Atenolol and Chlorthalidone

Atenolol and chlorthalidone is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. This medication is a single product containing 2 medications: atenolol and chlorthalidone. Atenolol component belongs to a group of drugs called beta blockers. It works to decrease blood pressure and heart rate by blocking beta receptors in the body. Chlorthalidone component belongs to a group of drugs called diuretics ("water pills") which help the body get rid of excess fluid by increasing the amount of salt and water the kidneys remove from the blood.

This medication comes in a tablet form and is typically taken once daily with or without food. 

Common side effects include cold limbs, depression, and difficulty breathing. 

Atenolol and chlorthalidone can also cause dizziness and tiredness.Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you. 

Atenolol and chlorthalidone is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. 

Atenolol and Chlorthalidone may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Tenoretic

Serious side effects have been reported with atenolol and chlorthalidone. See the "Atenolol and chlorthalidone Precautions" section. 

Common side effects of atenolol and chlorthalidone include the following:

• slow heart rate
• cold limbs
• low blood pressure upon standing (postural hypotension)
• leg pain
• dizziness
• feeling like your surroundings are spinning (vertigo)
• light-headedness
• tiredness/drowsiness
• depression
• dreaming
• diarrhea
• nausea
• wheeziness
• difficulty breathing

This is not a complete list of atenolol and chlorthalidone side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• other medications to treat blood pressure such as beta blockers like metoprolol (Toprol XL, Lopressor) and carvedilol (Coreg), angiotensin­converting enzyme (ACE) blockers like benazepril (Lotensin, Lotensin HCT) and captopril (Capoten, Capozide), angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARB) such as azilsartan (Edarbi) and candesartan (Atacand), calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine (Adalat, Nifedical, Procardia) and amlodipine (Norvasc), and diuretics like acetazolamide (Diamox) and amiloride (Midamor)
• drugs that deplete a substance in the body called catecholamines such as reserpine (Serpalan) or guanethidine (Ismelin)
• medications that slow the heart or help treat abnormal heart rhythms such as disopyramide (Norpace), amiodarone (Cordarone), digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin), and digitoxin (Crystodigin)
• norepinephrine (Levophed)
• clonidine (Catapres)
• lithium (Lithobid)
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil)

This is not a complete list of atenolol and chlorthalidone drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with atenolol and chlorthalidone including the following:

• Imbalances in the levels of salts and fluids in your body (electrolyte and fluid imbalance). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
  • dry mouth
  • thirst
  • weakness
  • drowsiness
  • restlessness
  • muscle pains or cramps
  • low blood pressure
  • low output of urine
  • fast heart rate
  • nausea
  • vomiting
• abruptly stopping this medication can lead to chest pain (ischemic heart disease)
• allergic reactions. More likely to occur with a history of allergic reactions. 
• the worsening or activation of an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue (systemic lupus erythematosus)
• harm to an unborn baby. Atenolol can cause harm to an unborn baby when given to a pregnant woman

Atenolol and chlorthalidone can cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you. 

Do not take atenolol and chlorthalidone if you:

• are allergic to atenolol and chlorthalidone or any of its ingredients or sulfonamide-derived drugs
• have a condition where your heart suddenly can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs (cardiogenic shock)
• have heart failure
• have a condition that blocks the conduction of impulses in the heart (heart block greater than first degree) 
• severely slow heart rate (sinus bradycardia)
• your kidneys fail to produce urine (anuria)

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of atenolol and chlorthalidone, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication. 

Before taking atenolol and chlorthalidone, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to atenolol and chlorthalidone or any of its ingredients or sulfonamide-derived drugs
• have a condition where your heart suddenly can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs (cardiogenic shock)
• have heart failure
• have a condition that blocks the conduction of impulses in the heart (heart block greater than first degree) 
• severely slow heart rate (sinus bradycardia)
• your kidneys fail to produce urine (anuria) or you have kidney disease
• have lung disease
• are about to have major surgery
• have diabetes or low blood sugar
• have pheochromocytoma
• have a circulation disorder that affects blood vessels outside of the heart and brain (peripheral vascular disease)
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan on breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. 

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Atenolol and chlorthalidone falls into category D. Atenolol has been shown to cause harm to unborn babies when given to pregnant women. In some serious situations, the benefit of using this medication may be greater than the risk of harm to the baby. 

Tell your doctor is you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. 

Atenolol has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from atenolol and chlorthalidone, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered. 

• Take atenolol and chlorthalidone exactly as prescribed. 
• Atenolol and chlorthalidone comes in a tablet form and is taken by mouth once daily with or without food. 

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• your blood pressure
• how you respond to this medication
• the condition of your kidney

The recommended dose of atenolol and chlorthalidone to treat high blood pressure is one 50/25 mg tablet once daily. The maximum dose is atenolol 100 mg/day and chlorthalidone 25 mg/day. 

If you take too much atenolol and chlorthalidone, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away. 

• Store at controlled room temperature, 68-77°F (20-25°C).
• Dispense in well-closed, light-resistant container.
• Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children.