Atenolol Thyroid Issues

[AlightMist]

I’ve been on atenolol for a year for rapid heartbeat following uterine surgery and menopause. There is a nodule on thyroid. No surgery yet, watching it. But my TSH level goes up occasionally. Two weeks ago it was 6.12. Doctor ordered free T4 but that was normal. But throat on right side feels inflamed. I hate how atenolol makes me feel and the weight gain. Just wondering if other people have thyroid issues on Atenolol and have this crazy TSH level up-and-down thing. No one has an answer for why I have a rapid heart rate. Just wondered if thyroid can cause this? I keep asking doctors about it, but they don’t know.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Just testing TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate

High heart rate can be due to inadequate thyroid hormones and low vitamin levels

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.

Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 annually

Low B12 can cause Mernieres type symptoms

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Thriva also offer just vitamin testing

If TPO or TG thyroid antibodies are high this is usually due to Hashimoto’s (commonly known in UK as autoimmune thyroid disease).

About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto’s. Low vitamin levels are particularly common with Hashimoto’s. Gluten intolerance is often a hidden issue to.

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Link about Hashimoto’s

thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...

List of hypothyroid symptoms

thyroiduk.org/if-you-are-un...

[AlightMist in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you so much for all the information I will look it over and check with my GP. I do have an oncologist I see once a year so, If he resists I will check with her. She’s into being thorough. Thank you again and God bless

[rosetrees]

I can only tell you my personal experience. My heart raced for over 40 years. Initially I was put on a high dose of atenolol and other beta blocks. This was for 7 years from the age of 20 - 27. I was a zombie and would never touch them an extended barge pole ever again. I finally realised and weaned myself off them.

What seems to have stopped it, for me, and I can't explain this, is quercetin. You can buy it from a well known internet store.

[AlightMist in reply to rosetrees]

I’ll definitely check into it and thank you very much. No one wants to take me off of atenolol and I hate how it makes me feel because I’ve gained weight and I feel anxious. The plus side is it does pretty much control my heart rate and they have tried a few other things nothing else has worked so I will definitely check this out. Is this, just to understand, what you use to control your heart rate. They don’t even know why my heart does this just said it started after my hysterectomy surgery. You would think with all the advances in medicine they would figure out how to give women a healthy supplement when they have these kind of surgeries and after menopause. It would help us be effective citizens for much longer. Thank you so much I really really appreciate it just talking to other people makes me feel not so alone and hopeful.

[rosetrees in reply to AlightMist]

It's a long story, but I'll try to keep it short. I'm 65 for context. When I was 20 I developed "ME". My heart was doing 180 a minute when I was awake and 120 at night. I had no idea. I was put on beta blockers and left to my fate. I was a zombie and there was no internet in those days.

Fast forward a few years, the perceived wisdom was that I had a heart condition. Nothing terrible happened, ultrasounds rarely showed anything. When it was really bad GPs would pull a terrified face, I'd say "oh dear does it sound terrible", they'd look relieved, send me for yet another ultrasound. I never went back for the results and we all went about our lives! Apparently it sounds as if I have a hole in my heart when I'm in, what I now think of as, a flare up. Other times it sounds fine. My heart rate settled at between 90 and 100.

Then, about 18 months ago, I started taking a quercetin/bromelain mixed tablet (Now Foods brand) to see if it would help my mitochondrial function. Like magic my heart stopped racing.

I have no idea why. No idea if it would work for anyone else. And, purely from my own experience, I'd say if your ultrasounds are ok and your heart rate isn't totally, ridiculously high, that it doesn't really matter. But don't take that as medical advice, because it isn't. It's my own personal experience and you may feel very differently about it.

[AlightMist in reply to rosetrees]

Thank you for sharing. Very kind and informative. I will consider information you’ve shared. My heart rate without control will take me to ER. So, definitely need something. My tests do not show a reason for tachycardia, just that it exists. It’s amazing how this can upset daily life. Doctors seem to be comfortable with using meds without knowing why this happens. If med side effects were nil, I might be too. But it’s like living a half-life now. I wish you the best. Wish this type of problem happened to no one. God Bless.