Afib symptoms and conditions

Doctors really kind of hit and miss w/ all these agenda of telling patients that coumadin related symptoms are not at all what it seems..telling patients" it is all it your head"..what it seems and I know that doctors are 'tuned in" to tell patients "what they think they believe or read in textbooks and not listening to the real stories of these patients who are on these meds..they are therapeutic in a way to prevent blood clots in some conditions but in real situations those symptoms created by these meds are purely debilitating to some and having not to live life where discomfort won't hinder one from just living the normal life...free from all these adverse reactions,which are so crippling....I have made a decision to talk to my husband's cardiologist to have him stop taking this so called "rat poison" or surreal "human poison"...he was diagnosed w/ afib and had cardiac ablation..hubby's taking coumadin for about 8 months now-preventively...
but these symptoms had changed him into a very depressed individual..after reading all these tonight..I will take charge and will take control of our lives again and hopefully just live to be healthy again...thanx for all of you that posted these info.......

Started taking 25mg Metoprolol ER in Dec. 08 due to episode of AFIB. I am 44 yrs old with no prior hbp or heart issues. I am not over weight and have always exercised. Now, by end of day I am exhausted, but find I only sleep 4 hours before awaking in a drenching sweat. After that, I seem to dose in an out until morning. Also, my sexual desire has been reduced. Is this normal? RD

Back in July I was experiencing rapid heart beats and shortness of breath. I'm a 43 white female with a high stress job. I went to the doctor expecting him to prescribe a sedative. He hooked me up to an EKG which showed I had a left bundle branch block. He then ordered blood work, chest x-rays, an ultra sound, and a nuclear stress test. All test came back fine, but my stress test showed a heart attack, which apparently is common with the left bundle block. I then wore a 24 hour Holter moniter which indicated tachycardia. That's when the doctor prescribed 50 mg Metoprolol. My BP and heart rate are now almost normal and the shortness of breath has gone away. I still experience a mild heaviness in my chest, but that is only when I allow my self to be stressed. I have gained over 5 pounds in less than 2 months and my dreams are more vivid than usual. One side effect that was listed on my drug info sheet that I haven't read about on this site described a cough, which I have had for over a month. I mentioned the cough to my doctor and he said it was prob post nasal drip so he prescribed 180 mg Fexofenadine and told me to cut the Metoprolol in half so I would be taking 25 mg. The Fexofenadine has helped with sneezing that I have always experienced, but the cough is still there. The cough is not always severe, but it has interrupted my sleep twice and my job once. The last bad coughing episode lasted 90 mins during the night. Has anyone else experienced the coughing side effect of Metoprolol?

Started Toprol XL 75 mg in December 2007. I had been having gastrointestinal issues and after much searching, I decreased the Toprol to 50 mg. and the symptoms went away. Before I figured it out, I had difficulty having bowel movements and unirating.

55 year old male and used to be in excellent condition. I had radiation and Lupron Depot injections for prostate cancer and even though my PSA is down to .032, the hot flashes, joint pain, weakness, weight gain and atrial fibrillation caused by Lupron sucks. Now I am on medication for the a fib and it's really horrible.

Switched to Metoprolol Succinate ER from Toprol XL at 50 mg dose once daily. For control of heart rate in A-FIB in combination with quinidine gluconate. For several years, side effect of Toprol XL was the suppression of my cluster headaches. After switching to the generic ER, the headaches are back. Very clear association with the change in medication.

I am a 58 year old male, taking 50 mg of Toprol per day for 2 months for Afib
and high BP. Symptoms include chest tightness, sluggishness and back
pain. In the past, I've taken Atenolol (25 mg for 13 mos.) and Sotalol (320 mg for 5 months). They gave me similar symptoms. The high dosage of Sotalol also affected my vision. I continue to force myself to exercise - walk 2 miles, 4 days per week; swim .5 miles, 4 days per week and bicycle 10 miles, one day per week. I had a Pulmanary Ablation on June 1st which seemed to work; however, I still have to take the medication through November. If anyone knows of a better med, please let me know.

I am a 54 year old male who has a chronic a-fib. My cholesterol was a wee bit high so my now retired MD put me on Zetia, which just about killed me- constant stomach pains and associated GI problems-we all can guess. So I went to see my cardiologist- he took me off Zetia and put me on Lipitor. It dropped my cholesterol levels significantly but the side effects are horrendous. My new MD was gooing to look into it because I was on 80 mg a day- but never did and never lowered the dose-229 is not all that high to warrant 80 mg a day.
I am now experiencing severe pain in my right rib-cage area, making sleep an event every night. Also have severe leg cramps the size of golf balls constanlty at night while sleeping. Pain in both elbows, and in the right foot, which when I can sleep wakes me up with a severe pounding pain. I am also experiencing severe neck and shoulder pain and am generally fatigued all the time- So I quit taking the stuff as of today on my own, I am seeing my MD in two week and I want to see what the difference is pain wise being off of the med for two weeks. I have always been a strong physical guy, played football all the way through college and am in pretty good shape for my age, but this stuff is killing me!! Hope this helps someone else also-Thanks for listening-John in Napa, CA.

Been on warfarin about 3 weeks due to an a-fib condition.. Dose is 2.5mg a day. Since starting I cannot sleep, feel very tired and fatigued and slight sour stomach. Doctors say this is due to the a-fib but I don't think so. All I hear from my doctors is no side effects. Hs anyone else experienced these symptoms, and/or is there a website where I can find some answers.

My story started back on July 28 2006, went to work and experienced an afib attack. went to the Doctor on the 31st. ekg was normal but my blood pressure was high 162/100 so the Doctor put me on 10mg of Lisinopril, felt bad during the week, thought it was just getting adjusted to a new med. Went back work had very bad shortness of breath, chest pains, and lightheadedness. now It has been 2.5 months of being out of work from these problems and in bed 95% of the day, not being able to do any activity without severe shortness of breath and now over $20,000 in test on the heart and lungs( which was normal) doctors said its probably anxiety( its not) so after my heart cath I stopped taking the lisinopril and with in a few days I was a different person, up doing well, my color is back. I feel so much better even returning to work this week. my bp is normal too. Not one Doctor ever even considered lisinopril as the problem. my trust in most doctors have been shaken to say the least.

I had an afib attack a few years back & was diagnosed w/WPW. Had catheter ablation...afib returned 1 year later. I am now on flecanide for rhythm & toprol 25 for heart rate/bp for the last 9 months. Over the last 3 months, I've been getting attacks of a swollen throat that are getting more severe every week (cardiologist, pulmonologist, e.n.t., gastroenterologist, er docs all have no clue!). I feel that it is probably angioneurotic edema that has been brought on by the beta blocker (has been linked to ace inhibitors as well). I'll post back in a few weeks after being off of Toprol (cardiologist approved). BTW...I am only 36.

My only side effects other than headaches and great breathing. I have found sigular to be much better than my asthma medications and with less side effects. My puffers would cause atrial fibrillation but since I have been off them the afib is much better and breathing is better than the puffers!

Good medication in my books

I am a 58 year old male diagnosed with heart failure and afib in Jan 2004. I have been taking a combination of Lipitor, Topral, Hyzaar, Pacerone and Magnesium and Potassium supplements since then. CoQ10 was added by myself since my cardiologist feels it is of little value. My body felt like it had turned to lead and my arms and legs like dead weight. My joints hurt to move. I took myself off the 80mg Lipitor two weeks ago and felt better in 24 hours. I find the Topral causes weight gain and I am a tall big fellow, but 80lbs in two years while eating like a rabbit is too much.

I've been on Toprol xl 25 mg for a month for afib. Have gained ten pounds, can't remember what is supposed to be at the end of my sentences...really forgetting everything. Tired, tired, tired. And depression is worsening - I thought I had it licked iwth an antidepressant, but it feels like I'm not taking it anymore!

Seems to make my afib a little more "sharp" in my chest area. Don't really see a change with the heart rythym