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Does Intake Of Atenolol Help In Treating Atrial Fibrillation?
Question: I'm 82 yrs old and am under the care of a Cardiologist. I'm on 25mg of Atenolol and have been for 20 yrs for mild HBP. I'm also AFIB. I had an afib event on 3/9/16 and was hospitalized. My BP is 95/47/80 this mrning and it's been running low since I left the hospital on the 11th. But not this low. Mostly under 130 on the systolic side. What should I do?
Pat M.
Pat M.
Brief Answer:
Not dramatically low blood pressure; atenolol should be continued
Detailed Answer:
Greetings, Sir! Welcome to HCM and thank you for your question. I understand your concern.
Well, a beta-blocker such as atenolol is certainly very helpful to aim to treat both hypertension and sparks of episodes with atrial fibrillation (in means of preventing them from happening). My opinion is that such a low dose of atenolol cannot cause such fluctuations in the blood pressure figures (from under 130 to 97 mmHg). However, if this is concerning to you, atenolol may be discontinued, but it should be replaced with a drug that prevents or controls the atrial fibrillation, such as digoxin. I recommend you to discuss with your cardiologist, about this alternative. I would also like to add that blood pressure figures, both on the low or on the high side, may be found during various times within a day, since blood pressure is a parameter that can phyiologically fluctuate under various normal factor changes within the body. Therefore, I would recommend you to measure it least 6-8 times a day, in different periods, and see if there are changes or it really stays on the lower side.
I hope my answer is helpful to you. I am happy to help, if you have follow-up question(s) regarding the subject.
Best regards,
Dr. Meriton
Not dramatically low blood pressure; atenolol should be continued
Detailed Answer:
Greetings, Sir! Welcome to HCM and thank you for your question. I understand your concern.
Well, a beta-blocker such as atenolol is certainly very helpful to aim to treat both hypertension and sparks of episodes with atrial fibrillation (in means of preventing them from happening). My opinion is that such a low dose of atenolol cannot cause such fluctuations in the blood pressure figures (from under 130 to 97 mmHg). However, if this is concerning to you, atenolol may be discontinued, but it should be replaced with a drug that prevents or controls the atrial fibrillation, such as digoxin. I recommend you to discuss with your cardiologist, about this alternative. I would also like to add that blood pressure figures, both on the low or on the high side, may be found during various times within a day, since blood pressure is a parameter that can phyiologically fluctuate under various normal factor changes within the body. Therefore, I would recommend you to measure it least 6-8 times a day, in different periods, and see if there are changes or it really stays on the lower side.
I hope my answer is helpful to you. I am happy to help, if you have follow-up question(s) regarding the subject.
Best regards,
Dr. Meriton
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Deepak
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