Q: Have you heard that Atenolol for BP can cause diabetes? I have been diagnosed with diabetes after having taken Atenolol for many years and have read about this possible effect with the BP drug.
A: Use of Atenolol has been associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes. A review of studies on this topic was published in The American Journal of Cardiology – Volume 100, Issue 8 (October 2007) “A Meta-Analysis of 94,492 Patients With Hypertension Treated With Beta Blockers to Determine the Risk of New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus.” As a result, many doctors now use newer agents for the treatment of high blood pressure.
(16 votes, average: 4.19 out of 5)
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Uh-oh! I’ve been taking Atenolol for years also. I wish we knew about these risks BEFORE we adopted the physician’s regimen of prescribed medicines. For example, I’ve been taking Prevacid for years and despite my exercises and calcium-rich diet I wound up with osteoporosis, which was really a shock to me. It’s only been in the last couple of years that it’s been widely known that the proton-pump inhibitors thin the bones.
Now, to hear this about Atenolol. The American public is really the testing ground for medications, and that infuriates me.
Does anyone know of a practical substitute for beta-blockers like Atenolol? If so, please pass it on.
I stopped taking Atenolol because my pharmacist said prolonged reduction in heart rate could be more dangerous than the couple of points it reduces my BP as well as the risk of diabetes.
I too was on Atenolol for 3 years and gained 40 lbs. I lost the weight and then my pulse went down into the 40’s so my doctor told me to go off the atenolol at once and I did it. I had terrible side effects when going off. Fast hearts beat, anxiety etc. I don’t see this doctor any longer. Seeing another doctor now. It’s been about a year now and I feel so much better off of the beta blocker. I am now on Lisenopril 20mg a day. No real side effects. But I don’t like being on any meds. I think we all should do research before we agree to be put on these meds by doctor.
Yes, my mother, as well as my father, were diagnosed with diabetes after many years of using beta-blockers. Although already known or suspected then, all doctors claimed it was not the drugs that caused diabetes. During the years they used the drugs they also put on a lot of weight, my mom becoming obese. She was constantly fatigued, had monstrous headaches and, due to being so tired all the time lost the motivation to do even minor physical activities, including walking, which made her weight problem worse. I too believe it was the drugs that caused both parents such misery. The ‘problem’ the rest of the family now has is that we have a ‘history of diabetes and obesity’ in the family and yet, some years ago a doctor prescribed a strong beta-blocker for me. He denied that beta-blockers contributed to diabetes. I told him to get lost. At age 61 I am slim, fit, my BP is 138/78, which may not be perfect, but without drugs I have a feeling of being healthy and that’s all that matters to me. All my older siblings are slim too and do not have diabetes or serious weight problems.
It really annoys me when people get criticized for being overweight when many prescription drugs indirectly actually contribute to their weight problems. Are the drugs you’re taking making you fat? I certainly believe so.
i also take atenolol 50 mlg . please let me know if you know of any drug that will not have a side effect and lower my blood presure
I believe diuretics have also been linked to diabetes, but am not sure. They may also increase the risk of getting gout.
About 6 years ago, I was prescribed a beta blocker. Within one year of taking it, I had gained almost 90 lbs and developed diabetes. I gradually stopped taking it and lost 60 lbs within a couple of months. There was a lot of fluid retension also which went away after stop taking it. Sometimes I feel that when we treat a condition, the drugs create other contions which are sometimes worse than the condition that is being treated. I have now learned that it is better to research before taking something and ask questions and then decide if the side effects are worse than the condition being treated.
I agree. The problem is that a drug is developed to treat certain symptoms. So you take that prescribed drug to treat those symptoms. Often they DO treat those symptoms, but they have the side effect of creating NEW symptoms, and guess what? The doctor prescribes another drug to treat those symptoms, and then that drug creates more new symptoms, and round and round you go, with all the feedback. I just went to my local cardiologist to see if I could get off my BP meds, or at least some of them, and he said he couldn’t let me do that, it would be too dangerous, etc. So it’s a vicious circle that gives fat profits to BigPharma CEO’s but does little or nothing for the patient. And some clowns actually say we have the best health care system in the world? (They must not get around very much.)
I monitor my BP at home, and it looks as if I’ll have to try to get off some meds on my own, but only gradually and with careful watching. I’m trying more exercise, and natural aids such as pomegranate juice and watermelon or its juice. I wouldn’t advise anyone to quickly eliminate a BP med they’re taking.
im using atenolol and diabetic, is it adviseable to leave it now. Please advise.
does this also apply to Enalapril? I asked my doctor about susceptibility to diabetes but he said its safe.