Back in July I was experiencing rapid heart beats and shortness o...

I was diagnosed with Afib in Feb 2008 and put on 50mg Metoprolol. Yes, I have had some really bad cough bouts in the middle of the night. I could never connect the dots until reading your post. The cough is infrequent and I haven't had any since June because now I have a persistent case of hives and it's driving me crazy. Aspirin exacerbates the itching especially in my hands and the doc thinks that the hives are not related to the beta-blocker. She sent me to an allergenist who put me on Fexofenadine + Zantac and for the first two days the hives disappeared then returned with a vengeance. I have never has hives in my life nor that crazy cough - it's got to be the meds. I'm thinking that I need to go through ablation and if successful - no more meds. I'm 57 and thinking if I live to 80, this won't be satisfactory at all. Anyone-else out there.

I arrived in my doc's office with off the chart BP and heart flutters. I was just 50. My family hx. is horrific; my dad dying at 58 from high BP, my sister just dying at 48 from high BP, my mom starting on BP Rx's at 45 y.o., my bro on BP Rx at 48. My doc put me on Toprol which brought my BP down, completely controlled my heart flutters. However, counterintuitively, I had such a rapid weight gain with it (20+ lbs. in 4 mos), fatigue that never went away, swelling of hands and feet and feeling so poorly that I marched back in and told my doc - no way. She said people always try to make excuses for their weight gain using medications. Grrrrr... I gave it a year and a half. Just went back in a month ago - told her - either she changes all my meds or I'm done with her. Lo and behold, I am now on Atenolol and what a difference. My weight is dropping as quickly as it came on, I'm up at 5:30 am again everday, going to work out, swelling is gone and my mental state is back to 'normal.' There are many options of meds, you know your body. If you don't feel right - speak up. I am a nurse, I should have known better, but internal medicine is out of my realm of medical knowledge for the most part, so I believed her. Listen to your body!

The Fexofendine has helped my cough. I'm thrilled as are my co-workers and my husband. I have gained another 5 pounds since my last posting and my dreams are not as vivid as they were when I was taking 50 mg (I'm on 25 mg now). I am concerned, as my ob/gyn has taken me off oral contraceptives due to my bp.

I have had a cough every since I have been taking this medicine. My doctor gave a post nasal drip med also when I initially went to the doctor for the cough. I started beliving the Toporol XL was causing the cough. I have taken chest X-Rays also and still coughing. What have you done about your cough that has help. The cough is not always bad. A dry cough. Can be bothersome at night to the point of gagging. Clear stuff come up liquid or foam. I am really tired of coughing. One doctor said I had acid reflux. I really feel it is this medicine.