Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 62) (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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Im on Metoprolol and have been trying to get off them. I halved my dose 1/2 tab morning and 1/2 tab evening. I was doing that for 2 weeks as per Doctors instruction.
I then went to only 1/2 tab in the morning for 2 weeks. Blood pressure and pulse remained fairly normal. I then went to only a 1/4 tab in the morning and suddenly after 3 days of 1/4 tab by BP and pulse went dramatically up. Horrible anxiety feelings also.
I wasn't sure what to do but I thought Id better take a tablet again. BP and pulse dropped but there is still anxiety that is driving me crazy. Im gone back to 1/2 tab in morning and 1/2 tab in evening but it still doesn't totally get rid of the anxiety problem.
I am taking taking garlic and drinking camomile tea which is supposed to help.
I have to wait and see.
I wish I had never been talked into taking these tabs because the withdrawal symptoms are horrible.
What are other peoples views on withdrawal etc?

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Jane, I feel for you, cause my body goes crazy if I miss one pill. I can only imagine what I would feel like trying to get off of them. Have you called your doctor about the problems you're having? Maybe they would have some suggestions too.

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Thanks Suzie I will do that. I forgot to say that I have been on Metoprolol for 3 years. 3 years too long!

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Jane, let me know what they say OK?

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Ive been on metrol for 17 years, no problems even if i miss my med.

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Jane
Just wondering how it's going?

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Im taking it slowly. Bee your story has been very enlightening. I will let you know how things progress. Thanks all.

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thanks Jane but I think I spoke too soon...........I was on 37 miligrams and doing okay .. the other night my heart rate went down and I took it as a sign to go down in some more milligrams.. So I tried 25 miligrams for two days and I went out for awhile and at about 5:30 pm heart rate went up ... This didn't happen before so I am now thinking I might not be ready for the 25 miligrams.. I base it all on how I feel and not the generic formula the doctors seem to lump everyone in..my whole life and its getting more frustrating and its been like I said since last end of Feb. Beginning Of March.................so once again I might have to go back up again.. going to wait it out another day ... Its not that I don't care about the time it takes to get off but I don't have a good doctor right now who will help and I will probably run out of medication again .. I dread the going to the doctors and feeling abused by them.. thank You for listening.

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Hello
I wanted to also say that when I was put on metropolol I never had a palpitation in my whole life.. I was doing fine walking two miles a day, eating right, I lost 35 lbs.. As soon as I told the doctor I had anxiety bam he puts me on this drug.. I didn't read the side effects and from last post had said been weaning off now since last end of Feb. Beginning of last March........Now down to 37 miligrams from 100... All through this journey though I have had palpitations on and off and now like I said never had this in my entire life.. but now I am 60... I have read it could be the drug or other things.. I also don't eat meat and take supplements . I also take 900 miligrams of magnesium and haven't had any palpitations since last May but woke up last night with racing heart..........I also wanted to ask if anyone has exercised or done light walking while getting off of this drug... The doctor said it was okay but a few of them gave me the wrong info .. I also have read in various places that one should not exercise and disturb the heart while weaning off this drug... some days I try and walk a little but I get scared ..........Does anyone know about the exercise ...thank You

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Bee,
I'm confused. Your doctor put you on metropolol for anxiety? I get confused because like with gabapentin, I thought it was originally marketed as a anti-depressant, I thought metropol was for high blood pressure and for irregular heart beat. Lyrica has been remarketed.
It just confuses me when they seem to be using a drug for all sorts of different things. It isn't aspirin.

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oh; I am sorry forgot to clarify .. he put me on for high blood pressure but as soon as I said I have anxiety also he said oh; you must have tachycardia.. what? my heart test showed nothing like that but I just said to him oh; I have some anxiety .So hbp and anxiety equals a beta blocker I am assuming.... man was I stupid. I never had a palpitation in my life.. didn't even know what it was until now.

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I exercise regularly by walking for about an hour most days without any problems. I am 61.
I only eat meat once or twice a week. I eat fish a couple of times a week. Oily fish like salmon or sardines. I take magnesium also plus other vitamins and garlic,hawthorn,taurine,passionflower and camomile. Some of these are for anxiety as well as BP.
Im still taking 25mg metoprolol in the morning and another 25mg in the evening.
So far so good.

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Bee,
I thought he was doing what they do with all the popular medicines LOL. Just prescribe it for everything. Lyrica is different cause there aren't very many people who say it even works for anything.

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Jane.. I was asking about if someone is weaning off can they exercise.. I am weaning off and that is what I am wondering about... I read so many things that say don't exercise when weaning off of a beta blocker.. you are still on yours I see.
I am 60 and been a vegetarian with fish most of my life and now yes I take Taurine and also drink camomille tea.......I have read though that Hawthorne interacts with a beta blocker .. maybe your low dose its okay...
I have heard that 5htp is good for anxiety and Gabba although I haven't used any of that yet.. I do take b12 for that along with the tea and I also meditate and do anxiety stress relief tapes from utube..

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Susie..
I have had no idea what a drug was as I was so fortunate in that I never had to take one most of my life .. But when I approached 58 years old I got the high blood pressure.. I have really watched what I ate and became mostly vegetarian for 20 years and used to drink wheatgrass and do a bunch of things for my health.. I cut out sugar and processed foods and fast food.......but I believe it was from stress and lack of exercise so immediately the doctors pull out the drugs.. you know most of the drugs never really worked for me.. yeah; maybe a little but I had to change my diet, exercise and lose weight and add vitamins and supplements... So I said why am I on this drug.. It doesn't even seem to work and besides one can always go back on drugs if needed .. Its tougher to get off..

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Hi Bee. I'm 44 and I continued my light excessive (30 min walk) each day while weaning off. My weaning process was only 2wks. I felt better excersizing. I strongly suggest you ask your cardiologist if there is some kind of wellness center available where you can do it with a physiologist. My wellness center is basically a gym equipped with bp, EKG and oxygen tanks, etc. So in case of medical emergency, they prepared to take care of you. I needed my cardiologist to refer me so I could join. And check and see if you can get it covered by insurance. Mine wasn't but I felt safer working out in a place like this rather a gym because of my severe anxiety symptoms.

Secondly, I also got severe heart palpitations after going on metoprolol. Two months off it, I still get them but not so severe.

Finally, if you do go off the metoprolol and still have high bp, ask your doc about using the water pill only. The side effects are low, and I recall reading an article that drug companies don't make money off the water pill, so they keep pushing these new drugs. It also said docs should try the water pill alone first, and if that doesn't work, then use it in conjunction with another drug. I have 2 girlfriends who were put on other drugs first, the when it didn't work, they were given the water pill with the other drug, there bp finally dropped back to normal levels.

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Bee, Jane, Susie... strange thing about meat with me. before getting sick, I didn't eat alot of meat. When I was put on metoprolol, I started craving red or dark meat. Especially beef. Once I almost went hysterical because i felt like I'd have an anxiety attack if I didn't get beef is my system immediately. I ate alot of quarter pounders this past summer. :(

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Joyce,
An upper chamber wasn't in the beat cycle and I started having the palpitations is why I started the metropol.
That is really weird, cause now that you mention it, I can't get enough steak or burgers. That is strange LOL.

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Hi Joyce,
thanks for the tips... but what is a wellness center...............I don't have any insurance right now but I will still see if there is a wellness center around where I live.. As far as the water pill I am going to try so hard not to take any more prescription medications and keep adding natural things......there must be a natural thing versus a water pill.. what about just drinking water?? I drink about 8 to 9 glasses of water a day.............but in the end who knows?? I will def. integrate meds and supplements as much as I can. thank you.. I love this chat board... It is helping me so much..

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Just found you all here searching for support coming off metoprolol... thank you all for your stories here and for someplace to have this conversation... grateful for any feedback to my story here:

I halved my 50 mg in July because I was basically non-functional on it. I reduced my blood thinner Eliquis very slowly. Very soon less blurred vision (could not see TV or computer monitor), thinking much clearer...then ten days ago - after more longer term side effects showed up in digestion, etc.- halved it again...been feeling fear/anxiety, heart palpitations, nausea, painful gas, no appetite, etc. I am having more withdrawal symptoms than from 50 to 25... But I am convinced that I will never feel myself again, never well again, unless I get this med out of my system. HOW WILL MY HEART EVER HEAL AND FIND ITS NATURAL RHYTHM AGAIN WITH THIS MED COUNTROLLING IT?

... So now I am taking about 12.5 mg with lunch only. Still waking up to pee every 2-3 hours all night long makes it harder to cope and leaves me feeling zombie-ish... Was put on this Betablocker 50 mg in May 2014 after heart went into Atrial Fibrillation after emergency surgery for broken femur from a hard fall. I am 68 and never been in such strong med for such a long tine. BTW I do not have high blood pressure, rather lower my entire life...

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