Hello. Thank you for your question and welcome to HCM. I understand your concern. It is clear to you that you have a rapid heart beat only when you are under stressful situation such as speaking in public. I have nothing opposite to your doctor s opinion since atenolol reduces the heart rate and, thus, can reduce the amount of stress. However, there is another beta-blocker who is described for these purposes, at least in our clinic s experience. It is propranolol, which is particularely reserved for people who have crowd anxiety, and we recommend it to be taken 20-30 minutes before the appearance, in a dosage of 20 mg. I would also need to know how low is the blood pressure you referred to. I hope I was helpful. Take care and good luck. Kind regards, Dr. Meriton