Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 6) (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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Wow... i started reading all these posts. I can't believe how much we are all suffering from these medications. I feel so bad for all of us. Its terrible that these doctors give us this crap and don't listen. I'm not sure my doctors even know the side effects or even care. I remember telling both my doctors about my side effects and they both said and laughed did you google it? Terrible... i told them I googled it because I was feeling this way and they just pass it off as nothing. Sometimes I hope that hell has a special place for these people... sorry just venting...

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I had issues coming off of metoprolol as well ;tapered dosage for 10 days then stopped.Pulse rate, blood pressure shot up very high and a lot of anxiety as well.My cardiologist never told me about withdrawal.He also did not start me on another med;I found out later this was my main issue, not having another med to start on immidately.It took me about 2 months to feel almost normal.Good luck!sorry you didn't enjoy holiday because of this.

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I went off mine.
Haven't felt right since I went on in Feb.
My ear. Started ringing on it and STILL IS almost 3 months. NO ONE KNOWS WHY!
Still are dizzy at times. Comes when things move up or down, like scrolling on my phone or computer or I quickly look sideways. Or try to focus on something . Been to more doctors in the past months than in 25 yrs!!! I believe it was the meds That started it all . I am @ my wits end. Drs look at me cross eyed like I am crazy!

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I was diagnosed with high BP and originally was put on Lisinopril. Had to stop that as it put me into a severe depression which I never had before. Next was several drugs, Verapazam, CartiaXT, stopped them due to leg swelling, etc. Now the dr put me on Lopresser generic. Been on that since October 2013 @ 50mcg x1/day. Had all kinds of bad symptoms - chest tightness, breathing ability, loss of acuity, memory lapses, muscle pain - the works. Decided to get rid of it cold turkey. Doctors never listen to your bad reactions to drugs or tell you that it doesn't cause your symptom. Then why do you have it now, when you didn't before? Having all the above symptoms listed by others above. Going to tough it out. Already noting an increase in less fuzziness of thought, memory better,hoping for more positive results as time goes on. I'll take whatever risk is involved to feel better. This stuff is crap!

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Yes it has been 1.5 months that i have been off this drug. Horrible 2.5 months of withdrawal. Unfortunately the drug the Dr. gave me to keep calm was Lorazepam. It did help when getting off Metoprolol but now i am addicted unknowingly to Lorazepam....and it is even worse and they say it will take me 6 months to wean off of it.
I know why i didnt see a Dr. for 25 years before my high BP emergency. If i had know any of this i would have done it all natural with food and exercise.

I am convinced after all my research that the drug companies feed the Dr.s CRAP and the Dr's get amnesia because they get paid and don't have to think.

My dr. tried to tell me it was all in my head about all the drugs i had taken for BP making me a zombie. Even my Pharmacist said his wife had a terrible reaction to one of the drugs i was on. My Dr. rolled his eyes at me.

Now he thinks i have a minor dependency and easy to get off. But he has not personally experienced it. I am very angry and the medical profession ....i thought they were better than this.

These drugs are horrible and there is no way the drug companies don't have any idea about this stuff...there are way too many of us. And many of the symptoms people get from these drugs the Dr's say you have a new disease without even considering the debilitating side effects of the drugs they just came off.
One guy who they took off Xanax was fine one week but when the side effects kicked in they said he had developed split personality and put him in a mental ward on all kind of new powerful drugs. When they gave him another Xanax he was right as rain almost within an hour but since he was diagnosed with a new disorder..thats what is now is...poor guy! How many poor guys/gals there are out there...i venture to say millions.

Metopropol gave me horrible anxiety and the worst palpitations i ever have had by far. Sometimes i would take a handful of aspirin because i thought i was dying. Then when done with the drug...two weeks later another bout with them and they continue on a lesser basis 1.5 months out. I had people write me and said 6 months out Metoprolol was still giving them trouble.

Now i find out they are a side effect of Lorazepam as well. They are a different kind of palpitation though..not near as heavy as Metoprolol.

COQ-10 WORKS GOOD FOR PALPITATIONS AND SIDE EFFECTS OF mETOPROLOL Take 200 mg a day of Ubiquinol...it works much better than normal coq10.

Good luck all! Sorry for your troubles.
I have 2 family members who are on it and have no issues but one person can eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich and feel good and the one who has a peanut allergy can swell up and die! Don't ever let anyone tell you your symptoms are not real. The major thing i found out is most people have NO idea what any of us are going through and because it doesn't fit with their belief system they will try to make you wrong and crazy. Do what is right for you and make sure you get information from people who have gone through this!

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I've been off for 2 months and feel more normal now. The first two weeks off it, I felt worse. After that things SLOWLY got better every week. At this point, I still experience frequent symptoms, but much milder I can almost ignore them. :)

I only took metoprolol for 2 months to slow my heart (my bp is normal) due to a temporary heart event.

When I weaned off to half a pill, every other night, I was more sick the following day after I took the pill.

The symptoms are debilitating I'm using FMLA at work.

As long as I continue to improve, my therapist suggest giving myself 6 months. Meanwhile, I have a 3 month follow up with my cardiologist next month.

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Hi Everyone
Wow I thought I was ready to go down to 25 miligrams from 37 mgs. but when I only lasted two days on that. Aweful side effects and don't know what happened??. So I will try 31 miligrams for now and see what happens. I did it last night and I was okay..
I cannot believe how fast the doctors think we can come off this drug and think its not the drug giving all kinds of side effects. What Is wrong with them.. If I didn't listen to a friend who was weaning off and my own body God knows .. I don't care about how long it takes to get off but the way doctors treat the whole thing is insane. I would love to start a crusade against these drugs. I now take natural things and they wont kill me I don't think.
We really have to warn people about this drug.............My neighbor takes it and I told her to wean off of it but of course she wont unless her doctors tells her too. by the way this drug didn't lower her bp either. Maybe a few points but her pressure is still high. I told her to use magnesium and things but I am not sure she will listen to me.
this might be my new purpose in life.



okay rant over for now

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I have been totally off of Toprol for 2 months now.I started with a little chest pain and palpitations,.That slowly diminished , replaced with a weird pain in back of the neck and left ear. Each day I feel less and less anxious and feel certain that I made the right decision to wean off a drug that I was on for 10 years.

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Hi... i just wanted to say it does get better sooner or later. I went threw the worse of it for a year because my doctor told me to keep taking even to the point where I felt like walking into traffic.but I hung in there and now after a year I'm fine with just a little bit of anxiety. I hope you feel better and stay strong

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I have had just about every side effect in the book from weaning off of (M).. I was confined to my home for about a year because when I would go out I didn't know what to expect like racing heart, anxiety, pain and yes like arthritis, dizziness, and then at night another whole host of things.. So I decided to remain in the house more and wait it all out... I did do necessities of life but rarely went out at night or did much of anything for the whole year of 2014... I did start meditating and yes I do EFT (tapping)... and started taking a bunch of natural supplements ..

Anyway; It took me a year to get off and Feb. was my last dose.. I did it very slowly as I was on 100mgs. for two years.............Now its April and I am feeling a million times better but there are days I don't feel all that great but I am going out more and walking and doing more.. and my anxiety seems to be way down... My nightmares have stopped and I am sleeping through the night and my heart rate is pretty good..

For what's its worth I would go down slowly with this drug.. No matter how long it takes. cut it slowly or just lengthen the time you take the first dose and then remain on that until you feel stable and then cut it.. I couldn't cut mine as I experienced too many side effects so I just lengthened the time I took it and then when I felt stable I would cut the dose but not much...That is why It took me a year as I believe I was very highly allergic to this drug.. Doctors did not want to hear it...

For the nervousness I started taking theanine.. An amino acid and now I take a few amino acids which help me a lot.. Taurine, L Arginine .. I also use magnesium and if you feel your heart rate going up take some organic unsulphured black strap molasses or celtic sea salt in water or Motherwort the herb with Hawthorne will lower the heart rate rather quickly.... An l/8 teaspoon of celtic sea salt in 8 ounces of water will stop palpitations quickly.............when I would wake up many nights with palpitations I would just reach for my sea salt and water and gulp it down and the palps would stop right away......or when I would just go to the bathroom my heart rate would jump up for no reason and then I had the runs , etc,etc..but all of that has stopped Praise God but I believe its the natural supplements I am taking that has helped me also 100 percent..

I thought I would never feel better but I am now . One day at a time..

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On 4/9/15 I was placed on Metoprolol ER 50 mg taken at bedtime for hbp & rapid heartbeat. That day I went to my gp because I had a false hypoglycemic episode. I am a T2 diabetic and was reducing my carbs to get my sugars down. When I have false hypos I get all the signs of a true hypo which includes rapid heartbeat. I was on Losartan and he said EKG was fine but due to rapid heartbeat he was placing me on Metoprolol. The first night I took it I felt anxious but was able to relax after 30 minutes. I took it for 14 nights. The side effects I had were shaking, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness, cold and sweaty hands and feet, chills, headache and one time my bp was 171/100. I called my doc and he switched me to Bystolic 5mg taken once daily. This is another beta blocker with less side effects. I waited a couple of days before I took Bystolic. I took it for a week minus 2 days. The first day was not bad. The second day moving forward was a nightmare. When I would take the pill I would get anxious. When it would wear off I would get anxious. I had loss of appetite, insomina, shaking, jittery, cold and sweaty hands and feet. Tingling on my arms,legs, various parts of my body, chest tightness, shortness of breath. I went to my GP and he referred me to a cardiologist and told me to continue Bystolic. I could not take it anymore. The day before my visit with the cardio I quit cold turkey. I went to cardio and was placed on Almodipine Besylate 10 mg with hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg. I took my first pill on 5/7/15. Since quitting beta blocker I have had horrible withdrawal symptoms which include anxiety, nervousness, inside tremors, loss of appetite, rapid heartbeat, bp fluctuating, insomnia, stomach upset, chills, sweats, fatigue, dizziness, shakiness, etc. Today is day 7 with no beta blockers. I have felt very little anxiety today. So I must have gotten through the hard part of withdrawal. The doc told me it should take a couple of days for beta blockers to leave my system but the Pharmacist told me I would go through withdrawals after being on beta blockers for 3 weeks regardless and that I could take Benadryl for withdrawals. I chose not to go that route because you can get addicted to Benadryl. I just toughed it with prayer. Beta blockers work in the sympathetic nervous system and suppress adrenal glands. I will never take beta blockers and should have never been placed on them since I am a diabetic. I have lost 26 and am still losing. My goal is to get off of my meds. I hope telling my story helps someone.

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wow I hope you feel better... I wont tell you what to do but I would def. not rush this.. and I still believe in going down more slowly.. A week to me is not enough time.. I was having issues after 6 months of weaning but I was on 100 mgs. to start.. so I waited it out .. I listened to my body and it said take all the time you need.. so it took me a year.................if you get a chance read through the other posts and you will get an idea of the severity of this drug.. I know I couldn't believe it myself but I experiences it first hand.. Please read up on nutrition and herbs and vitamins.. Doctors wont help and will only give you more diagnostics and more drugs.. I would highly recommend a naturopathic heart doctor or acupuncture or anything more natural than western medicine.... if all else fails then okay western medicine but listen to your heart, listen to your body.. and do what is best for you... but please look into the natural stuff first. You will be surprised. I was shocked when I had palpitations and then took some Motherwort (herb) and hawthorne and they just went away.. or a dash of sea salt in water stops palpitations in seconds.. I haven't had a palpitation in months and when I was on the (M) I had them all the time.. makes no sense when the drugs is supposed to stop palps....

PS.. also look up Dr. Stephen Sinatra. He is a integrative cardiologist and has written some good books and he has a website.... check him out. I now take magnesium, L carnitine and COQ10 as prevention .. its called metabolic cardiology.. good luck and keep us updated..

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Yeah it is a rough drug and like I mentioned, even with smaller dosages it still can be rough. It is built up in your system. So it will still be rough until you are completely done. You just have to go easy and be careful. Even at slightly over 7 mg twice a day, I felt pain in my chest. It will take being completely off for a week to notice a real significant improvement. As long as it's in your system, it will fight you. Just go easy. Talk to your doctor if it gets too concerning.

I'm still weening off lorazepam. I'd love to quit today but I can't. Every time I go too fast, my heart flutters and does scary things so I have to go really slow. There is nothing you can do but go easy. And you are right, metoprolol plays with your mind because it's impacting your heart. Anything heart related is scary. It will get better. Just talk with your doctor if you have any concerns but in my experience, it took a week after being completely done before it left my system and it was an amazing difference. Everyone responds differently to drugs but I feel confident better days are ahead for you.

When I felt pain in my chest while walking when I was on it, I had to sit and go slow and not force it or it can make u sore. My heart even raced a little too here and there. Your body has gotten used to the drug and now its fighting. Go easy my friend and see your doctor if you get too worried.

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Jimbo.
Have you checked into any of the natural supplements or tried any?
I am swearing by magnesium now along with the other things I take.. I have not had one palpitation in months and I would get a lot with taking the (M).. Yes its a very scary drug..
I feel so good being able to walk around, take walks and do normal things without side effects and not having my heart rate go bonkers.. No dizziness and no crazy stuff .. fingers crossed LOL

You will get there.............If I did it anyone can as my weaning was a nightmare and even after it was a nightmare.............

take care

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And Bee, I wrote a rather sentimental message yesterday in response to your last post that didn't get posted for whatever reason. In short, though, I merely stated how wonderful this thread has been for me in getting beyond the horrible experience I've had with this drug. For a few weeks I was quite afraid that I'd never feel normal again, and the support I found here was second to none. I found this site at a time when I pretty much felt all alone in this world with nowhere to turn, and it certainly didn't help when nearly all of the doctors I saw in during my three visits to the ER and numerous clinic visits only to get the feeling that they thought I was nuts. With that being said, I'd just like to thank you and everyone else for all of your support in helping me get beyond this. I honestly can't express how grateful I really am!

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Jimbo,

I would def. backtrack and go back to a small dosage if that will help.. I had to go up and down on dosages for months.. I remember being at 75mgs. and trying to go down to 50mgs. but I had so many horrific side effects that I went back up to 75mgs. until I felt more stable. The trick is to keep weaning down but stay on the dosages until you feel stable enough to cut down... I was on 75mgs. for months and then 50mgs. for months and then 34 mgs. for months until I felt stable to keep going down................I must have said this to you a thousand times but I feel as if you got off way too quickly and didn't stay long enough on each dose.. Plus the way I did it since like you I am highly intolerant to this drug and all drugs is not cut the dose but extend the time I took each dose so the body gets used to the drug slowly excreting.....................I too wanted to rush and get it over with but I couldn't because of the horrific side effects... It took me a year or more to feel stable again... but it was worth it...............and I know how frustrated I was..

Now a year or more later I am free of the (M) and can resume walking, biking, etc.. I don't know what damaged it cause but I am trying to heal that too..

Hang in there.. it will get better.. Be Patient...and do what is best to keep the side effects to a minimum... I remember having to get up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding I felt like I was going to die.. It was awful but I hung in.. The Hawthorn and magnesium saved my life I believe.. along with meditation too and EFT (tapping on energy spots on the body)

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Well, some good news: I think I finally go over the big hump of withdrawing myself from this poisonous garbage. I first noticed a change for the better when we had a small family gathering last Tuesday evening, and it was followed by having the best night's sleep that I've had in nearly two months. I woke up yesterday feeling great and felt great all day with the exception of a few little twinges of heart palps and very slight chest pressure. I got another great night's sleep last night, and I'm feeling pretty good so far today. Of course, I'm expecting to have to live with a few little quirks from time to time until this stuff is entirely out of my system, but I am beginning to believe that I've finally gotten beyond the worst of that horrible funk I've been in for the past seven or eight weeks. For a while I honestly thought that I may never feel normal again.

I'd just like to thank all of you for your support! It was especially important to me to have a place to turn to when the doctors and even some of my family members and friends were beginning to think that I was losing my mind. I think it's safe to say that all of us here have likely had or continue to have this little dilemma on top of having to deal with this horrible drug. Of course, we all know in our hearts that it's this drug that creates all this havoc in our systems and, as I'm sure you're all aware, trying to convey that message to others can undoubtedly be a grueling task. But, I think this has probably been the worst two months of my life.

For those of you who are still struggling, I sincerely wish you the very best in ridding yourselves from this drug, for I would never wish this sort of experience on anyone. The good news is that you'll eventually get there. Just hang in there and try to be strong. Also, there's no doubt in my mind that the very best advice I've heard from anyone was right here.

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If you are on 25 mg of Ativan then you are in dire straits and need serious help asap. That's a massive amount. I'm on 1 mg and it's a nightmare to get off of.

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I agree with Jimbo. It takes time. I am on day 22 with no metoprolol. This weekend I went out for the first time in 6 months. I went to a dinner. It was hot out and my pulse was up but I did my best to stay calm and NOT become overwhelmed with anxiety. I made it through the dinner! I can't say I was relaxed but it was a step forward to living again after living in fear of what my body would do. For me it has been a long road of withdrawal. Some people just stop taking it and are fine. I found that what helped most was water with lemon juice (clean the medication out of the liver), drinking lots of water (flushing the body), taking lots of vitamin C and EXERCISE. The exercise has helped me get my resting pulse back down after the weaning. My pulse was 65 on the Metoprolol. After weaning resting pulse was up around 79 (but running higher and well over 100 during the day). Now after 22 days it is down to resting pulse of 69. I am wearing a Fitbit and watching my pulse rate throughout the day. I am seeing improvement which makes me relax about it more. I haven't had a funky head or chest pain in several days, so I am encouraged. Exercising is key. I walk on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes and am able now to increase my speed and incline a my resting pulse drops. I am feeling less effects of the metoprolol. Those of you in the weaning process, rebound stage, or thinking of getting off this poison, you can do it. GO SLOW and listen to your body. If your doctor does not understand that it is not agreeing with you look for a new doctor. Be safe during the process. I had several trips to the Er along the way but am seeing that soon I can live life like I did before the metoprolol.

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Chris, I'm quite sure that the Metoprolol causes a good share of anxiety. Even after being off the stuff for over two months, I had slight anxiety issues up until a week or two ago. Coffee was my worst enemy during that time, for any caffeine would trigger the anxiety. I'm finally able to drink a cup or two without those issues.

Like yourself, I have no heart issues, but during the time when I first realized I had a problem this drug as well as into the weaning process, I ended up going to the ER three times, all for intense chest pain and heart palpitations. All three times the doctors couldn't find anything wrong. In fact, a couple of them commented on what good health I was in since my pulse rate was at 45......LOL. I simply replied that while I felt I was in fairly decent shape, there's no way that a 61-year-old man could have a pulse rate of 45 unless he ran a marathon every other week. The problem was that the drug just lowered my BP and PR to alarmingly low rates, and I needed to get off of it. Still, the doctors did NOT recognize this.

As far as being difficult to "get off of this mess," yes, it is very difficult. It's a tough ride for sure. I went through about a two-month period where I had very little hope. In fact, while I knew in my heart I couldn't seriously consider the notion of committing suicide, I did feel that I didn't care to live if this was the way I had to feel for the rest of my life. I just felt useless both mentally and physically. Still, I had enough encouragement from my wife and kids to seek out a way to feel better, and the people on this very website gave me a great deal of strength to see it through. I felt all alone in the world, but once I found this place, I realized that this Metroprolol problem is very real and that others were suffering with the same issues I had. It's not an easy battle by any stretch of the word, but you can do it. The thing is, once you reach that one day where you suddenly realize that the Metroprolol's grip on you is finally getting weaker, that'll be the day when you also realize that your life is getting back on track again. And, you know what? That's a damn good feeling...... : )

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