Metoprolol symptoms and conditions

My whole torso, stomach area and sides along with upper and lower arms broke out in an extreme rash which was painful, oozing, welts, open sores and some bleeding. This lasted from @ mid July 2009 to present, Nov. 2009. Using A&D ointment, oatmeal baths, many vitamins and plenty of water it is just now settling down to symptoms of pink(raw) skin and not so severe pain with still some itching and flakey skin.

10/26/2009
I was on Metoprolol ER 50mg daily for two years. started to wake up at night short of breath, rapid hear rate (110), BP 170/110, so my GP doc said to quit taking it . I tapered off in 4 days, have had bad withdrawal symptoms last 15 days. Several times a day and esp. at night, have shortness of breath,(oxygen saturation check 97%), also left center side of chest has dull pain that comes and goes. I hope these are withdrawal symptoms and they end soon.EKG, sonogram, x-rays, blood test all ar OK. Help me please to ease my mind!!Alone in Alaska.
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Hello everyone. I am a 40 year old female and have been on Toprol XL 50 mg. for about 6 years now. In the beginning I was taking Toprol, then because my prescription plan wanted to switch I am on Metoprolol. I was prescribed this after a stress test because my heart rate did not go down as quickly as the cardiologist wanted it. If only I knew what I did now, I would never have started it. HELLO!! I weighed 200 lbs. at the time and was a couch potato. What did he expect? Of course my heart rate wasn't going to go down being so out of shape. I am so angry that I was prescribed this drug for such a stupid reason. I am also on meds to lower my blood sugar and high blood pressure. I know that all of my problems are due to my weight and so I've made a decision to seriously change my diet so I can get off of all of this crap. I currently weigh 217 lbs. But as you all know, being on Toprol, it's so hard to lose weight. I want off of this crap as soon as possible. Can any one of you guys who has gotten themselves off of this medication please send me some information as to how you got off of Toprol XL? My doctor is a real moron who works solely for pharmaceutical companies so I refuse to go to him. I will be changing doctors soon.

OMG..My Dr prescribed Metoprolol yesterday. I took the first one this morning(before reading about it). Is there anything good about it? I'm not taking anymore.

I've been reading the responses to this medication, and I have to say I'm shocked. I've been experiencing most of the side effects on this site, and I thought I was starting to lose my mind.

I've always had panic and anxiety disorder, and I had developed an inner ear infection 4 months ago. This was also AFTER I quit smoking and started exercising and eating healthier. Well quitting smoking gave me horrible panic attacks that would last 3 or 4 hours at a time, and when I woke up that morning feeling dizzy I panicked because I had never experienced an inner ear infection.

I went to the hospital 3 days later because I was so dizzy and I was experiencing numbness in my face and left arm. I thought I was having either a stroke or heart attack, and it turned out my heart was just fine but my blood pressure was 195/105. They immediately put me on Lisinopril and Metoprolol to bring my BP down. They said I had high blood pressure brought about by obesity and panic disorder (no crap?).

I took the metoprolol for about a week before I started noticing my hands and feet go cold and my heart rate was dipping down into the 30's. Being someone who reads up on his medication, I knew what medication was causing what and I stopped taking it. My heart rate went back to normal and my body temperature went from 96 back to 98.6.

The only thing I was taking was Lisinopril 10mg which my doctor later increased to 20mg. After this I started feeling like I was constantly hanging upside down because my whole head felt so congested. I figured the ear infection was coming back again and didn't give it a second thought. Then the panic attacks started getting so bad, worse than I've ever had before. I was experiencing panic attacks 3 to 4 times a day (I still do, but I'm going to stop taking Lisinopril after today). The dizziness came back as more of a light-headed feeling, despite still having medium-high blood pressure. Since being on Lisinopril, my blood pressure stays in the 130/80 range, going as high as 145/90 during the day. What a help that was.

I also noticed my heart rate dip again. For 2 weeks my resting heart rate was around 51 and lower, though my blood pressure was still high. This is unusual for me, this past week my heart has been racing with a resting heart rate of around 106. I went from bradycardia to tachycardia in a matter of days. My hair has been falling out, my body temperature has been low, my heart rate is all over the place with Hell's own palpitations, I'm getting chest pains every now and then, my neck and head have been hurting, I've been coughing so hard I throw up, my stomach hurts, I have diarrhea and bad heart burn.

And on top of all of that, I'm so fatigued I can barely get out of bed half the time. And this is while eating VERY HEALTHY and walking 2 miles a day! ***? I thought maybe it was my thyroid (I'm scheduled to have blood tests for that next week), but now I'm quite convinced this "medicine" is the root of all my problems.

If I want low blood pressure, I will have to continue losing the weight, and eating less salt, because I will NEVER do this again.

I am taking the Metoprolol generic and have mixed reviews, although I don't think that any of my side effects are life treating. My greatest complaint is insomnia. Most nights I get 4-5 hours of sleep. I also have the itching(hives), and sometimes numbness in my arms. I do feel much better since starting on this med in May, and my blood pressure is normal after being sky high. I can live with the hives, the insomnia is irritating, and my menstrual cycle was horrid before, and is now worse, 8 days out of every 27. Hopefully menopause is coming soon. I am taking 1 25mg tablet twice daily. My BP was out of control before starting any meds, so I will live with the side effects. I haven't noticed any weight gain, actually lost 14 pounds since starting it, but that could be the results of a low fat, low cholesterol diet too.

I am 43 and have now been on 4 different medications for HBP over the last 8 months. I have never taken pills regularly before. Now the most recent is Metoprolol Suc ER. After reading everything on this post, There is absolutely no way I am taking it.

Is there any HBP drug that does not have side effects?

I was prescribed 25 mg Metoprolol-XL for irregular rapid HR episodes and slightly increased BP (after all the tests to rule out heart disease). It did the job, but I began to suffer with insomnia (a common side effect). So for the last month and a half, I've been only taking half the dose (I made sure that it was the type of tablet that was ok to break...it is, but they do caution you not to chew or crush it). No more insomnia, and the irregular HR has not returned, BP remains normal.
I figured out that the cause of the palpitations etc. was delayed anxiety attacks from a recurring family situation (the delay made it hard to link the cause and effect until I started journaling). Knowing that was the beginning of being able to better cope with the situation, so I thought I would be weaning myself off the medicine. However, I also am a migraine-sufferer and realized that I have not had to take an Imitrex since starting the metoprolol (3 months!). I used to get 4-5 migraines a month...now I may get none, one, or two and none so bad that one Ibuporfen can't handle it. Not so sure I want to stop taking it now.
New problem: Since cutting the dose, I find that any exposure to warm environment or to mild exercise, where I would normally only sweat mildly, if at all, now my scalp sweats profoundly, so much so that sweat runs rivers down my back, my chest, into my eyes and ears. The rest of me only sweats like I normally ever did. Is this because I decreased my dose...will it last forever? I did read that one should not go off this stuff cold turkey and that one of the things that would happen if you did could be excessive sweating. All I did was go from 25mg to 12.5 mg! What if I go off it completely...what am I in for??

I'm a 20 year old underweight male and usually 165/100. Since it's been like this for a few years I decided to go to the doctor's, and was first given metoprolol. After 2 weeks I couldn't handle its HORRIBLE side effects and was switched to 10mg lisinopril. Its been a month now and the only side effects I'm experiencing are shortness of breath and muscle aches throughout my entire body. It feels like everybody else said--like you worked out way too much the day before, except EVERY day. I've never had muscle strains in my life and have already had two in my legs and one in my arm, but even lifting a heavy box that would normally be no problem feels like it will rip off my arms and break my lower back. I don't know how you people keep trying different drugs and failing, if the next drug isn't perfect for me without any side effects I'm giving up and will just live happily ever after with high BP like I was before. Thanks for helping me figure out where these muscle aches are likely coming from!

My mother is on levaquin for a urinary tract infection which had gotten worst than we thought . The infection had set up in pockets behind her rectum. She is on levaquin, and other medicines such as; digoxin, metoprolol, lipitor, diltiazem and lasix. I am so afraid she is on medicines that can do more harm than good. She also suffers from congested heart failure. After she returned home from the hospital stay she extremely weak, is this a results of taking the antibiotic ( levaquin or a combination of all of the drugs listed above)?

I have been taking 12.5 mg of metoprolol every night since December. I had no side effects whatsoever until here recently. One night I started getting heart palpitations and it lasted for 5 nights before I decided to try lowering my dosage. After I lowered it to 1/4 of a 25 mg pill, my palpitations at night got better, but I recently had a dizzy episode where my heart was beating at over 100 bpm. I have talked to my doctor and they are going to hook me up to a holtometer for a day on the 31st, but I don't want to wait that long since my heart beat has been increasing over the days on 1/4 a pill and half a pill makes me have palpitations at night. So I was wondering, if my doctor has me change medication, does anyone here know about any good meds that do the same thing as metoprolol?

MY 76 year old mother, on hbp meds for 30 years,METOPROLOL, for quite a few years now ,And she complains of severe pain in her shins, NIGHTMARES, for years now to her Dr. Lately she has been having fainting spells, and at times has short term memmory loss, The Dr did cut her metoprolol in half. dreams aren't as bad, She is going to have a D&C due to uterine polyop, all of this has sent me to the internet researching all the meds she is on, I feel bad I haven't done this research sooner, I just thought the doctors know???? Please we need to do our homework, research and take responsibility, for our health and those we Love.. I have been cooking and shopping for her past month, Lots of RAW fruits and vegetables,garlic and other healthy, herbs and oils, she has lost 10 lbs, bp has dropped 135/70 was 155/90 she is now down to 210 lbs, 5 ft, Im hoping the Dr. will take her off the metoprolol soon

I have had vividly disturbing dreams since taking this- they began 3 days after beginning. Another side effect is serious lack of energy, to the point where I can barely keep up with what I normally did everyday- garden, hike, tend to home and family. Usually by 3 pm I can barely get off of the couch, which sucks because I am a busy woman. Have compensated by trying to get as much done in the morning as I can, and to fix smaller, easier meals. But little by little I've seen the quality of my life go downhill fast- the future on this drug does not look good to me.
Yes my blood pressure lowered somewhat, the irregular heartbeats not so much, but at what cost? Forget this, I don't need it.
Therefore, I am weaning myself off of Metoprolol after only 2 months of use, choosing instead to go with a natural regimine of VitC, buckwheat combined with gingko for blood pressure, garlic and dong qai for blood thinning. Also to mention, I've lowered my caffeine consumption considerably- from 4 or more espressos a day to 1 cup of brewed coffee- and within a week of doing so my blood pressure levels and pulse have returned to almost normal. (This was after both had been very elevated)
So it looks to me like I never really needed the medication to begin with. However I read on the literature included with the 'script that it is not meet to suddenly stop taking it- to do so could actually cause a heart attack! So I am gradually weaning off of it. (and lipitor)
I think many doctors are too quick to prescribe a pill without having a person look at their lifestyle and food choices. The caffeine withdrawals were nothing in comparison with how bad these drugs make me feel. And the dreams are almost enough to drive one nuts.
It's easier to be healthy than we are led to believe by an industry that makes a profit off of sickness, real or perceived, no matter how preventable.

My legs are swelling and that is the reason I googled metoprolol tartrate. I've been on it for a year. The leg swelling thing hs been going on for approx. 6 mos. or so but I didn't think it would be metoprolol. Just thought it was age related or I don't know. I'm 43. After reading all of your posts now I'm scared. I only take 25mg twice a day but I have had many of the same side effects mentioned here. I started taking this drug because I was about to go through IVF and couldn't stay on Lisinopril. I had one episode of atrial fibrilation so they put me on metoprolol tartrate for that and because it is ok to take during pregnancy. IVF didn't work last year and were about to try it again. I wish there was a different drug I could take.

My husband has been on metoprolol for 2 yrs. His blood pressure was around 145/95. Otherwise he was very healthy. Now he is 50 lbs overweight, borderline diabetic, and his liver enzymes are double and his triglycerides are triple. His doctor told us she wants to send him to a liver specialist. I have been doing some research of my own and now feel its the meds. He will be going of this starting today and I will let you know how his next blood work is. Please have your liver enzymes tested. Don't want this to happen to anyone else.

I am a 56 year old female & have been on toprol for 7 or 8 years. I was a small business owner & under a lot of stress. I had couple of times where my heart would race & pound & I felt really strange. I went to the ER where they of course checked my blood pressure. It was a little high, but I was stressed out! After the second time this happened they put me on 50mg of toprol. I have since weaned myself down to 25 mg. I think I was having a panic attack, which I had never had before. I regret the day I ever started taking this poison. I have had such shortness of breath that I can hardly walk to my mailbox & back. I feel like I can never get enough air in my lungs. I feel a tightness in my chest all the time, sometimes my heart feels like it is beating abnormally. I am always aware of my heart beat which I never was before this med. I have gained about 20 to 30 lbs, which is very hard to lose when you feel like you are dying if you exercise. I have pain in my left shoulder, which I don't know if it is from the med or not. I do not sleep well at night & am so tired all the time it is hard to get through the day. I just overall feel like crap! It seems doctors are no help they just want to try you on other meds, I have tried that too. They are all poison I felt even worse on some of the others. I don't want to go through the rest of my life like this. Has anyone successfully gotten off this stuff? I would love to hear from you. Thanks, K. L.

03/11/09 went in to have a blood test the MD had ordered. I met with the Md-- told him that the metoprolol 100mg twice a day had not agreed with me. I asked to change my prescription to what i had been taking before -- Norvasc 5mg twice a day along with a diuretic. A week later I went for my lab results. The AST(SGOT) 232 and ALTSGPT) 516, being dangerously high. Md asked if I had ever had hepatitis B. My answer was no. I asked him to check my blood test results of 11/08. The results were AST(SGOT) 24 and ALT(SGPT) 37. I told him I thought it could be the Metoprolol. The Md told me he wanted for me to have CAT scan and to refer me to a GI doctor. Went home praying to the GOOD LORD and received peace about this whole situation. I searched on the internet and found on ****** Metoprolol-induced hepatitis: is the rate of oxidation related to drug-induced hepatotoxicity?L. MS.
University Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, United Kingdom. Hepatology. 1989 Jan;9(1):163-4. Also found Hepatic toxicity is reported in at least one case report. ******
" 56-year-old female with a history of migraine headaches developed seronegative hepatitis associated with metoprolol. Her signs and symptoms resolved within 48 hours after discontinuing metoprolol, and were reproducible on rechallenge."
My results for hepatits were negative.On 3/31/09 I had lab tests and 4/01/09 the Md faxed my results AST(SGOT) 29 and ALT(SGPT) 43. I have not gone back to the doctor. I am taking milk thistle daily. I have learned a valuable lesson and am passing it on to others.

I have a hyper tension and was put on Metoprolol Succinate for to ease the stress on my heart. After a 4 week on it, I notice that in the middle of the night from my head to my feet my body goes into a trimmer. Almost as though I was have a seizure of a sort. Anyone having that issue.

I have the same head and neck problems and I was thinking about a brain scan. I am switching to quinapril because my pharmacy doesn't carry metoprolol anymore. My head feels almost like it has a band around it and I am extremely tired all the time with nasal drainage and flu like pain in my muscles. I never had this when I was on Topril but I can't afford it. Thank you for relieving my anxiety.

Everyone here has such horror stories, so I wanted to post something positive. I have been on Metoprolol for 8 years. Just today I started taking Torpol XL because the ups and downs of the regular tablets was starting to bother me and. I have tachycardia and an arrhythmia that causes extra beats and pauses in my heart. (Upper chambers.)

Before taking metoprolol I thought I was going to die everyday due to my abnormal heart rhythms. But since taking the medication, I feel so much better. It really works to control the extra beats and I feel like I can stop worrying that I am going to have a heart attack and die (which is torturous to feel that way all the time.)

The only side effects I have had are some dizziness (which can be corrected by taking a smaller dosage) and a slight decrease in sex drive. Those ARE negative side effects, yes, but the good outweighs the bad for me. I feel like I can live a full healthy life now that my heart rate is under control.

I am astonished by the posts I am reading here. I just learned about the manufacturing problems with Metoprolol Succinate ER last night, and the recall. I called my pharmacist this morning, and she said she knew nothing about a recall, only that it was no longer available.

When I see what you all have been going through, coupled with what's been happening to me, I can't understand why my doctor has not changed my medication.

I just got out of the hospital two weeks ago from blood clots in my legs. Thank goodness they have not moved to my heart, brain or lungs! Now, I'm on Coumadin for six months.

I have had blood clots, cramping in both my legs and feet, eye problems, loss of balance and vertigo (dizziness) so bad I fell to the ground. Fortunately, I was in my garden and the ground was soft.

I've been complaining to my doctor for quite some time now about the dizziness, and am now afraid to go out and work in the yard unless someone is with me.

Thank you for posting your information. It has been an eye-opener.

Has anyone experienced weight gain after being on Metoprolol? I have always fluctuated with my weight a bit. But this is the heaviest I have ever been without being pregnant. After having my last child I hovered between 160-175lbs.
A few months before being put on Metoprolol I had lost a bit of weight due to stress and got down to about 145lbs. Within less than 2 yrs I am up to 215 lbs. I don't eat as much as one would think I do. I don't drink soda or juices. What I eat is probably less than I did when I maintained 160-175lbs.
Anyone else dealing with weight gain after the Metoprolol? I had one Dr tell me that it can be a contributing factor because the Metoprolol slows down your metabolism and another Doctor told me that a few pound weight gain is sometimes expected but not this excessive.

I have been taking Metoprolol Succinate ER 25mg twice a day for almost 4 weeks. I am having a problem with insomnia. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, does it go way with time?

Since taking Metoprolol, I have experienced severe hair loss.
I am trying to go off the medication gradually and hope it wont have any side effects to my atril fibrilation!!

I have been on Toprol -XL Metoprolol ER 100 MG, I have been on for about 2 mos. Not quite sure have to check dr records. I have had Weight gain about 20 lbs, headaches, swelling of ankles and feet,shortness of Breath, a horrible feeling of not being able to catch or take my breath, fear anxiety, stomach pains, depression, vivid dreams, waking up and not being able to sleep, tossng and turning until 4am. could feel heart beating fast but subtle. numbing in my hands and fingers lack of motivation. I have been going to a nurse practioner who is helping me to wean off of this drug. It has changed me I ave never been ill in my life except for the common cold. and having babies. There is really nothing wrong with my heart according to tests they have run, My Blood pressure was high and they were trying to get it under control, tried other meds and then went to this. It has been a horrible experience especially when you just learned you have HBP and then you get all these terrible side effects from the medicine that is suppose to be saving your life or help save it. I do not know how I will do with weaning But i will sure try and keep you posted. I am a little nervous about being weaned off, but hopefully I can find something natural to help me out. This is literally been poison to my Body ******