Weaning off atenolol

 Hi Peter I completely agree agree with you 100%     These doctors hand out these medications but they don't do the homework they don't look into them I don't understand how I can find all these adverse reaction's and FDA warning's on them but they seem to have missed the boat on locating the information that I found on these particular drugs I honestly do believe if they get kickbacks from this medication or pushing certain medications at least here in United States they do it's absolutely outrageous 

I'm tapering off this medication as we speak and praying that went to turn in my system I'm OK but I'm not even sure if I'm ever going to be OK from with this medication has done to me but I have a little help is the only thing I have to hang onto after this nightmare

Thank you so much for your support and for caring, it's greatly appreciated. And I can tell you know EXACTLY what I am feeling. I believe my bp was at 145/89ish when I went in, but I had been crying and he said that was not helping me. It's hard not to cry when you have no idea what's going on. I honestly wish I had never taken the Buspirone in the first place and this may never have happened, but I can't say for sure. But I feel like the palpitations definitely came from that. I'm not sure what happened because for the longest time the Lisinopril/HCTZ worked just fine. My numbers were good, but somehow it wasn't working when I went in that day, and probably had not been for a while. I think the palpitations had me so worried, I didn't even notice it was rising. I haven't made any life changes since my diagnosis, I'm thinking now that I probably should. 

For one off number they changed it?  Unreal! I always read high at the doctors office but I was also in tears the other day astapering off this betablocker is tough and I'm not one to cry. I've been so sick for a year and the culprit was Metoprolol.  I have MS which is tough  but never have I been so sick as I have been on this stuff I call poison. There are many factors why your blood pressure was up in that office visit and I'm a bit Stan well let me say I guess I'm not so stunned that he would change the medication that's what they do it's so frustrating and givenwe trust our doctors makes it worse. They don't know everything. You know yourself. Seek another opinion from a doctor or as Mike said a pharmacist. I'm so sorry you are in this mess. Trust me I understand completely. Hang in there. It will be ok. You'll get it worked out. Be your own advocate. Don't give up.   I care!! :-)

Thanks so much for this post, I too am on metoprolol, and am attempting to wean myself off. I have been off for about a week and a half, and I feel almost worse then when I was on it. I'm sick of talking about this, as I'm used to being vibrant and full of life. I feel like a zombie, constant dizziness, tingling in my head, tired all the time, and now I seem to have developed Raynuads. I really do think this stuff is poison, and I'm just hoping that I eventually get better. I was on a hundred mg twice a day, and then got down to about 50 mg once a day, before I stopped taking it, my physician knows about this in recommended I stop at this way. I'm just not sure what to do at this point. I just know that it is a relief to know that other people are navigating these issues, and that I'm not alone. Thanks to all of you for your comments.

 But I suffer from a math so it’s hard to tell sometimes whether it stems from the MS or that medication but I can verify that this particular medication is pure poison in my opinion and made me very ill I went through a horrific time I would not have been able to get through it all without the support of this website and the wonderful people that have posted on my original post 

 And of course my wonderful little family 

 If there’s any questions you have and I can try an answer for you I would be happy to please feel free to respond I hope that you will feel better very soon just remembered do it very slowly and give it time 

If you’re having any issues with anxiety as a result I do suggest asking your doctor for a very small dosage of something to help take the edge off of the anxiety just until you get through it if you can do without it that would be better but sometimes you may need to use something to help you through it and there’s no shame in any of that

Best Wishes to you. 

I am still suffering from the side effects of beta blockers though it is over a year now since I last took them.

I made the mistake of asking my cardiologist if my childhood of abuse and neglect might have contributed to my heart disease, what happened?, he tells me all my symptoms are a result of childhood anxiety, he tells my GP this, consequently a year has gone by before anybody even tests me for a disrupted Autonomic Nervous System because they can blame it on anxiety instead.

When I finally got my cardiologist to listen to reason, he referred me to a neurologist who does a five minute Autonomic blood pressure test then tells me I have Autonomic Instability.

I have lost my job as a consequence of being so ill but untreated for such a long time now. 

 Your physician used the information you gave them and confidence against you that’s the most appalling thing and such a betrayal of trust 

Sadly it happens here in United States as well with some phycians 

 I think I however that anxiety is one of the side effects caused by this medication so if a person does experience it it’s valid but either way I’m very sorry about what happened to you that’s horrible 

 Do you have any other avenues you can take for help in the UK ?

Hi Losdogdagreat....The way you weaned I think is the best, AND you did so with your doctor's knowledge. Some people just stop taking meds, or adjust them without consulting their Dr. This as you know can be very detrimental to one's health, not to mention irritating the Dr. 

A few years back, I was taking Metropolol 25 mg 2xdaily. I suffered horrible headaches. I'd take the meds by 7.30am (along with others), then by 11am sharp, I had a very bad headache. This went on for weeks & believe me., it was very scary. I went back to the Dr., & he took me off the Metropolol, after a very short weaning period. I was only on the Metropolol less than 3 weeks. About 2 1/2 yrs ago, I was put on Atenolol, which as you may know is another beta-blocker. I have not had any problems with Atenolol, & I take 50mg 1xday. My previous Dr. (who took me off Metropolol) had me taking the 50 mg at 25mg 2x day., but my Dr. who I returned to says it's quite ok for me to take the 50mg at once. Also the pharmacist said "this medication is meant to be taken just 1x day".Also, he said that Metropolol & Atenolol are a little different from one another. One if fat soluable, while the other is water soluable. This is likely why I had the horrible headaches with Metropolol.

I do hope you find something that makes you feel better. There are time when I think you'll agree, that the remedy is worse than the ailment.

Hi Tee19...actually, specialists do report their findings to the patient's GP. It's the way they keep the GP informed of what's going on. Yes, there are some doctors out there who do not treat anxiety, but even worse, they don't believe such a thing exists. They think the patient is a little unstable, for lack of better description. Anxiety certainly can & does create problems in the body. I feel sorry for peter01729. The neurologist obviously isn't helping much either. Peter just had an "Autonomic blood pressure test", only to be told he has autonomic instability. What in hell is that????? 

We have to be our own advocates when it comes to our health.We need to speak up...put the smart-ass doctors in their place if needed., but they have the upper hand. They can label us as being a 'difficult patient'. If I were Peter, I'd be back at the Neurologist, even for just a discussion about the "Autonomic Instability" & what can be done about it. I do find that when doctors don't know what the cause is, they label it as 'idiopathic'. In my mind, the body doesn't just start acting abnormally without reason. Something causes the abnormality, & the doctors have the responsbility to the patient to find out just what it is. They can treat conditions with medications, but can't cure them??? How is it they know how to treat, but can't make the condition go away??????? Do I make a good point here?????

I ageee. I meant that His doctor used it in a way against him as in disregarding other things that it could be or testing for what it truly could be and powned it  off on merely what  he told him about his past

Being a nurse I’ve seen doctors do that as soon as the patient mentions one thing that may be related to any kind of mental issue immediately they are dismissed as having mental  instability problems And other things are overlooked 

I didn’t  mean he betrayed him as in sharing medical information with another physician only as in using it against him to dismiss what what is truly happening to him

 And I agree what the heck is Peter’s diagnosis ???   I feel terrible for him in the UK I know the health system there is completely different.  Although as of late I am thoroughly disgusted with the medical system here in the United States as well

A  friend of mine in Scotland waited months to have a surgery And in the meantime she lingered in excruciating pain with an issue that kind of paralyzed her. And before surgery she had to wait to have an MRI which was a  three ring circus it inself 

Believe me there’s been plenty of people that just stop cold turkey and that is very dangerous

Hi Mike, the Autonomic Blood Pressure test was a five minute test where they take your blood pressure sitting down, then have you stand up and take it again after 3 minutes. The Autonomic Nervous System is supposed to detect the effect gravity has on the blood in your neck arteries, and constrict arteries in your legs to prevent all your blood rushing to your legs ;leaving your brain starved. The blood pressure is therefore meant to be about the same, mine dropped by enough to put me well in the range of Orthostatic hypotension.

Now when I think I did a flow chart of my symptoms months back with Autonomic Neurapathy as being the common denominator, and showed it to my GP, who returned it with a barely concealed sneer, and all she had to do was a five minute blood pressure test, you will understand why I now view GPs as being in the category of dodgy used car salesmen.  

Autonomic Instability is just another term for Dyautonomia which comes in so many forms, the ANS controls so many automatic functions of our bodies. It is beyond the understanding of most GPs which is why I had to try and help them understand it which of course didn't please them. 

I asked my Neurolgist if I could be seen as soon as possible in order to hold onto my job, she said it isnt up to her re making follow up appointments, the NHS is so very overstretched. They though I might have a drop dead suddenly heart defect after an MRI scan, so the follow up appointment for that was six months later.

Thanks so much my friend. I an on my second week off the medicine and It's still very hard. In some ways, I think i'm better but I almost this this stuff changed the physiology of my body. The work thing is the numbness/constant tingling in my head and also the hot flashes. Terrible. I am also still dealing with dizziness and my hands are like bright pink at times, and I seem to bruise easily from scratched and such. I would have much rather had dealt with the palpitations/PVC's than to ever have been prescribed this mess. Waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel!

Thanks again, this forum is a Godsend!

Thanks mike92384, hopefully my symptoms improve; it's taking everything in me to not go to the ER. This crap has got me thinking I am dying or that I have MS (need to stop checking symptoms online, smh). I do have high blood pressure and I am trying to keep everything out of my system until I start to feel better. Then I will go back on my normal losartan, but even that was making me dizzy. All of it be damned!

Hi Losdogdagreat...Yes...do yourself the biggest favour & stop checking symptoms online. You can diagnose yourself into oblivion..seriously!!!! Also, you don't know the qualifications of who put the information on line. The best site is the Mayo Clinic, or the New England Journal of Medicine. My Dr. says this. Remember, unless you are a Dr., you are not  qualified to diagnose. That should help you as well. Truly, you don't know what you're looking for. I was doing the same as you...looking up this/that...yes, I've got that symptom, no I don't...Ohh..I have a few of those...yes, it must be....etc.etc.etc. I nearly drove myself nuts, until I gave my head a good shake & thought.."stop this...stop it now". I too thought I might have MS with the burning in my feet., a little in my legs...some pins/needles...headaches. After seeing a Neurologist, who did an MRI on the complete spine & brain...there were no plaques. He also did EMG testing which were fine. Bloodwork was fine too. He has blamed my symptoms on what's going on in the spine. I have some nerves that are being aggravated by narrowing of the neural openings..Some nerves are nearly pinched. The worst is in my neck, which explains the sore shoulders, pounding headaches at the back of my head. I do find it odd that the medical profession can provide us with medications that ease our discomforts, but they can't cure what goes on. All that I just mentioned ruled out my biggest fear. 

I don't recall you mentioning the dosage of the Losartan. If what you're on is making you dizzy, why not ask the Dr. about a smaller dosage??

Please let me know how you get on. Best of luck!!

Thanks again mike92384 - My dosage of losartan is 50 mg. I might have to switch it out. You are soooo incredibly helpful, you might be due medical payment; hell, you're more helpful than my Doctor right now, lol. I may also have to check on my spine, etc. Craziness.