Atenolol

I had my ablation on the 5th and i have been on medication to keep my heartrate down for years. My doctor told me to try and stop taking my medication and i did yesterday but it did not go so well. I got a bad headache and heart felt so forceful and i was really dizzy so by the end of the day i ended up taking it againcuz i just did not feel right.
Has anyone just stopped taking atenolol one day?
If so how did it make you feel?
Im wondering if i should of stuck it out... Any comments would be very helpful. Thank you

4 Comments

Thank you

by lisa29 - 2009-01-13 01:01:41

Thank you for that comment cabg patch. I will go do that search now.....

I also had on more question.

I have the 50mg of atenolol, How many times can they be split apart?

I used to be on toprol xl and you could not cut them in to smaller peices. Is that the same with atenolol?

hi

by alice G - 2009-01-13 02:01:20

ive been on atentol for many years and after my ablation they said i didnt need it and to stop stratight away well i have done that before and never again. so i took a little less every day and yes you still do have side effects and they arent pleasant at all but you manage. i have come down from a 100 mg to 25 it has taken me a couple of weeks but i did it.i have cut them in half before but after that you cant cut them anymore but you can scrap a little more off them . i know it says not to but i have done that and am fine. maybe you should speak to a pharamacy first everyone is different. good luck iam here if you want to ask anymore questions .

atenolol

by donb - 2009-01-13 07:01:42

I have been on atenolol for over 16 years 50mg but when my pacemaker got removed Dec 8th I didn't get orders to stop taking it. Before I left the hospital an older nurse told me to quit and I did. After being home a few days my BPM went wild along with being dizzy. I finally have it down to 12.5mg per day and my BP and rthym is OK. I used to get 50mg prescription and cut them with a V shaped medical pill cutter to do 25mg twice a day. Now I use 25mg and cut them. They're hard to cut evenly as humidity has an effect on how well they split. Also I just got my Life Watch event monitor today and running. They want a complete record before replacing leads & PM or maybe neither!!
Can't beat it as today is also my 77th birthday, what a present, but guess what, I feel better already. Ha Ha

slice and dice

by Philman - 2009-01-13 11:01:55

I would stay on the Atenolol and wean off with 25mg pills. My doc said ok to cut in half.....Everyone is different but what worked for me was taking smaller doses in the am and pm for a few weeks than reduce again. You may see a "rebound" effect as you wean off but it will not be so bad if you take your time. I felt better within days and am down to 1/4 25mg in the pm. A sample plan could include cutting (razor blade) 2x 25mg in half or 4 x 12.5 ---one in the am two in the pm the first week. One am, one pm the 2nd week and so on. The pill is so small that you have to bite the 12.5 in half to get to the last phase. This worked for me as I ran into all kinds of "stuff" when I tried to go the cold turkey route.................. Check with your doc.and work on a plan best suited for you.

best of luck to you
-Philman

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