Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 27)

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.

REPLY

REPORT

Ditto on that had been said about benzodiazepines. These are powerfully addictive sedatives. The effect of one 25mg pull of Xanax is like two or three martinis. You wouldn't consider it appropriate if your doctor advised you to have a couple of stiff drinks every morning and then again after dinner, for the foreseeable future. If anxiety it's the problem, or a contributing factor, as it usually is, you need to find other tools for dealing with it. Benzos will take you down.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hi again. I'm not sure the details of your chart or why you are on these drugs. I'm sure your doctor has reasons. I'm not sure if you are experiencing tons of anxiety or you are on them for other reasons.

But I would like to add that I am currently weening off lorazepam and I'm currently at .75 mg. I cut down about .125 every ten days, depending on how I feel. Everyone has their own pace with benzos. They can be very difficult for certain people.

I got addicted to lorazepam by no fault of my own . Took it just a few times because my doctor told me to and the realized I had to ween off. The withdrawals were dangerous. Initially he tried to give me something similar to Prozac to supposedly help the weening process since they both deal with the same area of the brain but it caused me all kinds of problems. I quit it after only two pills.

But I'm still weening lorazepam and going slowly. Since you have been on for a shorter time, you can probably ween faster but I'd still use caution. It's dangerous too ween a benzo too fast . Personally, I think benzos should be banned except in extreme circumstances. Heck, you'd be better off with pot.

Sometimes a benzo with Prozac can be a lot for your brain to handle at first. Not to mentioned you switched from one benzo to another too and your body has to adjust for that.

I'm not your doctor so I cannot reasonably advise you but I can offer my insight if I were you as a frame of reference. If I were you, I would carefully get off benzos altogether and never take another unless your situation is dire. Prozac by itself is probably ok but together might be a rough beginning.

You should always value and listen to your doctors advice if that advice is in your best interest and makes sense. But taking pills just to treat one side effect after another is a slippery slope indeed. It can sometimes do more harm than good. I guess what I'm saying is this.... Listen to your doctor but avoid the benzos if you can. They are bad news. Only take them as a last resort to your problems.

Best wishes....

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Do you think I can just stop the Benzos? I took 25 mg of Xanax on 7/3 then one on 7/5. I took 1/2 Xanax on 7/8. Then on 7/9 & 7/10 I took .25 mg of Clonazepam at bedtime and .5 of Clonazepam today divided into 2 (.25). Has my body built up a tolerance with those small doses? I have Hydroxyzine (antihistamine) that my doc gave me for anxiety that I may use tonight. All this stuff about benzos is scaring my. My pdoc never rx Xanax and could not understand why they would give it to me at the hospital. He said Clonazepam is the least addictive and he does a taper no cold turkey. I was so upset when I was given all that Metoprolol in the hospital. I told them I did not do well and it makes me anxious. They told me that is all they had to reduce my heart rate. I don't know what I'm suppose to do with physical symptoms of shaking, muscle twitches, anxiety, and adrenal surges when I wake, or that tingly sensations. I plan on buying Natural Calm magnesium. Thanks for your inputt.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I only took Xanax 25 mg once in the hospital for ct angiogram. I took 1&1/2 pills of Xanax since I was discharged. I was rx Clonazepam 0.5 mg on Wednesday. The last 2 nights at bedtime I took .25 mg and today I took 0.5 mg. Today is the 4th day on Prozac 10mg. I don't think my body has built up a tolerance to benzos yet? Do you? You are right I may just stick to Prozac and not overwhelm my brain.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Well it's hard to say what ur addiction level is if any with that little use. The manufacturer recommends short term use of any benzo pretty much because of its addictive quality. Some people can get dependent on them super fast. But everyone is different.

But honestly, if you read about those benzos and especially watch a few YouTube videos on withdrawal issues from people addicted, you will certainly see my point.

I would honestly avoid benzos if you can. If it was my body, I would because of my own experience. There are other, safer ways to manage stress. Granted some people have no choice but to take them but I'd use them only if you absolutely had to.

You might be able to just quit them with so little time on them but I'd be careful. You'd be surprised how easy they can get in you. Just be very cautious of them. Once you are on a moderate amount and addicted, some benzos are harder to get off of than coke for some people.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

DJS, thankfully I'm doing alright - and thanks for your concern - but I learned the hard way that we should never underestimate the power that Metoprolol can have over some of us. Up until the middle of last week, I experienced about seven or eight days of feeling quite normal and nearly symptom-free, but that only made me feel comfortable in going back to some of my poor eating habits while also indulging in small quantities of alcohol. We were also on a vacation, so that didn't help much. It resulted in a relapse of some sort while causing some high BP spikes, an elevated pulse rate, and a few heart palpitations. I'm starting to feel better once again after four days of this nonsense, but it was enough for me to realize that I had better stick with my previous low-salt diet while also keeping away from anything that might possibly trigger any kind of a rebound effect. The 'M' has undoubtedly messed up my central nervous system, so I'm thinking that it's likely going to take a few months before I'm truly feeling 100% normal again.

Just to add to the benzo conversation, one of my doctors prescribed Xanax for my anxiety issues while getting off the M. While knowing how addictive it can be, I took about .25mg about every third day or so only so that I could catch up on lost sleep. That stuff literally puts me to sleep very quickly, but like Tony has said, I'd avoid it altogether unless absolutely necessary. It's hard enough just getting off the M, and we just don't need to be compounding the issue by having to go through other withdrawal issues.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Hi Jimbo. I'm sry you are having ongoing issues with metoprolol. That really bites. I hope it improves for you buddy.

And for those of you reading recent posts on benzos, let me offer an example of the power of these drugs.

As I have been weening off lorazepam/ Ativan , I went a few weeks ago To simply refill lorazepam and after taking that first pill, I got a huge wave of anxiety and started having heart skipping. I knew right away something was wrong. I went to see my doctor and explained that I felt my refill was off somehow. A different manufacturer maybe. He rewrote the prescription asking for me to be given the exact pills i received on 4/6. Well, the pharmacy was adamant that they were the same. I knew different. The skips got worse and more frequent. It got into the thousands per day . I thought they were pvc' s but I wasn't positive. I went to the ER and they confirmed it. It was pvc's. I had no choice but to finish the refill quantity since it was a controlled substance. Well, finally I ran out and had it refilled again and guess what. The pvc's stopped. The point is , when taking drugs with such an impact on your brain, your margin for error can be small and unforgiving. It's like gambling with your health. I'm trying desperately to get off lorazepam but it has to be scaled down slowly.

And to top it off, they wanted me to try lisinopril for blood pressure . I tried it and had a painful reaction. The pain was awful. Lisinopril is a heavily prescribed ace inhibitor for blood pressure but what they don't tell you is that it's made from the jaracara viper snake venom from Brazil and for some people can be serious, even in these tiny little doses .

We all need meds at some point in our lives. The doctors are suppose to weigh the gain versus the dangers in order to best wager our health. Like anything, there is always a gamble and a bit of guesswork involved and at times the price can be deadly. So that is why I strongly advise caution in anything we take unless the need truly outweighs the risk.

My best to all....

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Geez, Tony........that benzo issue you've been having sounds horrible. Hopefully you'll get beyond it soon. I just can't imagine having to wean myself off of benzos in addition to dealing with the Metoprolol. What's sad is that we're all here having problems with the kinds of drugs that are supposed to be making us feel better, not worse! It's not like we're a bunch of drug addicts with self-induced issues but, in perspective, it really isn't much different than that, either. Many years ago I was a full-time musician who was once surrounded by a large number of people who became addicted to a variety of illegal substances - including myself - and for the life of me, I never thought I'd have to experience such misery again. Needless to say, I thought wrong.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

So.....it's been pretty quiet around here lately. I hope everybody is doing well! Things have been going well here for that past week, so I can't complain. I still get a heart palp on occasion, but I'm finally feeling close to being back to normal once again. Needless to say, it's been a tough ride.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hi jmbo, I'm glad you are improving. I'm doing ok. I quit blood pressure meds over a week ago and my bp is fine. Seems with all my weight loss and strict diet , I can go without it for now.

I still get tightness and discomfort in my chest at times but I don't feel it's heart related. I think it's surface related and most likely it's costochondritis. Almost 30 % of all people who go to the emergency room for chest tightness is diagnosed with this and it sure seems like what I have. And of course I'm still weening lorazepam. I'm fixing to drop to .625 mg.

I hope everyone else is doing well too. Remember to keep a positive, calm attitude when things get rough.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hi Jimbo and Tony,
Sounds like you have both gotten on track and in control of your health. I am still on Metoprolol and will not try weaning until after my surgery. Not a good time to change medications with surgery close. Cardiac doc didn't say much when I mentioned snake venom and Metoprolol! Just smiled and said it really isn't snake venom. My PCP said after surgery we can look at another med for hypertension that also doesn't impact kidney function as much. My Metoprolol was for palpitations and runs of fast heart rate origin undetermined.
Stay vertical in you all. Look forward b to hearing how all is going with your medicines.
Keep the faith.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Lol oh no, I wasnt referring to metoprolol as snake venom. I was referring to lisinopril. It actually does come from the jaracara snake or at least the snakes venom was the basis for its discovery. To what extent is hard to say. So i refer to it as venom because of how it effected me. It felt like I had been snake bitten. It caused me serious pain within minutes and continued for days. And some people have reactions to it which seem very toxic. It even has side effects which can cause terrible abdominal pain and fluid leakage.

Im sure there are people who take lisinopril without incident but I'm not one of them. My body reacted with it almost instantly and I'd be scared to take it again.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Lisinopril is an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Angiotensin narrows blood vessels and maintains (elevates) blood pressure. When the enzyme is blocked by lisinopril, angiotensin cannot be converted into its active form. As a result, blood pressure falls. Lisinopril and other ACE inhibitors were developed from the venom of a poisonous Brazilian snake.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Metoprolol was also developed out b of shake venom studies! I brought an article in for my doctor to read! If nothing else we can keep our doctors thinking!! Let's them know we can use our great matter! Keeps them honest.
My PCP office now draws blood for v their v patients via Labcorp. I used it for my preop but routine will continue with Quest because they publish and share report with patients. Labcorp isn't set up for that yet. I think we should have access to the results not wait until we seev our physician.
Keep up the good work. Are you a pharmacist?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

After taking 50mg of Metoprolol daily for 8 days, I broke out in a horrible sunburn type rash with an intense itch. I thought it might be poison ivy but hadn't been exposed to it. My eyes were swollen, runny and itchy. The left side of my face was swollen, red and itchy. Then a large welt appeared on my waist with intense itching. Received prednisone shot and tablets and countless creams with some help. I then became suspicious of the Metroprolol. I went off that med and started my previous med... Bystolic. My BP is now in the normal range and the rash is gone.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Pat...thank goodness you caught that early on! I'd report your reaction trio the FDA website that's wants to hear about patient problems. That's how they change labeling usually!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Maybe that is what is wrong with me I never even thought about it I could not understand why I felt so tired all the time and I have stopped my blood pressure medicine and unless it is high I don't take it

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Teri.. Your blood pressure medicine can make you feel tired from the effect on your blood vessels in your body. If you take it in morning might feel sleepy at work. To close to bedtime might have weird dreams when taking Metoprolol. I get a burning stomach and have to take a snack with mine in the evening.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have just dropped Metaprolol after several years of taking it alongside other medications including narcotics and benzos. The narcotics and benzos were tough to remove due to dependency. That (addiction) was several months ago but I kept telling my GP and wife that I had forgotten what it was like to laugh. Have fun. I often asked about getting off Metaprolol which she would reply its best I stay on it. I dont know what its good for? Anyway. Its been three days cold turkey. The withdrawls are nasty but nothing like other addictions. And today I laughed, several times. I am working and functioning better now. My BP has not changed. I have a buzzing in my head which I am sure will pass. From my experience this is not a drug of any decent use. If you are on Metaprolol my recommendation is ask your doctor if it is really necessary. Its a horrible life blocker.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Boyadage (sp), so you are getting off the (M) cold turkey? no weaning? how many mgs. were you on? not sure cold turkey is a good idea..It took me a year to get off the M and I had horrific side effects....... could barely function for awhile..it had stopped my life for almost a year.... Couldn't do much except minor things.. I don't even think I went out except when necessary and I couldn't exercise at all.. and now I am wondering if I have organ damage....another story.

That was back in Feb when I was totally off.. .. Now its July and I for the last few months I have been walking, exercising and getting out more and more and doing things and having a life.. My heart rate stays in a good range and I most of the aweful side effects have gone away... the doctor gave me this aweful drug for high bp and anxiety but it never really worked and I had more problems on it so I am now taking vitamins and supplements for the heart and working out and staying at a good weight, eating right, blah blah lol and hoping for the best...No more poison pills for me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

My Dr. told me I can just quit the metoprolol, my heart rate sometimes dips into low 40's for a few seconds at night...

3 REPLIES

So I was prescribed Metoprolol for high BP and have taken it for a total of about 8 years. It was horrible in the beginn...

20 REPLIES

My son had a terrible experience on wyvance. He has phyciatic systems to include halluciations. The doctor took him off ...

429 REPLIES

I have been in pain management for years, lost my doctor along with other patients, and primary won't fill or says s...

299 REPLIES

I have been on kolonopin 1 mg daily for 14 months now I am depressed and very anxious most of the time I want to get off...

292 REPLIES

How long before muscle aches and weakness subside after discontinuing Lipitor ## Had been on 10mg for 4 years. recently ...

204 REPLIES

I have been taking 200 mg. a day for about 4 years. I thought it was a coincidence that I've lost 50% of my hair dur...

165 REPLIES

I have been on Vyvanse for 4 weeks and I am now tapering off. I was going to quit cold turkey , but I wke up this mornin...

159 REPLIES

I started Metoprolol this Monday after the cardiologist prescribed it because of being in the ER with extremely fast hea...

103 REPLIES

I have been on stelaine for 25 years with short breaks but I am trying to stop it and getting nasty withdrawal effects. ...

87 REPLIES