Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 21) (Top voted first)

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 had 3 good days. Then yesterday (day 12 off metoprolol) I felt funky all day with chest pain, racing pulse and BP fluctuating. That same burning in the heart region I had when "adjusting" to the metoprolol. Heart would not calm down. At 330 pm I took a shower to calm down and my pulse spikes to 135 with BP climbing. I went to the Er and they did a bunch of tests with everything normal. My body is struggling to adjust to life without the beta blocker, life without thyroid medicine (first time in 20 years) and my poor heart is working hard. Of course the Er doctor says "you need a beta blocker" and "you just have a high heart rate". Of course he says "2 weeks is too long for this to be withdrawals". Well for 3 days my BP was perfect (days 9-12 off the metoprolol) and resting pulse was up to 75 from 65 on the metoprolol. Today I just said ok, I'm gonna beat this. I did a mile on the treadmill and my heart rate stayed between 110-115, so that's good. My BP is fluctuating a bit today but not too high. I'm resting. Seeing heart rates in the 70's and 80's resting rather than 90's and 100's yesterday. This journey is horrific. Thank you Bee for sharing your experience. I'm praying my body adjusts soon, this is exhausting and terrifying. I'm so tired of feeling bad. My family is terrified as well. I see a new doctor next week and am hoping he can shed some light on my situation that doesn't require more medication. I'm 55 and 5'3, 138 pounds and Have always been active and in fairly good health. I want my old life back.

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Hang in there Anita. When I first went to the ER when my mess started, I too had a really high heart rate. Just walking around it was 120 ish. The only thing that has corrected that fit me has been excercise and watching what I eat. Otherwise I woulda had to stay on a drug.

I run 1.7 miles minimum every two days now. Then I do 60-100 jumping jacks. I also get 20 minutes of full sun for vitamin d. I never miss a running day and if you do, never go more than 72 hours before u excercise again so u don't lose the benefit you gained the last time.

My pulse now when I'm just sitting is in the 50's and when I'm walking it's like 60-80.

Just don't over do it. You have to take small steps in your excercise regimen. And keep your heart rate in a safe range. Stop anytime u feel pain and start again.

Good luck . Hang in there.

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Hi Tony,

How long did it take for you to feel like the effects of the metoprolol were gone? I guess I'm just eager to be well. I had a hard time "adjusting" to it in the first place, didn't feel well on it, and now it's still causing problems for me. thank you for your sharing. How long did it take for your body to start handling the adrenaline in a "normal" way? I think the anxiety about where I am also works against me! I did feel good walking today and look forward to doing a little more each day and having real life health benefits. When I did the treadmill on the metoprolol my pulse never went above 90. It just deadened all aspects of my life. It's hard to remain hopeful when it seems that the recovery is slow at best. I have high blood pressure, this isn't rocket science. I want to trust my body again and have a life. How long will this adjustment phase last?

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Day 14 no Metoprolol: I had a good day yesterday. Resting pulse in the low 70's. Did the treadmill and pulse ranged 110-115. I felt good??? I felt GOOD!!!! I took 10mg lisinopril only and my BP was normal all day. It can be done. I had a call from an old friend who happens to have been a physician (at one point) and he was horrified by my ordeal. He agreed that doctors today listen for "patterns" and spend that 5 minute appointment with you thinking of the best medicine to prescribe. I added that they don't even look at you but instead they stare at their Ipad (I think they are playing video games).They don't listen to you or take the time to think. We have to do that and be our own advocates. Doctors prescribe medicine and medical procedures, think about it!. He also agreed with me that the Metoprolol could take a month or more to "clear the liver". I have been drinking water with lemon juice in the morning to help cleanse my liver and get this poison out of my body. My plan is to get exercise every day and get back in touch with my body, start to trust if again and try and stop being afraid. Even if I have a rebound symptom, at this point I know it's not going to kill me so I need to control the anxiety response which just adds to the problem. It's hard to do, but once I can turn to corner and not be afraid of the BP spikes and racing heart, I'm going to be much better off. All of those drugs make you afraid of your own body and you begin to believe that you need them. He also said that Metoprolol should never be used except as a last resort with someone who has had a major heart attack or something. So those of us who were given it like candy did not receive good care. I'm feeling encouraged today, although I was in the ER 3 days ago. :) we do need to be patient for this to get out of our bodies, and keep weaning from the bad drugs. I know that some conditions do need treatment and I'm not completely anti drug, but only when medically necessary and only then with full disclosure of the risks. Watch TV, those drug ads tell you right up front that the side effects are often worst than the "condition" they are meant to treat.

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Anita, that's great to hear! I've been a little worried about you. You're doing the right thing; just continue to ride it out until you're feeling back to normal again. If you're anything like me, you'll have a few rebound effects from time to time, but once you have a good day - then another - you begin to realize that you've gotten past the worst of it, and your confidence will only grow stronger. If I remember correctly, my last real bad day was around July 10th, so it's been about a month now that I've been feeling pretty good. I still get a heart palp along with some slight chest pressure on rare occasion, but I hardly notice it now. The key for me was just to tough it out long enough without any prescription meds until the symptoms began to subside.

Funny thing is, my primary doctor initially prescribed this crap for two reasons: one for having a slight degree of hypertension, and the other for calming my nerves for live performance purposes (I'm a musician). I didn't really need the drug for either, but I also didn't recognize the harm in taking it. Long story short, after two years of being on the 'M', I eventually lost enough weight and became fit enough that my hypertension issues disappeared. As a result, my blood pressure and pulse rate dropped far too low to be healthy, so I simply needed to get off the Metoprolol. Needless to say, the struggle of getting off the med wasn't an experience I had counted on. It was over two months of hell, but I guess I consider myself lucky when considering that it's taken much longer for some people here.

Anyway, please keep letting us know how it's going for you.

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Toonces, like yourself, I've had some weird issues while I was on Metoprolol, too, particularly with tingling in my left hand. My spine specialist thought it was due to some bone spurs pinching nerves in my neck, so I thought nothing more of it other than to do stretches and whatnot. Once I got off the drug, though, the tingling sensations totally disappeared. I never thought it could be a result of the Metoprolol, but now I'm quite sure that it was. This is some terribly nasty stuff.

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Day 16 no Metoprolol and the fog is lifting, my energy is returning and I am feeling more stable. What a huge relief. This has been the most terrifying 6 months of my life. Patience, patience and more patience. I have become aware that I have now developed a subtle case of anxiety about this. When I sit down to take my blood pressure, my pulse rate jumps up measurably. If I take my BP, (and if it's 140 or below) I then wait and take it again 2 minutes later (now that I am relieved and less anxious) and it consistently drops 20 points or more on the top end. I then wait another 5 minutes and take it again, and that is the number I use. The anxiety jacks it up. Conversely, if I take it and it appears to he "on the way up" or higher than I expected, I begin to panic, which drives it higher still and I'm on my way into a panic attack. Pulse racing, high BP and off to the ER I may go. Once that adrenaline starts dumping into the system it takes a while for things to calm down. I also notice that out of the many trips to the ER, only once did they give me anything for the BP. The other times they ran other tests (discovering the incorrect thyroid medicine and low potassium from the water pill) while I lay there and by body calmed down. I can do this myself now. This forum was a life saver for me. Without your stories I would have been too scared to even start the weaning off and would be living a life of misery and terror on the Metoprolol. It's really not living, it's more of existing. I'm going slow, managing any stimulus that might make me anxious and exercising every day. Thank you all for your support and those of you in this weaning & recover process with me, we can do this! We need to be strong, patient and determined.

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I have been off Metropolol for almost 18 weeks but at least twice per week when Im trying to get to sleep my heart still speeds up and I get an anxiety attack. I take magnesium and taurine, olive leaf ,green tea (for theannine etc.
How long until these feelings go away?

I was on M for 3 years.

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Day 18, no Metoprolol. Feeling better a little bit each day. My energy is returning and the anxiety is subsiding. Last night I was sitting and my pulse suddenly dropped. I got that funky feeling in my head (like someone had blown up my head like a balloon) and so I took my BP and it was elevated. Metoprolol at work! STILL! I'm doing what I can to get this stuff out of the body. Drinking a glass of water with lemon juice to cleanse the liver might help. I'm getting on the treadmill and walking every day. This week my balance was so improved that I didn't have to hold on. The Metoprolol made me so dizzy I couldn't walk straight. Sad. I'm still apprehensive about doing too much but I'm doing more each day. Working hard to get my life back. Stay positive and you can get off this stuff. I can see glimpses of myself before this drug. It might be a month or two before it's completely gone. I wont be surprised if there are more weird rebound events. I will beat it.

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Yeah, toonces, I share the same sentiments about those who've been prescribed this medicine only to find themselves in deep trouble with it. It's really a shame that these things essentially go unnoticed by the medical community. It's not like we're drug addicts, but yet, in many respects it isn't much different.

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Toonces... Mostly when I'm guaging my fat to protein ratio, I just go by the food label and do the math. I eat a lot of deviled eggs. For example , I'll boil two eggs and make four deviled egg halves. I only put in mayo and paprika. It's roughly 200 calories and 80/20 fat to protein ratio.

Sometimes I'll eat pecans . The fat protein ratio is good in them.

But again, this kinda dieting should only be done by those most resistant and only if vitamins r taken and your kidneys r in good order.

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Metoprolol did NOT control my blood pressure. It did NOT work. It lowered my heart rate, gave me chest pains, put me in a fog, made my blood pressure fluctuate wildly and killed my energy level. I was a zombie with more problems than prior to taking it. I did NOT have a heart problem prior to taking it. It was a BAD choice by the doctor. Notice that it's one of the top 100 drugs in the U.S. I'm on day 19 off of it. My BP is stabilized, my heart rate is approaching the SAME rate as when taking it and my energy is returning. No more head funk, no more chest pains and the anxiety is subsiding although it still creeps up on me. I consciously manage it knowing where it's coming from. Baby steps but huge leaps in getting my life back. If I ever needed a beta blocker (for some life saving reason?) this would not be an option. It's like all of the drug ads you see on TV, the side effects are worse than the original condition being "treated". If it's not working for you, get OFF of it. It's hard to do but it CAN BE DONE! stay strong, be determined, stay calm and you will get through it. Even when you think it's going to last forever and you're "trapped" on this dangerous drug, you ARE NOT!

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Anita.
I was put on the (M) for high blood pressure and anxiety.. 100mgs. and right it did not work for me either.. My heart was fine before the drug.. my echo and a few EKG's showed it.. I wasn't exercising at the time and probably eating too much salt and had gained 30lbs.... so I started exercising again, lost weight and drank a lot more water and started eating way better ................I lost 35lbs. but still on the meds..but they weren't even working......I told the doctors I want off this stuff and they said no its fine. I said tell me how to get off and they wouldn't.. since the meds were not working I started taking Magnesium, Taurine, Olive leaf and beet root. My bp would stabilize but still go bonkers on and off................then I wanted off this drug. I was on 6 bp meds before the (M) and none of them worked. Not all at the same time of course..............so I figure if meds don't work why am I on them.. So I went to see a naturopathic doctor and she was of no help either.. gave me the wrong weaning process............so I went online and found more info how to wean off and that is what I did............followed the instructions online and it worked.. no doctor would help me..............MY bp was going bonkers when I weaned off and that bp cuff makes me sooooooo nervous........but I have lost the weight, watch my diet, watch salt and now take a bunch more of stuff as I have no faith in western medicine.................
I do EFT tapping which lowers my blood pressure and am now taking L argenine for prevention also. Oh; I also love hawthorn... it will lower a heart rate that is going too fast......

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Sandra.
it took me a year to get off the (M).. I barely had a life for a year.........It was aweful.. I was on the drug for over two years.............but I wanted to take it slow and have the least amount of side effects.. Even though I did it slow I still had horrific side effects............My last dose was last March and it took months for my body to get rid of that stuff in my system ........If anyone watches a video from Dr. Joseph Mercola on beta blockers you will be blown away.......... You can find it on utube I guess.

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I feel terrible today. Felt ok yesterday. Today I have a horrible headache and so lightheaded. Going on 7 weeks off and no end in sight :( I want my life back!!! Its like a medicated withdrawal feeling if that makes any sense.

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Sandra, I only wish I knew what to say or what to do to help you. I was fortunate enough to get beyond the worst of it after being off the Metoprolol for about a month or so, but everyone seems to have a different experience. The one common denominator, though, is that each and every one of us has had an overwhelming feeling of wanting to get our lives back. This drug just seems to encapsulate our well-being so much that sometimes we find ourselves with very little or no hope, for not only does it foul up our physical chemistry, it fouls up our mental state of mind as well. I can only speak of my own experience, but it's one that'll stay with me for as long as live. The only thing I can recommend is to listen to what the others have been saying here in the terms of being patient long enough for the drug to finally let go of its grasp on you. Sooner or later it has to happen, right? I know it must feel as though you're permanently maimed for life at times - I know I did - but you'll get beyond it. I like to believe that many of us on this thread are living proof that we can indeed get beyond it.

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Hey everyone! My name is Ky. I'm a 22 yr old female who is just now stopping a beta blocker. I was on 5MG of propranolol once a day and haven't taken it in 2 days. I've have felt incredibly anxious today. Like 1000x's anxious. My cardio told me that I'm on such a low does that I shouldn't feel any effect. I want to believe him but my anxiety is just so insane and that is making it worse. I haven't even attempted to take my pulse or BP knowing that right now it will only freak me out more.

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Ky, I'm not sure what anxiety medicine you're on, but please be careful, for some of that stuff can get you addicted or dependent upon yet another drug. My doctor prescribed Xanax for me when I started weaning off of the Metoprolol, and even though I would've liked to have taken it every day, I only took it once every three days at the very most. Perhaps I've just become overly frightened of any prescription meds these days, but I can't let any drug take control of my life again unless it's absolutely a life or death matter.

I might also add that caffeine and alcohol have been anxiety triggers for me, especially when I was getting off the beta blocker. It seems to be getting a little better in that regard now, but I've essentially been off the drug for over two months now. Just two weeks ago a single cup of coffee made me feel as though I drank a whole pot.......LOL......but now a cup will make me feel just a little edgy. At any rate, I wish you the very best in getting off the propranolol. I don't know much about it other than it's a beta blocker, but I do know that all beta blockers have some similarities.

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I would keep a measure on it. For the first couple of days I had no pvcs but now they are back maybe only slightly better and I'm not happy about it. :( so hopefully after I've been off of this for awhile they will go away again.

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Hi guys. To add to something I wrote earlier concerning diet, I'd like to clarify a couple things. If you are on any sort of diet... Doesn't matter which kind. You need to be careful of the types of fat. I don't worry too much about the mayo I eat because of the amount of EFA, omega 3's I eat. I take 4 grams a day to make sure to offset any extra omega 6's I consume. Which makes the omega 3's more effective.

So in regard to fish oil and omega 3, the supplement is only necessary as a precaution if you take in very little omega 6. Salmon, for example is high in omega 3, and yet mayo is slightly high in omega six. So if I sit down and eat salmon and some mayo, the omega 3 will balance out way in the favorable side of omega 3. So less fish oil is needed unless you are being careful like I am .

Excess omega 6's, will not only increase bad fats present in your blood and increase the likelihood of many heart issues, including heart attacks. The balance of omega 3 to omega 6 will decrease those factors considerably. It also will decrease coronary inflammation . Which is extremely important. The excess of omega 3's will you keep from making many other health issues worse.

My wife's grandad is Bill Lands, and you can learn a lot more about this through his book... Fish, omega3, and human health, 2nd edition.

I just wanted to clarify.

If you really want to improve your health through both diet and excercise, make sure to balance your omega 3's to any 6's you eat. Remember to eat the 3 and nix the 6.

You can find lists online of omega six food value in order for you to make sure to consume enough Omega 3 rich foods/ supplements to offset this.

Making fish a part of any diet is important.

Good luck my friends.

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