I had taken Toprol XL for years and thought I was doing fairly well. The side effects began to get worse with the absolute worse being that I woke a few times in the middle of the night with the room spinning out of control and sweating. The usual side effects I've now read such as weight gain, dizziness, dreams, shortness of breath, digestion not quite right, etc. had always been there, but I didn't quite recognize them realize until I came across this web site. Thank goodness I did. I have now been completely off Toprol XL for over a month and truly feel so much better (and normal). Even though for years I've watched my diet carefully and exercised faithfully, I would gain weight extremely easily and when I did go on a "diet", I would have to practically eat nothing in order to lose a few pounds. I'm so hoping now my metabolism will return to normal, and I can lose these extra pounds I want to lose. I realize everyone can't get off the medication, but if at all possible, P L E A S E consider doing so. This stuff is scary!!