Am going to stop taking Atenonol,am on 25 mcg. Twice a day. Fed up of the aching legs and fatigue.Haven't taken it this morning.Just used nitro-Dur patch for 3 hours. Will take my 25 mcg this evening as I read it is dangerous to stop all at once. Any advice.
Atenonlol : Am going to stop taking Atenonol,am... - Thyroid UK
Atenonlol
33 Replies
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How long have you been taking it? You are right it is not a good idea to reduce quickly. It is quite time consuming to find good advice on withdrawing from prescription drugs. I have found with doctors that they seem to think you can reduce quite quickly. I personally have not found this to be the case.
in reply to Rosy_Holly
Only since February.
in reply to Rosy_Holly
I said February ,it was the end of March.
Rosy_Holly in reply to
Having been on it for a short time should not be too much of a problem. Let your doctor know what you are doing and why. Stay strong and let him know you are not happy with the side effects.
monitor your heart rate there are lots apps on the phone... lower the dosage from 2x a day to maybe 1x day..if satisfied with hr bpm... then lower it half of 25mcg ....then to no more atenolol... i was on propanolol...i hated it because it made me put more water weight and puffy. as long as your methimazole or ...azole are on point on dosage youll be ok
How did you arrive at this conclusion? My dad is on propranolol and has complained of stiffness and also seems to retain some fluid. The latter of course is excreted with spironolactone and furosemide. The former of course causes gynecomastia and dizziness.
I have seen the literature and both atenonol and propranolol seem to be the only choices to lower the heart rate. It makes sense to adjust the doses to a comfortable level. BTW that is also the chore of the MD.
Why are you taking atenolol? Do you have heart failure? If so stopping your atenolol could result in ischemia damage to your heart and a heart failure exacerbation that will land you in the hospital. If you're taking it for afib your heart rate could shoot up and lead to ischemia heart damage and you could throw a clot and have a stroke. If you're taking it for BP you could have a hypertensive crisis and end up hospitalized again. Point being, stopping a med even if you're weaning off can be dangerous business.
Consult your physician before stopping any medication. Additionally the class of drugs that atenolol falls into is called a beta blocker. There are lots of them out there. Atenolol is actually the worst of the bunch. Call your physician and ask about a switch to metoprolol or carvedilol. Carvedilol is the best of the generic beta blockers at the moment.
Oh and if this is for Graves symptoms (just saw a post about methamazole) and going through all this is annoying you, ask about having your thyroid abated with radio iodine instead of medical therapy. That's generally the best option. It's what we do stateside because so many Graves pts don't stay in remission and no one needs to go through this nonsense twice. Radio iodine isn't indicated if you're a woman of child bearing age just as a heads up.
Any other questions feel free to PM me. I'm always happy to help.
in reply to MDinTraining
Went to Docs,said,just take 25 Atenonol at night,not to stop as it is the only BP medication I seem to be able to take.Will follow his advise and see how I go.Cant do with being zonked out all day.
MDinTraining in reply to
If you are only taking it for BP and that's your only BP med, you should actually be taking something completely different. Mono therapy for BP is generally a thiazide diuretic or an ace inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). Most people do well on low dose lisinopril though some develop a cough. These people are switched to an ARB which provides the same effect as the lisinopril without the cough. Is there a reason your doc went with atenolol?
in reply to MDinTraining
Tried all the ones you have mentioned,can't take any of them.only one I can tolerate is Atenonol.
Yes..just keep on handing out those drugs.
in reply to MDinTraining
Thank you for your reply.Very helpful.Not at childbearing age.Am 79.Think I can still do all the things I used to.Hate when I can't.
A question for you. I hope you can help. My husband was prescribed Rotigotine patches for RLS. He had a terrible time with side effects, the worst being hallucinations. He was weaned off them but the effect lasted for about a month to six weeks. Although better now during the day I find that some of the same symptoms show up sometimes in the evening/night when he is tired. Is this usual and how long will it be before he gets back to normal do you think? This drug worked well on his legs when he was taking 3mg but played havoc on his mind. Thank you.
Rotigotine is a dopamine agonist. Generally speaking hallucinations are can be brought on by excessive dopaminergic excitation which makes sense. Often people who are older are more sensitive to this when given dopamine agonists. What symptoms are showing up again? Also how long was he on the Rotigotine? If it is the hallucinations a neuroleptic toward the end of the night could be helpful such as low dose seroquel. However I'd be concerned that symptoms are still lingering. That is definitely something I would talk to a neurologist about because there could be some other things going on especially if your husband is getting on in years.
Are you out of your mind??? MDinTraining who told you that thyroid ablation is the best option? Not a thyroid patient, I'll bet! Have you ever tried to live without a thyroid? The majority of people that chose that option bitterly regreted it afterwards. it would be ok if doctors knew how to treat hypo, but they have no idea - you've proved that yourself with your comments about T3 not affecting the TSH!
I sincerely hope that nobody does pm you for advice because I dread to think what sort of a state they'd end up in!
Graves treatment like that , should be a last resort and has long term consequences!!! Do you know how many people have issues after treatment? Why not find out why the person has developed this instead? This is typical of Dr's thinking and why so many have been injured or lost their lives.
No one is losing their life over thyroid ablation.
Maybe it won't kill them directly. This is why Integrative, Functional and Alternative medicine, is becoming so popular. If you can find the cause and treat the reason for developing Graves, in the first place, then why not do this? You may get rid of someones Thyroid, but they still have issues with their immune system. ..whic mainstream medicine doesn't address.
Some of the very real side effects of RAI experienced by patients:
1. The skin on the body peels off in a similar fashion as mild sunburn. This may include the mucosal linings.
2. No sense of taste for at least a month. Others have reported 3 months, and some never regain the sense of taste again.
3. Very swollen and painful salivary glands for a month. Some patients experience this years after RAI, and some have the loss of salivary gland function for life.
4. Digestive problems including food not being properly digested, constipation, or extreme diarrhea for long periods of time.
5. Sudden onset of allergies or food sensitivities including the inability to eat gluten.
6. Iodine deficiency due to low-iodine diet prior to RAI.
7. Adrenal fatigue
8. Compromised immune system
9. Burning tongue
stopthethyroidmadness.com/rai/
This is just one link to issues with RAI..too tired to continue searching. Graves is an autoimmune disease, not a problem with the thyoid Gland, it's self. RAI, should be a last resort, in my opinion.
My Aunt had was treated with RAI, as a teenager and went on to have depression and anxiety issues, burning mouth syndrome and loss of sense of taste, Arthritis, Cancer and crippling Osteoporosis. If you don't ruin the Thyroid, Carb could eventually put this into remission. Save the Thyroid first.
Also, as i continue to read, people who are tested and found to have food sensitivities, have been able to get their Graves and Hashi's antibodies and function tests, back to normal, once the offending foods are eliminated.
drhyman.com/blog/2012/02/22...
please tell me MDintraining what you think.
MDinTraining,Sadly UK doctors appear to be following the USA in their regrettable haste to ablate the thyroid gland of Graves patients and make them permanently hypothyroid. Many patients are happy to continue on Carbimazole or block and replace but their endos pressure them into ablatement.
Constant struggles with fluctuating drug doses are also its own issue as is the recurrence of graves. The desire to abate the thyroid is evidence based in that all negative outcomes are considered and weighted. It's really a wash in terms of treatment and outcome however ablation is a much smaller hassle when you consider a lifetime chance of recurrence. Ablation and thyroid replacement is much lower hassle and thyroid replacement can be done at your GPS office eliminating the need to also work specialist visits into your schedule. When I get to a computer later this week I will find you the studies to look at.
MDinTraining, You're suggesting it is more convenient to ablate the thyroid in case remission fails and to eliminate specialist visits?
If a Graves patient struggles to cope with Carbimazole dose adjustments aren't they likely to struggle to cope with Levothyroxine dose adjustments after they're rendered hypothyroid with no chance then for even a temporary remission?
The hypothyroid outcome of ablatement is often extremely negative and often not resolved by taking Levothyroxine, particularly when primary care doctors undermedicate their patients because they are happy with mid range TSH and won't test FT4 and FT3.
Endocrinology referrals then follow which may or may not resolve problems but the Graves patient is now seeing a specialist for hypothyroidism instead of hyperthyroidism.
MDintraining,
Has 131I really come on so far since 1997?
Thyroid. 1997 Apr;7(2):241-5.
Radioiodine treatment, ablation, and ophthalmopathy: a balanced perspective.
Tallstedt L1, Lundell G.
Author information
Abstract
In some patients with Graves' disease, ophthalmopathy develops or deteriorates after initiation of therapy for hyperthyroidism. The possible relationship between the management of hyperthyroidism and the course of ophthalmopathy has been addressed in several studies but with conflicting results. The overall impression, when comparing these studies, is that there is no definite difference between the three forms of therapy for hyperthyroidism with regard to the course of ophthalmopathy, although there are more studies suggesting that 131I carries a higher risk for aggravating the eye disease. However, many of these studies are retrospective, contain few patients, have a short follow-up time, and include patients who have received more than one type of treatment. We performed a prospective study in which patients were randomized to either antithyroid drugs, subtotal thyroidectomy, or 131I. We found that 33% of the patients treated with 131i deteriorated compared with 10% and 16% of patients treated with antithyroid drugs and surgery, respectively (p = 0.02). The risk was greater when patients had very high pretreatment thyroid hormone levels. On the other hand, patients treated with 131I were given thyroxine later than the other patients, although this fact did not appear to be of importance for the results. In another retrospective study, we showed that early administration with thyroxine can reduce the risk for ophthalmopathy, and we now are undertaking a prospective study in which treatment with antithyroid drugs is compared with 131I treatment and early thyroxine. Our guidelines for ablative therapy in patients with progressive ophthalmopathy are presented.
PMID:
9133694
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/913...
Helvella, my sister's remission failed and she was wrongly advised to have RAI to prevent TED worsening. RAI has made it worse.
The paper mentioned in the above suggests that treatment post RAI might be a key issue:
Eur J Endocrinol. 1994 May;130(5):494-7.
Does early administration of thyroxine reduce the development of Graves' ophthalmopathy after radioiodine treatment?
Tallstedt L1, Lundell G, Blomgren H, Bring J.
Author information
1Department of Ophthalmology, Huddinge Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract
The roles of thyroid hormones and thyrotropin (TSH) in the development of Graves' ophthalmopathy are not clear. Some studies suggest a protective effect of thyroid hormones on experimental exophthalmos and an adverse effect of increased TSH levels. In September 1988 we introduced early thyroxine (T4) administration after 131I therapy for hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease. We carried out a retrospective study of records from all patients with this disease treated with 131I for 4 years. During the first 2 years 248 patients were treated (group A). They received T4 when the serum concentration of TSH and/or T4 indicated hypothyroidism. During the next 2 years 244 patients were treated (group B). They were all given 0.05 mg of T4 daily, starting 2 weeks after therapy, and 0.1 mg after a further 2 weeks. With a follow-up of 18 months, 45 patients (18%) in group A and 27 patients (11%) in group B developed or deteriorated in an already present ophthalmopathy (p = 0.03, relative risk = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.05-2.55). Twenty-six patients in group A required specific therapy for the ophthalmopathy (e.g. antithyroid drugs, steroids, etc.) compared to 11 patients in group B (p = 0.02, relative risk = 2.33; 95% confidence interval = 1.18-4.60). Our results suggest that early administration of T4 after 131I therapy reduces the occurrence of Graves' ophthalmopathy.
PMID: 8180678 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Rod, just great eh? Patients are guinea pigs. Your outcome may vary..... studies, studies.... what about if it happens to YOU! (not you personally). Life ruined. It's not like Graves and Hashimoto are something new and exotic. But they are still fiddling around with what to do and people end up suffering, doctors end up saying 'it's psychological' and you may as well off yourself. Disgusting. (Not in a good mood over here right now. I started reading this thread and wondered, have I been missing something? Then noticed it's only a few hours old.)
And while I'm at it, for whom is this all a hassle? The patient or the doctor? What medical conditions are not a hassle? (Going to roll over a fall asleep now because this is all unbearable.)
Mjean I know the feeling (I am 74). As for Atenolol, I took it for 18 months when I was 65 for supposedly high bp, although I did not want to my Doctor insisted. Ultimately I ended up in hospital as my heart rate lowered to 34 directly as a result of this horrible drug, they took me straight off of it in the hospital and I have not taken any medication since and quite frankly I would not now do so. I prefer to manage my health via a very healthy diet and weight control. Sometimes my bp is 140/85 which my Doctor frowns at and my cholesterol is 6.5 but I am not bothered; it is now ten years since this episode, I am still here and refuse to take drugs unless it became absolutely imperative to a situation. People die quicker if their cholesterol is low and Doctors are keen to place as many people as possible on medication. Once upon a time it was "you must have anti-biotics for this and that" now Doctors are being told not to prescribe so easily, same with Aspirin and Paracetomol all having a lot more side effects than first admitted. I am not advocating you ignore your Doctor's advice but to question everything and look into other ways of lowering your bp if possible.
in reply to Joyia
My blood pressure is caused through stress. I will take the 25 as Doc told me to and see how I go.One of my sisters lived to 85. She was also hypothyroid as well. I don't think I have done bad and don't want to spend the rest of my life so drugged up I can't function. I think once I get my thyroid meds sorted I will be right,we can't live foreverover.My oldest Granson asked me years ago"Why do you have to die Granma " I replied "We have to move over for the next lot" Never dreaming a few years later he would be killed in a car accident.I have never got over it.That was 14 years ago.
in reply to
Mjean,
This terrible event has obviously had a huge impact on your health and must be very difficult to manage at times.
It is very positive that you recognise this and believe that things may well improve when, as you put it "get your thyroid meds sorted".
flower007
Mjean I am very sorry you have had such a traumatic loss, how difficult for you. Yes let us make the most of the years we have left, helping ourselves as much as we can and getting our thyroid medication up to satisfactory levels, I wish you well x
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