Tell me about the latest anti-hypertensive drug.?

Question

A few years back, I was detected with hypertension. The doctor prescribed a light dose of Stamlodipine with Atenolol. After continuing for sometime, I had reduced it to only Atenolol. A couple of years back, another doctor changed it to Bisoprolol. Please tell me, what should I select as a change this time ? Please consider the cost part also.

Answer 1

First I am not an MD and only you and your doctor should come to a final decision.

I take Atenolol (brand name: TENORMIN) 1 time daily or QD. From what I can tell by reading the PDR and the PPI the primary, perhaps only difference is the price. I didn't do a price comparision...you can call the pharmacy near you. They are both beta blockers and both can be taken QD. Beta blockers work primarily by slowing down the heart rate and thus slows the blood flow and therefore the reduction in blood pressure.
The side effects seem to be the same but I'd watch for the swelling ankles. When I went off the ACE inhibitor,Zestril due to coughing, and started Tenormin (Atenolol) I noticed my ankles seemed a bit bigger...swollen but no pain. I don't have any knowledge about Bisoprolol (brand name: Zebeta) first hand but I would guess it will be very similar to Atenolol.

Actually there is a cheaper why to go....remember...ask your doctor as my education stopped at the MBA level. The original beta blocker from over 20 years ago is called propranolol (brand name: Inderal). Starting to see the olol ending on these medications?

I was at the MD the other day & had him switch me to generic Inderal 40mg QD and the price vs. Atenolol plummeted. Atenolol #30 was about $57.00 and the propranolol #30 was about $11.00. Guess which one I selected?

However, in my case my my pressure is low enough to be controlled on a single 40mg QD. You may require more than a single one tablet dose per day raing your price perday. Again, ask your doctor. The reason why the price of some of these drugs is so much higher is the once a day dose capability.

Oh, also after the army I was a drug rep for Pfizer and have sort of kept up on some of this stuff. The cool thing back in 1978 when I worked for Pfizer....all the medication was free, under their health plan.

Good luck

Answer 2

These are beta blockers, and there are serious concerns about their safety. They are more strictly regulated in the UK than in the US. For example, some experts in the UK say beta blockers increase the risk of diabetes, and they recommend against prescribing them for older patients. If you can possibly avoid drugs, you should do so through diet and exercise, including avoiding sodium in your diet. All drugs have side effects, and their main side effect is to make lots of money for the big drug companies.

Answer 3

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