Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 43) (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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Praying for you Tony. I pray that the hospital can take good care of you and identify what you need. Try and relax, and I know you will ask lots of questions and make them explain what they are doing, what they are giving you and why. Maybe a solution will be found. Keep us posted if you can.

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Tony I'm praying for you to get well and our of hospital. Relax and let the doctors find your problem. We are all rooting for you. Hope you can let us know how things are going.

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Hi Toonces! That's awesome that you were able to make such good progress with your health. I was always low BP then borderline after being put on thyroid meds. Doctors never checked blood work just kept adding meds. Last year it all started to go haywire including the metoprolol roller coaster ride. So now here I am on only the 10 lisinopril * I wonder if I even need it! I've not tested myself on no BP meds since stopping the thyroid medicine. It's a scary thing to do especially since no doctor wants you to stop taking meds. It's insane . Maybe my next move is to pick a calm mellow day and just don't take the lisinopril and see what my body does! I can always take it again if it starts climbing up. Trial and error is so hard. I do have hypertension in the family but I always had low BP before. I have really bad "white coat BP" now so it's always really high at the doctors office. I just want to feel normal again!

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Good luck. Sending a hug and prayers.

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Thank you guys for all the prayers. Six blockages is no small thing. They stinted two. I still have chest pain here and there. I still get a funny chest feeling here and there and my heart pauses an extra long time on occasion and kicks back in. Scary. I start cardiac rehab today. As soon as I left the hospital last week, I didn't make it home and had to go back for another night because I almost passed out.

All the things I read about stinting pretty much says that it doesn't increase life or decrease heart attack chances. So that concerns me. I have to take a baby asprin, Lipitor, effien, an Arb for bp, and a calcium channel blocker now. So much for cutting Meds. I honestly wonder at this point how long I'll be around. It's disheartening.

I'm struggling with my confidence. I even have to carry nitro for an emergency. I came so far and now, I seem to have taken huge steps back. My kids are having a hard time. I just don't know what to think to be honest. Probably all my dieting and excercise saved my life but now, the future seems very confusing.

I see so many people in far less shape eating junk all the time with better hearts and it bums me. Now I'm wondering if I'll have a heart attack today or I'll be fine. My cardiologist seems to be good at his job but doesn't say much. Tried to make a follow up appointment but he is booked til next year. Lol. So I called another but he didn't do my stents.

It just feels like my days are numbered. I spend most of my time preparing and telling my family how much I appreciate them just in case. Not sure if that's the right frame of mind.

Even my diet must be changed more now. Less fat and even more strict. My courage is not what I expected. I think about my kids all the time.

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Tony,

I've been reading these messages for many months, and am familiar with metoprolol because my issues started with a pulled pectoral muscle, and because of an over abundance of caution, I checked into the ER. I was on the verge of being discharged when they decided to do a heart Cath.

The Cath showed some bad blockages, so bad the doctor recommended immediate bypass surgery. It was a total shock and surprise. I had no heart issues that I was aware of and just a few days previously had done some intense exercise with heart pumping about 140 beats and no discomfort.

I agreed to elective major surgery after a second opinion and underwent a quintuple bypass. My heart was strong and working perfectly, no valve or afib issues. But I had a lot of plaque, too much for stents or other quick non invasive fix. The widow maker was 95% plugged and the others almost as badly.

I went from no Rx meds or health issues to a whole raft of dangerous meds and the aftermath of a sliced open sternum. Most drugs were discontinued except for a statin and metoprolol.

I have had a slowly developing dupuytren's contracture on my pinky fingers for several years which got worse. Also I noticed a new issue with my feet (ledderhose disease) and a newly developed case of Peyronie's Disease. These are all hereditary connective tissue diseases.

I have my raw genome data and discovered that there was a genetic correlation between both the statin, AND the metoprolol-- both these drugs could accelerate and worsen connective tissue disease symptoms.

So I went to my cardiologist and to my surprise he agreed. I have low BP and low cholesterol so there was no reason to continue taking them. He said I could taper off each of them but he did not say how. I knew the metoprolol would be the worst, having read this thread for a while. I was on 50mg then put on the 25mg extended release after 3 months.

I developed a day by day taper schedule and kept up my exercise. I kind of fell out of a lucrative career due to the surgery so I had the time to focus on health.

I've been off metoprolol for two months now. Only problem was a week of sleep disturbances near the beginning.

Tony, I'm glad to hear you got fixed up. You have been here a long time, along with Anita, Jimbo, and DJS, and several others.

The reason I didn't participate earlier was I didn't want to expect a bad problem from metoprolol withdrawal. And the majority of people who post here have had some terrible experiences. I followed the advice here to plan and execute my taper. It did frighten me to read the stories and struggles and I kept away from this thread for months because of the fear of withdrawing.

Now I will wait and see what happens. My connective disease symptoms have gotten worse. But my Peyronie's is improved.

My heart is strong. Last Saturday I ran 5.7 miles in just over an hour. About 15 months after surgery and I am off all drugs except a baby aspirin. I get 2 to 2 1/2 hours of strenuous aerobic exercise per week.

My cardiologist said I am an ideal one-in-a-thousand patient. And my surgeon called me "delightful" in his operative report. My surgery was performed off pump with no exogenous blood, and I was extubated on the OR table.

I feel great and especially to be off the metoprolol. My stats: 61, male, 5'9", 144#. Resting heart rate 50-55, BP 115/72.

My prayers and healing thoughts to Tony.

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Hi kefir.., I'm very happy that you are doing well. I wish I could have your good fortune. I'm scared and feeling very down. I manage to Cheer up here and there but then reality seeps back in. As I sat in the rehab orientation, I looked around and I was easily the youngest one there.

Sometimes my heart races a little and even the thought of sudden cardiac arrest has had me on edge. I feel like things are so surreal . After leaving today from rehab, I just sat in my car and thought for a bit.

I know some people can go on to live long and productive lives but in my heart, I don't feel good about my chances. This is almost the most defeated I've ever felt. I hope if I'm around a while that will improve.

Last night as I held my wife, I was grateful for one more day. Angry with myself for not being extremely careful years and years ago. I served my country and I use to run forever, but afterwards, I let the bad habits slowly kill me and I didn't know it. I've never smoked a single cigarette and I've never had a single glass of alcohol and yet here I am.

When I'm home alone, the quiet haunts me. I try and go see a friend or at least be around people in fear that if I go down, I'll have a chance. I hope God protects all of you from this experience.

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Hey Tony! Sorry to hear that things aren't going quite as well as you had hoped. I guess all you can really do is to hang in there the best you can. Of course, all of us can talk about trying to be positive and whatnot, but in the end, it's really going to be up to you to put yourself in a mindset that you can feel comfortable with. I do know that healing and recovery can take a great deal of time after many procedures, so perhaps you'll just need to take things slowly once again??? Is it possible that some of the meds are causing some of these issues, too? When I was struggling with the Metoprolol, it seemed that nearly any other med that I took along with it caused a bad reaction of some kind. I even struggled with a few of the OTC natural supplements that some folks had recommended here. I think I'd still request to see your cardiologist, though.....either that or see another one. It just seems crazy that he'd allow that much time for a follow-up visit, especially when considering the kinds of things you've be experiencing. Just know that we're all behind you all the way, and please keep us posted.

Kefir Kid.....that's quite a story! It's good to hear that you're doing well after all that! After reading these posts today, I can only think about how lucky I am to be feeling well these days. Of course, the Metoprolol experience was a living hell, but I keep having to remind myself that it could've been much worse. I'm also 61 years of age, and while I suppose that can be considered young in many respects, we're certainly at that age where many of us are beginning to have issues. And, thanks for sharing your story!

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Tony.....just curious, but how are you doing?

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Hey Tony! Thanks for the nice comment! Even though we don't really know one another from a personal standpoint, it still concerns me when I see one of my friends having issues. After all, you've given me a whole lot of great advice when the chips were down for me, and it's been greatly appreciated! While it's difficult for me to offer any advice in return at the moment, I sincerely hope that you can get beyond your issues. It certainly must be challenging for you, but please try to keep your spirits high!

As far as myself, I get little tinges of leftover effects from the Metoprolol every now and then, but they're getting fewer and farther between with time. I'm actually doing very well. In fact, for the last three or four weeks I've been feeling better than I have in almost three years. I'm still doing as much cycling as I can weather permitting, and my wife and I get out to walk about two to three miles nearly every day. Getting entirely off the prescription meds has been a very good thing for me. Whether or not I can stay off of them indefinitely remains to be seen, but for now I'm enjoying it while I can.

Anyway, I just hope you can get beyond it all.

DJS, sorry to hear that your back surgery didn't go as well as planned, but I would suppose it's somewhat of a relief not having to worry about the dreaded "M." I have back issues as well - degenerative disc disease - but I haven't needed surgery yet. Man, this growing old stuff kinda sucks, doesn't it?.......LOL.

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Hi Tony:

I was thinking of you and just wanted to know how you're doing? I hope you're getting stronger every day and I hope your doctors are giving you the answers you need, and answers that make sense.

Kerry

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Apologies for my typos! Using android does that auto typing! Keep posting your notes my friends here. Wishing you all well. Enjoy each day.

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This is such a commonly used drug. I think I might have heard of one or side adverse reactions in 25 years, I myself take Toprol XL 200mg qd, part of the regimen following my serious heart surgery (gory details; suffice it to say I needed replacement valve, OK?). Originally, I was on Inderal QID and I told the surgeon "This is bulls***; make them QD drugs or I will. I'm not your typical prone-to-depression post op patient. VASTER is not the best drug in its class. And it's TID; you're nuts. The surgeon was tightly-wound, as surgeons are, and indignant. "If you don't change the meds, I'll confer with my brother — you met him — and I will. How dare you treat me or any other patient as if you were gods and I'm a mere moronic mortal. I have more and better degrees than you do and you're supposed to solicit my input. Don't think this isn't finding its way into writing, either. I was an honors English major." The unavailability of Inderal-LA made us with to Toprol-XL. Never a problem. I'm thinking that you folks represent the "augmenters" for beta-blockers — "normal" doses have exaggerated effects, including side effects. I'd been reading this board for a while and spoken to some cardiologists I know well. Absent having all you guys in a room, taking vitals, bloods, his, etc., we came to the conclusion by consensus that you probably are AUGMENTERS. Let your docs know this. So many docs prescribe b-blockers that they have to know. Even I occasionally prescribe Inderal for anxiety symptoms. but on an "as needed" (i.e., "public speaking") basis. I hope my experience has helped you guys a little. This is a puzzlement beyond my meager resources to unravel. Thank you for welcoming me to these boards, guys and gals. It's an honor to be asked for advice.

Editor's note: We do not verify the credentials of our users and nothing stated in our forums is intended to be taken as medical advice.

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I stop taking this medication 2 weeks ago and I'm having the same side effects as you too!...

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Not posted for a while. I'm the one that weaned off Metroprolol over march to June no problems at all. From 3 June to last time I had taken my BP - end Aug - all was well. I was really pleased.

Then: my mother 87 died. I was ok with that. Two days later I had a slight flashing in my eye. I thought it was stress. I ignored it as I soent 2.5 weeks preparing for funeral. Eventually saw Locun Optometrist Sept 4. Detached retina! Massive shock. Told to go immediately to Eye Hospital. Operation 5th

. Yikes I thought - every question I answered on their firm was "no" which was a positive thing - will they catch me out when they take my BP!? I admitted to high BP. Told them I was treating it myself. Water Cure et al. They didn't take any interest. My BP was taken. All ok. I was operated on whilst awake - Anaeth. Seemed pleased with my readings on his machine - released on 6th. Mum's funeral on Sept 7th, which I was allowed to go to.

My healing appeared to go super well until my 2nd check up at Eye Hoslital with my Prof. I was super shocked to know I needed another op under general Anaeth. this time!!!! They immediately did all the pre op rests on me. I was reeling with shock/tears. My BP reading was something like 190/102!! It came down a bit whilst there but nurse lectured me on salt (I told her about the Water Cure and my other supplements but it seems nurses don't know that salt isn't just salt. That there is good salt and bad salt. I onky use Sea or Himaltan. I was told op would not take place within next 6 days if I rocked up with high blood pressure.

For a start I had never ever had an operation before my eye op. never had gen anaesthic before. Huge deal. So no wonder it was up!!


Re-read The Water Cure to reassure myself. Yes. Researched others that were using Water Cure and supplements to control BP. All positive. Didn't know what to do.

So! I was so worried I took the Metroprolol in my bathroom drawer for 6 days leading up to op. didnt want to but could see no
Way out

After all thus my op was deemed unnecessary on the day (long story) and I was sent home much to my relief.

Last 3 days I have weaned off from 100 mg to 50 mg but I've had palpitations for more days than that.

My question is - sorry for the long bacj story - I'm frightened I'm causing it by weaning off but from a quick read here it seemed it is the M that actually causes the palpitations!!????

I'm confused now. Still doing Water Cure plus Hawthorn Berry and Magnesium and Apple Cider.

I have been following everyone's posts for months and had been feeling smug that my initial weaning off went so smoothly compared to everyone else's. now this debacle!!!! How long do you think palpatations will continue? Some would say "go to your GP" but they don't get the need for preferring natural cures and I am afraid I will get crapped on. Thinking of waiting it out for a few days more.

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CJ, slow down your dosage reduction. You will probably still have some symptoms, but they should be more manageable. Thank you for the kind words Dottie! Honestly can anyone here IMAGINE going thru this sort of thing with no help from Internet resources such as this? I am SO grateful for this resource. Wondering how Tony is faring.

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Thanks Lauren for your thoughts I haven't taken any more M. Last time wss about two days ago. I figured - rightly or wrongly - if I'd only taken it for 6 days this time round - then weaning could be short and sweet? I am
Loathe to take it again - although
I might consider that bit about licking it!!!!!

Palpitations still not under control. Will wait it out.

Thanks for Milk Thistle suggestion. I presume they mix well with Olive Leaf, Hawthorn Berry, Apple Cidrr, magnesium and SEA Salt via The Water Cure.

This blog has been a great source of info in more ways than one. Thank you everybody.

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I discontinued M three weeks ago and have had palps on and off with dizziness at times. I am "happy" to hear this is not unusual. However, I was taking minimal dose as a preventative re: palps. It worked for those, but I stopped because of skin rash, eczema, and possibly psoriasis. I was miserable with the itching and finally in a lightbulb moment I looked up adverse side effects and found out these are considered serious. I am hoping these symptoms will clear in time as I pay attention to diet and search for remedies.

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This stuff is POISON. I am so mad I ever took it. Weaning day 4. Worst issue right now is wonky dizzy head on and off, loose bowels, and that doom and gloom feeling, small palpitations on and off. I did get weirdly short of breath for about an hour yesterday morning. Just pushing fluids HARD, and trying to remain calm as my body cycles thru this. Yes milk thistle plays well with other supps etc. :)

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Day 5, taking a shave less daily, debating on whether to take any for day today, probably a crumb. Was fairly clear headed yesterday, just nauseous in afternoon, and I suddenly get REALLY tired by 6-630pm nightly. This am I am fuzzy headed, (wonky) and I have a lot to do and a ten hour shift to work later , so I am really frustrated. Trying to remain patient, but that's not my strongest trait.... ?? Time to saddle up and push thru, regardless. I hate having to drive when I am feeling like this.

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