Atenolol for migraine prevention

[janieclare]

I have been taking atenolol for over a year now, and have gone from 2 - 3 migraines a week to 3 in total since starting the medication. The only side effect I have suffered is extreme lethargy which has lead to weight gain - not good! I am at present trying to reduce my dose (via GP) or try a different beta blocker. Its about trying to get a balance. I have also experienced tingling/numb arms which I put down to a neck problem but reading above might be linked to the atenolol.

[Katy]

I went to my doctor and i was prescribed Antenolol 25mg as i was having migraines every day. I have been taking themfor 3 days and already i have noticed they have hada hige effect. I havent had a migraine since, however they do make me feel tired. And sometimes when i make a quick movement, or even when eating i have a headache which eases after a few minutes. This is the only side effect i have experienced with these.

[Denise]

erin wrote:

about three years ago i took atenolol 25g daily for six months as a migraine preventative. it worked remarkably. while i did experience visual aura several times, i never actually had a migraine. it was incredible to know that i was experiencing an attack but with the pain and side effects. it also helped to drastically reduce the occurence of tension headaches. after i stopped taking atenolol, i experienced reduced migraines and tension headaches for at least one year.
what i did not like about atenolol was how detached it made me feel from my body. it is a beta blocker, which is commonly used to treat heart conditions and high blood pressure, which means that it also excels as a prophylactic. within the first hour of taking my first dose, i felt my heart rate slow down. within a few days i experienced such extreme numbness and tingling in my entire arms and legs that i went to the hospital, where i was told i was experiencing a migraine and not a side effect to the drug. for the entire six months that i took atenolol, my heart rate was slow. it also affected my circulation and i constantly suffered from cold hands and feet. finally, it messed up my metabolism and i gained about 15-20 pounds. i don't really recall having been lethargic while taking it as it was quite some time ago. another worthy point to note - within a couple of weeks after i had stopped taking it, i experienced an extremely high heart rate one day (fluctuating between 180 and 210). within an hour this stopped and never occured again.
it's a tough call. it prevented my migraines and gave me my life back, but i felt so detached from myself and void of adrenaline and excitement that i have a hard time deciding if it was worth it. it did save my life though - i was snorkelling in the ocean while on vacation and the current brought me too far from the boat. because my heart rate never increased, i stayed calm enough to make it back to the boat alive.
my migraines are full force again and my family doctor has prescribed inderal. she said while it is still a beta blocker, she said it is not as strong as atenolol. has anyone tried it?

hi erin, i took atenolol in 3 months i gained weight feels like water,bloated,just a mess..since you stopped has your metabolism gotten better?

[Nese]

On Atenolol for 3 months at 25mg,at first I slept 16 hours/day,vivid-hallucinogetic nightmares,moody at times,depressed,gained water weight all over,tender swollen breasts,leg pain,hands & feet pain..think alot was fluid retention causing pain...but I had none of this before this drug.It messed up my metabolism..I stopped it for 3 weeks & I still have the fluid retention & some pains..Anyone know how long this takes to subside?

[jewls]

I have stopped taking my Atenolol for about 2 weeks now and notice a lot of changes. I can actually exercise without feeling exhausted within minutes. I also spoke with my dietician about my weight gain since being on Atenolol and she confirms that this drug decreases metabolism by 8 - 20%. I am sure that I will drop this weight now that I can exercise... However, within days of weaning myself off from Atenolol I was starting to have headaches again. They are not full blown migraines but are really strong tension headaches. I also noticed that for a couple of days my heart was pounding so hard that I was all red like a fire truck and felt a surge of energy for the whole day. I don't drink caffeine and I felt as though I drank 6 cups of coffee..
It is hard to decide if it is worth it... Be fat and have no headaches - I'll be depressed if I get fat, or be thin and suffer with headaches - I'll alsi be depressed if I have headaches.

[isaac]

yes it souns like i have the same thing as you this med helped moderately but istill get migranes from time to time

[raeanna]

I've been taking 30 mg Elavil for almost 8 months. It helped reduce the frequency of my migranes but I was still getting 1-2 every week. It helped with many other issues as well. Finally my Dr tried me with Atenolol to stop the migranes. I've been on it for 3 months and I have not had ONE migrane. Both meds do make me a little drowsy or lightheaded but I take them both at night and that solves that problem. I have no noticeable side effects during the day. My only problem is that I seem to not be able to loose my few extra pounds. I was loosing weight before very slowly, trying to get back to a healthy weight. Now, with both meds, my weight has just held, no matter how much exercise I do, or how much junk food I avoid. I'm going to ask my Dr about this and see if the meds are affecting it or if it's something else that's causing it.
NO matter what, I'd rather have a few extra pounds than ANY migrane.

[Trish S]

I took Atenolol for one year after heart surgery eight years ago and my frequent migraines completely stopped for one year. Probably due to my body becoming resistant to the drug, the migraines returned full force. It is sadly true that Atenolol usually leads to weight gain due to lowered metabolism and causes lethargy. However, I am considering trying it again to see if it will work now. Keep in mind this is a serious heart med and not to be trifled with!

[Amrit]

Started taking 25mg Atenolol yesterday. My doc prescribed it as preventative meds for my intense migraines which I have sometimes 3 time a week. I'm only 22 so I'm very concerned about the side effects, since I've been experiencing a heaviness on the right side of my chest. He also gave me relpax 40mg as treatment when they do occur. Hope it works!

[Nick]

I started taking 50mg daily Atenolol for migraines when I was 19. I would get a week long patch of daily migraines about every 2 or 3 months, so I saw my doctor and he prescribed it (he also takes the drug). I still got migraines while on Atenolol but not as many. I believe the drug has affected my circulation, my limbs fall asleep very easily. I also become winded more easily than I did before and get light headed often. I've also gained around 25 pounds over the years that I've been on the drug. I'm 6'4" and weigh 205-210 now, and people told me I was skinny before I gained the weight. Now I have a gut and a fatter face.

Last week I decided to stop taking it, just to see if I even get the migraines any more. I've been off it for about 5 days, so far so good. I'll update in a few weeks.

[Patti]

I have also found Atenolol to be very helpful in preventing migraines. I was having them as much as 3 times a week, worse around my menstrual cycles, but since I've been on atenolol, I've had none. However, the excessive sweating is really bothersome, especially at work...any suggestions to lessen this?

Eve wrote:

I've been taking atenolol (75mg a day) for migraine/headache prevention for nearly a year. It definitely helped me. I have near-daily headaches with migraine-like symptoms; they sometimes morph into full-blown migraines. Atenolol helps me sleep. Only downside: it causes excessive sweating and gives me headaches with exercise or exertion. My heart occassionally does little weird things, but not enough to worry me since I've experienced this before atenolol. Make sure your BP stays high enough that you don't faint since atenolol is meant to reduce blood pressure.
I also take 30mg of elavil a day, which also helps the headaches. Midrin (very cheap capsule) works great as an accute med if I take it before the headache gets too bad, but like other accute migraine meds like Imitrex, you can take midrin only 2x per week. I'm allowed to use naproxen sodium daily if needed, but no other pain meds.
Other preventive meds tried: Topamax (lots of side effects), Lexapro (GAVE me headaches), Zonegran, Cymbalta (made me hideously nauseated), Lamictal (GAVE me migraines).

[Kristen]

I was actually prescribed Atenolol (25mg) 8 years ago at age 26 for a heart arrythmia and much to my surprise and delight noted a 95% drop in migraines and tension headaches, which I had suffered from since my early teens. The arrythmia has burned out over time and about 6 months ago I came off the Atenolol, and am now, once again, plagued by constant headaches and migraines. Seriously considering returning to Atenolol, as I already know it's been successful for me.

[Bridget]

I suffered from daily tension headaches that often flared into full migraines. They seemed to be linked to my menstrual cycle, so my doctor put me on Seasonale birth control so I would have less frequent periods and migraines. Well, after a year, I went to a new OB-GYN and my blood pressure was high enough that they would not prescribe any more birth control! That is when my GP told me many migraine treatments are really blood pressure medications. I started taking Inderal for the blood pressure and headaches. This was about 3 years ago. My blood pressure regulated and I was able to continue the birth control. At first, I was having trouble sleeping. I would wake up at about 2am and would not be able to fall back to sleep. I also got one horrible migraine. Then once, I forgot the Inderal at night and instead took it in the morning. That fixed everything! I was sleeping the nights through and once that initial migraine went away, it didn't return.
I switched to 50mg of atenolol about a year ago because my insurance changed and inderal was too expensive. I didn't notice any side affects with the change. I still have tension headaches, but they are not so frequent and I only have a severe migraine about 1-2 times a year.
My favorite remedy: rice in a cloth packs, heated in the microwave and placed on my forehead or base of neck. I always used ice packs, but have found heat relieves the pressure rather than just numbing the pain.

[Migraine Grandma]

I've taken Atenelol for migraines in the past (in the 80's)and it worked very well. Then I went for a long period of time that I could control my headaches with just Exedrine. However, now I'm back to needing a little (alot of) something more. I actually asked the Doc for Atenelol again because it had worked so well for me in the past. Unlike what I've seen posted here, I had no weight gain and I didn't feel sluggish when I took it years ago. And I am hoping for the same response this time around... Atenelol, kicks a migraines BUTT!!

[Migraine Grandma]

Well I've been taking 50mgs of Atenlol now for almost a month and the migraines seem to be gone and I've not gained one ounce, I'm not sluggish, infact I feel great. Guess I,m one of the lucky ones! Life's good =~]

[Anissa]

I was wondering if someone could help me out... i am 19 years old and i have always suffered from headaches and migraines. Doctors have never found what exactly triggers them off. Recently I had been getting headaches along with sharp pains in my head, so the doctor decided to put me on Atenolol 25mg. I have been taking it for 4 weeks now. I am however slightly worried as I was due my period a week ago and I always have a very regular pattern so i am finding it very strange. I usual experience very bad pmt and become very bloated, however this time round i have experienced none of that. Was just wondering if Atenolol could be causing me to miss my periods?

Thanks

[Catherine Weekes]

Denise wrote:

<quoted text>hi erin, i took atenolol in 3 months i gained weight feels like water,bloated,just a mess..since you stopped has your metabolism gotten better?

I have been taking Atenolol for 3 weeks now and have had no migraine. I have suffered from migraine attacks for 32 years, since I had my children, and in the last couple of years they have increased to approximately 2 per week. As these attacks last two days plus a day recovering life was really hard to cope with. I also suffer from insomnia and notice that some people taking Atenolol sleep well. Not me alas. I have tried most migraine drugs over the years but at last feel I can plan to do something without being hit by a full blown migraine the minute I want to enjoy myself. The downside is that I do feel lethargic. No weight gain yet but more importantly no migraines either. It is now three weeks since my last one and it is fantastic. If somebody could now cure my insomnia I would be more than happy.

[sarah]

I'm a long term migraine sufferer (since age 11) and have had migraines 4-7 times a week for the last four years. The migraines have completely ruined my work and social life, because I was just so sick so often that I became undependable. To avoid triggers, I have had to stop doing a lot of normal activites, like drinking socially, eating any processed foods, going into department stores, etc--I started to feel like a freak. I've been on atenolol for about three weeks now, and the change is remarkable. I've only had one breakthrough headache in the past week, and was able to treat it with naproxen and a good night's rest. But, at least initially, I experienced incredible, incredible lethargy--sleeping 12-15 hours a day. I'm hoping that this is wearing off. My neurologist says that atenolol also limits your heart's upper capacity, so even mildly strenuous activities like carrying a box of books up the stairs made me need to sit down and take a rest--basically, that kind of thing is out of reach for a body on atenolol. I have not experienced any weight gain (I don't think!) and am hopeful that I can do moderate exercise, like yoga and swimming.(Most aerobic exercise triggered migraines for me, anyway, so that had fallen off over the past four years, regardless.)

For those of us who find that atenolol works, even with moderate lethargy and moderate weight gain, I would say its worth it. For those of you who haven't experienced any side effects, but are worried about being on a daily medication just because of all the goop you're putting in your body, I say, don't worry. Especially those of you who are in your early to mid twenties. Migraines apparently increase in frequency for women as they enter their thirties (they certainly did with me!) and let me tell you, it is easily worth it to take a daily medication rather than to suffer through these headaches multiple times a week, be forced to swear off all alcohol and most yummy foods, and to continually let yourself, your employers, and your friends and family down due to sickness and absence.

I'm curious if anyone has seen atenolol stop working after a while. Is this something I can count on? Or am I going to be in the same frequent-migraine boat in a month, or two months, or a year?

[Stefanie]

I have suffered from what my doctor calls cluster migraines since I had an accident 7 years ago which resulted in a broken nose and a massive concussion.

I have been on Amitriptyline for just over a year. This was perscribed after a 12 day migraine. I take 50mg every day. Presently I'm int he middle of a 6 day migraine, and she has started to wean me off of the Ami and on to Atenol with a perscription for Maxalt when I start to feel a migraine coming on.

I am 32 years old, and very active. I work out daily, I play hockey and I'm a volunteer fire fighter. I'm scared after reading some of the other posts that this will affect my daily activities. Can anyone put my mind at ease or should I ask for something different??

[GillianBC]

jewls wrote:

chobbie:
... too fatigued to get up and exercise?...

As it lowers the heart rate, exercise can be difficult. I regularly run on a treadmill and use a heartrate monitor so I am familiar with how my heart rate rises when exercising. I can usually get it up to 185 beats per minute. If I have taken atenolol before running, I can't get it above 150 beats per minute - I just get more and more exhausted as it's simply not pumping enough oxygen around. I find I am fine if I take my atenolol after my run so that by the time I run the next day, it's just about worn off.