Atenolol 25mg Tablets
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Atenolol 25 mg, 50mg and 100 mg Tablets
Atenolol
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.
What is in this leaflet
1. What Atenolol Tablets are and what they are used for
2. What you need to know before you take Atenolol Tablets
3. How to take Atenolol Tablets
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Atenolol Tablets
6. Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Atenolol Tablets are and what they are used for
Atenolol Tablets contain a medicine called atenolol. This belongs to a group of medicines called beta-blockers. Atenolol Tablets are used to:
• treat high blood pressure (hypertension)
• treat uneven heart beats (arrhythmias)
• help prevent chest pain (angina)
• protect the heart in the early treatment after a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
It works by making your heart beat more slowly and with less force.
2. What you need to know before you take Atenolol Tablets Do not take Atenolol Tablets if:
• you are allergic (hypersensitive) to atenolol or any of the other ingredients of Atenolol Tablets (see Section 6: Contents of the pack and other information)
• you have ever had any of the following heart problems:
- heart failure which is not under control (this usually makes you breathless and causes your ankles to swell)
- second- or third-degree heart block (a condition which may be treated by a pacemaker)
- very slow or very uneven heart beats, very low blood pressure or very poor circulation.
• You have a tumour called phaeochromocytoma that is not being treated. This is usually near your kidney and can cause high blood pressure. If you are being treated for phaechromocytoma, your doctor will give you another medicine, called an alpha-blocker, to take as well as Atenolol Tablets
• You have been told that you have higher than normal levels of acid in your blood (metabolic acidosis).
Do not take Atenolol Tablets if any of the above apply to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Atenolol Tablets.
Take special care with Atenolol Tablets
Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking Atenolol Tablets if:
• you have asthma, wheezing or any other similar breathing problems, or you get allergic reactions, for example to insect stings. If you have ever had asthma or wheezing, do not take this medicine without first checking with your doctor
• you have a type of chest pain (angina) called Prinzmetal’s angina
• you have poor blood circulation or controlled heart failure
• you have first-degree heart block
• you have diabetes. Your medicine may change how you respond to having low blood sugar. You may feel your heart beating faster
• you have thyrotoxicosis (a condition caused by an overactive thyroid gland). Your medicine may hide the symptoms of thyrotoxicosis
• you have problems with your kidneys. You may need to have some check-ups during your treatment.
If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Atenolol Tablets.
Taking other medicines
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently taken, any other medicines. This includes medicines that you buy without a prescription and herbal medicines. This is because Atenolol Tablets can affect the way some other medicines work and some medicines can have an effect on Atenolol Tablets.
In particular, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
• clonidine (for high blood pressure or migraine). If you are taking clonidine and Atenolol Tablets together, do not stop taking clonidine unless your doctor tells you to do so. If you have to stop taking clonidine, your doctor will give you careful instructions about how to do it.
• verapamil, diltiazem and nifedipine (for high blood pressure of chest pain)
• disopyramide, quinidine or amiodarone (for an uneven heart beat).
• digoxin (for heart problems)
• adrenaline, also known as epinephrine (a medicine that stimulates the heart)
• ibuprofen or indomethacin (for pain and inflammation)
• insulin or medicines that you take by mouth for diabetes
• medicines to treat nose or sinus congestion or other cold remedies (including those you can buy in the pharmacy).
Operations
If you go into hospital to have an operation, tell the anaesthetist or medical staff that you are taking Atenolol Tablets. This is because you can get low blood pressure (hypotension) if you are given certain anaesthetics while you are taking Atenolol Tablets.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Talk to you doctor before taking Atenolol Tablets if you are pregnant, may become pregnant or are breast-feeding.
Driving and using machinery
• your medicine is not likely to affect you being able to drive or use any tools or machines. However, it is best to wait to see how your medicine affects you before trying these activities.
• if you feel dizzy or tired when taking this medicine, do not drive or use any tools or machines.
Atenolol Tablets contain lactose monohydrate
If you have been told you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicine, as it contains lactose monohydrate.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
• your doctor will tell you how many tablets to take each day and when to take them. Read the label on the carton to remind you what the doctor said
• swallow your Atenolol Tablet whole with a drink of water
• try to take your tablet at the same time each day.
Adults
• High blood pressure (hypertension): the usual dose is 50 mg to 100 mg a day
• Chest pain (angina): the usual dose is 100 mg a day or 50 mg twice a day
• Uneven heart beats (arrhythmias): the usual dose is 50 mg to 100 mg a day
• The early treatment of a heart attack (myocardial infarction): the usual dose is 50 mg to 100 mg a
day
Elderly people
If you are an elderly person, your doctor may decide to give you a lower dose, particularly if you have problems with your kidneys.
People with severe kidney problems
If you have severe kidney problems your doctor may decide to give you a lower dose.
Children
Your medicine must not be given to children.
If you take more Atenolol Tablets than you should
If you take more Atenolol Tablets than prescribed by your doctor, talk to a doctor or go to a hospital straight away. Take the medicine pack with you so that the tablets can be identified.
If you forget to take Atenolol Tablets
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop taking Atenolol Tablets
Do not stop taking Atenolol Tablets without talking to your doctor. In some cases, you may need to stop taking it gradually.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Allergic reactions
If you have an allergic reaction, see a doctor straight away. The signs may include raised lumps on your skin (weals), or swelling of your face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat.
Other possible side effects:
Common (affects less than 1 in 10 people)
• you may notice that your pulse rate becomes slower while you are taking the tablets. This is normal, but if you are concerned, please tell your doctor about it
• cold hands and feet
• diarrhoea
• feeling sick (nausea)
• feeling tired.
Uncommon (affects less than 1 in 100 people)
• disturbed sleep.
Rare (affects less than 1 in 1,000 people)
• heart block (which can cause dizziness, abnormal heart beat, tiredness or fainting)
• numbness and spasm in your fingers which is followed by warmth and pain (Raynaud’s disease)
• mood changes
• nightmares
• feeling confused
• changes in personality (psychoses) or hallucinations
• headache
• dizziness (particularly when standing up)
• tingling of your hands
• being unable to get an erection (impotence)
• dry mouth
• dry eyes
• disturbances of vision
• thinning of your hair
• skin rash
• reduced numbers of platelets in your blood (this may make you bruise more easily)
• purplish marks on your skin
• jaundice (causing yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes).
Very rare (affects less than 1 in 10,000 people)
• changes to some of the cells or other parts of your blood. Your doctor may take blood samples every so often to check whether Atenolol Tablets has any effect on your blood.
Conditions that may get worse
If you have any of the following conditions, they may get worse when you start to take your medicine. This happens rarely affecting less than 1 in 1,000 people.
• psoriasis (a skin condition)
• being short of breath or having swollen ankles (if you have heart failure)
• asthma or breathing problems
• poor circulation
Do not be concerned by this list of side effects. You may not get any of them. If any of the side effects get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
5. How to store Atenolol Tablets
• Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Your medicine could harm them
• Do not store above 25oC. Store your tablets in the original package. Keep the blister strip in the carton. This will protect your medicine from light and moisture.
• Do not use your tablets after the expiry which is stated on the blister strip and carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information What Atenolol Tablets contain
The active substance is atenolol. Each tablet contains 25 mg, 50 mg or 100 mg of atenolol.
The other ingredients are lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate, maize starch and magnesium stearate.
What Atenolol Tablets looks like and contents of the pack
Atenolol Tablets are white, round tablets, with “AT” above “25”, “50” or “100” with no breakline and plain on the reverse.
Each pack contains 28 or 50 tablets.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
M&A Pharmachem Ltd, Bolton, Lancashire, BL5 2AL
This leaflet was last revised in 04/2012
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