7 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Beta Blocker
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pindolol
Used for Hypertension
Used for Hypertension
Pindolol is used to treat high blood pressure. It's taken by mouth, typically twice daily. However, pindolol is rarely prescribed today because there are other blood pressure medications that do a better job and cause less side effects.
What is Pindolol?
What is Pindolol used for?
- High blood pressure
How Pindolol works
Pindolol is a non-selective beta blocker. It lowers blood pressure by slowing down the heart and helps the heart pump more easily.
Drug facts
| Common Brands | Visken |
|---|---|
| Drug Class | Beta blocker |
| Controlled Substance Classification | Not a controlled medication |
| Generic Status | Lower-cost generic available |
| Availability | Prescription only |
Side effects of Pindolol
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Trouble sleeping (10%)
- Muscle pain (10%)
- Dizziness (9%)
- Fatigue (8%)
- Nervousness (7%)
Less Common Side Effects
- Swelling
- Joint pain
- Nausea
- Bizarre dreams
- Shortness of breath
Pindolol serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Heart failure: trouble breathing, fast weight gain, feeling very tired, chest pain, swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet
- Bronchospasm: tightness in the chest, trouble catching your breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, cough, dizziness, extreme tiredness
The following Pindolol side effects have also been reported
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
Swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs
Less common
Burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings
difficult or labored breathing
shortness of breath
tightness in chest
Rare
Decreased urine output
dilated neck veins
extreme fatigue
fast, irregular, pounding, or racing heartbeat or pulse
irregular breathing
seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
troubled breathing
Get emergency help immediately if any of the following symptoms of overdose occur:
Symptoms of overdose
Blurred vision
dizziness
headache
nervousness
pounding in the ears
slow heartbeat
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Rare
Rash
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Get your GoodRx coupon
$159.57
GoodRx discount
$47.93
Pros and cons of Pindolol
Pros
- Can take it alone or with other blood pressure medications
- Lowers heart rate and blood pressure
- Taken by mouth
- Available as a lower-cost generic
Cons
- Not a first-choice medication to lower blood pressure
- Taken twice daily
- Not the best choice for people with asthma or certain heart conditions
- Can hide symptoms of low blood sugar
Pharmacist tips for Pindolol
- You can take pindolol with or without food. Food won't affect how well this medication works for you.
- Pindolol can make you feel lightheaded or dizzy for a few days after first starting it or changing the dose. Be sure to change positions slowly when standing up from a seated or lying down position. Don't drive or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
- Check your blood pressure regularly for the first couple of weeks after starting this medication, and tell your provider if it hasn't improved; they might need to adjust your dose.
- Don't miss or skip doses. Also, don't stop taking pindolol suddenly unless your healthcare provider tells you to. If you stop pindolol suddenly, it can cause your blood pressure to go up really quickly, raising your risk of serious heart issues.
- People with liver problems can sometimes have higher levels of pindolol in their body than people without liver problems. This can lower your blood pressure too much or cause more side effects. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any issues with your liver or a history of liver problems so they can monitor you more closely while taking pindolol.
Risks and warnings for Pindolol
Pindolol can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Heart failure
- Risk factors: Congestive heart failure
There have been reports of people developing worsening heart failure symptoms while taking pindolol, especially if their symptoms weren't well-managed to begin with. For this reason, providers tend to avoid prescribing pindolol in people with severe heart failure. Talk to your provider if you notice swelling in your feet or ankles, if your pulse feels fast or irregular, or if you have trouble breathing when you lie down or exercise.
Heart attack or chest pain
- Risk factors: Suddenly stopping pindolol | Coronary artery disease
Don't stop taking pindolol suddenly without talking to your provider since this can cause or worsen chest pain (angina) or even cause a heart attack. This is especially true if you have coronary artery disease, but sometimes this disease is not yet diagnosed because it doesn't always cause symptoms. To be on the safe side, talk to your healthcare provider first if you would like to stop this medication, and they can help you stop pindolol slowly over time.
Lung disease or trouble breathing
- Risk factors: History of asthma | History of COPD or emphysema
Pindolol can cause the vessels in your lung to tighten. This can make breathing difficult, especially in people with breathing problems, like asthma or emphysema. Pindolol might also cause certain medications taken to ease these conditions to not work as well. Let your doctor know if you have any breathing problems before starting pindolol.
Greater risks during major surgery
- Risk factors: Major surgery requiring anesthesia
If you're planning to undergo a major surgery requiring anesthesia, make sure to tell your surgeon that you are taking pindolol so they can monitor your heart closely. The surgeon might choose to have you temporarily stop taking pindolol a few days before surgery, or they may need to give you a medication to reverse the effects of pindolol during surgery.
Masked symptoms of low blood sugar
- Risk factors: Diabetes
Taking pindolol can make it difficult for you to recognize symptoms of low blood sugar, such as a fast heartbeat or tremors. If you’re taking medications, like glipizide or insulin, to lower your blood sugar, you might not be able to rely on all the usual symptoms of low blood sugar (e.g., irritability, sight tremors, confusion, and fast heartbeat) to warn you of a dangerous drop in your sugar levels. Sweating might be the only symptom not affected by taking pindolol. Speak with your healthcare provider about when and how to monitor your blood sugar if you start pindolol.
Masked symptoms of overactive thyroid
- Risk factors: Hyperthyroidism
People taking pindolol who also have overactive thyroid might not recognize the signs of hyperthyroidism (high thyroid hormone levels), such as fast heart rate. Don't stop taking pindolol suddenly without talking to your provider, since this can worsen thyroid problems.
Pindolol dosage
The average cost for 180 tablets of 5mg of Pindolol is $74.58 with a free GoodRx coupon. This is 72.36% off the average retail price of $269.82.
Interactions between Pindolol and other drugs
Pindolol may interact with certain medications or supplements. Always let your doctor and pharmacist know about any other medications or supplements (including prescribed and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and dietary or herbal supplements) that you are currently taking. The list below does not include all possible drug interactions with Pindolol. Please note that only the generic name of each medication is listed below.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Albuterol
- Bupropion
- Ceritinib
- Clonidine
- Crizotinib
- Diltiazem
- Dronedarone
- Epinephrine
- Fenoldopam
- Fingolimod
- Formoterol
- Indacaterol
- Iobenguane I 131
- Iohexol
- Lacosamide
- Levalbuterol
- Olodaterol
- Oxymetazoline
- Ponesimod
- Rivastigmine
- Salmeterol
- Siponimod
- Terbutaline
- Verapamil
- Vilanterol
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Acarbose
- Aceclofenac
- Acemetacin
- Acetyldigoxin
- Albiglutide
- Alfuzosin
- Alogliptin
- Amtolmetin Guacil
- Arbutamine
- Aspirin
- Bromfenac
- Bufexamac
- Bunazosin
- Canagliflozin
- Celecoxib
- Chlorpropamide
- Choline Salicylate
- Clonixin
- Dapagliflozin
- Deslanoside
- Dexibuprofen
- Dexketoprofen
- Diclofenac
- Diflunisal
- Digitoxin
- Digoxin
- Dipyrone
- Doxazosin
- Droxicam
- Dulaglutide
- Empagliflozin
- Ertugliflozin
- Etodolac
- Etofenamate
- Etoricoxib
- Exenatide
- Felbinac
- Fenoprofen
- Fepradinol
- Feprazone
- Floctafenine
- Flufenamic Acid
- Flurbiprofen
- Glimepiride
- Glipizide
- Glyburide
- Ibuprofen
- Indomethacin
- Insulin Aspart, Recombinant
- Insulin Degludec
- Insulin Detemir
- Insulin Glargine, Recombinant
- Insulin Glulisine
- Insulin Human Inhaled
- Insulin Human Isophane (NPH)
- Insulin Human Regular
- Insulin Lispro, Recombinant
- Ketoprofen
- Ketorolac
- Linagliptin
- Liraglutide
- Lixisenatide
- Lornoxicam
- Loxoprofen
- Lumiracoxib
- Meclofenamate
- Mefenamic Acid
- Meloxicam
- Metformin
- Metildigoxin
- Mibefradil
- Miglitol
- Morniflumate
- Moxisylyte
- Nabumetone
- Naproxen
- Nateglinide
- Nepafenac
- Niflumic Acid
- Nimesulide
- Nimesulide Beta Cyclodextrin
- Oxaprozin
- Oxyphenbutazone
- Parecoxib
- Phenoxybenzamine
- Phentolamine
- Phenylbutazone
- Piketoprofen
- Pioglitazone
- Piroxicam
- Pramlintide
- Pranoprofen
- Prazosin
- Proglumetacin
- Propyphenazone
- Proquazone
- Repaglinide
- Rofecoxib
- Rosiglitazone
- Salicylic Acid
- Salsalate
- Saxagliptin
- Sitagliptin
- Sodium Salicylate
- St John's Wort
- Sulindac
- Tamsulosin
- Tenoxicam
- Terazosin
- Tiaprofenic Acid
- Tolazamide
- Tolbutamide
- Tolfenamic Acid
- Tolmetin
- Trimazosin
- Urapidil
- Valdecoxib
- Vildagliptin
How much does Pindolol cost?
To access savings, use a GoodRx coupon and pay just a fraction of the retail price.
Pindolol (generic)
$47.93
Pindolol contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Pindolol will not be safe for you to take.
- Asthma
- Certain serious heart conditions, such as heart failure with symptoms that aren't under control
What are alternatives to Pindolol?
There are a number of medications that your doctor can prescribe in place of Pindolol. Compare a few possible alternatives below.
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