This NHS content is written for people in England. Medicine names, availability, prescribing and services may differ in other countries.
Atenolol is a beta blocker medicine, used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia).
If you have high blood pressure, taking atenolol helps prevent future heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
It can also be used to prevent chest pain caused by angina.
Atenolol works by slowing down your heart rate, making it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.
Atenolol is sometimes prescribed to prevent migraines and help with anxiety.
This medicine is only available on prescription.
It comes as tablets or as a liquid that you swallow. It can also be given as an injection, but this is usually done in hospital.
Atenolol can also be mixed with other medicines such as nifedipine (brand name Tenif). If it's mixed with chlortalidone it's called co-tenidone or by the brand names Tenoret or Tenoertic.
View the original NHS website page ↗. Refreshed 19 August 2026.
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