Atenolol

Order Atenolol Blood Pressure Tablets Online

Written by Clinical Pharmacist Hywel McGlinchy

You can order atenolol tablets online from Simple Online Pharmacy. To make sure it is safe for you to take, you will first need to complete a medical questionnaire. This will be reviewed by our UK registered doctors. 

If approved, our doctors will send a prescription to our pharmacy team. They will then dispense and dispatch the medicine to your chosen address.

Please note, this medication can only be prescribed as an emergency supply of your repeat prescription. You should receive a regular supply of this medication from your GP. Some people take more than one type of blood pressure medicine. If you would like to order an emergency request of all of your blood pressure medicines, you just need to fill out a consultation for each one.

What is atenolol?

Atenolol is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It is also prescribed for other conditions like angina, arrhythmias (heart rhythm problems) and migraines.

It belongs to a family of medicines called beta blockers. It is only available on prescription.

How does it work?

Beta blockers like atenolol have an effect on your heart. They slow down your heart rate and make it easier for your heart to pump blood around the body. It is not understood exactly how beta blockers reduce blood pressure, but they are commonly used and effective.

Atenolol will have a full effect after one or two weeks of taking it daily. It can also be used alongside other blood pressure medicines such as thiazide diuretics. Combining it with other medicines can reduce blood pressure further.

If high blood pressure is left untreated it increases the risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart failure, kidney disease, heart disease, strokes and heart attacks.

Taking medication to lower your blood pressure is crucial because it helps to prevent these serious conditions.

Having an unhealthy lifestyle puts you at risk of developing high blood pressure. Making certain changes to your lifestyle can reduce this risk. This includes reducing the amount of alcohol you drink, stopping smoking, taking regular exercise, losing weight if overweight, and eating a healthy diet.

At Simple Online Pharmacy, we offer products such as orlistat to aid weight loss. Our doctors are also able to prescribe Champix, a stop smoking product.

You can ask your local pharmacy or surgery to have your blood pressure checked there. Another option is to buy your own BP monitor to take blood pressure readings yourself at home.

Dose

You should take atenolol exactly as your doctor prescribed. It is available in three different strengths: 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg.

For people with high blood pressure, lower atenolol dosages are generally effective. The usual dose is atenolol 50mg once daily. A dose of 25mg once daily is also common.

Atenolol Summary

Alternatives

A large number of treatments exist to reduce blood pressure. This includes various types of medicines such as:

• Calcium channel blockers (CCBs)
• Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs)
• Diuretics
• ACE inhibitors

Examples of other beta blockers include bisoprolol, propranolol, carvedilol and metoprolol.

What is atenolol used for?

Atenolol is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It can also be used to treat other conditions like angina, arrhythmias (heart rhythm problems) and migraines.

It belongs to a family of medicines called beta blockers. It is only available on prescription.

What does atenolol do to the body?

Beta blockers like atenolol have an effect on your heart. They slow down your heart rate and make it easier for your heart to pump blood around the body. It is not understood exactly how beta blockers reduce blood pressure but they are effective at doing so.

Who should not take atenolol?

Atenolol may not be safe for certain patients to take. You should not take it if you have:

• Very low blood pressure
• A tumour near the kidney called phaeochromocytoma
• Second or third-degree heart block (sometimes treated with a pacemaker)
• Blood circulation problems
• An allergy to atenolol or any of the ingredients in the tablets
• Metabolic acidosis (raised acid levels in the blood)
• Uncontrolled heart failure

Atenolol can also affect other conditions such as kidney problems, diabetes, psoriasis, asthma, and controlled heart failure. It may not be suitable for people taking certain medicines.  

What happens when you stop taking atenolol?

You should speak to your doctor if you want to stop taking it. If you stop taking it suddenly, it can worsen heart problems and possibly cause ‘rebound’ high blood pressure. Due to this, atenolol should be stopped gradually in most cases.

What drugs should not be taken with atenolol?

Some medicines may not be safe to take with atenolol such as:

• Diltiazem
• Adrenaline
• Amiodarone
• Verapamil
• Flecainide
• Nifedipine
• Digoxin

If you take any of the above, or any other medication mentioned in the patient information leaflet, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. 

Does atenolol cause weight gain?

Weight gain is not associated with atenolol and is not listed as a side effect. This means patients taking it will not experience weight gain as a side effect.

Can I order atenolol online?

Atenolol blood pressure tablets (UK) can be ordered from Simple Online Pharmacy. Simply complete an online medical questionnaire for our doctors to review. After checking that it is safe and suitable for you, our doctors will issue a prescription. Then, our pharmacy team will dispense and dispatch it to your chosen address. 

Our atenolol service can only be used by patients that are currently prescribed this medicine by their own GP. 

Content Reviewed: 12/10/2020

Atenolol side effects

Common atenolol side effects are cold fingers or toes, fatigue, nausea, diarrhoea, and constipation. 

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any side effects when taking this medication.

There can be rare, but serious, side effects of taking this medication. These include:

• Lung problems e.g sharp chest pain, trouble breathing, cold sweats
• Signs of heart problems e.g an irregular heartbeat, swollen ankles or legs, shortness of breath
• Symptoms of an allergic reaction e.g trouble breathing, skin rash, swelling of the lips, tongue, or face

If any of the above occur after taking atenolol, seek urgent medical attention.

Further information on side effects can be found in the patient information leaflet.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

• Atenolol 25mg PIL
• Atenolol 50mg PIL
• Atenolol 100mg PIL

Atenolol warnings and precautions

Other conditions and Atenolol

Atenolol may be unsuitable for some people to take. You should not take it if you have:

• Uncontrolled heart failure
• Very low blood pressure
• Second or third-degree heart block (sometimes treated with a pacemaker)
• Metabolic acidosis (raised levels of acid in the blood)
• A tumour near the kidney called phaeochromocytoma
• An allergy to atenolol or any of the ingredients in the tablets
• Blood flow/circulation problems

Atenolol can also affect other conditions such as asthma, diabetes, kidney problems, and controlled heart failure.

More information on atenolol and other conditions can be found in the patient information leaflet.

Interactions with other medicines

Some medicines may not be safe to take with atenolol such as:

• Verapamil
• Diltiazem
• Amiodarone
• Digoxin
• Nifedipine
• Adrenaline
• Flecainide

If you take any of the above, or any other medication mentioned in the patient information leaflet, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.