July 13, 2003
Other Medications
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Question from Richlands, Virginia, USA:
My son and his wife are both taking atenolol, and he has had spells shaking and getting sick at his stomach, etc. He got sick like that last night while he was here, and when I checked his glucose, it was 39 mg/dl [2.2 mmol/L] so I gave him orange juice with sugar. I also checked took his wife’s blood sugar, and hers was 41 mg/dl [2.3 mmol/L]. Could atenolol make my son and his wife have low blood sugar?
Answer:
From: DTeam Staff
It is unlikely that beta blockers would cause hypoglycemia, but they can cause gastric upset and dizziness/fatigue. You don’t make it clear if your son has diabetes where hypo awareness may be adversely affected by beta blockers.
KJR
