Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 109)
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i've been taking metoprolol for several years as partial treatment for high blood pressure. through diet and exercise, i've lowered my BP to the point my doctor says drop the metoprolol.

i did, 3 days ago, and i'm soooo tired, dizzy, irritable, and my vision is blurred.

is this withdrawal? how long will it last?

i remember starting this medication was terrible to get used to. it appears that stopping it is just as bad.

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And oh......I should also add that my CT angiogram came out well, so other than some traces of plaque buildup, which is apparently normal for someone my age, it doesn't appear as though my angina issues are due to heart disease of any kind. I've never had angina until just three weeks ago when I started having issues with this drug, so who knows?

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Well, folks, it looks as though I'm back to square one. After having a cardiac CT angiogram on Wednesday that required 25mg of M plus an additional 5mg during the procedure, it totally threw off any consistency I had developed in the weaning process. The only way for me to remain stable is to be back on my 25mg 2x-daily routine. Even at that I seem to have developed a greater sense of anxiety.

So, I think I've pretty much concluded that I'm in trouble. It seems that I'm going to need some serious self-discipline in which I also seem to be in short supply of at the moment, or I may need some supervision of some kind. I'm going to opt for the former, but I'm also quite aware that I have a highly sensitive to this drug, so it isn't going to be easy by any means.

You know, if a drug problem becomes out of control due to a self-induced infliction of sorts, we only have ourselves to blame. But, when a drug such as Metoprolol comes along and is prescribed to us at the recommendation of a respected physician, I really have to question how our healthcare system works sometimes. Even after speaking with numerous doctors and pharmacists for the past two or three weeks, very few of them have heard of any problems with using beta blockers. But yet, one only needs to look at this forum to fully understand that there are many of us out there who share this horrible dependency with the drug. I just never saw this coming.

So, I guess the weaning process begins again, but this time I think I'll have to take it in baby steps. I felt pretty close to being becoming stable at about 12.5mg 2x-daily, so that's my immediate goal once again.

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Be careful cutting the Metoprolol in half if it is ER(extended release). There is a coating on it. I did it with a 50 mg dose was dropped to 25mg. Ended up in ER with tachycardia!! I am a nurse and the doctors nurse v told me I could do it!! I questioned it and followed her advice. Wished I had not when I ended up in hospital for a ER visit!

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Sherri I will try what you recommended 5HTP and such. I will let you know how it goes. I won't be taking L Theanine again. I only took one capsule 100 mg last night at 11 p.m. My heart rate has been jumping around from upper 90's to lower 100's. My bp has been fluctuating but is much better now that I'm lying down. I will keep you updated.

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Nice to hear from you & anxiety is like breathing to me lol.. "just comes natural: ;) but I tell ya what mama, I challenge you to try 5HTP first & if you can add 1 more into your budget I HIGHLY recommend L-Tyrosine. Put together they are like gold in a bottle. The 5HTP is good for a myriad of ailments such as anxiety, depression, lowers cortisol, ADD, ADHD and onward... The 1st time I took the 5HTP I waited and it was no more than an hour when I noticed that I felt calm, more relaxed & GF the L-Tyrosine is UHH-MAY-ZING... I am soo not kidding you. If you need help with 'focus/concentration' dear Lord please give it a try. I buy mine at the Doctors Nutrition here which I love so much b/c they WORK. This particular branch offers 1-5 samples for free to try (which I admire)... I tell ya another thing I tried this past cpl weeks to better my health and that was to cut back on caffeine. I eat coffee lol ...Here it's a food not a drink HAH ;) sooo, I was tired a lot but I feel soo much better now...Well, hon, hang in there... I promise the 5HTP WILL WORK! and ALL the better For y-o-u if you can add in the L-Tyrosine Please let me know how you are doing... like I told Jimbo, Now I will be thinking about all youz guys ;)~~ ciao gf

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Jimbo.. well I would first check interactions.. I took the L Arginine because I was having angina effects with withdrawal.. I don't think you can take M with Hawthorn although I did and nothing happened.. But use your own judgement and research things yourself.

Oh; well my heart rate is good and I still take the Arginine.. Its for bp and prevention. and brings oxygen to the heart. I figure it cant hurt... maybe you could start small and see what happens. I don't think amino acids will hurt .. you can also try it and see what happens.. we all need something as we age as the body depletes of nutrients.. the food doesn't have the same nutrients it did years ago. the soil is depleted of nutrients.. the water is compromised so that is why I supplement.. but use your own judgement and research and study... but I do know everyone needs COQ10 and magnesium as we age for the heart.. hawthorn cant hurt as its a food unless it interacts with something..........I would much rather not see a doctor and do prevention .. oh and yes I mentioned like someone on here the Theanine for anxiety, stress and the adrenal rushes. that I would def. use now along with the weaning.

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Sherri yes I do have kids. We women can put up with alot. The the first week coming off M I was shaking so bad. The anxiety is horrible. I did not give into anti anxiety meds. I have Klonopin to take on an as needed basis that was rx to me a year ago. I only took one pill last year. After reading about benzo addiction I freaked out so I took L Theanine instead. I have not taken L Theanine since last year. Since I had not been sleeping well I decided to take L Theanine 100 mg at 11 p.m. I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to get my kids ready for school. I checked my bp after being up for about 20 minutes. It was 141/81 and bpm went up to 112. It has calmed down now. I still have not taken my Ditliazem 120 mg because I'm afraid of side effects plus I am still withdrawing from beta blockers.Today has been 16 days since I had it. The only thing I suffer from is anxiety mainly upon waking and insomnia. The Pharmacist told me to take Benadryl for withdrawals but I don't want to get addicted. How long will this anxiety and insomnia last? Mind you it's been 16 days since my last beta blocker. I was on beta blockers for 3 weeks. Am I experiencing an adrenaline surge in the morning when I experience anxiety upon waking? I'm at my wits end with this.

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Bee, just to clarify, you started the L-Arginine and the Hawthorn after you were off of the Metoprolol, correct? One problem I'm having at the moment is that my BP and pulse rate have been too low while on M, so it seems I shouldn't be taking supplements such as L-Arginine along with M since it could potentially lower my BP and pulse even further. I fully intend to start on the L once I'm off the M, though.

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Hi Jimbo... lol at least your keeping your sense of humor through this ;) & if your surprised that the Dr's thought you were crazy don't at all feel bad b/c they pretty much took one look at me and laughed too. But I know my own body as I truly believe that by bearing children women learn early on to 'listen' to their own bodies. Men not so much (I dnt think???) anyway, I've read some very touching remarks on here as well as some wonderful all natural advice... If your pocketbook allows, "Go the Natural route by all means" ... I'd much rather change my lifestyle through diet and exercise than take any med's out there. (I will be NOT taking aspirin as soon as my pocketbook fills out a bit... aspirin is cheaper lol) well, Jimbo, I sure have been praying for you guys as Im walking up at the walking track in the am... I wish everyone Good health & a Joyful soul... One thing to remember is No one has ever overdosed on good food supplements. I myself go to Doctors Nutrition. Texas has one. K, caio.. & "Please DO POST & let us know how you are faring!" I'll be wondering about you all lol :)

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Yes Jimbo.. I have already suggested the L Argenine.. I take 500 mgs. in morning and 500 at night......along with Hawthorn.. Amino acids are life savers along with yes the COQ10 .. Green tea is good but you can also get the L theanine capsules. they have same ingredients as green tea..

Oh; forgot to add...........My life is improving after so long....... I started doing light cardio and I am walking again and getting out more and more. without issues........I am feeling so much better........My heart rate is in normal range.. Havent had a palp in months and my anxiety and shakes are just about gone... although I think symptoms can last for up to a year...........I am sleeping through the night .. the big test will be trying to ride my bike without issues..

I probably wouldn't do the aspirin but that is a personal decision.. I would much rather look into willow bark (natural) or cayenne... I don't do cayenne as it raises my blood pressure so be careful if you try it..........I do leave some by my bed at night with water.. supposed to stop a heart attack in its tracks.. just do your own research.. cayenne can thin the blood .. I do use hot sauce though on food..

Organic BRAGGS apple cidar vinegar in water once a day can also thin the blood..and eat up some fat and plaque.. and also lower blood pressure..

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Michael I forgot to mention to you to research L-Arginine "and then get you some of it." I personally know of Doctors who take this for their own Heart Health. K, didn't want to leave out even a tidbit jic it might help ny1 on here ... ciao

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Thanks for your thoughts, Sherrie! I'm in search of a good doctor as we speak. It's good to hear that you're off of the big "M." Actually, my BP isn't high at all these days, quite the contrary. Through diet and exercise, I managed to get my BP and pulse rate much lower.......too low with Metoprolol. That's the primary reason why I need to get off of it. It's probably the reason why it no longer agrees with my system, too. For whatever reason, one day about three weeks ago I felt like crap, and it's been getting worse ever since. Until my first trip to the ER, I had no idea it might've been the meds. In fact, the ER doctor said I was too fit to be there. I think his final thought was that I was pretty much out of my mind.......LOL. Most of these doctors don't suspect that Metoprolol may indeed be the problem.

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Hi HBP Mama, lol (assuming you also have children) I truly believe that womens bodies prior to giving birth are MUCH MORE immune to overall bodily pain???? How about you??? It seems you kept a level head until you achieved your goal in completely quitting the M??? (curtsey madam) ;)

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Hi Michael "YES" you are experiencing the withdrawal symptoms."Hang in there! Don't give in to it!" Take an aspirin (I take 3- 350 mg 1st thing in the am) to keep your blood thin (Dr told me the sudden absence of M can cause Blood clots) So, no problem take the damn aspirin. Drink plenty H2O (& green tea is 1 of Gods own Detox agents so make some hot tea & drink up) CO-Q10 (I take 300 mg. Everyone over 40 should take CO-Q10), Magnesium 400 mg. (Israeli Dr's give Magnesium intravenously to their Heart attack patients!) The main thing is to "Listen to your body." rest when you feel tired but try to walk as much as is comfy to you. It will hep move your innards around in conjunction with all that wonderful H2O, green tea & Magnesium you've been consuming and you will begin to pass that JUNK out of your body and feel better with every passing day. I QUITtaking Metoprolol last Thursday (5/14/15) and it was hell. BTW, My own overall health is GREAT. My initial prescription was to treat my AFIB which, is very treatable 'IF' one has Ins. AND the $

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Hello Jimbo, Sherrie here, "Get yourself to a decent doctor that will help you wean OFF this crud." If you were my only son I'd tell you NOT to take this medicine unless it was your last choice btwn living & dying. You have high BP and there are lifestyle changes for anyone willing to give them a shot to help lower the BP. I'm sure you are going through hell so take my advice above. Sorry I can't offer more advice but you need med. attention from a Dr. that will care enough to listen to your needs & desires. Be willing to get 2nd & 3rd opinions if Dr. #1 won't help you attain your goal.

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Jimbo. I am not sure what you are trying to say but thinking you can always go back to the original dose and then work your way down again .. okay I first started on 100 mgs... then I cut that down to 75 and waited a few months until I felt stable at 75... when I felt stable with no side effects I cut down to 50 .. I stayed on 50 for three months but when I cut down to 25 that was way too much.. So instead I cut down to 34 which was really tough to figure out but I did it. If cutting it down doesn't work then extend the time you take it.. Your body is addicted to this drug so you have to get the drug out of the body as slowly as possible, otherwise there's bad side effects. ............YOU CANNOT RUSH THIS.........I know how you feel.. I had a very active life.. I was walking two miles a day, riding my bike going out, having a life and bam my life was stopped for a whole year.. All I could do was a few errands and that was controlled around the drug... I don't work but I couldn't even work if I wanted to..............most weekends I stayed in and watched movies and videos.. When I planned something and that day came my heart might race and go bonkers so I had to cancel a lot of things... Just hang in there, one day at a time... Backtrack if you have to.............I did that twice.........and get some L theanine for stress and anxiety and nerves. Also magnesium for stress.. go to health food store and tell them the issues and see what they can sell you .. oh; and TMI.. many nights I couldn't sleep and I would have to go to bathroom too and prayed I would make it downstairs .. right away my heart would pound like crazy.. and I would have the shakes so bad I couldn't take much more.. one night I had to pee in a garbage bag in my room it was so bad.............I kept sea salt and water and all of my bags of tricks next to my bed .............It was a very trying year but it was worth it.. ..You can do this...........I kept saying I wont let this drug control me.. you can also meditate and do EFT tapping.. look it up on youtube .. EFT helped with heart stuff and sleeping and anxiety... There are also some good youtube videos on withdrawing from drugs and yes this is a drug.. I got some good tips there too.. keep us updated and good luck today..............

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Hello again! I think I need a little more advice if you don't mind. After trying to get off the "M" last Monday, I think I may have thrown my dosage balance way out of sync. I'm feeling as though I'm in a constant state of being on the edge and unable to sleep. It's almost like being on the edge of a panic attack or something to that effect. At any rate, for those of you who've been there, how do I get my dosage back on track? I've been at 12.5mg twice daily for the past week, but I'm apparently getting a full 25mg dose or more today for my cardiac CT scan. That certainly won't help matters. I have a feeling I've gotten myself in some trouble by being too anxious to get off this stuff. I really don't know how some of you have done it.

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TCM.........sorry I missed this, too but PR = pulse rate. I'm not sure if that's well-known as an abbreviation or not.

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TCM, I'm not sure how I missed your message earlier, but that was a great and informative post! Thank you!

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Hi Sherrie! Metoprolol was originally prescribed to me for mild hypertension. Through diet and exercise, I've since lowered my BP and PR to a point where I no longer need BP medicine. In fact, one of my doctors felt that my low pulse rate (upper 40s) and low BP rate could potentially become dangerous, so he thought I should get off of it altogether. Of course, it's much easier said than done.

Bee, I spoke with another doctor today who thought I should wean off slowly since it appears I'm very sensitive to the drug. I guess some have it easier simply because their sensitivity level isn't quite the same. I'm just upset with myself for not checking into this drug before I started it. The information was out there, but I guess I put some unfound faith into my doctor.

So, I guess the slow process begins, but for the life of me I never saw this coming. It's just odd how the quality of life has just sunk from from an all-time high to an all-time low. It's really quite depressing, to say the least. Most importantly, though, I need to build the strength to get beyond this.

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