Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 2) (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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Dr. Joey, not to be critical of your contributions here, but every time I read one of your posts, I have to ask myself "what is he trying to accomplish here?" I just think it's time to personally ask you this question because the vast majority of us here are trying to deal with the notion of getting off Metoprolol (or perhaps similar beta-blockers), and your contributions don't really seem to directly address this problem, in my honest opinion. My wife has suggested that you might be a pharmaceutical company "plant" of some kind in order to sway others from believing that it's the drug that's causing these issues, but you don't really come out and say this, either. The fact is, the people here are having very REAL ISSUES that are directly related to the effects of Metoprolol, but I have yet to speak to a doctor who fully understands what's going on here. Tachychardia, anxiety, high blood pressure, high heart rate, heart palpitations, dizziness, headaches, etc., etc. are all symptomatic rebound effects with weaning and withdrawal from Metoprolol (or in my case while on the drug as well), and like so many other folks here, I've had the very same symptoms only to go to the ER a countless number of times to find that my heart or any other suspected health issues are just fine. I sincerely believe that this drug fouls up our "electrical" systems and/or central nervous systems in such a way that doctors have become clueless in regards to knowing how to treat it once it's discovered that it's not working for us. This thread has some pretty good history (over five years worth), and it seems pretty clear to me that the only proven way to rid ourselves of this nasty drug is to slowly wean ourselves off of it while eventually having to go cold turkey, all while going one step at a time while also tuning into what our bodies are telling us at any given moment. Unless you've experienced this problem first-hand, you'd have no idea as to how horrifying of an experience it really is.

With that being said, I really see this thread as a support group where our contributions are to hopefully posted in order help and aid one another in ridding ourselves from this drug once and for all. Sorry for the rant, everybody, but I personally don't get where this Dr. Joey guy is coming from. Thanks!

JR, to answer your question about "how long it takes" to get off this drug, everybody is different. It took me about four weeks once I went cold turkey, but I had a setback for a few days about a week after I began feeling normal again. Since then, however, I've been feeling great! Some have needed a week or two while other have needed several months or more. The best advice I can give is to just hang in there. If you've already gone three weeks, you're well on your way! Wishing you the best!

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Hi. I am 34 years old.

I would just like to add, I was taking Bisoprolol for 1 year, the lowest dose (something like 25 Mg of Metoprolol) for short episodes of Spvt. (Also I was taking Nebivolol for 3 Months before that).

But Bisoprolol caused me breathing problems, inability to walk longer than 10 minutes, and on some days I couldn't get out of bad due to heavy breathing, strange heart rhytms, low energy and flu-like feeling all the time. I felt as if I have 120 years all the time on that drug.

I weaned off for 2 Months and then stopped taking it.
I am currently at 60 days totally off this drug.
I just wanted to say that I was reading this topic and that it is a huge help/relief. But also, I would like to add, that it is not only "an evil Metropolol". All Beta Blockers are more or less the same. Nebivolol and Bisoprolol caused me the same classical problems as most of you experienced on Metoprolol.

Also, when I stopped taking it, the same withdrawal symptoms started to happen, as all of you had on Metoprolol's withdrawal.
A few week of insane tachychardia (100 HR while resting, and 130-140 on any slight movement, walking etc). After 2-3 weeks, it started to get better, but there were still huge problems with HR going to 130-150 on any movement or walking for more than 2-3 minutes.

Flu-like symptoms stopped after 40-50 days, breathing also got better after 40-50 days. I am still having problems with walking longer than 5-8 minutes.

Plus, now I am battling with huge anxiety. Even though it is getting better with each new day. (I had to take low doses of Benzodiazepines for 4-5 weeks daily, to somehow "survive" till the next day.) Also, I haven't seen this problem in other posts, but in my case, it seems that my Beta Blocker totally messed up my brain and a central nervous system. I am slightly better now, but for long periods, I had huge problems with any type of noises (like listening to a radio or Tv for more than a few minutes). Also, I had huge problems with looking through the window and the sunlight was "killing" me. Also, I had huge problems while looking at moving objects during the first weeks off Beta blockers (like looking at cars in my street, or people walking, or traffic lights and similar). It is slowly getting better, but I am feeling as if the medicine has totally "deleted" everything I knew, and if my body totally forgot to deal with any kind of light, colors, noises and similar from the world around me.
I am feeling as a 2 Months old kid right now, who is looking at the sunlight, cars and traffic for the first time in his life, and my brain is learning how to deal with those "new things" around me...

So, good luck to everyone, I hope you will make it. And trust me, if anyone offers you any other Beta Blocker one day, DON'T TAKE it. Some of us who have problems with Beta Blockers, obviously can't handle it. And it will mess with your brain, heart, lungs, energy and other things, no matter if it is called Metoprolol, Bisoprolol or xx.

Cheers

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From everything I have researched and advised by more than one Dr. - you should NEVER just stop taking Metoprolol abruptly. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS! The withdrawl can be so severe you may end up in hospital or worse!
Even if you are told to discontinue the meds, you must wean off within a 2-3 week period for best results and less withdrawl symptoms.
This is what our Dr. advised to do:
Cut the daily dose (50 mg.) in half (to 25 mg.) and remain taking it like that for a week. If you are successful, then cut the half dose in half (to 12.5 mg.) for another week. If you are successful with that week, then the quarter dose should also be cut in half for week 3 (went to 6 mg.).
*PLEASE NOTE* Our Dr. did NOT advise the following, but I felt it was necessary as my son is very sensitive to medicine in general.
Week 4, just a small crack off a quarter of a 25 mg. pill once a day. After that, we discontinued it altogether. Wanted to ensure his success with the least withdrawl symptoms as possible. He's doing well so far and with God's loving care, I expect him to fully recover from taking this medication from hell within a month or so.

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Bee, thanks for piping in here! I sincerely hope that those of us who have struggled with this drug can keep this thread alive and well by continuing to add our contributions for those who continue to struggle with it. I personally found that the struggle itself can add nothing but confusion and anguish once we first realize that we're having a serious problem, and none of the doctors I saw ever thought that Metoprolol was the primary root of my problem. In fact, as Dr. Joey has stated, a couple of my doctors even hinted toward the idea that I may have had a problem with my own psych and that it wasn't a problem with the drug at all. I just called "BS," for I knew only too well that it was the drug that was causing all the havoc in my system. The new people here just need to realize first and foremost that if they suspect that they're having a problem with this drug, that the chances are very good that it is indeed this poison that's fouling up our systems.

Sandra, of course, I'm no doctor, but from what I've experienced, I tend to think that the problems we're having with this drug are twofold: first, the drug itself, and secondly, it's our sensitivity to the drug. Some of us seem to be much more sensitive than others, but all of us here certainly seem to have a certain degree of sensitivity or we wouldn't be here. We may be in a minority for those who've needed to get off the drug at some point in time or another, but this thread alone is evidence enough for me to prove that many of us remain untreated and discarded by those in the medical profession, and for what possible reason? This drug is a very real problem for many of us. In my honest opinion, that can't be stressed enough!

In your case, Sandra, I'd strongly suggest that you listen to Bee and others who've needed to take longer periods of time in order to get off this drug. It took me over two months between weaning and withdrawal, but that obviously doesn't seem to be enough for some folks. I know exactly what you're talking about when speaking of taking "dust," too, for my last few doses were nothing but dust.....perhaps 2mg at the very most. At any rate, just know that we're all behind you and that 2016 will indeed be the year that you become free from this garbage drug once and for all.

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"Weirdo head"........I know that feeling all too well. That's pretty much what I felt when I first realized that the Metoprolol was literally controlling my life. It stuck with me throughout the entire weaning and withdrawal process. It's probably safe to say that that's the feeling one has when we don't feel like our natural selves while on this nasty drug. Doctors will never quite understand unless they feel it for themselves.

I also share the sentiments that many of you have expressed about this website, too. It was the people on this site that made me fully aware that I was far from being the only one who was having problems with this drug. It further made me aware that I wasn't going crazy, and my guess is that many of you have likely felt that you were on the verge of losing your minds. Just knowing that others had successfully abandoned this drug was all I needed to gain the confidence and hope to do it on my own, all while the doctors wanted to prescribe even more drugs to cure my ailments. Sheesh......what a whirlwind it was!

Anyway, all I can really say is "thanks" to everyone who helped me pull through it, and for those who're still struggling, just know that it'll eventually pass.

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I've started the withdrawal process from metoprolol. I've been taking 50 mgs for the last 1 1/2 years. I decided to go off it with my doctor overseeing the process. I'm currently down to 25 mg and in a week the doctor wants me to stop cold turkey. Metoprolol has been a debilitating medication for me because I've had headaches, achy joints, dizziness, anxiety attacks, depression, heart palpitations, pain in my wrist and difficulty sleeping because of this drug. The withdrawal from this drug is difficult and is causing anxiety, headaches, heart palpitations, but I will struggle through them as I don't want to be on this drug anymore. Anyone withdrawing from this drug needs to make sure they do it under their physicians care.

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This medication is poison. I was on Metoprolol tartrate 50mg twice a day for 8 days. The worst 8 days of my life. Bronchial constriction, insomnia, a weak left arm, multiple spinal osteoarthritis flare ups as well as a feeling of doom. The brand I was on is GenRx. 2 trips to the ER for chest pains. Have taken myself off this rubbish but still have back pain and arm weakness. I'd like to sue whom ever made this medication. I only had high blood pressure and ectopic beats beforehand. No arthritis symptoms before Metoprolol. I thought medication was meant to help, not hinder.

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Hi Guys! Sorry just seeing the replies. I been off the awful med since June 6th. The doc told me just to stop the metoprolol. OMG the first 2 weeks were the worst. I was so dizzy and weak it was unbearable. I was having horrible body aches I could barely get out of bed. I seriously thought I was going to be stuck feeling like that forever.
BUT It is so true that you start feeling better a little everyday. After the first 2 weeks off I started getting more energy. The dizziness comes and goes now.. it was a 24/7 ordeal before. I was even dizzy laying down. That medication caused me severe anxiety ... this website has done wonders for me anxietycentre.com. I hope it can maybe help some of you. Seems like it is very common for medication like this to bring anxiety on. So I really feel some of us are having an ongoing anxiety issue (which causes some awful symptoms) from the medication more than withdraw after a certain point. Just my thoughts :-/
I also started a supplement called Intramax. Which helps rid toxins from the body. It has also greatly helped me.
This has been the worst thing I have ever when through :-( I just pray that all of you start feeling better also. I do not recommend just coming off metro cold turkey but get off anyway you can!

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I have found a lot of success weaning from Toprol taking calcium magnesium.Especially at night when the heart was racing during withdrawal.I am 10 months post Toprol and I no longer have anxiety or heart palpitations. I actually am calmer than I have been my entire life.A vegan lifestyle also was a major contributor in continuing good health.I never imagined at age 60 that I would feel this way ,as I was plaque by severe anxiety from a very young age.

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Sandra it IS the meds. Try and think back to how you were before you started taking this stuff. You were ok then and will be ok again. If you are confident that you do not have a heart condition (I didn't) then you can be a little calmer riding it out. It's horrible I no longer have ANY anxiety, zero. It was 100% medicine. Just try and stay as calm as you can. Do whatever you can to calm yourself...herbal tea, theanine works fairly quickly ( i bought some "stress formula" by Sundown Naturals (L-Theanine). You can check online for drug interactions if you are taking anything else. I asked the doctor (the M pusher) about it and of course, he just laughed like "this won't hurt you" but won't work either. Then urged me to take Atavan. GOODBYE to him. The best thing is just ride it out if you can. I recall the bad days were usually just a day...and they got further and further apart. Take deep breaths. It helped me to write everything down and keep track of my BP and pulse rates. If you get into any dangerous zones, go to the ER. I went several times during the weaning process because I was scared and worried about my heart. I was fine every time. I didn't allow them to give my any drugs although depending on the ER doctor they had many suggestions, including "you should take Metoprolol" OMG!!!! Keep us posted on your progress. One day at a time and this will all be behind you.

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You should tell your doc....uh yeah I have anxiety from this poison you put me on and seeing I didn't have anxiety before you put me on it and now I do tells me it's not out of my system yet! Good God in heaven if we believed everything this docs say we might be in nut houses by now! I guess I'm starting to feel a little anger from being misguided for so long. Never again!

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Hi Steven,
I had rapid heart rates as well until I cut down the Toprol. I even made a few trips to the ER, thinking I was having a heart attack. All that is basically gone now that I am down to a small amount each day.

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Hi Folks, just wanted to update my progress of going of Metoprolol. I'm in my mid-40, was on a low dose (12.5-25mg per day) for 2 months for temporary sinus tachy, and my last dose was mid July 2014. So I've been off of it about 6 months.

I feel mostly normal now and want folks to know that it can get better. I still deal with anxiety (and expect to for the rest of my life now), but the anxiety symptoms are very mild compared to what it was due to the medication side-effects then as a withdrawal symptom. I had no anxiety issues before I got sick (I had no health issues before I got sick).

The first 3 months off the meds was extremely difficult and challenging. The progress to getting better is SLOW. But I wanted folks to know that it is possible to get your life back after getting off this med.

God Bless you all!

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I have been on Metoprolol for 15 years -since I was 19. It was prescribed to treat my tachycardia and arrhythmia. When I asked my heart specialist if people can successfully stop taking Metoprolol, he replied 'people who try going off don't succeed'. I was initially on 100mg twice a day for a few years, and then went down to 50mg twice a day for a few more years. I recently decided to try to cut down further, as doctor's only advise is to try it and see what happens!?
It's important to do it slowly though -remain on each dose for a few months. Cut down only a quarter of a tablet on one of your doses, eg. if you are on 50mg twice a day, then take 25mg in the morning and keep the 50mg at night. If all is well over the next few months, then take the 25mg in the morning and cut down to 25mg at night also. I did this until I reached a quarter of a 50mg tablet just in the morning, and no tablet at night (I did remained on this dosage for about 6 months). Two nights ago I didn't take my tablet and I was ok. It has been about 72 hours and I haven't ingested any Metoprolol. I am so happy!
Whenever I dropped a dosage I lost feeling in one or both of my hands during the night, which was unnerving and uncomfortable, but this only lasted one night after the dosage drop. I also felt extra shaky, more disorientated, fuzzy brained and a bit highly strung for about a week after going down on the dosage, but then this ends. Although I haven't been off it for long, I really never thought it would be possible. I am so thrilled.
I have learnt that drinking lots of water, getting a good night's sleep (at least 7 hours every night) and not drinking alcohol is pivotal to being able to do this.
I hope this helps. x

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I hop on this forum from time to time to check on how everyone is doing. I try and offer encouragement when I can and enjoy the encouragement others offer me. Sometimes we all need a little during difficult times.

Everyone here has been really helpful. We certainly don't have all the answers and sometimes the answers we share are not always perfect. But it's the attempt at trying to help another soul that matters.

We certainly appreciate anyone's contribution. I know I do. we all kinda feel like a family on here in some small measure. I think about Jimbo, Sandra, Anita and several others all the time and wonder how they are.

I know what dark days are and I'd never wish that on anyone.

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Thanks for this thread. It is good to know you aren't alone.

My doctor gave me clearance a while ago to stop Metoprolol. I have a rapid heartbeat (diagnosed as SVT) occasionally. A few times before the cause was known I was in the ER with my heart pounding for no obvious reason. All cardio tests have been done, echo, EKG, stress test. Basically it's not sever or frequent enough to call for ablation, which is the only "fix" for the problem.

To give a bit more detail on my SVT rhythm issue, I have found that with compacting of my abdomen (like crunching down, straining hard to poo type of a motion), this has sometimes triggered it. This is interesting since this type of vagal maneuver is often suggested in the event of a noticed arrhythmia, and to stop palpatations in some cases. The effect has been the opposite for me, to which all the docs over the years throw their hands in the air and say "don't know (shrug)". In my case I've been able to sometimes stop the rapid beat by stretching out my abdomen. At any rate, it's probably vagus nerve related. Who knows exactly how.

So back to Metoprolol. I'm in pretty good shape. I let myself go in my 30s and now @ 40 I'm ripped 155. At my worst I was 265. I had lots of problems from the extra weight, and the SVT was worse while out of shape. I was on the max metoprolol dose for most of the last 2 decades, but as I've got myself together in recent years the dose has been lowered. Weighing so much less, I was having very very low blood pressure with high does of Meto. As of the last discussion with my doc, I was @ 25 mg in the morning and 25mg at night.

Even with this low dose I was still getting some drowsiness. And I'm very focused on heath now, I eat what I guess is a pescatarian diet, which is basically a vegan diet but I also eat chicken and fish. Anyway, the idea of taking a man-made drug forever is concerning. When you look at the official data about meto, it says clearly that they don't really know what the long term effect is of taking it for years and years. So I decided, alright, let's do this.

So last evening I didn't take my 25mg. Again I was free to do this any time per my doc. Everything seemed fine. Slept ok. No issues to speak of this morning. Went to lunch and went to WalMart this afternoon. Had a cart full of stuff and was in the check out line, and my chest feels like it's pounding. This was not a SVT incident. I was a bit dehydrated after the big lunch, which will make my heart feel like it's beating harder. But guess what else metoprolol does? Dampens your adrenaline. Did I mention that I used to have anxiety disorder? Yeah. Boom. Full blown panic attack at the check out of Wal Mart. My mind says "Well you don't have any meto with you even if you wanted to take it. You don't have any aspirin. Are they going to take you out of here in an ambulance??"

I take a bottle of cold water from checkout cooler, back up out of the line and push my cart, looking for somewhere to sit down. Ended up in in the shoe department sitting on the bench, trying to quell the panic attack. I succeeded. Tried to look as normal as possible while doing it, employees and customers walking around. Awful. So to this guy saying he's a psychologist, and talking down to people referring to metoprolol as though it were "methadone", take a hike pal. If you even are a real doc, then you know people don't like the idea of a drug controlling them or being dependent on it, and you also know that anxiety is real, and often irrational. So yeah, take a hike, and that's putting it MUCH more nicely than I'd like to. Does this scene I described above from earlier today sound fun to you?

Anyway, I beat my anxiety disorder via an awesome therapist who is an expert in EMDR therapy. EMDR is amazing, and it has changed my life. It has been shown to get people with even severe warsone-level PTSD back to a functioning state in as little as 6 sessions. Seek it out if you have anxiety. And this experience today, this was first panic attack in I don't even know how long, brought on by my no longer having that "adrenaline protection" that metoprolol gives, as far as I can tell. I've had two more since. Not fun.

So yes, getting off metoprolol is a big deal. It is not easy. But YOU are STRONG. Say it out loud to yourself RIGHT NOW. I - AM - STRONG. I - WILL - WIN!

And I am. And so are you. And we will win. Follow your doctor's instructions, and plant your feet. You will get through it.

A couple other things to share.

I found this earlier. I have been wanting to get into more meditation. This is very entry-level and I find her voice soothing. She is also an EMDR practitioner I noticed. It costs $3 on amazon for the mp3: "Guided Relaxation for the Body and Mind" by Heidi Minnick, Ph.D.

I have tried every imaginable calming breathing technique, and I find Dr. Weil's 4,7,8 technique to be extremely effective:

drweil.com/drw/u/VDR00112/The-4-7-8-Breath-Benefits-and-Demonstration.html

I wish you the best. Be strong.

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Ed, we are behind you 100% and we all know what you are going through. It is real. I don't think the prescribing doctors (mine anyway) gave much thought to telling me about this drug and I don't think the designers of this drug intended for people to get off it. It seems to be so powerful that once you're on it...getting off isn't an option. Especially if you gave a heart condition , how could you trust your body with the erratic palps and anxiety? Unacceptable for the medical profession to be so careless and reckless with these strong medications. My advice is to go slow... Very slow. Wean off it as slowly as you can. There is no rush and the smaller steps down, the less intense the side effects. You can do it.

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I was on M for 4 months total. max dose was 50mg time release. It took me at least 4 months to wean off and I have been completely off for 6 months. I still get the occasional palpitation but the BP spikes have stopped. The anxiety is now gone. It is absolutely worth getting off this poison no matter how long it takes. There is life after Metoprolol and it can be good. I am convinced that this drug screwed up the electrical system in my heart in it's attempt to "control" my heart rate. Had I know that this was what this drug did I would have never put one pill in my mouth. My heart is trying to recover and I am trying to help it be healthy. I am walking on my treadmill, eating better, taking lots of vitamin C and I can see improvement. I am getting out and living again after last year, in which I was disabled by this drug. I had problems getting on it, off of it and then the weaning process took months. Those of you struggling, keep going forward...there is an end.

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Keep posting guys. Been having an awful time, one day clear as a bell, next day a mess. I am convinced this drug has messed with my thyroid, all these symptoms are identical to flares of hyperthyroid. My blood work is normal, I think because it comes and goes. Every single hour is a crap shoot. Sigh. Eat protein every 2-3 Hours and drink spring water constantly. As I sit here, suddenly I am clear as a bell, after having a bad day so far. I often feel better by late afternoon, early evening. I'll keep plugging along. Feb 9th will be 2 mos off of this garbage. Every time I am in despair I look at this support group and gather the courage to keep hoping. Thank you all.

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As many of you know, I've been off this stuff since the middle of last June. Just over a week ago my blood pressure took a hike upwards along with having minor bouts of anxiety, irritableness, and the "weird head" syndrome, so I went to the doctor on Monday to see what might be causing the trouble. Once again the doc says "you're fine." As of yesterday my BP has returned back to normal. I haven't been under any stress to speak of, and my diet couldn't be better....well, for the most part. It was just weird! I really thought that I had completely rid myself of this drug, but sometimes I wonder if it's still having an effect on me every now and then. All I know for certain is that Metroprolol is some extremely nasty stuff for some people, and I wouldn't doubt for a moment that it creates a great deal of havoc on our central nervous systems.

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