*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature L: Laxatives.

Side Effects Of Atenolol

NHS medicines information on side effects of atenolol and what you can do to cope.

Like all medicines, atenolol can cause side effects in some people, but many people have no side effects or only minor ones.

Side effects often improve as your body gets used to the medicine.

Common side effects

These common side effects of atenolol happen in more than 1 in 100 people. They're usually mild and only last for a short time. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

If this advice does not help and you are bothered by any of these side effects, keep taking the medicine but tell your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects

It happens rarely, but some people have serious side effects when taking atenolol.

Tell your doctor or call 111 now if:

you have shortness of breath with a cough that gets worse when you exercise (like walking up stairs), swollen ankles or legs, or an irregular heartbeat - these can be signs of heart problems
you have shortness of breath, wheezing and tightening of your chest - these can be signs of lung problems
the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin, or you have pale poo or dark pee - these can be signs of liver problems
you get unexplained bruising, or you bruise more easily than usual - these can be signs of low numbers of platelets in your blood (thrombocytopenia)

Call 999 now if:

you get chest pain that does not stop after a few minutes, or is new or worse if you already have angina

Chest pain is a possible sign of a heart attack and needs to be checked out as soon as possible.

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, atenolol may cause a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of atenolol. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature L: Laxatives. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
Photos: LightFieldStudios and one of VladOrlov, Stockcube, darak77, ajr_images or rawpixel.com.