My 92 Year Old Mother Is On 50 Mg Of

Posted on Thu, 4 Oct 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 4 Oct 2018 Answered on

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Question : My 92 year old mother is on 50 mg of Atenolol and 10 mg of Amlodipine per day. She used to take one of these medications in the morning and the other at night, but for the past year or so, she has been taking them together usually around lunchtime. My one concern is that over the past few months, I have noticed increased breathing issues. When she is physically active, she loses her voice at times. My biggest concern however is that she is not resting well at all, getting only a few hours of sleep at all if she is lucky. The she sometimes catnaps during the day. It would seem to me that she should not be taking these medications together. Is there one that is better to take when she starts the day and one that is better perhaps near bedtime? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. salah saad shoman (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Take them apart

Detailed Answer:
Dear Ma’am,

I have gone through your question and I understand your concerns but I would recommend that you get back to taking them apart in morning and evening.. Taking them together might lead to exaggerated decrease of your blood pressure at the time you take them and an increase your blood pressure at other times of the day when their duration of action has ended. Taking them apart will help you maintain a a steady blood pressure levels through out the day.

As for the insomnia, I would recommend that you get a blood test for thyroid hormonal profile including T3, T4 and TSH to exclude hyperthyroidism as a cause of lack of sleep..

As for the breathing issues, I would recommend that she gets a CBC test to exclude anemia and a chest X-ray to exclude lung pathology. Atenolol being a beta blocker can worsen difficulty in breathing.

I hope you find this helpful..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj