol might decrease the risk of stroke or heart attack in people with heart disease. Whether this is true or not, it’s a great choice for those who need blood pressure medication and are also at risk for stroke or heart disease.
Atenolol And Vitamin C
When you search for Atenolol side effects, you’ll also see a lot of warnings about the drug causing neuropathy if your vitamin C intake is higher than recommended. While you might experience some mild side effects if you exceed the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, these are usually not harmful. What’s more, in some cases, vitamin C could actually aid in treating serious diseases such as HIV and cancer. For these reasons, doctors often prescribe vitamins C and E together for their potentiating effects on each other’s functions. Due to this combination of antioxidants, you might experience fewer side effects from Atenolol if you take it daily.
When Is It Safe To Stop Taking Atenolol?
If you’ve been taking Atenolol for any length of time, you’ll want to consider how you’ll want to handle the reduction of this medication when you go off it. Depending on your body weight and how responsive you’ve been to the medication, this could be a difficult transition. One wrong move and you might have a blood pressure spike that puts you back on the medication. While this is scary, it’s also a controllable situation. If this happens, simply go back to your previous dose and try not to overexert yourself. There are also other options including reduced doses or even a change in brands, that can help you transition off Atenolol without much difficulty. In most cases, it’s safe to stop taking Atenolol when you no longer need it; however, in some people with pre-existing health problems, it could be dangerous to stop taking this medicine. The main issue is patient monitoring and making sure that your blood pressure does not go up during this time. In some cases, patients have stopped taking Atenolol altogether and have replaced it with a different medication, as their body tolerates most of the side effects less than others. Due to this reason, it’s important to try and taper off of the medication slowly, and in most cases, this is safe to do. In some cases, especially for those with heart disease or diabetes, your doctor might suggest that you continue taking the medication as long as you need it. If you’ve been taking this medication for any length of time, you know that it has many unpleasant side effects, but if all of these benefits are making you feel better, then it’s definitely worth it.