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What is the most important information I should know about atenolol?
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Do not stop taking atenolol abruptly unless you are directed to do
so by your doctor. Stopping atenolol abruptly may cause your condition
to become worse. |
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Call your doctor immediately if you experience shortness of breath. |
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Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other
hazardous activities. Atenolol may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you
experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities. |
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Atenolol is in a class of drugs called beta-blockers. Beta-blockers
affect the heart and circulatory system (arteries and veins). |
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Atenolol is used to lower blood pressure, lower heart rate, reduce
chest pain (angina), and to reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks. |
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Atenolol may also be used for purposes other than those listed in
this medication guide. |
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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking
atenolol?
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Before taking atenolol, tell your doctor if you have |
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heart problems such as low blood pressure, a slow heart rate, heart
block, sick sinus syndrome, a pacemaker, heart failure, or any other
heart problems; |
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any type of circulatory disease. |
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You may not be able to take atenolol, or you may require a dosage
adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the
conditions listed above. |
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Atenolol is in the FDA pregnancy category D. This means that
atenolol is known to have harmful effects on a developing baby. Low
birth weight and other effects have occurred. Do not take atenolol
without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become
pregnant during treatment. |
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Atenolol passes into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Slow
heart rates in breast-fed babies have occurred. Do not take atenolol
without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. |
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How should I take atenolol?
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Take atenolol exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not
understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to
explain them to you. |
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Take each dose with a full glass of water. |
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Atenolol can be taken with or without food. |
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Take atenolol at the same time everyday whenever possible. |
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Do not crush, break, or chew the tablets. Swallow them whole. |
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Do not stop taking atenolol abruptly unless you are directed to do
so by your doctor. Stopping atenolol abruptly may cause your condition
to become worse. |
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Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture and
heat. |
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What happens if I miss a dose?
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Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is
almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the
next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose of this
medication. |
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What happens if I overdose?
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Seek emergency medical attention. |
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Symptoms of an atenolol overdose include a slow heart beat,
shortness of breath, fainting, dizziness, weakness, confusion, nausea,
and vomiting. |
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What should I avoid while taking atenolol?
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Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other
hazardous activities. Atenolol may cause drowsiness, dizziness, and
blood pressure changes. If you experience drowsiness or dizziness, avoid
these activities. |
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Tell your doctor and dentist that you are taking atenolol before
having surgery. |
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Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and
dizziness while taking this medication. |
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What are the possible side effects of atenolol?
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If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop
taking atenolol and call your doctor immediately or seek emergency
medical treatment: |
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an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat;
swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; hives); |
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wheezing or shortness of breath; |
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an unusually slow or irregular heart beat; |
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swelling of your feet and/ or lower legs; |
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sudden weight gain (more than 2 pounds in one day or 5 pounds in one
week); |
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cold or blue feet and hands; or |
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If you experience any of the following less serious side effects,
continue taking atenolol and talk to your doctor: |
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weak pulse or mildly slow heart rate; |
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diarrhea, constipation, gas, nausea, or vomiting; |
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impotence (difficulty obtaining or maintaining an erection). |
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Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to
your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is
especially bothersome. |
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What other drugs will affect atenolol?
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Before taking atenolol, tell your doctor if you are taking |
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a heart medication such as nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat), reserpine
(Serpasil), verapamil (Calan, Verelan, Isoptin), diltiazem (Cardizem,
Dilacor XR), clonidine (Catapres), digoxin (Lanoxin), doxazosin (Cardura),
guanadrel (Hylorel), prazosin (Minipress), or terazosin (Hytrin); |
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a diabetes medication such as insulin, glyburide (Micronase, Glynase,
Diabeta), glipizide (Glucotrol), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), or
metformin (Glucophage); |
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a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Motrin,
Advil, others), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), ketoprofen
(Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail), and others; |
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a respiratory medication such as albuterol (Ventolin, Proventil,
Volmax, others), bitolterol (Tornalate), metaproterenol (Alupent,
Metaprel), pirbuterol (Maxair), terbutaline (Brethaire, Brethine,
Bricanyl), or theophylline (Theo-Dur, Theochron, Theolair, others); |
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the stomach medication cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB); or |
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prescription or over-the-counter cough medicines, cold medicines, or
diet pills. |
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You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during
treatment if you are taking any of the medicines listed above. |
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Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with atenolol
or affect your condition. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before
taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including herbal
products. |
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Where can I get more information?
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Your pharmacist has additional information about atenolol written
for health professionals that you may read. |
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Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of
children, never share your medicines with others, and only use this
medication for the condition prescribed. |
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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided
by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete,
but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained
herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for
use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and
therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States
are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug
information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend
therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed
to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients
and/ or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and
not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of
healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or
drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug
or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given
patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of
healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The
information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses,
directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions,
or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking,
check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. |
Copyright 1996-2005 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 5.05. Revision date: 5/
11/ 05. |
