Atenolol

[busy08]

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does atenolol in a normal person has BP LOWERING effect .

 

[Phloston]

Atenolol is beta-1 selective, so it should reduce cardiac contractility without dilating arterioles. Therefore, decreased systolic BP.

Atenolol, out of any of the beta-blockers, is also the 1st-line Tx for social phobia (e.g. public speaking).

 

[alternatego]

Atenolol is beta-1 selective, so it should reduce cardiac contractility without dilating arterioles. Therefore, decreased systolic BP.

Atenolol, out of any of the beta-blockers, is also the 1st-line Tx for social phobia (e.g. public speaking).

Wasn't propranolol used for that?

 

[OveractiveBrain]

Wasn't propranolol used for that?

Yes. Any beta blocker will do, but usually propranolol

Atenolol is abused to reduce shaking, though, in performance sports (like hand gun shooting).

 

[OveractiveBrain]

does atenolol in a normal person has BP LOWERING effect .

Simply to say ALL beta blockers reduce blood pressure.

 

[use your eyes]

Question for you: how would atenolol NOT lower BP in a normal person, but still be able to lower it in pathological states?

My hypothesis: some sort of BP-sensitive moiety on the molecule that results in activation of the drug only when it senses systolic P > 140. This conveniently mirrors different set points for hypertension; in diabetics, the drug activates at 130 mm Hg.

 

[Phloston]

I had encountered atenolol as the answer to a practice question some time ago regarding social phobia. It was also specifically mentioned by my PBL tutor last year.

 

[Cozenboy]

Did the practice question also list propranolol or just atenolol as the betablocker?

 

[Phloston]

Did the practice question also list propranolol or just atenolol as the betablocker?

I can't recall offhand. However, although this is not in support of my point, I believe it just listed atenolol and not propranolol. So, no, the question didn't differentiate between those two as much as it did just cite atenolol.

I feel like this may have been a Kaplan Qbook question, but I'm not 1000% sure.

 

[busy08]

Thanks for your replies.

 

[Phloston]

It just randomly occurred to me that atenolol would unquestionably be a much better choice over propranolol for social phobia.

If you block both beta-1 and -2 receptors with propranolol, then when the patient gets an SNS response because he or she is nervous, he or she would then get a spike in BP because of unopposed alpha-1 (same reason you don't give beta-blockers to PCO patients).

With atenolol, the increased SNS response in the social situation wouldn't produce the same increase in BP because beta-2 is still activated alongside alpha-1, thereby attenuating any net vasoconstrictive effects.

Therefore atenolol must be the better choice over propranolol.