Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 31) (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 was a young and naive 48 when I had a heart attack, a mild one, when I was put on metoprolol.

After 20 years of metoprolol and 9 1/2 months off, I am thoroughly disgusted with what it has done to my central nervous system.

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My anxiety isnt as bad but its still there. My asthma started when i got on the M but never went away. Im also more depressed. My theory is that the M suppressed our system so much that it is now so sensitive to everything. (Not so much a theory, more like common sense). I dont feel good. Ever. I dont know what normal is. I would love to hear if anyone ever became normal after even a few years. Im losing hope.

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Matt I never had anxiety before taking M my was coming and going, but has stuck around for about 3 weeks now! I don't really have any joint pain, I did before coming off. The heartburn sensation is the worst, it runs all the way up, the most depressing thing for me is that everyone thinks it's impossible for the M to be effecting me this long ??

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Jeff, it sounds as though you're going through nearly the same experience as I did. If so, it's definitely withdrawal. I'd sincerely suggest going back through this thread to search for withdrawal methods in order to get off of this drug. I had to wean myself off for six weeks (i.e. fast taper), and I probably should've taken a much longer period to do so. As a result, I went through six weeks of severe withdrawal symptoms, and it was probably a dangerous path to take. I also felt some of the effects for nearly a year, so it can take some time to fully heal. What happens is that a few of us become dependent upon this drug - probably because we have a high-sensitivity to it - so it takes careful tapering of the drug so that it adjusts to our systems. Not to frighten you, but it can be very dangerous if it isn't done carefully.

Like yourself, I went into the ER three or four times only to find that everything was okay. The problem was, it wasn't okay. I needed help, and my doctors refused to recognize that I had a problem. I can't express enough how this site helped me. Although, it seems to be a little quieter these days. Still, I'd recommend going back several pages just to see what others have gone through. This is one nasty drug that some of us have endured, but there is hope! Wishing you the best!

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Was on metaprolol for a year. Cardio dr. Told me I should wean off it slow. The "jar of crazies " used is spot on. Confusion, bp spikes and valleys, flushed feeling, fight or flight attacks while sitting watching tv. The list goes on and on numbness, cold feet tingling fingers. My advice ( I am a mechanic not a doctor) go slow on the weaning step down 1/4 at a time for at least a week or two

God bless all of you

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Hello,

I just found this site and I am relieved that there are others out there that understand! I was on Metropolol 25mg a day for 6 months for High BP; I started to experience side effects like weakness and lightheadedness and two times i felt like passing out, so i weaned off of this med about 2 months ago. I weaned off in a 2 week period, but the withdrawal has been horrible! I have been weak, short of breath, anxiety (which i never had before), suffered a panic attack and almost passed out, heart palpitations, no energy what so ever, stomach clenching, mild headaches, body soreness and fatigue.. just so many side effects, I've been off 2 months now, will things get better back to normal? How long have you guys suffered withdrawal symptoms? Any info is greatly appreciated!

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2nd Post: Trying to wean myself off more gradually. Went from 2 pills a day to 1 in the morning and 1/2 at night. Then down to 1/2 in morning, 1/2 at night. Now down to 1/2 in morning 1/4 at night. 2 weeks at each level. Having stomach problems I did not associate with withdrawal, but after reading others posts, may be an associated symptom. I am having occasional bouts with anxiety, which is not unusual for me, and use clonazapam to get through those. I have used conazapam before, and know I can wean myself off it successfully when this roller coaster is over (if it ever is!!). Reading some people are still struggling after 2 years is discouraging.

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Anthony, I have been on Beta blockers for 2 years. But I was weaning off slowly for around 7-8 Months.
I am now off drugs for 7 Months, and lately I have been feelinng 90% normal.

Anxiety and panic attacks lasted for 5 Months, lately I don't have any problems. Or if I get a surge of adrenaline, I just tell to myself: come on, nothing will happen, you are healthy. And then, I am able to calm down myself in 2 minutes and I am fine after that.
When I was in a withdrawal, I wasn't able to calm down adrenaline, and after any event, I would need 20-30-60 minutes to calm down.
Now, my body can calm down naturally (the same as before Beta blockers) in 1-2 minutes.

So, now, if my HR jumps to 120 (let's say that something scary happens), HR will go back to 80 over 120 seconds.
But while I was in a withdrawal, if something slightly scary happened, I would have needed like 30-60 minutes to calm down and get my HR back to 80-85 from 120.

So, yes, it gets better slowly over time.

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Starry, do it slowly.

The thing with a withdrawal is that symptoms go up and down for Months, and they don't start in the same time.

For example, it often happens like this: 5 bad days, then 2 good days, then 7 bad days, then 2 good days, then 2 bad days, then 4 good days, then 4 bad days, then 5 days.
And then you slightly have more and more good days. But still, even after 3-4-5 Months, you will randomly have 3-4-5 bad days out of nowhere and you feel almost as bad as on the 10th day when you have just quit the drugs.

About symptoms, they can often kick in like this:
Week 1: resting HR 100+, high blood pressure, palpitations, feeling sick, problems with breathing, random pain in body, ankles, abdomen
Week 2: resting HR 95, high blood pressure, palpitations, feeling sick, breathing problems, nausea
Week 3: resting HR 90, feeling sick, breathing problems, some nausea, headaches, dizziness, some anxiety
Week 4: resting HR getting better (85), some breathing problems, a lot of dizziness after any activity, a lot of anxiety
Week 5-10, random HR problems. Dizziness, a looot of anxiety.

So, in early weeks, you will usually have elevated heart rate, palpitations and high blood pressure.
Then later you will get things like pain, nausea, headaches, dizziness.
And anxiety will kick later, but it will stay with you the longest, for a few Months, while headaches, a random pain, nausea and dizziness will be gone after 2-4 weeks.

After 1-2 Months, people usually have only: random heart rate problems, palpitations, breathing problems and anxiety. And then, these are slightly subsiding over time.

Drink a lot of water, rest, take Magnesium.
You can also take some Valium in early weeks to calm down your body, since it will go crazy.

Good luck

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Hi!! Jimbo how are you doing ? Do you have any anxiety left ?

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Here on Medschat, I was recommended the book of Richard D Moore - The high blood pressure solution. Natural prevention and cure with the K Factor. I bought it and it is a very interesting read. I will follow all advice in it very carefully and hope that my blood pressure will go down.

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Hi Moventia! I was prescribed Metoprolol for hypertension. Granted, I was at a borderline level, and the doctor should've suggested losing weight and exercising before prescribing the drug. The primary reason I initially lost weight was because I had a severe case of diverticulitis in which I was prescribed three rounds of antibiotics. Not only did the antibiotics make me sick, but losing the first 10 or 15 pounds of weight obviously had an effect on how the Metoprolol reacting in my system. It essentially made a horrible turn for the worst, at which time I realized I needed to get off of it.

I probably did too fast of a taper when weaning off the drug, though. I only did a six-week weaning process, and it was followed by six more weeks of withdrawal hell. I stated this once before, but I should've doubled or tripled the weaning process, for I ended up in the ER more times than I practically remember. Once I got past the six weeks of withdrawal, I felt much better, but I had lasting effects that took over a year to disappear, mostly anxiety, heart palpitations, dizziness, etc. I didn't allow any of that to stop me from continuing to exercise. Hope this helps!

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I have now been without Metoprolol for seven months and still have symptoms every day with a heavy heartbeat preferably at the end of the day when I am tired. Take different spice medication to calm down and get to sleep. People on this site say it takes about a year to get the body used to handle adrenaline as before you started with Metoprolol. It is good to take Magnesium Taurate which calms the heart and even E-vitamin to stop pressure over the breast. It is really hard to stop. You must try to do it gradually. I think it is meant from the drug company to take the rest of your life, but for me it was given for very questionable reasons. Hope you can have support here and please read all text on this forum for Metoprolol. There is a lot of help.

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Paul, sorry to hear of your Metoprolol trouble and for the late reply, but it might be a good idea to look back into this thread a bit, for there's a lot of information to be found here.

The thing is, some of us obviously become very sensitive to this drug, and over time it can become increasingly difficult to get off of it. What the doctors either fail to recognize or to tell you is that some of us become highly dependent upon the drug, and it requires a carefully-planned weaning process followed by a withdrawal period in order to fully heal. With that being said, I'd highly recommend finding a doctor who's familiar with this kind of thing so that he or she can get you on a program to begin the process. However, that can be easier said than done. The healing process usually begins with the idea of slowly tapering your daily dosage. For example, if you're taking 25 mg per day, cut that back to something like 20 mg per day for a week or 10 days or until the dosage begins to stabilize. Once it stabilizes, then repeat the same tapering until you're down to something like 5 mg per day. We're all different, so it's something that you'll have to learn to manage on your own to some degree. The key is to listen to what your body is telling you. Once you're on the lowest possible dosage, you can likely go cold turkey, but it could still take a rather lengthy time period before you'll be feeling well.

This is my opinion only, but I honestly believe that this drug really isn't much different than becoming addicted to benzos, opioids, or many of the other addictive drugs out there. The problem is that it's quickly prescribed to many people who will unknowingly develop issues with the drug, but it also seems that the vast majority of doctors don't have a clue as to how to get their patients off of it. I was on it for only two years, but it took me at least six months to begin feeling somewhat normal again, and it took about a year before feeling fully recovered. The important thing to know is that you can do it, but just be sure to take your time while never allowing yourself to become too disappointed with your progress.

Wishing you the best!

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Wanted to say that i'm still ok and it seems that everything is going to be fine. From now on i will be more careful from prescription medications from doctors and will look up side effects before taking anything. I hope everyone is ok and don't give up!!!

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Re: Jimbo (# 1921)

I had blood pressure spikes while on Metoprolol with no change in weight. The spikes were caused entirely by metoprolol. They stopped after I completely had it out of my system but continued while I was switching to another bp med. Once I had all the meds out of my system my blood pressure dropped close to normal and I no longer have any spikes at all.

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Re: TxCandy1 (# 2529)

And Cupcake922
Thanks for the info on the gut issues. I really have no idea anymore. I'm leading toward mast cell activation syndrome. And all of this started after a possibile covid and then worsened after my covid vax. Then made way worse by the metoprolol and then inderal.
I'm looking to see a new Cardiologist but she is an electrophysiologist and a functional medicine physician who also does hormones. I've tested negative for autoimmune diseases but my pcp wants me to see a rheumatologist now. I'm also going to see an NP friend who maybe can figure something out. I just can't believe my dr would tell me to start taking metoprolol again after all the horrible issues I had with it..I'm at a loss ??

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Re: Jacqjean81 (# 2532)

Hey! Welcome to this madhouse. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It’s absolutely awful. Are you having any tachycardia?

I had a HELL of a time coming off of metoprolol. Mean if you read back quite a while, you can see everything that I was experiencing. I am not 100% better but way better than that time. I like you thought I was dying.

If you had MS, lesion probably would have showed up on your brain scan.

So far I have what that think is inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Where I have higher HR sometimes for no good reason. I feel like all of this started after metoprolol withdraw. Or if I had it before, ignorance was bliss and I didn’t know or care.

I still have the dizzy sensations here and there but have been cleared by ENT and had brain MRI and that was clear.

Someday I feel good and some days I feel like absolute s***.

Today I randomly broke out it hives all over my body and I had to go get a steroid shot. I’m so sick and tired of this not knowing if it’s going to be a great day or not so much. Some days my HR is fantastic and others days it’s 115 just doing everyday things around the house.

This is all so frustrating and I hope we can all find answers and just get 100% better

Have you been Covid vaccinated? If so, any reaction to that?

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My mom feels all these symptoms. The doctors hade not even suggested that it could be from metoporal withdrawal . I think differently, it has geen a month and she is getting no better.

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I've tapered from 100mg metoprolol succ ER to 12.5mg in a month and I am unable to walk or stand for more than 15 minutes. My vision is terribly blurry, bp going low then up, heart rate goes up. Anxiety was bad but better for now. I need to get off this stuff because I've lost a lot of weight. I am also on an ace inhibiter and diuretic. I sure hope this get better soon I can not stay on it. Withdrawal is way worse than symptoms on it which for me were sleep problems, constipation, depression.

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