August 17th
2008
7:18 AM
please, someone tell me a safe way to back down off atenolol. I've been on a 25 mg tab every day for 8 mo. or so. my breathing is slower...i weigh 20 lbs heavier and I'm sooo dam tired all the time! I have foot and leg pain. I used to be a runner...over 40 mi a week...now I'm a lump. Please please please help me. I will not trust a doctor who put me on this awful stuff in the FIRST place!!
tess
( ******)
July 20th
2008
1:49 PM
I have been taking 20mg of Lisinopril and 5mg of Felodipine for about a year now, and I am experiencing excruciating joint pain. The back of my knees ache even while sitting and the bottom of my right foot keeps me from walking freely because it hurts so much. My wrists and fingers hurt too. I am overweight, so I just figured it was due to excess weight, but reading these posts made me realize that this is not normal. I am in pain all day long. I feel like I'm going crazy because I can't just get up and go- I struggle to do anything. I did not want to see my doctor because I've switched medicines before- used to take 50mg of atenolol but fatigue was horrible, so doc gave me hydrochlorothiazide and it gave me a terrible rash on my face. I thought I was done switching meds- does anyone know what is a good bp medicine? I'm tired of being tired and in pain.
-- By ronni | Reply | Send Private Mail
June 23th
2008
4:21 PM
Ive been taking Atenolol 100mg for years but it wasn't enough so my doc added Lisinopril /Hydrochlorothiazide 10/12.5mg......great at controlling my bp but the side effects aren't so grand. Recurring cough that sometimes triggers the gag reflex, especially late at night while lying down attempting to sleep. Also my libido has been cut in half. Time to go back to the doc.
-- By tentacle | Reply | Send Private Mail
June 8th
2008
5:19 PM
HELLO; I'M A 57 YEAR OLD MAN THAT HAS OVER THE PAST YEAR WENT FROM A 20mg TABLET OF LISINOPRIL TO A 40mg TABLET 2 MONTHS AGO. I ALSO TAKE 100mg OF ATENOLOL WHICH HAS DONE A NICE JOB. THE 20mg LISINOPRIL JUST MADE ME VERY TIRED ALL DAY AND OCCASIONAL CRAMPING ON THE INSIDE ARCH OF MY FOOT. WHEN THE DOCTOR PUT ME ON 40m DUE TO AN INCREASE OF WEIGHT, IT WAS ABOUT A MONTH INTO TAKING THE INCREASE THAT I EXPERIENCED SOME VERY NEW SIDE EFFECTS. DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING TO THE POINT YOU ARE SCARED YOU HAVE SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS. ALSO A DRY HACKING COUGH THAT WON'T GO AWAY. WITH DRUG COST THE WAY THEY ARE I'M WAITING TILL I SEE MY DOCTOR PRETTY SOON AND GET OFF OF THIS MEDICATION. PEOPLE REACT TO DRUGS DIFFERENTLY AND DOCTORS TAKE IT PERSONALLY WHEN SOMETHING THEY PRESCRIBED IS ADVERSELY AFFECTING THERE PATIENTS HEALTH
-- By jimrix | Reply | Send Private Mail
June 8th
2008
9:42 AM
I am a 52 year old female. I've been using Zyrtec for four months, at first PRN, then for the last eight weeks daily. I also take Norvasc and Atenolol for BP. I was already experiencing slight swelling in my ankles presumably from the Norvasc, and I have been gaining weight steadily since starting the Atenolol in December. I have had overwhelming fatigue during exercise to the point that I can hardly finish a one hour Jazzercise class (which I have attended on a regular basis for over 20 years.) All symptoms I've blamed on the BP meds, especially the Atenolol.
I began complaining to my doc about the symptoms and had a complete blood work up to rule out other diseases that cause these symptoms. He suggested Weight Watchers and increased exercise to battle the weight gain, and reduced the Atenolol to half dose to over come the these issues. I didn't think to tell him about the Zyrtec I had started taking OTC.
I began careful monitoring of calorie intake and increased my Jazzercise classes in an attempt to lose weight with no success. In fact, the weight continued to increase.
This week, the swelling in my ankles increased to the point where you can not recognize them and the swelling has now included my feet. They are so puffy the toes are connected and you can make a deep impression with your finger in the skin. I decided to stop the Zyrtec and found the swelling to stop immediately. Even the slight ankle swelling has abated.
I started searching the web for contraindications between Zyrtec and the BP meds. None of the drug sites offer any negative side effects The Zyrtec site gives no info at all. After reading the many experiences here and on another site, I think the Zyrtec is to blame for all of my symptoms. I have not asked the doc about his opinion, but will inform him at my next appointment.
-- By tari | Reply | Send Private Mail
June 2th
2008
8:04 AM
I have been taking Atenolol 25mg./day for 5 1/2 months for high blood
pressure. I am a 63 year old female. The side effects for me are
tingling in my fingers, which is especially annoying at night, and
muscle pain in my legs. I did not associate either of these effects
with the drug until I researched it on the internet and learned that
they might be associated with atenolol. I have since reduced the
dose in half and am experiencing less tingling and muscle pain
May 30th
2008
9:35 AM
I am 36 and take 100 mg of generic Toprol a day. I was put on it due to many ( I mean 30 to 40) palps a day. I had been on Atenolol for about 5 years and the doctors told me it had simply quit working. I had an echo and a 24 hour holtor monitor and both came back negative, yet I felt like I was dying daily. My palps have diminished with the medicine, with a change in diet and running 5 or 6 days a week for about 3 miles. Caffeine and alcholol have almost been excluded. I do have cold hands and feet and have had much trouble losing weight. Stomach cramps and an upper right side cramps have been an issue. After reading your posts I think we need to get off this stuff
-- By chadjenfrey | Reply | (3) replies | Send Private Mail
May 22th
2008
4:01 AM
Hi Gang,
Im on 20 mg of Lisinopril in the morning and 25 mg of atenolol at night. The Lisinoril is for my blood pressure and the Atenolol is for my anxiety attacks that i have. O.o But im still have anxiety attacks, and i don't know why. So ive had all the test, heart ultra sound, ekg's, blood work, treadmill ekg, halter monitor for 3 days. The works basicly. Im 40 and yes over weight. But i passed all the test with flying colors. Doc said he only ever wants to see me again, if im Really sick. Anyone know why im getting anxiety attacks (mine are rapid heart beats, and feeling like fainting) all of a sudden. When i started the lisinopril i had a minor cough, but not any more. Otherwise ive been pretty good with both meds. Just don't know what is triggering the anxiety!
May 19th
2008
4:36 PM
I started taking Lotrel in January and was thrilled because my bp was down from 165/97 to 100/70. Atenolol caused extreme fatigue to the point where I thought I had leukemia or something. I couldn't bend over to pick up something off the floor without feeling like I would pass out, my heart pounded at night, I had a weak pulse. And my bp was 165/97.
My former doc said this was all "anxiety".
My current doc is pleased with the lowered bp.
HOWEVER, I can't lose weight, and I have the "crickets" sound in my ears most of the time. Needless to say, I have leg pain, swollen extremities, and insomnia.
This is a vicious cycle-- lose weight to lower bp, lower bp to have energy to exercise to help lose weight. Between that and the crickets, I'm feeling pretty "anxious".
May 6th
2008
6:54 PM
Both my 19 year old daughter and my 30 year old step daughter were put on Yasmin. Both began having heart problems. The eldest had heart palpitations, a racing heart and dizziness. The doctor discovered that her potassium level had shot up and her magnesium was down. They put her on magnesium to help control the racing heart. It helped, but then she became pregnant and had to lower the dose. The 19 year old has had the worst side effects. She was fine on ortho tricyclene, but when her doctor switched her to Yasmin her blood pressure shot up to 170/118. She began having chest pain. We pulled her off the Yasmin, but she has continued to have uncontrollably high blood pressure. The doctor ran several tests and has found no underlying cause as of this writing. She began taking 5 mg. of Norvasc, but was increased to 10 mg. to manage the high blood pressure.
-- By jac46236 | Reply | (2) replies | Send Private Mail
April 24th
2008
3:10 PM
Our son started taking Singulair when he was 2 for severe allergic rhinitis and cough variant asthma (in addition to Zyrtec, which didn’t control all of his symptoms). He is 5 now. For the last three years, he has been an increasingly violent, difficult, defiant, argumentative, volatile child who has intense mood swings--one minute he’s laughing uncontrollably, the next he’s weeping over nothing. His doctor and therapist recommended that we see a psychiatrist to have him evaluated for bipolar disorder, which used to be unknown in children. Because he has such chronic sleep problems, the doctor also suggested we take him off Singulair (and increase his Zyrtec dose) to see if it improved his sleep issues. Within a week, he was sleeping much better and was a calmer, happier, gentler boy. He suddenly could take “no” for an answer without flipping out and trying to hurt me. We thought that we were just in an unusual, calm window that would shift either to mania or intense sadness or both, any minute. We also thought that his behavior change might be due to sleeping better. We were enjoying the rare reprieve. Over the last weekend, his springtime allergies really flared up. We gave him Singulair on Monday and by noon, he was completely out of control. I had to strap him into his car seat at one point to keep him from hurting either me or himself. It finally occurred to me that Singulair might be causing his “bipolar” disorder. Of course, we stopped the Singulair. After two days he was a new boy. Yesterday, I Googled “Singulair bipolar children” and got a few hits. I am stunned to read how similar other families’ experiences have been to ours and I feel sick that we gave this drug to our child for three years.
-- By isobel1228 | Reply | (7) replies | Send Private Mail
April 17th
2008
3:03 PM
50 yr old female ( gasps @ 5-0 still)
I've been on ToprolXL for some time now. I started with Tenormin and felt FINE! The doctor then decided it was not the 'right medicine' for me and changed me to a 'new and better medication' names TOPROL XL, He started me on 50mg a day. I had experienced rapid heart beat of at least 150 bpm up to 200! My heart had to be stopped in the ER to get it back to being a normal rhythm. At the time I was 39 yrs old :( SCARY! I had every test imagined. Heart tests, lung and leg scans. You name it, I had it done to me ( thankfully, to make sure it was nothing serious). Although I do consider a heart beating that high to be serious! I already have a anxiety disorder, I noticed that my panic attacks are worse now more than ever! I am very very lethargic. Just thinking about doing ANYTHING makes me tired. I even getting tired when I talk too much! My mouth is always excessively dry. I put on weight and even paid for a diet that consisted of 2 'shakes' and one meal per day. Followed it to the "T"! and nothing ?! I've recently read that ToprolXL can lead to all kinds of diseases. One of them being Lou Gehrig's (ASL) :( I am SO very upset that medication is prescribed supposedly to make a person feel better AND I don't think I've physically felt this depleted and depressed in years! I want medical answers and I need support and words of encouragement from everyone that has been on this drug , most especially those weaned off ot it and are on a better drug. Most of the people I notice taking TOPROL XL are taking it fro HBP or symptoms other then the one's I have. I am SO confused now :(
-- By 2druggedup | Reply | (5) replies | Send Private Mail
April 15th
2008
11:30 AM
Has anyone had hair loss? I have been on Simvastatin for 30 days adn I noticed hair loss.
-- By tjacobson | Reply | (3) replies | Send Private Mail
April 10th
2008
1:00 PM
I have been taking kelone for 20 yrs due to palpitations and a rapid HR the pappitations got worse over the last few months and I was panicky so I went to the dr and this is what happened!
I was put on metoprolol 25mg 2x's a day and it didn't work. I found myself in the hospital with a rapid HR and not feeling well. I had been on kerlone/betaxolol for more than 20 yrs and my NEW Dr was not familar with it so he swithched me. I went to fill the RX and was told by the PharmD that it had a very short half life compared to my old med. I asked the Dr. he said lets try it. Well like I said I was in the hospital within 2 days. I wanted to know what you all think about switching from generic to Toprol Xl and what should my does be? I was raised to 50mg metoprolol 2x's a day and it still doesn't seem to work. I know it is wearing off and I feel crappy! I am 38 with a hx of type 2 Diabetes which is controlled and I take Metformin 500 mg er. I also take Crestor 20 mg all other things are ok but I can't excercise or do any activity due to the feeling my heart is going to POUND out of my chest.
Any and all advice is welcomed since I am new to this med and dont't know if I go back to the palpitations I had with my old one or feel like crap with the new one.
April 3th
2008
4:38 PM
When I first started taking lisinopril, I had several episodes of dizziness and almost fainted. That was when I looked up the side effects and was alarmed to find out that it is made from the venom of a poisonous snake from Brazil. I stopped taking it for several months, but my blood pressure kept climbing, so finally decided to give it another try. It didn't give me any problems at first. Just before Christmas last year, I had a bad cough and congestion, for which the doctor prescribed antibiotics and cough syrup with codeine. The antibiotics did nothing for it, but the cough syrup finally gave me some relief. Since then, the congestion got a little better, then worse, with the good spells lasting only a few days, compared to the coughing getting worse and worse. Finally when my throat was very wheezy with every breath, I decided to check the symptoms of lisinopril again. I called my doctor and told her I wanted to go off of it and see if it helped. That was 10 days ago. My throat is clear now, but I still have a lot of lung congestion. The crazy thing is that my blood pressure kept going up in spite of taking lisinopril. I've been taking atenolol for years, and now the dr put me on lovaza, which brought my blood pressure down to normal within a day.
Another thing when I was taking lisinopril, I began to wonder if I had fibromyalgia because I had so much pain all over my body. I don't know it the lisinopril caused that, but I don't feel nearly as much pain since I quit taking it.
March 31th
2008
9:11 PM
I have been in Lisinopril for about a month. I have a dry cough that keeps me awake at night, headache, fatigue and lightheadedness. My doctor refuses to believe the cough is from the Lisinopril. He said I have not taken in long enough for it to be side effects. He keeps increasing the dosage from 5mg then 10 now 30mg my blood pressure continues to climb averaging 150/100 not dropping below 140/90 and spiking to 177/118.My doctor is not concerned and says come back in 2 months. I am calling him tomorrow and if he doesn't change my med. I will stop Lisinopril and find a new doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-- By richie01 | Reply | (4) replies | Send Private Mail
March 24th
2008
5:39 PM
For three months I have had a hacking cough. I was on pro-air, symbicort, nasanex, singulair, and allegra plus atenolol, lipitor. I went to my family dr. four times during this period and ended up with a pulmonologist last week and an allergist this week. My main doctor, a nice young doc, suggested it might be the linsinipril was causing the cough. His P.A. even had me off it a week. Bottom line is this: it takes longer than a week to find out if the cough is from Lisinopril and the cough does not come as a result of Lisinopril until you have a n infection or cold. I had been on the Lisinopril for two months when I got a cold at Christmas. I have been hacking ever since. Blood work and skin tests today revealed no allergies. I am to go off all allergy meds and the lisinopril. I am hopeful the hacking will subside.
-- By jdtwain | Reply | Send Private Mail
March 13th
2008
7:30 PM
I have been prescibed Lisinopril by my GP since last May,previously I was taking Atenalol,in the last two months I have developed a dry cough,problems with swallowing my tongue feels swollen at the back of my mouth,problems sleeping and what feels like palpatations,I have an appointment with the GP on Tuesday,I will be insisting that I come off this drug.It seems that because this is a cheaper drugs for blood pressure the GP's are keen to use it.
-- By glenn51 | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
February 28th
2008
3:16 PM
I'm on Topamax, Atenolol, and Citalopram...all for migraine prevention. We added the Topamax to the regimen (100/day) about 6 months ago. The first 6 weeks were the worst for side effects, especially the metallic taste, tingling hands, 'stupid' feeling, and fatigue. However, I did eventually adjust, and the migraines did decrease in frequency and intensity. They were not completely eliminated, but when I still get them, I find that I can abort them with the 'rescue' drugs easier, and they don't last as long.
If you like soda's and are upset by the 'flat' and metallic taste caused by Topamax, there are some sodas that don't taste quite as bad. Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi Max seem to be a little more carbonated and have a 'zingier' taste. After about 3 months, some of the carbonation 'feel' came back and I could drink things like beer again, without it tasting like I was sucking on a rusty nail.
I use to get the 'stupid' feeling to for about the first 2 hours after I took my morning dose. I couldn't remember words, and would forget what I was talking about in the middle of my sentence. I started taking my meds at 4 am, so that I had a chance to sleep the 'stupid' off by the time I got up at 6 and left for work by 7am. Then I'd take my evening dose after dinner, because my kids don't care if I'm an idiot...just as long as I'm not cranky :-)
When I have a migraine, I usually want to drive a pick-axe into my head, so all-in-all, these side effects aren't too bad in comparison, and make me a much more pleasant person to live with.
-- By steelskull | Reply | Send Private Mail
January 27th
2008
8:11 PM
I am trying to wean off of Atenolol bc it makes me tired and I feel as though my metabolism has slowed down. I have been on it for one year due to a fast heart beat. I did not have hbp when prescribed and I don't now. I was suffering from anxiety due to katrina and quit smoking. sometimes I feel sick to my stomach. has anyone gotten sick to their stomach from this med. also, I found that if I take it at night I am not tired during the day but I do have strange dreams.
my real question is how can I wean myself off this drug. I am afraid that if I stop it I will be somewhere and my heart will jump out of my chest.
January 10th
2008
9:43 PM
I am a 41 yo woman in good health. I started Toprol xl about 3 years ago for a heart palp that would happen maybe once a day, and occasional racing heart beat. I did great for a long time on 25mg once a day. Then about 6 months back I was switched to generic due to insurance issues - they only want to pay for generic.
It took me a while to figure out what was happening, but several problems started happening over the last few months that I am sure were from this generic drug. Suddenly I was having vivid dreams - fish swimming on the ceiling, cats with heads 5x too big! Worse yet, over about 3 months I gained 20 pounds with no difference in diet. And I was getting more and more tired. I started looking into what could be causing these crazy effects - I was only on Toprol and birth control pills.... well, it was not the birth control!
So, I decided to wean myself from the Toprol. I decided I prefer a heart palp and occasional racing heart to this!! I gave myself a couple of weeks of lesser doses, then 5 days ago I stopped it altogether. I am having some horrid "rebound" or withdrawal effects! Numb/tingling hands and feet, headache and - surprise! High blood pressure! I never, ever took this med for HBP, and I have never had HBP! I always had a nice, low blood pressure, even when 9 months pregnant! Now it's running around 135/93 - I work in a medical office, so I got one of the nurses to check it on Tuesday...she sort of freaked! She said she has seen much higher, but mine is not normal. So we have been checking daily, and it's staying up there. I am so mad to think Toprol could have damaged my body in some way so that my blood pressure may not stay messed up for life. I have read online that the rebound effects can last up to a month, even with a fairly low dose like I was taking. Does anyone know if a month is about right? If my blood pressure keeps this high, I suppose I will have to seek treatment at some point. Ugh!
On the plus side, I don't feel so tired. No vivid dreams since I stopped the Toprol, and much better sleep! I feel "clearer" mentally. I just wish the tingling hands and feet would stop - and the high blood pressure!
-- By ree | Reply | (9) replies | Send Private Mail
December 22th
2007
9:52 PM
My 82 year old brother was put on 40 mg of Lisinopril to lower his blood pressure. He was already taking Atenolol (50 mg) and also taking Simvastatin (40 mg) for cholesterol. With in two (2) days his fingers started going numb and hurting. It took us about 5 weeks to realize the systems started right after he started on Lisinopril. By that time all his fingers were numb and tingling, with lots of pain. He also had, nausea, shortness of breath, & upset stomach with diarrhea. After reading the same side effects on the website, he immediately stopped the Lisinopril. Most of the systems stopped fairly soon after stopping the Lisinopril except the numbness, pain & tingling in the hands. It has been over 2 months and with some alternative treatments he is finally seeing some relief from the hand problems.
-- By kjrsrc1 | Reply | Send Private Mail
December 20th
2007
8:18 PM
My husband is on Lisinopril-10mg. The Dr. called today and still isn't happy with his BP, so they are adding a diuretic. He is also on Atenolol-50mg.
He has to pee constantly. I am concerned that he will become dehydrated taking water pill. Dr. wasn't concerned when I told him that even hearing water makes him pee.
Any one else have this issue?
-- By imapamom | Reply | Send Private Mail
December 12th
2007
9:27 AM
I am a 43 year old woman in excellent health. One year ago, I was diagnosed with HBP and put on 12.5 mg of Toprol. I had a serious reaction to a cold medication that I took one month later and my blood pressure skyrocketed. My doctor doubled my Toprol. Immediately I felt extreme chest tightness, pressure, panic attacks, anxiety, depression and severe headaches. Until this time in my life, I had never even taken aspirin. I cut my dosage back to 12.5 mg. and now wonder if the extreme anxiety and feeling of impending doom is coming from this drug. I never had any problems before going on this beta blocker. Now I do not even know if I need it at all. How long do the side effects last if I stop taking this terrible drug. I have an appointment with a cardiologist in one week for some answers.
-- By daisydc | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
Lisinopril (60) Atenolol (24) Toprol-XL (15) Yasmin (3) Tenormin (2) Bendroflumethiazide (1) Prinzide (1) Zocor (1) Singulair (1) Norvasc (1) Imitrex (1) Simvastatin (1) Doxycycline Hyclate (1) Zyrtec (1) Synthroid (1) 5-Aminosalicylic Acid (1) Verapamil Hydrochloride (1) Valium (1) Lotrel (1) Zoloft (1) Topamax (1) Omnitrope (1) Flonase (1) Papain (1) Levaquin (1) Methocarbamol (1)
August 21th
2008
9:37 AM
Doctor just changed my prescription from Atenolol to Lisinopril. After 2nd, 3rd day of taking it, I developed the cough in the middle of the night. He said that this was one of the side effects, so, I wasn't too concerned. But then, after another couple of days, started feeling the dizziness, nausea, lack of appetite, and the FATIGUE! Decided to call him after taking 6 of those pills, to tell him about my concerns. He said to stop taking it. Prescribed Diovan now. Still feel like I've been run over by a truck, but
-- By hollywins | Reply | Send Private MailSO happy to have found this web site. I hate that so many others have been affected by all of these symptoms, and, affected for so long. Just made me feel somewhat better that I was not the only one feeling this same way. I thought I was losing it.