atenolol
Brand names: Tenormin
Atenolol is a medicine that lowers blood pressure. It can also help with chest pain and after a heart attack.
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$12.82/unit
Generic Price
$0.04/unit
Generic Savings
100%
Generic Available
Yes (11 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Atenolol is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).
Common side effects
Dizziness, Tiredness, Fatigue
Key warnings
You should not take atenolol if you have a very slow heart rate, a serious heart block, cardiogenic shock, or heart failure.
How It Works
Atenolol is a beta-blocker that mainly affects the heart. It works by blocking the effects of certain chemicals in your body that raise heart rate and blood pressure. This helps your heart beat slower and with less force, lowering blood pressure.
How to Take It
Take atenolol exactly as your doctor tells you. For high blood pressure or angina, the starting dose is usually 50 mg once a day. If needed, your doctor may increase the dose to 100 mg once a day. You can take atenolol with or without food.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if atenolol will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking atenolol while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule.
Storage
Store atenolol tablets at room temperature, away from heat and moisture.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 63,921 FDA adverse event reports.
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 130,943 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2002–2025.
Total Reports
130,943
Death-Related Reports
11,138
Hospitalization Reports
47,314
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DRUG INEFFECTIVE | 7,902 |
| 2 | NAUSEA | 7,813 |
| 3 | FATIGUE | 7,573 |
| 4 | DIARRHOEA | 6,999 |
| 5 | DYSPNOEA | 6,276 |
| 6 | DIZZINESS | 6,246 |
| 7 | HEADACHE | 5,886 |
| 8 | PAIN | 5,642 |
| 9 | ASTHENIA | 4,952 |
| 10 | FALL | 4,631 |
| 11 | ARTHRALGIA | 4,586 |
| 12 | MALAISE | 4,236 |
| 13 | VOMITING | 4,177 |
| 14 | HYPERTENSION | 4,057 |
| 15 | OFF LABEL USE | 3,967 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
You should not take atenolol if you have a very slow heart rate, a serious heart block, cardiogenic shock, or heart failure. Atenolol can make these conditions worse. Tell your doctor right away if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, or if your heart rate becomes very slow.
Known Drug Interactions
Information on concurrent usage of atenolol and aspirin is limited. Data from several studies, i.e., TIMI-II, ISIS-2, currently do not suggest any clinical interaction between aspirin and beta-blockers in the acute myocardial infarction setting.
Mechanism: Current medical studies do not show a clear way these two drugs interfere with each other when used for heart attacks.
What to do: These drugs can generally be used together, but you should still follow your doctor's specific instructions.
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Mechanism: Atenolol is a beta-blocker that can interfere with how theophylline works to open your airways. It may also slow down the process of your body removing theophylline from your blood.
What to do: Your doctor should monitor your breathing and theophylline blood levels closely. They may need to adjust your medication if your symptoms get worse.
Beta-blockers may exacerbate the rebound hypertension which can follow the withdrawal of clonidine. If the two drugs are coadministered, the beta-blocker should be withdrawn several days before the gradual withdrawal of clonidine. If replacing clonidine by beta-blocker therapy, the introduction of beta-blockers should be delayed for several days after clonidine administration has stopped.
Mechanism: Stopping clonidine can cause a sudden, dangerous rise in blood pressure, and taking a beta-blocker can make this reaction even worse.
What to do: If you need to stop these drugs, your doctor should have you stop the beta-blocker several days before you slowly stop taking clonidine.
Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic agent with negative chronotropic properties that may be additive to those seen with beta-blockers.
Mechanism: Both of these medicines slow down your heart rate, so taking them at the same time can make your heart beat too slowly.
What to do: Your doctor should monitor your heart rate closely to make sure it stays at a safe speed.
Such patients may be unresponsive to the usual doses of epinephrine used to treat the allergic reaction.
Mechanism: Atenolol can block the effects of epinephrine, which means the usual dose of epinephrine might not work during a severe allergic reaction.
What to do: If you have a severe allergic reaction, you may need higher doses of epinephrine or different treatments from your doctor.
Common Questions
Can I stop taking atenolol suddenly?
Will atenolol cure my high blood pressure?
Can I drink alcohol while taking atenolol?
Does atenolol interact with other medicines?
What should I do if I feel dizzy while taking atenolol?
Can atenolol cause weight gain?
How long does it take for atenolol to start working?
Can I exercise while taking atenolol?
Will atenolol affect my ability to drive?
What if atenolol doesn't lower my blood pressure enough?
What are the common side effects of atenolol?
Does atenolol interact with other medications?
What drug class is atenolol?
Is there a generic version of atenolol?
Is atenolol safe during pregnancy?
Related Medications in Beta-1 Selective Blocker
Other drugs grouped near atenolol — same-class peers and common alternatives.
acebutolol
Sectral
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aliskiren
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amiloride
Midamor
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amlodipine
Norvasc
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amlodipine/benazepril
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Lotrel is a combination medicine that contains amlodipine and benazepril.
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What the FDA Data Shows for atenolol
The FDA label for atenolol (sold under brand names such as Tenormin) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Beta-1 Selective Blocker class. Atenolol is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Official labeling lists 5 commonly reported side effects, including Dizziness, Tiredness, Fatigue.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 63,921 voluntary reports. The database also lists 14 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated major severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.04 versus $12.82 for the brand — a 100% generic savings.
Report counts do not establish causation — a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice — always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: November 26, 2024
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book — approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed — NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) — post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm — standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files — federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database — current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages