Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 93) (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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Re: Darlene (# 1836)

I'm not sure why they put you on this med but I do know that the doctors and pharmacist offer no works of assistance when you are trying to get off of it. They are quick to put you on this horrible Med but do not want to take any responsibility for helping you come off of it. If your doctor is like all the others I would say that this is why you are still waiting for a phone call. I have to take action on my own to get off of metroprolol. I was only on 50 mg once a day for a year but did not see the some of the side effects that were slowly coming on over time. Some very stupid doctors prescribe this Med for hypertension which should never happen. I cut my dosage in half for two weeks(25mg) and then in half for another two weeks (12.5mg) and then in half again for another two weeks 6.25mg. I am not saying that it was easy because there are still side effects but they are much more tolerable. Even at the end of this weaning process when I went off of the Metoprolol completely I still had some side effects for about another 3 weeks. All through this process I was having widely fluctuating BP and a High Heart rate sometimes around 115 for long periods of time, slight Angina and the scariest was the Anxiety Attacks that would come and go. During the weaning process the Angina stopped and the Heart Rate came back down by the end of the first two weeks. When I cut the dosage in half again these withdrawal side effects came back but stabilized within a week. The last two weeks side effects were much milder. when I went completely off the Meds after this last step my BP and Heart Rate were fairly normal but I still continued to have mild Anxiety Attacks for about another two weeks. My doctor now has put me on Lisinopril (5mg). I found that with he 5mg dosage my BP was actually too low so I had to cut my dosage in half to 2.5mg. I am now starting some activity and may not have to stay on this Med if all goes well. Hope my story helps because I doubt if the doctor that prescribed Metroprolo to you will. Final word of advice! If the doctor tells you to just stop taking this Med DON'T DO IT !!! You must wean off of it or you could find yourself in Emergency!

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I am glad to see the post. I started metoprolol 4 months ago 25mg once a day. The symptoms of depression anxiety dizziness and extreme drowsiness , drove me to the point of stopping the drug. I tried to stop cold turkey because I didn't think I would have withdrawal because I was not on the medication for a long time , it instantly ran by blood pressure and heart rate very high. I got back on and after 2 weeks went down to 12.5 once daily and my blood pressure went up again very high , I decided to stop again cold turkey and the symptoms from stopping landed me in ER twice because I thought I was having a heart attack. To be exact my symptoms were chest pain, palpatations , shortness of breath, irregular heart beats, anxiety, shakiness, hot flashes, increased Heart rate, dizziness , extreme tiredness . I though it was difficult adjusting to the med, the affects of coming off were almost unbearable. What's ironic is my cardiologist told me there are no effects of coming off the metoprolol. I am a registered nurse in the Emergency Room , and I was shocked to hear him tell me this. Yes it true the medication leaves the body in about 35 hours after you take the last dose , sometimes longer depending on your metabolism, but understand it's not the medication in the system that's causing the symptoms, it's the medication not going in your body anymore that's causing the symptoms. Just wanted to say that because a lot of people are worried about how long it takes the med to leave the body , probably thinking it causing them these symptoms.

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I am having same symptoms & I was wondering myself how long before the dizziness goes away? It's been 9 days since I stopped metoprolol.

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Unhappy (# 1840) --

Keep at it Unhappy.. I did the same thing, then took the dose once a day (12.5 mg metro tartrate) for a week then went off altogether on Oct, 21.. 3 days ago.. I feel much better but am now adjusting to not taking this poison .. I take no other drugs and believe it or not, I go to the chiropractor to bring down the BP.. IT WORKS.... Like others here I'm glad to be rid of this problem and ask myself why would I want to take a drug which is mfg'd in India, a place where the water isn't fit to drink? I also fired my doctor for not helping be get off this drug...

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Hey, I am relieved to hear I am not alone going through these horrible side effects. I have been on beta blockers since December 2016 for mvp. Propranolol gave me weakness & lightheadedness so I changed to atenolol which then gave me tremors, cloudy head, blurry vision, insomnia & weakness. Then I was put back again on propranolol, yet still didn't improve until I was put on 25mg metoprolol succinate ER in August of this year (2017). I didn't find this drug in our pharmacies so I started taking metoprolol tartrate 50mg divided in 1/2 (25mg) morning and evening. Seemed to work well but only took this for a month then found the succinate (pink/orange in color) and switched to it. The first few days were hell but later got used to it. I also took it for a month. Then I went to buy it again and the one I am taking now is revelol xl 50mg. I do cut it in half. It's white in color. It has given me hell. I feel weakness, shortness of breath, painful left ankle, heavy arms and legs, raised HR and hypotension (106/56). I decided to lower the dose to 12.5mg for 5 days now and the withdrawal symptoms seem to be flowing in. But at least the BP has become normal. And the Doctor wants me to be on this drug for six months, I really don't think I'll manage. The side effects are too much. I am actually planning to completely go off this med. Anyone with mvp kindly advise on how you managed to live with this condition without being on medication. Looking forward to your response.

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Hi Im on minax 50mg been on it for three years my feet went at first numbness and loss of balance then 12 months on i was driving one day and got very lightheaded nausea whet to emergency told me i had vertigo,2nd time to emergency told me i was on to much blood pressure tablets,now the 3rd time i went tested my heart,blood clots this has been going on for 12 months dizzy from as soon as i take this Minax everyday ive said to my doctor could it be the minax No hes Says it doesnt have these symptoms just want my life back

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I took metoprolol 25 mg for 10 years and side effects progressed over the 10 years to the point where I couldn't hardly walk. I got a hold of my cardiologist and left a message for him to contact me, in which his nurse called me and told me to slit a pill in half, take it for two days and then stop and I'd be done. I felt good for 10 days. I went to my personal physician and he said to continue and we'll see what happens. Now I'm having chest discomfort and some pain, but not sure if it's withdrawals or what? Should i go back on the metoprolol or what? Getting access to doctor's today isn't easy and I think my cardiologist should have called me in to go through all of this with me. I can go on and on forever. Depressed and confused, don't know what to do...

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If you've read my post above, I'm on Metoprolol. I tried to get off but had to start again after 11 days. But my question is, has anybody heard of PROCORALAN FOR ANGINA? Or Ivabradine? When I called my Dr. to tell him I was having chest pain after 11 days off Metoprolol he didn't call me back. His nurse did and told me to go back on them. I asked if he wanted to see me and her reply was he didn't say he did. I felt he should've had me in for a check and discussion on what do next. What an assembly line these doctor's run now. If someone has had experience with the meds I listed above please let me know. Thanks and good luck to all on this. It's for their input.

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Paul, sorry if I misunderstood your question, but do you realize that having the sort of chest pain you're speaking of is a direct result of Metroprolol dependency and withdrawal? Why take even more prescription drugs when the root of the problem is the Metoprolol itself?

I was never prescribed the drugs you're speaking of, but I did have a cardiologist prescribe a drug called Ranexa to treat angina. I didn't take it because I knew that the cause of my angina was from the Metoprolol. My point in my last post was to simply state that the vast majority of doctors don't have a clue as to how to get their patients off of this stuff once they've become dependent on it, and from what I can gather from your posts, you have many of the typical symptoms of Metoprolol dependency. My angina symptoms completely disappeared once I became free of the drug.

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Patty, how long have you been off of the Metoprolol?

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But, long story short, my doctor told me the same thing when I was on 25 mg of Metoprolol. He said that I should just be able to quit with no problem whatsoever. As it turned out, I did a six-week taper, but that probably wasn't long enough, for I went through a terrible withdrawal period with several visits to the ER. Also, if I remember correctly, it took me about two months before my BP stabilized back to normal. I'm only about 10 years younger than you are, but there's no doubt in my mind that the Metoprolol has done a considerable amount of damage to my central nervous system, for I've become extremely sensitive to nearly any drug I take these days.

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I want to stop taking Metoprolol (25mg) and go back to Atenolol... Can I just stop? I've just been on it for a week and want to start Atenolol right away.

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Re: Paul (# 1847)

Well went back on Metoprolol and Rosouvastatin for cholesterol side effects are back . My cholesterol was 245 and chest and other problems came back ,so went back on meds ,not good . Went to cardiologist took metoprolol away and put me on cardizem calcium blocker so far I don't think this is going to be good , headaches , can't sleep . Only been one day , will give it a chance to see but I don't tolerate medications very well but I guess I'll have to be on something ! Discouraged! Thanks for listening and all your posts ,all great information.

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Re: Bryant (# 1)

Did you ever have swelling in your feet, ankles or legs taking metoprolol? I’m so swollen that I can’t even get my shoes on. Thoughts?

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Success!!! I do not know if this will work for everyone, but I have (I think!!) beat Metoprolol. I went on Lexapro, one dose per day, and a .05 clonazapam at night. Decreased the metoprolol from 2 pills per day to 1.5 pills per day (.5 at night...important). After a month I went to 1 pill per day (.5 at night, .5 day). After another month I went down to .5 only in the morning. Lastly, one month later I discontinued it altogether. Won't say it was easy, but it worked with minimal withdrawl and side effects. Then weaned myself off the lexapro pretty quickly and finally, and with a bit more difficulty, the clonazapam. Doing well. Blood pressure is up just a bit, if it continues might have to go back on a 1st line control like hydroclorithizide (water pill). Nothing dangerous, just slightly high. Feeling better, not sleeping all day, have energy and have gone back to exercising. After many struggles, I found something that worked for me.

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Congrats on your success, Jeff, but Clonazapam? Benzos can cause long-term complications.

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I have been on this since last year an recently went from 25mg to 50 been super lightheaded an just feeling wierd i have heart palpatations from being on med that i was allergic too

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Hi my name is Alex and was prescribed metoprolol tartrate 25 mg for fast heart rate. Since i started taking it in the beginning of dec 2017 I had issues with sinus tachycardia.
A cardiologist plus a lot of er trips did studies on me and said that my heart is fine. But i'm sensitive like many here. I have no support from anyone. Well my mother is always there for me. currently weaning off of it. taking half a pill in the morning and 6 mg in the night. (19 mg) Gonna do 3 weeks of 19 mg and then maybe go down to half a pill only in the morning. I learned the hard way that 2 weeks of 25 mg and a week of 19 mg was not enough to wean down. The 1st day that I went to half a pill I ended with a sinus tachycardia of 180 during the night. Should i stay at 19 mg for more than 3 weeks? while my body adjusts? before going to only a half?

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Re: Alexander (# 1864)

You know I have the same problem, at night my heart just starts to beat fast for no reason it wakes me up in the middle of the night sometimes, I also have irregular heartbeat from time to time, last Saturday my heart was beating off beat, kind of scared me, but after around 45 minutes it went away, so I know what you're going through, I found out what really helps me a lot is magnesium citrate I picked this up from Whole Foods Market it's in a brown bottle with a gold top magnesium citrate, I think this will really help you, God bless you my friend

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Re: Anthony (# 1865)

Hi Anthony. I used to use magnesium but after a while it gives me the diarrhea. Something else i noticed now is that I get some specific days with no fast heart rate. From Wednesday to maybe Friday/Saturday. Then from Sunday to 1 am wed I get fast heart rate. A pharmacists told me to pick the day is slowest to use less off it. while taking 19 mg my heart rate would go as high as 133. Used to go higher while taking 25 mg, around 165 every 2 days or so. I might take 6 mg on the morning and 6 mg on the night. Hopefully that will make it easier for me to lessen the effect of the rebound tachy. I might get motherwort on the 28th of this month.

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