Q: I have a question about medication side effects. I’m not sure what is a side-effect and what might be related to age. I have had high blood pressure 190/120 for a couple of years that is difficult to treat. Lisinopril and Hydrochlorozide worked for a while, but then became inadequate/didn’t work. I switched to a higher dose of Lisinopril and Metapropol (sp?) the beta blocker. Now I feel completely drained all the time, have heavy legs, and no energy. Do other people experience this with these medications? Is there anything that can be done about it?
A: A symptom that starts with a new medication is probably from the drug and not caused by being older. Beta blockers can make you feel tired and without energy. This is a known side effect. Sometimes it gets better as your body adjusts to the drug. If it has been a few weeks since you started the beta blocker and you still feel tired, talk to your doctor about changing your medication. You might also want to consider trying the Resperate. Regular use can get blood pressure back in control without adding side effects.
Further Reading:
Beta blockers – MayoClinic.com
The way you feel is one of the known side effects of beta blockers. Are you mentally not as healthy, as well? When on atenolol it not only negatively affected my energy and physical well being, but also worsened my psychological outlook including some depression.
You can google the “negative side effects of atenolol” or the “negative side effects of beta blockers” and you will surely be very enlightened by what patients report.
All the best!!
Yes, things are a little black once in a while. But again, it’s difficult to tell what’s causing what, I’ve had a fairly difficult personal life recently. What did you do about your psychological outlook?
I was put on beta blockers and found out that they slow the heart down thus making things worse as then you don’t feel like exercising which is so important. Will also affect your thyroid. Do not stop beta blockers cold turkey, can cause a heart attack (now there’s a nice drug for you LOL)
Forgot to say the obvious, I weaned myself off of the beta blockers as they are harmful to my health.
What did you do then to keep BP down?
Atenolol has ruined my thyroid. I recently learned it is used to treat hyperthyroidism so those with normal hormone levels will eventually experience hypothyroidism that is permanent using Atenolol.
Looks like I’ll spend the rest of my life taking synthetic thyroid hormone even when I finish weaning off of the Atenolol. Great stuff!
That’s interesting info.! Thanks for sharing!
Well Dia thanks for the info. I didn’t know that and never recall reading it in the drug literature. Yes, I was on Atenolol for years. And yes, I now have hypothroidism.
Ruth, you’re welcome for the sad news but it’s good to know why this has happened to us. What’s interesting to me is when my then Dr. pondered the fact we take something (Atenolol) to slow one thing down and another(levoxyl)to speed it up. Then she laughed and said it doesn’t work that way, but she obviously new it didn’t make sense. She’s the same Dr. that took me off of Atenolol cold turkey to put me on beta-pace aka solatol. A day in the hospital to be monitored was the result of that. Thanks Doc!
How are you doing? What do you do for your hp and thyroid now?
I am on Beta-Blocker Carvedilol. Doctor had me over medicated with two other drugs for HBP.They had me on 12.5 mg twice daily. I was tired all the time. Plus the drugs cause insomia,and depression. I cut the Carvedilol in half over a period of time. I slowly cut back on some of the other drugs. I felt better after cutting back on the Beta- Blocker.I also learned that Beta-Blockers can lower your HDL. Mine had dropped to 32. When I cut back on the Beta my HDL went up to 36.I didn’t know that Beta Blockers can cause Hypothyroidism. I asked my doctor and he didn’t have a clue
BUY BUY BUY RESPRETE DR. RO SAID SO, SHE IS ALWAYS RIGHT NOT NOT NOT
Try Tekturna – that is the lowest side effect drug I have found – it is a renin blocker and is the only one. It is expensive because it is still only brand. The other option is an ARB like Cozar. Either of these are better than beta blockers or calcium channel blockers – both of those have worse side effects and especailly zap your energy and leg strength.
Try womaantowoma.com for hormones & HBP.
Being on a Beta blocker is like having an artificially induced heart insufficiency, with all the good side effects of having the real deal, off course.
Norephinephrine reuptake is the target of some of the latest antidepressants, why, because it and other catecholamines increase mood and alertness (have you ever heard of an adrenaline high, it really feels good and is all natural)
Beta blockers are designed to block the action of catecholamines, supposedly mainly in the heart.
People should learn and understand that unfortunately medicine right now is in its infancy as far as designing drugs with “effective” therapeutic value without side effects, think I am kidding right? “Modern” medicine still amputates a leg if badly infected, how brutal! Not really, now you go to a modern operating room and wake up without a leg and without pain, a big improvement over a hatchet and being held by five strong men over a table, right? The moral of the story is that that what has improved a lot is the hardware, but the little bugs are still left unmolested to eat the leg, or getting an artificially induced heart insufficiency to lower BP.
And lastly, I don’t understand this, when old we can’t lift the same weights or eat the same crap or amounts or drink the same amount of liquor or being the same sex athlete or run as far or as long or as fast as when young nor it is expected from us, but the blood pressure that is another deal, 120/80 and not a mm more or take all the pills it takes to get you crawling and cussing your miserable life.
Talking from personal experience!