Albiglutide and Atenolol: Interaction Details
AI-assisted, pharmacist-reviewed · AI content regenerated Jul 15, 2026 · Source data updated Jul 11, 2026 · Sources: FDA labeling, DDInter 2.0, cited literature
Atenolol
Albiglutide
No brand names on record
How we grade severity & evidence
Severity levels
- Contraindicated: These should generally not be used together.
- Major: Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.
- Moderate: Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.
- Minor: Usually limited clinical impact.
Evidence grades
- Established: Well documented — supported by controlled studies or strong clinical data.
- Probable: Good supporting evidence, though not definitively proven.
- Suspected: Some evidence suggests this interaction, but it is not well established.
- Possible: Limited or conflicting evidence; the interaction may occur.
- Theoretical: Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.
Ratings come from the documented interaction literature and are reviewed by a pharmacist. They describe the documented risk of the combination, not what will necessarily happen to you — your dose, timing, and health picture all matter.
Atenolol is a beta-blocker for blood pressure or heart issues, and albiglutide is an injectable medicine that lowers blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. When you take them together, two things can happen. First, your blood sugar can shift, going either too low or too high. Second, and more important, atenolol can hide some of the usual warning signs of low blood sugar, like a fast or pounding heartbeat, so a low might sneak up on you.
The good news is that you may still notice sweating and other clues, and your care team can manage this easily by checking your sugars more often and fine-tuning your doses. Keep taking both as prescribed and talk with your pharmacist or doctor.
Effect: Combined use of the beta-blocker atenolol with the GLP-1 agonist albiglutide may alter glycemic control (hypo- or hyperglycemia) and may blunt adrenergic warning signs of hypoglycemia, notably tachycardia. Neither agent requires metabolic activation.
- Mechanism: Beta blockade attenuates counterregulatory sympathetic response and can interfere with glucose recovery; additive with the glucose-lowering PD effect.
- Onset/evidence: Delayed onset; evidence probable. Atenolol is beta-1 selective, so masking risk is lower than with nonselective agents but not absent.
- Management: Increase glucose monitoring frequency; individualize antidiabetic dosing. On beta-blocker withdrawal, watch for loss of glycemic control.
What happens
Hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia; decreased symptoms of hypoglycemia
Interaction Deep Dive
Using antidiabetic medications together with beta-blockers can produce either hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, and it may also mask the warning signs of hypoglycemia23. Tachycardia can be blunted, though other hypoglycemic manifestations such as dizziness and sweating are not affected1. Nonselective beta-blockers have the capacity to intensify insulin-induced hypoglycemia and to hinder the restoration of normal serum glucose concentrations. In individuals with both heart failure and diabetes, hyperglycemia may deteriorate7. It may be necessary to monitor glucose more often or to adjust the dose of the antidiabetic drug23. When these agents are combined, watch carefully for signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, and should the beta-blocker be discontinued, monitor for a loss of glycemic control4.
Why it happens (mechanism)
Altered glucose metabolism and beta blockade
How to manage this interaction
This interaction is manageable with a little extra attention. Care teams typically:
- Check blood glucose more often when these drugs are used together.
- Adjust and individualize the diabetes medicine dose as needed.
- Watch closely for low blood sugar, and if the beta-blocker is stopped, watch for blood sugar climbing (loss of control).
What you can do: keep taking both medicines exactly as prescribed, and learn the signs of low sugar that atenolol may not hide, such as sweating, shakiness, or confusion. Ask your pharmacist or doctor how often to test and what numbers should prompt a call.
Management is individual — confirm any change with your pharmacist or prescriber.
Literature reports
2 reports — tap to read
a) In elderly diabetic patients receiving either insulin or sulfonylureas, the selection of antihypertensive agent had little influence on the risk of hypoglycemia, but once other risk factors were accounted for, the lowest risk occurred with cardioselective beta blockers and the highest with non-cardioselective beta blockers, while the remaining antihypertensive drugs produced intermediate outcomes (N=13,559) 5.
b) In patients with hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes, beta blockers, but not alpha blockade or ACE inhibitors, produced a worsening of long-term glycemic control. Beta blockade also led to some unfavorable changes in the lipid profile. These effects were particularly evident with propranolol. Using an alpha blocker together with the beta blocker prevented the worsening attributable to beta blockade 6.
Common questions
Can I take Albiglutide and Atenolol together?
Atenolol can mask a racing heartbeat that normally warns of low blood sugar and may shift your glucose control, so monitor your sugars more closely and keep both medicines as prescribed while your care team fine-tunes the doses. Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.
How serious is the Albiglutide and Atenolol interaction?
It is rated moderate. Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.
How quickly could this interaction happen?
The documented onset is "delayed". Effects tend to build up gradually over days to weeks.
How is the Albiglutide and Atenolol interaction managed?
This interaction is manageable with a little extra attention. Care teams typically: Check blood glucose more often when these drugs are used together. Adjust and individualize the diabetes medicine dose as needed. Watch closely for low blood sugar, and if the beta-blocker is stopped, watch for blood sugar climbing (loss of control). What you can do: keep taking both medicines exactly as prescribed… Management is individual — always follow your own care team's guidance.
How strong is the evidence for this interaction?
The evidence is graded "probable". Good supporting evidence, though not definitively proven.
Questions for your pharmacist
- Does my dose of Albiglutide or Atenolol need adjusting while I take them together?
- What symptoms should prompt me to call you or my prescriber right away?
- Does the timing of my doses matter for this combination?
- Is there anything you'd monitor while I'm on both?
References (7)
- Product Information: TENORMIN(R) oral tablets, atenolol oral tablets. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP (per FDA), Wilmington, DE, 2012. DailyMed
- Product Information: TOUJEO(R) subcutaneous injection, insulin glargine subcutaneous injection. sanofi-aventis (per manufacturer), Bridgewater, NJ, 2015. DailyMed
- Product Information: AMARYL(R) oral tablets, glimepiride oral tablets. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC (per FDA), Bridgewater, NJ, 2013. DailyMed
- Product Information: Glynase(R) PresTab(R) oral micronized tablets, glyburide oral micronized tablets. Pharmacia & Upjohn Co (per FDA), New York, NY, 2013. DailyMed
- Shorr RI, Ray WA, Daugherty JR, et al: Antihypertensives and the risk of serious hypoglycemia in older persons using insulin or sulfonylureas. JAMA 1997; 278:40-43. DOI
- Whitcroft IA, Thomas JM, Rawsthorne A, et al: Effects of alpha and beta adrenoceptor blocking drugs and ACE inhibitors on long term glucose and lipid control in hypertensive non-insulin dependent diabetics. Horm Metab Res Suppl 1990; 22:42-46.
- Product Information: COREG CR(R) extended-release oral capsules, carvedilol phosphate extended-release oral capsules. GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, 2011. DailyMed
Keep reading about Atenolol
Keep reading about Albiglutide
These medications also interact with supplements
Prescription drugs aren't the whole picture — herbal and dietary supplements can interact with them too. From the evidence-graded Natural Medicines database:
major · moderate · minor — check everything you take with our drug–supplement interaction checker.
Check another combination
Our instant two-drug interaction checker is almost here.
Still have questions about this combination?
Every question gets a real answer from a licensed pharmacist — free, and usually within a day.
Ask the pharmacist