Prescription medication · Beta-Blocker with ISA
pindolol
Also sold as Visken. Pindolol treats high blood pressure.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 774
- FDA reportsRarely reported
- 4
- InteractionsFew interactions
- In shortage
- FDA status
What the data shows
pindolol (Visken) is a prescription Beta-Blocker with ISA, among the least-reported drugs the FDA tracks (774 FDA reports), with 4 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
pindolol (Visken) is a prescription Beta-Blocker with ISA. Pindolol treats high blood pressure.
Pindolol is a medicine that lowers high blood pressure. It belongs to a class of drugs called beta-blockers.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Shortage Alert
pindolol is currently listed as to be discontinued by the FDA. Affected manufacturer: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc..
View all drug shortages →Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.79/unit
Generic Available
Yes (4 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Pindolol treats high blood pressure.
Common side effects
Bizarre or many dreams, Dizziness, Fatigue
Key warnings
You should not take pindolol if you have asthma, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, second or third-degree heart block, or a very slow heart rate.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from pindolol's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Pindolol blocks the effects of certain natural chemicals in your body, like adrenaline. This helps to slow down your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. It also has some stimulating activity of its own.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 774 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for pindolol, by number of reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
43 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
43 reports
- Urinary Tract Infection
Urinary Tract Infection
42 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
41 reports
- Drug Interaction
Drug Interaction
40 reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
40 reports
- Fall
Fall
31 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
30 reports
- Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis
28 reports
- Pain
Pain
26 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for pindolol each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where pindolol sits
pindolol has more FDA adverse-event reports than 5% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is pindolol; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 774 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
774
Reports Mentioning Death
63
8.1% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
261
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | FATIGUE | 43 |
| 3 | NAUSEA | 43 |
| 4 | URINARY TRACT INFECTION | 42 |
| 5 | DIZZINESS | 41 |
| 6 | DRUG INTERACTION | 40 |
| 7 | DYSPNOEA | 40 |
| 8 | FALL | 31 |
| 9 | DIARRHOEA | 30 |
| 10 | RHABDOMYOLYSIS | 28 |
| 11 | PAIN | 26 |
| 12 | HEADACHE | 25 |
| 13 | MUSCULAR WEAKNESS | 24 |
| 14 | MYALGIA | 24 |
| 15 | SEPSIS | 24 |
| 16 | DEPRESSION | 22 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
You should not take pindolol if you have asthma, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, second or third-degree heart block, or a very slow heart rate.
Known Drug Interactions
Pindolol has been used with a variety of antihypertensive agents, including hydrochlorothiazide, hydralazine, and guanethidine without unexpected adverse interactions.
Mechanism: These drugs are often used together to lower blood pressure without causing any unexpected problems. They work in different ways to help your heart and blood vessels.
Pindolol has been used with a variety of antihypertensive agents, including hydrochlorothiazide, hydralazine, and guanethidine without unexpected adverse interactions.
Mechanism: These two blood pressure medicines can be used together safely. They do not have any harmful interactions when taken at the same time.
Such patients may be unresponsive to the usual doses of epinephrine used to treat allergic reactions.
Mechanism: Pindolol can block the action of epinephrine, which is used to treat severe allergic reactions. This means the usual dose of epinephrine might not work as well as it should.
Drug Interactions Reduced cytochrome P450 2D6 isozyme activity, drugs which inhibit this isozyme (e.g., fluoxetine and paroxetine), and certain other drugs (e.g., fluvoxamine, propranolol, and pindolol) appear to appreciably inhibit the metabolism of thioridazine. Pindolol Concurrent administration of pindolol and thioridazine have resulted in moderate, dose related increases in the serum levels of thioridazine and two of its metabolites, as well as higher than expected serum pindolol levels. Pindolol and thioridazine should not be coadministered.
Mechanism: These two drugs block each other from being cleared out of your system. This leads to higher levels of both drugs in your blood than your doctor intended.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
How quickly will pindolol lower my blood pressure?
Can I stop taking pindolol suddenly?
Will pindolol affect my ability to exercise?
Can I drink alcohol while taking pindolol?
Does pindolol interact with other medications?
What should I do if I feel dizzy while taking pindolol?
Can pindolol cause weight gain?
Will pindolol cure my high blood pressure?
Can pindolol cause depression?
What if my allergies get worse while taking Pindolol?
What are the common side effects of pindolol?
Does pindolol interact with other medications?
What drug class is pindolol?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for pindolol?
Is pindolol currently in shortage?
Related Medications in Beta-Blocker with ISA
Other drugs grouped near pindolol - same-class peers and common alternatives.
acebutolol
Sectral
Acebutolol is a medicine that helps lower blood pressure and control irregular heartbeats.
Compare with pindolol →
aliskiren
Tekturna
Tekturna is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure.
Compare with pindolol →
amiloride
Midamor
Amiloride is a water pill that helps your body hold onto potassium.
Compare with pindolol →
amlodipine
Norvasc
Amlodipine (Norvasc) is a drug that lowers blood pressure and treats chest pain.
Compare with pindolol →
amlodipine/benazepril
Lotrel
Lotrel is a combination medicine that contains amlodipine and benazepril.
Compare with pindolol →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for pindolol: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 774.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 8.14%.
- nadolol Δ 0.00 pts · 7,398 reports · Non-Selective Beta-Blocker 8.14%death share
- escitalopram Δ 0.03 pts · 134,536 reports · Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) 8.11%death share
- lovastatin Δ 0.03 pts · 25,229 reports · HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin) 8.11%death share
- benazepril Δ 0.04 pts · 7,061 reports · ACE Inhibitor 8.10%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for pindolol
The FDA label for pindolol (sold under brand names such as Visken) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Beta-Blocker with ISA class. Pindolol treats high blood pressure. Official labeling lists 10 commonly reported side effects, including Bizarre or many dreams, Dizziness, Fatigue.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 774 voluntary reports. The database also lists 4 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated minor severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.79.
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 are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
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). Shortage status: FDA Drug Shortages Database.
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: October 9, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
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