is it harmful to stopped it suddenly?

[skyheart88]

At first my doctor prescribe me atenolol or therablock for my blood pressure without knowing it's side effects. I m taking it for two weeks. After which I make it maintenance whenever I have a high bp. But then im taking it not in a regular bases.. It only when i have a     of a little high bp.. Is it not advisable? Is it harmful if I stopped it suddenly?

[tacolino]

Hi THERE. YOUR DESCRIPTION OF THINGS SEEMS A BIT STRANGE. FIRSTLY YOU APPEAR TO TAKE THE BETA BLOCKER INTERMITTENTLY, ' WHEN YOUR BP IS UP A LITTLE' HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN TO TAKE THE MEDICATION? HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN ITS UP OR NOT? i CANT WORK IT OUT. ALSO BETA BLOCKERS REQUIRE SPECIFIC ADMINISTRATION REGIMES, AND I CANT SEE ANY DOCTOR HAVING YOU TAKE THE 'ODD ONE'. GO BACK TO YOUR DOCTOR, I REALLY THINK THERE IS SOME MIS UNDERSTANDING REGARDING YOUR MEDICATION. MOST MEDICAL LITERATURE SUPPORTS GRADUAL INCREASES AND DECREASES IN THIS MEDICATION. ABRUPTLY STOPPING THEM IS NEVER RECOMMENDED

[TJBG]

Regardless of your condition, or why you are taking Atenolol, you really should consult with your doctor before you suddenly stop taking it. With beta-blockers your doc will want you to taper off of those gradually, not all at once.

Also, have you considered having a "medication tuning" or pharmacogenetic test done to determine what drugs will work best (or that should be avoided) based on your DNA?

[tom_h]

....sorry.. but I didn't answer your question directly.  With the way you're taking it now, that is sporadically, there should be no effect in sudden discontinuation.  But when you're on it as a steady dose, there can be a rebound effect after suddenly stopping it. Again, it's something else you should talk to your physician about.

[tom_h]

Let me ask you a question:
How do YOU know when your blood pressure is elevated?  I seriously doubt the you can accurately and consistently tell when your BP is high.

Hypertension is supposed to be treated with a "maintenance dose" of any one of a large number of drugs.  While Atenolol might be prescribed AS NEEDED for other situations, I would definitely speak with your physician with regards to taking it for hypertension.  It certainly can be used for hypertension, but I'm pretty sure that it's meant to be taken on a steady, daily dose.