Beta Blockers
Atenolol
Atenolol (generic Tenormin) is an older beta blocker for high blood pressure, angina and after heart attacks, and off-label for anxiety and migraine. It is one of the cheapest prescriptions a pharmacy stocks.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
Many manufacturers; the brand Tenormin is rarely dispensed. A combination with chlorthalidone is also generic.
About Atenolol
Atenolol slows the heart and reduces its workload by blocking adrenaline’s effect on it. It is taken once a day, cleared by the kidneys rather than the liver, and causes fewer sleep and mood effects than propranolol because it enters the brain less. Guidelines no longer favor beta blockers as a first choice for blood pressure alone, but atenolol remains widely used where there is also heart disease, and for its calming effect on a fast heart.
Fatigue, cold hands, slow pulse and dizziness are the common effects. It is avoided in asthma, can mask low blood sugar in people with diabetes, and must not be stopped suddenly after regular use. The dose is reduced in kidney impairment.
Because it is cleared by the kidneys, atenolol accumulates in people with kidney disease and is dosed lower for them, and because it does not enter the brain well it is sometimes chosen for people who had vivid dreams or low mood on propranolol. It is also used off-label before public speaking and for the physical symptoms of anxiety, at low doses taken an hour beforehand. The combination tablet with chlorthalidone treats blood pressure with one prescription instead of two.
Taking Atenolol
- How to take it
- Once a day at the same time, with or without food. Do not stop it suddenly.
- If you miss a dose
- Take it as soon as you remember, unless it is nearly time for your next dose; in that case skip the missed dose and carry on as usual. Never take two doses at once to make up.
- Storage
- At room temperature in the original container, away from heat and moisture (so not in a bathroom cabinet), and out of reach of children.
- Interactions to know about
- Verapamil, diltiazem, digoxin and clonidine add to its slowing of the heart; if clonidine is stopped, blood pressure can rebound. It can hide the warning signs of low blood sugar. The dose is lowered in reduced kidney function.
This summarizes the official prescribing information. Your prescriber’s and pharmacist’s instructions, and the leaflet that comes with your medicine, take priority.
Why the cash price for Atenolol differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
Atenolol costs pharmacies pennies per tablet and is on nearly every flat-price list, so the cash price is the dispensing fee. The combination with chlorthalidone is also cheap and sometimes replaces two prescriptions.
Upload it and licensed pharmacies reply with their own cash price. You pay the pharmacy, not us.
Ways to pay less for Atenolol without insurance
- Ask whether atenolol is on the pharmacy’s flat-price generic list.
- Ask for a ninety-day prescription once the dose is stable.
- Upload the prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote their cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Atenolol
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Atenolol prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Atenolol
- 1.What pulse rate is too slow?
- 2.Is it safe with my asthma or diabetes?
- 3.Is my dose adjusted for my kidney function?
- 4.What happens if I stop it suddenly?
- 5.Does it interact with my other blood pressure medicines?
Where Atenolol fits
Related medications
Sources
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.