Metoprolol Succ Er 25mg - Withdrawal Question

So I was prescribed Metoprolol for high BP and have taken it for a total of about 8 years. It was horrible in the beginning - weird, vivid nightmares, constant fatigue, weight gain..but I kept on because I thought that I had to for my BP. Probably a bad decision. My dosage has been as high as 100mg in the beginning, and was gradually lowered by the doctor over the years. Most recently for about the last year I had taken a half of a 25mg per day, so a pretty low dose. I started to feel as if this medicine was hurting more than helping so I asked the doctor who said that I could wean off. So I did for about two weeks - a half of a 25mg every other day, then stopped. The last pill I took was about two months ago. I still feel as if I'm having withdrawal, but is that still possible two months out? Maybe because I took it for so long? My BP is okay with no meds..averages about 125/80. But I feel a constant agitation and anxiety and a general out of it feeling. I don't want to go on anxiety meds, as I prefer to try to handle this myself. Anyone out there have any similar experiences?

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Hi, Suzanne! Sorry about the way you're feeling.

But no, withdrawal effects from Metoprolol really shouldn't still be lingering months after you stopped taking it.

However, it's very difficult to say what effect a medication may have on any given person.

Have you consulted your doctor? They'd be best able to advise you as to what's causing these issues.

Do you have any other health conditions? Do you take any other medications?

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Thanks for your response. My doctor prescribed me Hydrochlorothiazide (water pill) to manage my blood pressure once I was off Metoprolol, but since my BP has been okay, I have not taken it. I haven't seen my doctor since stopping the medication because I know they'd want to prescribe me an anti-anxiety medication and I don't want to take anything like that. I've tried them before and they make me feel worse. I feel like maybe since I was on Metoprolol for so long and it made me feel so fatigued and down, I'm just still getting used to feeling very alert and awake. I have a slight tremor in my hands too. I do speak to a counselor about my anxiety and she mentioned that medications, especially ones taken long term, can hang around in your fat cells for months and take awhile to leave your body altogether..I figured this is maybe what is happening to me and wanted to see if anyone else had a similar experience.

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Good for you for getting off. Your blood pressure is really not that bad. Don't know your age, but that stuff is poison and did not work AT ALL on my blood pressure. Use your own good judgement, change your diet, exercise, don't drink sodas, alcohol, watch your sugar...doctors are taught medicene via the pharmacy manufactors, they are not taking this stuff. sorry for the misspelled words, in a hurry and dog wants to go for a walk.....much love and good luck.

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i have been very irritable and have had nights of not sleeping since dropping the dose of M and very sore joints i plan to carry on cutting down however i plan to do it over many months

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Suzanne there's another thread about Metoprolol I follow that might be b helpful. First comment it's from "Michael". It may help you. The posts there describe withdrawal symptoms from other people. I am still taking it but hope to lose more weight and possibly get off of it if possible. Taking it too close to bedtime early on had weird dreams too!

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How are you doing Suzanne? It's been a couple years since your post. I'm going through the same thing. Was on metoprolol for 8 years. Stopped cold turkey and have depression, crying for no reason, anxiety, low mood. Been off it for a month. How are you now. Was it the metoprolol causing the issues. I'm starting to doubt myself cuz the symptoms haven't subsided.

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I am from Chittagong, Bangladesh. I have been taking metoprolol 10 mg twice a day for about two years for my anxiety and raising heart beat. My heart health is absolutely ok no any problem. I have no such a problem now, but when I withdraw my doses gradually, after one month I am feeling some symptoms like palpitation (not more than 100), headache with raising blood pressure to 95/150 and sometimes mild chest pain. Could you please tell me how I can withdraw metoprolol safely?

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Abu be very careful with Metoprolol. Your doctor should be watching as you wean off it. They have other medications that can help. It has a rebound effect at times. Means that your heart rate and blood pressure can become very high and our low. Hope you do all right. I dislike the medicine but it's helping me so I continue it in hopes to change it to a non beta blocker.

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If Iam highly allergic to sulfur should I be taking metoprolol succ ER ??? After four days of 25 mg a day I was feeling all the affects of allergic reaction to sulfur .plz let me know asap

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It was hard for me.. if i knew the effects id never started it..coming off i was sooo depressed, crying, self worth was sooo low i was suicidal. It took 3- 4 weeks and i was only on it a year..water, water...doctor was noooo help..thought i was crazy. I knew it was the med..i never felt nothing like that before or since...

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As far as loosing weight while on them is a no win situation. Also hair loss. I knew nothing about drugs when put on them 20 yrs ago for no good reason. I have not been well since. And never had a weight problem which is not much but I eat very little always have. Am getting off of them somehow. So angry was never told about side effects and I was raised on natural remedies. Wish I'd known the poison I was put on. Getting off no matter what. Ruined my health and life too long.

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I'm also coming down from metoprolol addiction. Only took it for about six weeks or two months. First time I tried to come off, withdrawal was so bad that I started it again temporarily. But this time went from 25mg 1x/da to 12.5mg 1x/da for three days, then stopped. Symptoms are not so bad this time.

As others have said, this is a no-win drug. It only treats conditions that are better managed by losing weight and becoming more active, but metoprolol itself makes those impossible. I'm convinced that a large part of the withdrawal is caused by the drug masking its own symptoms if taken at the 25mg or 50mg dosage. Below that, the symptoms hit when there isn't enough drug left in your system to mask them.

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Same thing is happening to me since my doctor weaned me off metoprolol I have withdrawal issues too. With research I found this is true. I have been off almost 2 months. I am a lot better. It was a bad drug for me. I was weaned from 50 mg over time to 6.25 for a couple of weeks then stopped. So he slowly took me off. Now I am almost my old self again. But I was put on losartan 50 mg in its place.

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Good luck and congrats on having a doctor willing to help you get off it. None of mine were interested in helping me quit safely, despite my practically begging them. Still having a few issues waking in the middle of the night with a vibrating sensation, but I'm coming to think that may be due to nerve damage from a cardiologist's experiment with propafenone (a story for another time).

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Hi Glenda. I'm on day two of what will be a 6 week taper schedule of this horrible drug. I've been on it a year. 50 in am, 50 in pm. Ended up in ER. Have gained 30lbs and a long list of side effects; only I thought my having MS was the culprit. It's this poison!! I'm concerned about everything I've read about coming off, the struggles being dangerous, but I've planned out a six week taper that my doctor approved. I wish I had known about this sooner. I should've researched it better. It makes me sick that I ever started this medication. I was given this truck for high blood pressure which my pressure has always run a bit high but I don't believe I actually had that diagnosis. It's always high at the doctor's office which I know people dismiss but I truly believe it was a little bit of white coat hypertension and my doc was afraid of the numbers. I never should have agreed to this drug. I have a Xanax to get through if there's any anxiety issues to this taper issue. I just can't believe how sick I've been over the last year and this has been the culprit all along. Thankful I found this website and can read about other people's experiences, and know I'm not alone. How's everything going for you so far?

Thanks

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HAS ANYONE ON METROPOLOL SUCCINATE HAVE LEG PAINS ? I AM ON 100MG A DAY AND HAVE HAD TERRIBLE LEG PAINS DIFFICULTY WITH WALKING AND SEVERE FATIGUE.I TOO WISH I NEVER TOOK THIS DRUG I AM DIETING WATCHING MY WEIGHT AND ITS DIFFICULT TO GET EXERCISE WHEN MY LEGS CONSTANTLY ACHE. ANY INPUT WOULD BE APPRECIATED JMR

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Re: MARIE (# 16)

Marie,

How long have you been taking the metoprolol? Did you start taking it recently, or have you been on it for some time now?

You can alternate Tylenol with an NSAID (Advil, Aleve, or Aspirin) for the leg pain.

Somnolence/fatigue is a common side effect of any beta blocker, metoprolol included. If the pain you describe fits the bill of myalgia, it may just be a manifestation of that fatigue you are experiencing, particularly if it’s a new drug for you. If it’s been at least two weeks since you started it, though, then we definitely want to get you feeling better. Your doctor should have no problem switching you to propranolol (or comparable), depending on the condition for which the pressors were originally prescribed (I’m assuming hypertension).

Best of luck.

Lucas, MD

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I never had anxiety in my life until I tried to stop taking metoprolol, I’m still at 100 mg a day because every time I try to cut it down I start getting anxious especially on the freeway and my eyesight gets worse. I’m glad you have been able to remove it, maybe try mediation and/or prayer. Good luck ??

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I was only on it for 5 days, metoprolol 25, so I stopped suddenly I didn’t think I’d have withdrawals. Boy am I wrong, it’s terrible, fast crazy heartbeat, shaky scared I read Valium could help but I’m afraid of getting hacked on that.I’m small and not overweight. I don’t want to go to the er, help is there any help?

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Re: Suzanne (# 2)

I didn’t know this could hang around in the fat cells. My hair is falling out a lot.

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