These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Atenolol
Question: I have conflicting information on whether desoxyn (methamphetamine) and/or atenolol (tenormin) may contribute to glucose elevation in the blood. I take 60mg of desoxyn and 25mg of atenolol daily. I have narcolepsy, but I have recently experienced elevated blood sugar. Decreasing the level of Desoxyn seems to lower the blood sugar level to normal levels. Could my observation be valid, or is there no connection between the medication and the diabetic condition?
Answer: Atenolol is included in a class of drugs called beta-blockers. Beta-blockers do have the potential ability to increase glucose by inhibiting the release of insulin. Other potential problems with diabetics include masking of low sugar symptoms and blunting of the return of glucose after an excessively low sugar. Some beta-blockers like atenolol are selective beta-blockers and have less of these effects, particularly in doses under 100mg. In practice, 25mg of atenolol would not be expected to have too many effects on a diabetic. Methamphetamine has no such direct effect on insulin. Indirectly, they may affect the patient’s weight and their insulin requirements.
