also posted on the Cholestrol/Heart Disease forum. Am on Day 3 of first week of Atkins and take 50 mg./day of Atenolol. Had blood screen yesterday and results were "very good" according to nurse. Realized should probably notify doc that I was attempting this, as he and I had discussed that I am carrying around about 30 pounds too many. I will call in the a.m. because am concerned about combination of Atenolol and Atkins on Day 3. Reassurance please ... that I am not in any immediate danger from this combination tonight? Sorry if this sounds so ridiculous but I don't know. Thanks.

Hi there. The first question would be "how are you feeling?" If you are fine, then it seems that LC agrees with you.

Now I am NOT a medical professional, but I have asked one of the RN's who post here to come and see what she thinks.

In the meantime, here's what I found on the net and what I know about LCing and its effects:
Atenolol is a beta blocker whose action is to regulate heart beat and keep it from speeding up. This helps to lower blood pressure.

Since the LC plans and Atkins are both diuretic in nature, (you lose water from cells and systems) they also tend to lower blood pressure. You don't want that to happen too fast or too drastically. So I would think that you should go to a higher carb level right away, perhaps 50-60 grams per day. Consider eating several LC veggies - at least one with every meal and also dairy (cheese, cream). This will slow the weight loss but most importantly, it will not take your blood pressure too low.

The Protein Power Plan books advise that people on blood pressure medication should take is slowly (55 grams of carbs) and be monitored by their physicians.

So I think you will be fine for tonight but calling your doctor is a good idea. Go eat something if you start feeling tired or shaky or light-headed or nauseated. That usually means that you need more carbs than you are taking in.

I am sure that someone will be along with a more professional opinion, but please remember, this site is NOT for medical advice.

I think you'll be fine. But if you are really worried, eat a slice or two of bread or a potato or cookies. That will stop the ketosis and help your cells take up water again. You can start again when you feel more confident. But take it slowly.

Here are some examples of "10 grams of carb" foods.


The following portions each contain roughly 10 grams of carbohydrates. Food groups are arranged in the general order in which they should be added after Induction.

Nuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup filberts
1/2 cup macadamias
2 ounces roasted shelled peanuts
3/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup pine nuts (pignoli)
1/4 cup pistachios
3/4 cup walnuts
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 ounces sunflower seeds

Starchy Vegetables*
1/2 cup carrots
1 cup winter squash
1/4 cup yams (or sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup peas, shelled
1/4 cup plantain
3/4 cup beets
1/3 cup parsnips
1/4 cup white potatoes

Legumes*
1/4 cup lentils
1/4 cup kidney beans
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup navy beans
1/4 cup lima beans
1/4 cup great northern beans
1/4 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup fava beans
1/4 cup pinto beans

Fruit
1/2 apple
12 cherries
1 peach
12 grapes
1 cup strawberries
1/2 grapefruit
3/4 cup cantaloupe
1 kiwi
1 cup watermelon
1/2 cup fruit cocktail, canned in water
1 plum
1/3 banana
1 guava
1/3 mango

Grains
1/4 cup rice (long-grain, brown*)
1/2 cup oatmeal*
1/4 cup corn kernels*
1 slice whole-wheat bread
1/3 cup whole-wheat cereal*
1/4 cup barley*
1/4 cup spinach pasta*

*All figures are for cooked vegetables, starches and legumes.

Hope this helps you adjust the carb level.

While waiting for the doc's office to call, I appreciate your info. On Day 4, I actually feel quite good, however did experience some lightheadedness yesterday morning and when I ate an early lunch of tuna on lettuce, felt immediately better. This morning felt a bit weak, and took 1/3 of an Advantage Bar and feel much better, so there seems to be a connection there.

It occurs to me that someone like me might want to be monitoring my BP pretty regularly and looking into investing into a home monitor. What do you think of that? (Will ask the doc that as well).

Thank you for the 10g food recommendations also. So far I am fine with this plan, am losing weight and not starving.

Thanks again.

I'm glad you felt OK most of the time and have found that frequent meals are a good idea. See what your Dr. says about home monitors for BP - they often aren't all that accurate.

I notice in your profile that you haven't read any LC books yet . I really do reccommend that you read at least one. They all answer questions before they arise so you are prepared when things happen.

It's reassuring to remember that Atkins is a cardiologist who originally put his patients on the LC way of eating for the good of their cardiac health and then was surprised to find out how much weight they lost. BP came down & blood values like triglycerides & cholesterol also came into better ranges.

I have been on atenolol for quite some time and have been on Atkins about 4 months. I never had any physical problems from combining the two; however, my weight loss has been extremely slow! Dr. Atkins' book mentions that beta blockers can inhibit weight loss, and I found some articles in the medical literature that confirm this. So, very recently I asked my cardiologist if I could go off my atenolol for a while to see if my weight loss improved. Since I was on a beta blocker for heart rate control rather than blood pressure problems, I thought perhaps it might be safe to leave it off for a while. My doctor agreed to let me try this because he knows how faithful I've been to this WOE with not as much success as we'd both like. I think he had early doubts about the effect of Atkins on my lipids, but all has been well, and my triglycerides have fallen dramatically, so he has let me proceed. I haven't been without my beta blocker very long, so I don't yet know if this experiment will work, but other than having a slightly higher heart rate than before I've not experienced any physical problems. I do think it is a very good idea to level with your doctor about whatever you're doing about diet. Also, I would never "meddle" with my medications without talking with him about it!
Good luck!
Brenta

I'm on meds, too. Don't worry - it's really too soon to tell if you can go off of the meds yet.