Atenolol and Clonidine Interaction
Drug interaction information between Atenolol and Clonidine.
Atenolol and Clonidine have a documented minor interaction in FDA labeling.
FDA drug labeling documents a minor-severity interaction between Atenolol and Clonidine. This page displays the available source-record category and label text. The category is not an individual risk estimate or medication-combination direction.
How They Interact
Stopping clonidine can cause a sudden, dangerous rise in blood pressure, and taking a beta-blocker can make this reaction even worse.
FDA Label Information
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 If the two drugs are coadministered, the beta-blocker should be withdrawn several days before the gradual withdrawal of clonidine.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.
Atenolol Also Interacts With
- Aspirin major
- Theophylline major
- Amiodarone minor
- Epinephrine minor
- Indomethacin minor
Clonidine Also Interacts With
- Carvedilol moderate
- Metoprolol moderate
- Repaglinide moderate
- Sotalol moderate
- Amitriptyline minor
Frequently Asked Questions
What SPL severity band is on file for Atenolol + Clonidine?
Compiled FDA labeling labels this pair minor. That is a source-record field, not an individual medication-combination decision.
Which drug in this pair has the larger labeled-interaction portfolio?
Clonidine has 29 labeled pairs on file vs Atenolol's 14. In the minor band specifically: Atenolol has 12 (also Amiodarone, Epinephrine, Indomethacin, Dutasteride); Clonidine has 25 (also Amitriptyline, Diltiazem, Verapamil, Haloperidol).
What mechanism field is on file for Atenolol and Clonidine?
Stopping clonidine can cause a sudden, dangerous rise in blood pressure, and taking a beta-blocker can make this reaction even worse.
Atenolol carries more major-labeled pairs than Clonidine
SPL source-record counts only. This page's band is minor · classes on file: Atenolol (Beta-1 Selective Blocker); Clonidine (Central Alpha-2 Agonist).
Atenolol has 2 major-labeled pairs vs Clonidine's 0. This page itself is in the minor band, not the major band.
2 major · 0 moderate · 12 minor · 14 total
- Other minor peers for Atenolol
- Amiodarone
- Epinephrine
- Indomethacin
- Dutasteride
0 major · 4 moderate · 25 minor · 29 total
- Other minor peers for Clonidine
- Amitriptyline
- Diltiazem
- Verapamil
- Haloperidol
Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This registry does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.