Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 19)

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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I have another question or two if someone doesn't mind answering them. First, I've been trying to wean myself off of Metorprolol since Tuesday (25mg to 12.5mg twice daily). The symptoms are worsening with each passing day. Is this common?

Secondly, the chest pain can be pretty horrendous sometimes. I've already visited the ER twice because of it, but they haven't found anything wrong. While I know some of you are having episodes of chest pain, I'm just wondering how severe do they get? To me it often feels as though I'm on the borderline of having a heart attack, but I feel like a fool going into the ER again. Is this just something that I have to endure and to tough out until I'm finally off of this nasty stuff? Thanks in advance!

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Hi Bee......sorry I missed your last post before replying. I don't have anything wrong with my heart, so I should be good to go on some of the herbal remedies once I get off the Metoprolol.

I know what you mean about living indoors, though. For the past two weeks I haven't wanted to see anybody or do anything outside of my home. I'm an avid cyclist, too, but I don't dare ride for the fear of my heart acting up. In fact, I was riding my bike two weeks ago when I realized that something was awry with my health. It never occurred to me that it might be the meds until I had everything else checked out. I do know that I can't let this drug control my life, but perhaps that's easier said than done. Still, I'm hoping to completely free myself of it by next weekend.

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Jimbo.. you might be getting off too quickly .. It took me a year to get off this stuff.. and since I was highly allergic I couldn't just cut the pills so what I did was at first extend the time I took the first pill.. so say I took my first dose at 9 am I would then extend that time to 9:30 am and then maybe a few days later 10 am.. and then remain on a dose until I felt more stable.. when I felt stable I cut the dose but that might have taken me three months to be on one dose.. after all of that I still had horrific side effects............there are some amino acids you can take now. Just check the interactions.. I know I took L theanine when I was on (M) and Taurine and you can check the L Arginine. The L theanine helps with the adrenal rushes and stress and anxiety.. you can also take a tablespoon of unsulphered organic black strap molasses as it can stop racing heart or magnesium.. Motherwort is another herb that calms the palpitations..

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Bee, I sincerely feel for what you've been going through, and all I can think is that the last year must've been total hell for you. I honestly don't know how you've managed to do it for this long. I'm probably fortunate that I'm not feeling any allergic reactions from Metoprolol, but it has certainly fouled up my entire central nervous system and then some. Also, I have a job that requires commitments with clients plus a considerable amount of travel time, so there's just no way I can let this awful drug dictate my life for any length of time. I can probably buy some time through the month of June, but that's about it.

My plan is to wean myself off the best I possibly can while not going off abruptly. I've already experienced some very scary moments (severe angina, anxiety, etc.) when I knew that taking more of the drug would remedy the situation, but I need to persevere regardless of what it takes. I'm now on day 6 of my 12.5mg/2x-daily routine, and I'm as stable as I've been during that time. Day 1 and 2 were fairly rough while day 3 and 4 became pure hell. Day 5 was considerably better and today is actually tolerable......not good by any means, but tolerable. I sense that I should remain on this dose for a few more days, at which time I'll go to 6mg/2x-daily for a few more days and perhaps one dose of 6mg daily just before quitting. The notion of quitting by next weekend may indeed be pushing it, but my intention is to be completely off of this garbage by the end of this month (May). I'm really beginning to believe that the withdrawal experience of this drug really isn't all that much different than those of many hard narcotic drugs. A person just can't continue feeding it if he or she seriously wants to get beyond it. Needless to say, I'm expecting some less that desirable days in the very near future.

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thank you so much Jimbo.... I had to go off slowly because everytime I cut back I would experience racing heart and I wasn't even moving.. Also the shakes really bad and the other side effects.. being I was on a lot like 100mgs. maybe it was worse for me.. I even at one point had to back track .. I had gone down to 75mgs. and was okay for a few weeks but as soon as I cut down to 50mgs. I had a host of issues so I went back up again to 75 and stayed there for a bit longer... yes it was quite an awful experience but I hung in there.. I am semi retired so I didn't have to go to a job but it def. stopped my life for awhile and since I live in New York I was missing out on so many fun things lol. but .. I just kept going.... One night was so bad I had to get up out of bed and go to bathroom and I couldn't breathe at all. I thought I was a goner lol... then my heart started racing like crazy and it took me awhile to get my heart rate down.. some days I couldn't even get it down and the shakes were so bad.. I would have to wait until the next day to sleep.. oh; so many things but hopefully you will do fine.. Just be careful.. and watch your side effects..

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Thanks once again for your thoughts, Bee! As the day goes on here, I've been contemplating another trip to the ER. I felt stable for a while, but the chest pressure and dizziness has become much more difficult to handle. Even my throat has tightened up while making it more difficult to breathe. I'm going to ride the day out the best I can, but I was really hoping that things would stabilize a little better today. You know, this is the very worst health issue I've ever had to experience, and I'm a healthy guy.

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Jimbo..Oh; Dear. I am so sorry ..............well if you feel like you need the E.R. then go but not sure what they can do... anyway; I would suggest getting to the health food store or order something online. Tell the nutritionist at the health food store about your issues and they can lead you to buy the right supplements.. You need magnesium and some amino acids and you must look into this and take these things.. these things must have saved me while I was weaning.. You can also look into acupuncture and anything to lessen the symptoms.. all they will do in hospital is give you more drugs.. you don't want that.............I would highly suggest going down more slowly.. what is the rush.. It took me a year........because I wanted the least side effects and wanted to survive.......... hope you feel better soon........

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Bee, thanks for your concern and for all your tips, but I think I'll be okay. I'm not going to allow for myself to be anything but okay. In fact, after a horrible afternoon on Sunday followed by a much better evening, this morning I decided to go the cold turkey route and rid myself of these f'ing meds once and for all. I'm just not going to allow them to beat me. My wife already had some L'Arginine on hand, and we have magnesium, too. I also loaded up on various decaf teas, fruits, veggies, etc., and I'll lay off anything that could possibly cause any agitation or raise blood pressure, particularly sodium. Believe it or not, I'm actually feeling better now than I have for the past several days, so perhaps having this poison somewhat out of my system is a good thing. I fully anticipate that some rocky moments may occur, but I feel ready to take them on. At the very worst, I always have the meds to fall back on or to call 911, but I think I'm ready. Wish me luck!

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Jimbo, you wrote, "Then my PR dropped from an average of around 65 or 70 to around 50, and I began to experience dizziness, headaches, chest pain, tingling in my left arm, etc., etc. For whatever reason my BP remained fairly normal." What's PR?

Metoprolol is a beta blocker, which is short for "beta-adrenergic blocker", i.e., it down-regulates the sympathetic nervous system, which means it inhibits the fight-or-flight response. This helps to control blood pressure and/or palpitations in those of us for whom these conditions are the result of chronic stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, which isn't everybody. The trouble is, sometimes you actually need the sympathetic nervous system to kick in, and when it doesn't, you have trouble.

Example: Some weeks ago I had to drive for several hours and, for various reasons, wasn't able to stop for a meal. So I missed lunch and dinner and didn't have any free time until 10 pm. Normally (i.e., without M in my body), I'd just be very hungry under these conditions. On this occasion, however, I found myself so weak and lightheaded I thought I would faint. Reason: When you don't eat, your blood glucose goes down and your body uses the sympathetic nervous system to signal to the liver to release stored glucose, to bring it back up. But the M inhibits that process, and the result is serious hypoglycemia, which can itself be scary. Then the fear makes me start sweating and I'm on my way into a full-fledged panic attack.

Or I'd get up in a hurry from my desk and start walking at a brisk pace to do something. A minute or so in, I'd feel that lightheaded weak feeling again, because the M was interfering with my body's ability to signal my heart to work harder.

At the gym, it would take me forever to "warm up," but the gym is a controlled environment and I'd instinctively remain within my M-inhibited comfort zone. If I were a cyclist, needing to do sudden surges of high-intensity exertion, I think it would've been ugly.

Anyway, what seems to happen in many of us is that when you reduce or stop the beta blocker, you experience an exaggerated sympathetic nervous system rebound. After the M is out of your system, it's as if that beach ball that you were holding under water (your heart activity), comes flying up and out of the water, and the least little exertion or mental stress causes you to experience a full throttle state of fight-or-flight arousal. At least, that's what I experienced on the third day after my last half-dose.

In my case, this rebound effect didn't last too long, but I think that's in part thanks to some of the suggestions I read here: L-theanine, magnesium, blackstrap molasses, hawthorne. Meditation is very helpful too. Just knowing that you're not unraveling but only experiencing a rebound is a huge help. Fear is our worst enemy.

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Well, Bee......you were correct in taking things a little more slowly. I was just fine all day yesterday until late afternoon when I just couldn't take the chest pressure any longer. It seems to be getting better, but it looks as though I'll likely be on about 6 to 8 mgs twice daily for another week or so before attempting to get off of the dreaded "M." For the most part, I can handle the anxiety, dizziness, shortness of breath, heart palps, etc., but the angina is downright scary. Even though my arteries all checked out perfectly about four years ago via a traditional heart cath angio exam, my cardiologist did set up another cardiac CT angiogram for tomorrow just to rule out any possibility of heart disease. Needless to say, I'm just hoping it's this med only that's causing the problems.

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wow I hope you feel better... I wont tell you what to do but I would def. not rush this.. and I still believe in going down more slowly.. A week to me is not enough time.. I was having issues after 6 months of weaning but I was on 100 mgs. to start.. so I waited it out .. I listened to my body and it said take all the time you need.. so it took me a year.................if you get a chance read through the other posts and you will get an idea of the severity of this drug.. I know I couldn't believe it myself but I experiences it first hand.. Please read up on nutrition and herbs and vitamins.. Doctors wont help and will only give you more diagnostics and more drugs.. I would highly recommend a naturopathic heart doctor or acupuncture or anything more natural than western medicine.... if all else fails then okay western medicine but listen to your heart, listen to your body.. and do what is best for you... but please look into the natural stuff first. You will be surprised. I was shocked when I had palpitations and then took some Motherwort (herb) and hawthorne and they just went away.. or a dash of sea salt in water stops palpitations in seconds.. I haven't had a palpitation in months and when I was on the (M) I had them all the time.. makes no sense when the drugs is supposed to stop palps....

PS.. also look up Dr. Stephen Sinatra. He is a integrative cardiologist and has written some good books and he has a website.... check him out. I now take magnesium, L carnitine and COQ10 as prevention .. its called metabolic cardiology.. good luck and keep us updated..

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Thanks again for all of your help, Bee! It's really appreciated! I'll definitely look into a more natural approach to remedying these things. You're right about the doctors, too, for I'm unable to get any information from them without feeling as though I'm insulting them. My ultimate goal, though, is to simply get off this drug simply because I no longer need a BP med. I never imagined that it would be this difficult.

As far as taking my time, I may not have that luxury unless I'm willing to lose work over the next couple of months. Plus, I'm very active in cycling, hiking, walking, etc., and now I can barely walk the length of a single city block. I've never had to be as confined to my home on a daily basis as I am now, and I'm just losing my patience. Perhaps it'll take longer than I hope, but I honestly don't see why it should take me any longer than about two more weeks as long as I continue to wean myself off carefully and consistently.

I've also read the majority of the postings on this thread, and what really baffles me is how some people can literally go cold turkey with few or no side effects while others need to wean themselves off over a rather extended period of time. I know everybody is different, but there really isn't a clear and consistent withdrawal pattern.

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It has been 15 days since I have not had a beta blocker. I stopped taking Bystolic 5 mg on 5/5/15. I was on Bystolic for a week. Prior to that I took Metoprolol ER 50 mg for 14 nights. The last time I posted on here was on 5/11/15. All of the side effects have gone away except insomnia and anxiety upon waking up which last throughout the morning. I was prescribed Amlodipine Besylate 10 mg (Norvasc) and took it for about a week. Norvasc did lower my blood pressure but did nothing to help with beta blocker withdrawal. I had a rapid heartbeat up to 118 bpm. I called the Cardiologist and he put me on Diltiazem 120 mg (Cardizem). I have not taken it because I'm afraid of side effects. My pressure has been fine since I have not taken any meds for the last few days.I don't know about Western medicine myself. Goodluck to everyone. I don't care what the docs sya about beta blokcers leaving your system in a few days you will still go through withdrawal symptoms. Some more severe than others.

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Hi Jimbo, Sherrie here :) Sorry to hear about your trouble going through all of this, I'm not sure of the reason you were prescribed the metoprolol, mine was for AFIB, but/and this is my 5th day off after 2 1/2 months on and "Yes" the angina was a bit rough for me as well during the 1st 2 days after stopping & then the pain occured mostly during the night time hours.. But/& what I did was to take 3-325mg aspirin, 300 mg CO-Q 10 & 400 mg Magnesium 1st thing in the morning. I also had to borrow one of my husbands high BP pills (Enalapril 20mg) the 1st couple of days to get my blood pressure down & I began drinking the hell out of Green Tea and water alternating btwn both. I kept the restroom pretty occupied for the first 3 days but I tell ya what, I have lost 3 inches and I feel human again. I walked a mile today w/o any trbl's... Not sure where you live but I suggest some place such as a Doctors Nutrition... Texas has a great D.N. with tons of natural approaches you might seek out.

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(lol) sorry but yeah kiddo, you totally have to back track thru that muddy path all over again to get back to where you were in the 1st place... Not sure how long you have been taking the M but, I suggest @one reading this TAKE CO-Q10... First thing in the AM I take 3-325 mg aspirin (I have thick blood so, listen to your own body here), 300 mg CO-Q10 & 400 mg Magnesium (I buy from Doctors Nutrition) Drink Green tea & H2O ...walk as much as you can at a comfy pace, rest when your body tells you to & stay away from stress. This would be a great time to look into Yoga. I haven't YET but, "Lord willing I am soon." I have been walking started slow & increased... After 5 days my L. arm and leg/feet are a little tingly/jello but I feel like a human again.. PS, I was only on this crud for 2 1/2 months for AFIB & I am still saying prayers for those on here who I am quite sure are going through hell getting off of this poo poo stuff.

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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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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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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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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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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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