Atenolol: adverse event reports filed with FDA

17,022

reports as suspect product

0.1% of all reports · about 757 a year

444

reports, 12 months to June 2026

512 in the 12 months before

84.9%

marked serious by the reporter

78.7% across the class

15%

record death among outcomes, as reported

2,557 reports · not verified by FDA

Reports by month, five years

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Atenolol reports recording the termmedian drug in beta-adrenergic blocker

1. Hypotensionlow blood pressure9.1%1,557
2. Bradycardiaslow heart rate8.8%1,499
3. Completed suicidedeath by suicide8.6%1,458
4. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected8.5%1,447
5. Dyspnoeashortness of breath5.9%999
6. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances5.6%958
7. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness5.4%925
8. Nauseafeeling sick5.1%873
9. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines5.1%867
10. Fatiguetiredness4.8%816
11. Falla fall4.5%773
12. Headachehead pain4.4%741
13. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell4.3%732
14. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure4.2%714
15. Blood pressure increaseda raised blood pressure reading4.1%699
16. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.1%696
17. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy3.8%653
18. Syncopefainting3.7%630
19. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.5%601
20. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine3.4%574
21. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount3.2%543
22. Painpain, site not specified3.2%538
23. Arthralgiajoint pain3%519
24. Coughcough2.6%442
25. Chest painchest pain2.5%430
26. Vomitingbeing sick2.5%427
27. Weight decreasedweight loss2.4%410
28. Rashskin rash2.4%406
29. Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg2.3%386
30. Heart rate decreased2.2%378

Top 30 of 2,002 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 22 drugs in the beta-adrenergic blocker class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 148,208 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 44.6% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 17,022 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Other products listed in reports where Atenolol is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the beta-adrenergic blocker class

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Atenolol as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (106,724) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.