Taking atenolol with other medicines and herbal supplements

Cautions with other medicines

There are some medicines that may affect the way atenolol works.

Tell your doctor if you're taking:

• other medicines for high blood pressure – the combination with atenolol can sometimes lower your blood pressure too much, which may make you feel dizzy or faint
• other medicines for an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), such as amiodarone or flecainide
• medicines for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• medicines for diabetes, particularly insulin – atenolol may make it more difficult to recognise the warning signs of low blood sugar. Speak to your doctor if you have low blood sugar levels without getting any of the usual warning signs. Check your blood sugar after exercise and follow the usual advice about checking it before driving or operating machinery
• medicines to treat nose or sinus congestion, or other cold remedies (including those you can buy in a pharmacy)
• medicines for allergies, such as ephedrine, noradrenaline or adrenaline

Mixing atenolol with herbal remedies and supplements

There's not enough information to say that herbal remedies and supplements are safe to take with atenolol. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.