kclynn Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 How do you know?My son has been on Atenolol for a week and a half. Not sure what it is supposed to be helping but he sure isn't feeling better and his insomnia is horrible which, as you know makes all other things worse. Last night he was having shortness of breath, hard palps, extreme weakness. He had had a bad day all around with being extra tired and fatigued. Seems most on here for whom BB did not work got worse after a week or two. He also takes Midodrine and Florinef, magnesium malate and potassium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redoctober Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 How much was he on? I stopped Florinef and started Atenolol 25mg BID...lasted about a week until I gave up. I've since re-added a tiny dose of Florinef (.0125mg) and reduced the Atenolol to 12.5mg BID...which seems to be working better. Not that I feel anywhere near 100%...but at least my pulse/BP are somewhat normalized. Even on 12.5mg of Atenolol...my evening HR's can get down in the 40's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lieze Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Did you take his blood pressure?That was the first thing I picked up at the pharmacy along with the Atenolol was a bp monitor.Make sure he's not dipping down too low after his atenolol dose or check when he is symptomatic.If I am repeating something you are already doing please disregard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 The BB made me sicker the first day I took it. BB are supposed to slow the racing heart. I need my heart to race to prevent fainting when my blood pressure drops. After a week on a BB I couldn't even sit up without fear of fainting. I think BB work for people who's hearts race and THEN their BP drops to slow the heart. A friend of mine was on one and he was back to normal within a year. Florinef didn't work for him, because his heart raced and THEN his BP dropped. If your BP drops and your heart races to bring it up, then a BB will make you worse.It is hard to know with your son on so many different meds. what would help him. Was he started on all of them at once or were they gradually added? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 kcmom,When I started my beta blocker, Metoprolol, I had very even, all be it, relatively low BP...usually 90/60. The BB made my heart rate come down about 10 beats per minute laying, standing, and sitting, but, it made my BP start to flucuate. Not wildly, but it was noticed by the cardio and the neuro. It hasn't made my symptoms worse, but, they have decided that upping my dose (I'm as low dose as you can get) is not a good idea because they suspect it will cause too much fluctuation and will cause my symptoms to worsen.I have found that the only way to tell what's happening is to be very cautious to only change one thing at a time and that includes my level of activity and my diet so I can figure out what is causing my problems. Of course, some days there's no telling what's causing the problem. I hope this works itself out for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kclynn Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Jan, he has been on Midodrine and Florif for a long time, since last spring. Cardio has been raising his Florinf since Sept to the max dosage last month and still missing lots of school and declining. Today he is very weak and says he feel awful, can't describe it but from what everyone descibes and watching him surges of some kind. And he said yes to something surging through his body. I did take his bp last night in the car when we got home, right after he became so week and couldn't even lift a hand. It was perfect. 122/78 pulse 80 something. Cardio says that if he wasn't on meds his bp would be dropping, that whatever physiologically is going on with him is there making him feel bad but the bp does not drop because of the meds. Does that sound right? I do like the cardio and trust him, just not sure of my own understanding, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Also, my cardio said that most BB take about 3 wks to take there full affect and she wouldn't be surprised if I didn't feel anything until I got near the end of the 3rd wk. Maybe he is in an adjustment phase??Here's a link on info re: Atenolol. It certainly looks like it could cause his symptoms...http://www.drugs.com/atenolol.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lieze Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Wow I don't know if it's causing his symptoms or not anything is possible.The BP looks super in fact in the short time I took it I do remember that it caused my bp to increase and heart rate to come down.I just got too afraid to take it.I was in that mode where I was still trying to be normal.I took it and tried to take the kids to a skateboard park.I was at a stop light and all of a sudden it felt like my heart shot down to my ankles.Then I became kind of a limp noodle and realized I needed to head home gripping the wheel all the way I made it home had to take a crisis bathroom break-then knocked out on the couch for an hour or two.I was afraid to take it after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Some folks do really well with fludrocortisone. Not me. My BP and my HR went up quite high and I had a lot more chest pain and fatigue while I was on it. That might be a thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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