Hi! Okay 18 days until surgery. Yesterday got the pre op call from hospital and everything went well until they told me to take heart medication day of surgery. Now, I don't take heart medication nor have I ever. I take Armour for my thyroid and that is all the meds I take. I do not have sleep apnea, etc. I am fat with slightly elevated cholesterol. I have a perfect EKG, perfect Echo, and very normal and sometimes lower BP. I called the cardiologist office because I was never informed of taking Atenolol even for just 3 days by his office at all. After waiting a day and a half I got a call from his office. The only explanation I got that he feels in his opinion it is to prevent any heart issues during surgery period. Now to me that isn't really an explanation as to why a perfectly heart healthy person would take it since I just had 2 hip surgeries last year and also two other surgeries and of course the endoscope all without taking heart medication. The nurse wanted me to make an appt to go back in to office at $350 a pop for him to explain why. I said well I think it is poor practice to not even inform your patient the need heart medication for surgery, that they just need to believe he is right. Has anyone else had to take heart medication just for surgery and for 2 days post op? I am so scared about the surgery anyway and now I'm afraid my bp would drop so much under anesthesia that it could kill me. Sorry I'm normal a stable person, but I've been close to tears since yesterday.

Makes zero sense to me. I would push and push until your doctor phones you to discuss this. Why pay for another office visit? This could very well be a clerical mistake.

And who starts a heart medicine for the first time right before major surgery?

Edited September 5, 201411 yr by JustWatchMe

Makes zero sense to me. I would push and push until your doctor phones you to discuss this. Why pay for another office visit? This could very well be a clerical mistake. And who starts a heart medicine for the first time right before major surgery?

No mistake it was me. The nurse just said "it is not a long prescription it is just for preventative reasons to take it during surgery and the two days after because of the anesthesia" not a clerical error unfortunately.

Truly, who gives heart meds to someone without a heart condition. Maybe he has his reasons, but so far this is the first time I've heard of this. I go next week and all I was instructed to do was my pre-op diet, and discontinue all meds.

This is exactly what I thought. I'm going to discuss this long and herd with the surgeon on 9/11. My final appt with him before the surgery.

Atenolol is a high BP medication. Do you have high blood pressure?

Every surgeon is different and it sounds like you have 2 doctors looking out for you so I would just trust them and go with it.

I was prescribed atenolol once for migraines and a slightly elevated bp. The dose was tiny, but just enough to keep my bp stable and to ideally make my constant headache go away. The doctor probably prescribed a very small dose that will ensure that your bp stays stable during the surgery. I don't see this as being a great practice, but it's not going to hurt you. Ultimately, it's just a beta blocker, so it's not really for a heart condition as for hypertension and beta blockers are often taken by snipers, surgeons, or other professions for the off-box use of lowering their bp, which tends to make you less jittery. You will be getting far more dangerous drugs after surgery in the form of heavy narcotics and during surgery to knock you out...atenolol is the least of your concerns.

Call your doctor back and tell him that if you not given a full explanation for the reason that the drug was prescribed without requiring any form of expensive appointment you will file a complaint and post a few dozen negative reviews about his practice online. People tend to respond better to honey, but if you've used up all the honey, vinegar can work just as well.

Edited September 5, 201411 yr by AvaFern

I was prescribed atenolol once for migraines and a slightly elevated bp. The dose was tiny, but just enough to keep my bp stable and to ideally make my constant headache go away. The doctor probably prescribed a very small dose that will ensure that your bp stays stable during the surgery. I don't see this as being a great practice, but it's not going to hurt you. Ultimately, it's just a beta blocker, so it's not really for a heart condition as for hypertension and beta blockers are often taken by snipers, surgeons, or other professions for the off-box use of lowering their bp, which tends to make you less jittery. You will be getting far more dangerous drugs after surgery in the form of heavy narcotics and during surgery to knock you out...atenolol is the least of your concerns. Call your doctor back and tell him that if you not given a full explanation for the reason that the drug was prescribed without requiring any form of expensive appointment you will file a complaint and post a few dozen negative reviews about his practice online. People tend to respond better to honey, but if you've used up all the honey, vinegar can work just as well.

My surgeon nurse called me back and she thought I knew why I was taking it and that it was strange he prescribed it for my surgery and none of their other sleeve patients. I don't have high or even slightly elevated bp. My BP the last time I was at my surgeons office was 105/70. I don't even need a minimum dose to keep it lowered. Anyway, the nurse is going to call the cardiologist and speak to him herself and make sure it's for me and what he saw that would require that I take the medicine and no other patient they have sent to him for cardiac clearance. No migraines either. Thanks everyone for listening to me ramble on and on. I'm feeling better since my surgeons office called me and said don't worry we will get this straightened out. No need to worry until 9/22 day before surgery.

Atenolol is a high BP medication. Do you have high blood pressure? Every surgeon is different and it sounds like you have 2 doctors looking out for you so I would just trust them and go with it.

Nope, BP was 105/70 at my last visit with my surgeon and that is about what it runs normally.

I think it's just an error. Without a cardiac history and a normal blood pressure, no sane doctor (especially a cardiologist) just puts someone on blood pressure medication. You'll be in the hospital the first two days anyway. If there is any issue with your BP, it'll be addressed immediately and meds would be given to you intravenously.

I think it's just an error. Without a cardiac history and a normal blood pressure, no sane doctor (especially a cardiologist) just puts someone on blood pressure medication. You'll be in the hospital the first two days anyway. If there is any issue with your BP, it'll be addressed immediately and meds would be given to you intravenously.

I sure hope so!!!

Nope, BP was 105/70 at my last visit with my surgeon and that is about what it runs normally.

Very very weird. Mine usually runs about that too and then after surgery mine was super low. I wonder if they normally give BP meds and don't tell most. If you figure out their reasoning I'd be interested in knowing

Very very weird. Mine usually runs about that too and then after surgery mine was super low. I wonder if they normally give BP meds and don't tell most. If you figure out their reasoning I'd be interested in knowing

I sure will let you know. I'm still freaking out because everything I read about Atenolol says don't take it if you have asthma. I do have asthma. I swear that cardiologist didn't listen to a word I said while I was there. Lord help me please get some rest before I completely lose my mind over this.

Okay, the nurse for my surgeon is on the path to see what the cardiologist thoughts were since none of their other patients have had to do this. I have decided that either A) he says I don't need it I get another cardiac opinion before 9/23 or C) I cancel my surgery on 9/23 and then get the second opinion and reschedule. Of D) call the current cardiologist and tell them I'm going to charge him with malpractice and when I have rock bottom BP and difficulties breathing my husband is going to sue his butt and I happen to have the best malpractice lawyer who is a great friend of ours.

Sounds strange to me, if your BP is normal. Anesthesia can reduce your BP - for that reason I have been advised to stop my BP medication the previous day, and on the day of the op so that my BP doesn't go too low.

My cardiologist gave me a prescription for meds to take 3 days before and 3 days after.