The name of your medicine is APO-Atenolol. It contains the active ingredient, atenolol.
Atenolol is used to:
lower high blood pressure (hypertension)
prevent angina (chest pain or discomfort)
treat an irregular heart beat or rhythm, also called arrhythmia
reduce your risk of heart complications following a heart attack.
Hypertension:
All people have blood pressure. This pressure helps to push blood all around your
body. Your blood pressure changes during the day, depending on how busy you are or
how you are feeling.
You have hypertension (high blood pressure) when your blood pressure stays higher
than is needed, even when you are calm and relaxed. Regular blood pressure checks
are the only way of knowing that you have hypertension. There are usually no symptoms
and you may feel fine. If hypertension is not treated, serious health problems such
as stroke, heart disease and kidney failure may occur.
Atenolol helps to lower your blood pressure.
Angina:
Angina is a pain or uncomfortable feeling in the chest, often spreading to the arms
or neck and sometimes to the shoulders and back. This may be because there is not
enough blood and oxygen getting to the heart. The pain of angina is usually brought
on by exercise or stress, but can also occur at rest.
Atenolol helps prevent angina. It is not used to relieve a sudden attack of angina.
Irregular heart beat (arrhythmia):
Irregular heartbeat, also known as arrhythmia, means that there is a disturbance of
the heart's normal rhythm or beat. Arrhythmias may be caused by a number of factors,
including some heart diseases, an overactive thyroid gland, or chemical imbalances.
Atenolol helps restore your heart's normal rhythm.
Reducing heart complications after heart attack:
After a heart attack, you may have complications such as an irregular heart beat or
an increased chance of having another heart attack.
Atenolol helps to prevent these complications from occurring.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed
for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed this medicine for another reason.
How it works
This medicine contains atenolol. Atenolol belongs to a group of medicines called beta-blockers.
It decreases the heart's need for blood and oxygen and therefore reduces the amount
of work the heart has to do. It widens the blood vessels in the body, causing blood
pressure to fall. It also helps the heart to beat more regularly.
There is no evidence that this medicine is addictive.
It is available only with a doctor's prescription.
This medicine is not expected to affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery,
but make sure you know how it affects you before driving.
There is not enough information to recommend the use of this medicine for children.
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