Toprol-XL side effects

I took topral about 12 years . I had been taking 50 mg when because of palpitations it was increased to 75 mg. After about 6 weeks I had extreme anxiety, hand shaking, facial flushing, lightheadness, body trembling, weakness, slight headache, brain fog, and nausea. .I never felt so bad, went to primary dr. who said I had general anxiety disorder. and recomended psycharist. I also went to cardiologist who did stress echo and said nothing wrong with me. I am so grateful for this site. There were other people out there that had similar symptoms. When I told both dr. that I thought the increase in toprol was causing my anxiety. they both said couldn't happen as they take toprol for anxiety . I decreased the dosage myself . After 3 days the anxiety and nausea were gone and it took about 3 more weeks befor the rest of symptoms to go.
I gradually decreased the dosage to 25 mg. on my own. Felt fine for about a year until there was a brief period when toprol was not available and I was switched to metropolol. I started having pounding ,rapid heart beat. It would awake me up and I was also getting a pulsing feeling in my arm and near my collar bone. I had anxiety again, and flushed face. I noticed that aprox 2 to 3 hrs after taking meds that I felt the need to take deep breaths as if I was not getting enough air in my lungs and feeling shakey. Looking back, I had those symptoms with the toprol and dr said nothing wrong then. I felt very weak ,almost faint , and it was too much of an effort even to talk. This lasted about 5 hours and I felt better late afternoon.
Again, I am so grateful for this site. because at first I didn't connect symtoms with the generic form of toprol, since I had been O.K . taking 25 mg.of toprol. I went to cardioligst again and told h im about this site . saying I was convinced that I was one of the people that had rare side effects and wanted to get off of it. He wanted to put me on anothe beta blocker and I said I would never take that poison again. Incidently , while I was waiting to see dr. the nurse was with me and she said that there was a speaker at a cardiology convention that said there were two kinds of people that had taken beta blockers, half of them had gotten off of them and the other half wanted to.
I asked dr how I should stop them and he said if I insisted , to cut them in half and take that amt for a few days gradually decreasing dosage
I felt much better, but still had bouts with pounding, racing heart. I asked him if could be rebound effect and he said yes. That lasted month or so.
I do take other blood pressure med, Hyzaar, and plendil. and my blood pressure has been ok.
Also could be because I did lose weight. ( I did notice that I started to gain weight when I started the beta blocker all those years ago.. ) I feel normal now .
Hope that this can help someone else.

I wish the company making this crap would admit they've shortchanged patients with the purported "brand name" Toprol XL. It is not the old stuff, clear and simple. They're selling fraudulent medication, probably the old generic crap that almost killed people -- and, in some cases, actually did kill people.

This company needs to be run right out of the race. Toprol XL is being marketed falsely. it is not the same medication as it was before the "shortage" arose.

I was having episodes of irregular heart beats (PVC's) and keep ending up in the ER. I was on 25 mg of Toprol XL with Coozar 50 mg for hypertension. I am trying to stay off caffeine but the doctor recently increased my dose to Toprol 50 mg. I definitely see spiders all the time upon awakening but I know that it is the Toprol because I have been on 25 mg for years. I don't get the attacks so much since he upped me to 50 mg. I am more tired, I keep skipping the morning dose, still see spiders on the wall and pillow, don't want to exercise or anything. I am a dancer and have been very active up until 5 years ago when these episodes started coming. I am afraid to switch to anything else because of more side effects. I feel like I am in a catch 22 situation, but so far the attacks haven't been as frequent but I did stop some chocolate and only one cup of coffee in the morning and no more starbucks fraps and I am definitely a Type A personality, that don't help....Oh, I am 55 years old and cannot lose weight no matter how much I dance or exercise, but I must admit on this medication I would rather lay on the couch like a potato and watch TV. I am not really overweight, maybe by 10-15 lbs, but still, there has to be a better way.... I haven't gone back to the gym since being on 50 mg, I will probably fall on the floor....

I was started on Toprol XL (generic) 50mg for SVT. I had an ablation about 5 years ago for AVNRT and placed on atenolol 50 mg (never had any side effects) Unfortunately my prescriprion ran out and I was without atenolol for 4 days, hence the SVT. The cardiologist I saw suggested Toprol XL. Since starting on this drug I have to agree with many of the comments. I also have dizziness, dry mouth, vague chest pain, aware of my heart beat, vivid dreams and a feeling of anxiety. I talked to another cardiologist and he suggested I switch back to atenolol. He thought my symptoms may be a result of the drug. I'm scheduled for a complete cardiac workup including, ECHO, Holter and event recorder. I'm waiting for the drug to get out of my symptom so I can feel normal. Does anyone know how long it takes after you stop taking this drug? I am on atenolol so I haven't stopped beta blocker coverage.

I'm a 59 year old male and had my aortic valve replaced nine months ago and been on 25 mg daily since, split between morning and night. All of the side effects I've experienced have become more pronounced recently. Besides vivid dreams, waking at 3AM and not able to go back to sleep, inability to exercise hard and ED, I tend to doze off while reading anything. My work is no longer as exciting or interesting as before.
I used to run regularly, but not as intensely after my 11th marathon in 1992. My cardiologist wants me to only walk, but have been bike riding and working out on an elliptical. If I run at all my heart rate spikes pretty quickly.

Can't wait to get off it!

I was given 25mg. doses of Toprol xl with no problem. Then another Dr. changed it to 50 mg. Had bad side affects.I had vision problems and tingling and numbness in tha hand and fingers. I could not see very well and took 10-15 minutes to finally straighten out. I am back on 25 mg. and not sure I feel very good about that.

Something is wrong with the "brand" Toprol XL 25 mg. I had no problems with it before and only had complaints when the pharmacist switched me to the generic version of this drug back when all the problems with generic metopropol were being reported.

Now I fear they are selling some of that generic formula and marketing it as "brand name" Toprol XL. How else to explain the exact symptoms reappearing that had first occurred when I was taking the generic? Of course it could always be just coincidence, but when drug companies are involved, I don't think so...

how long is the recovery from coming off of toprol nobody is really saying anything

HI just turn 48yrs I'm male i tappered off from 100mg then down 50mg for two week than 25mg for two week now I'm feeling funny Neck tighting weird though will this feeling go away soon this is my 5th day off toprol xl

at present, I have a very hard time swallowing my pills, my water, my food and sometimes these problems mentioned get stuck and I almost strangle. My meds get stuck in my throat and won't go down, the water flows over the pills and I have to wait till the capsul desolves and then I can swallow water to push down the med which by now is burning my throat or just further down. I am just about bald now, my hair is just falling out so bad, I almost cry when I comb my hair. I don't want to comb my hair daily anymore, good thing I am now retired. My legs started hurting back in 2003 to the point I can't hardly walk around.

I just don't know what to do anymore, I feel like Popeye's "sea hag". I am very depressed now. Can you please help me. Thank you kindly.

I have been on Toprol for 7 years, I have such vivid dreams to the point that I open my eyes and my bedroom is the dream. It takes me a long time to make myself realize that it is a dream because I see my dreams with my eyes open. The only way I can come out of it is if my husband turns the light on. They have got so bad that I try t0 convience my husband that they are real while they are going on. Thanks to this website I now know what is causing it. I have a doc appt today to change my meds. Thanks

I have been on Toprol XL (50 mg) for a few years initially due to rapid heartbeat, which I've had my entire life, & for heart palpitations (pounding version, not arrhythmia). Since I'm older (late thirties) & heavier, my doctor wanted to slow my heart rate a bit. I have suffered no side effects from this medication and it has helped to calm my nerves. I am 5'10", 280 lbs with a large-frame (with a gut) & my blood work is normal, although my doctor continues to run blood work every 6 months as part of my physicals. I carry my weight well & have been losing slowly (ex-football player; lineman). I don't have any other existing medical conditions that may cause other reactions to this medication. My libido is great & I can still increase my heart rate when working out. I have had great experiences with this medication & look forward to the day when I may not need to take any medication any longer (aside from the occasional allergy drug). If I must take this drug for the rest of my life, I have no issues taking it, as it has helped me greatly & I am thankful. As for withdrawals for not taking it, I went a week without it (not by choice; more of a money issue for refilling the prescription) & did experience a few heart palpitations, which I was able to control through breathing exercises & remaining calm (I think the anxiety also contributed to this, as well). With any medication, it depends on your body chemistry as to how that drug will affect you (both positive & negative). I recommend discussing all options with your doctor, get regular physicals, maintain a good diet (which includes a cheat day each week), exercise at a moderate level, and more reactions to medications will decrease. Ultimately, only you & your trusted doctor will know what works best for you! I wish anyone on this medication well & hope it helps you, as it has helped me.

Hi,
I am a 26 year old female that was diagnosed with severe heart palpitations, high blood pressure and tachachardia all at the same time...it was nothing for my heart rate to get up to 140 b/p/m SITTING STILL! Any physical activity at all and i felt like i was going to pass out! My heart was also palpitating just every few minutes. I was SO SCARED i was gonna have a heart attack or worse. I am also an insulin dependant diabetic since I was 8. The drs put me through EVERY test in the book, holter monitors, lab work, ekg, echocardagrams, stress test and even a heart catherization in July of this year. They could not find ANYTHING wrong with my heart! My cardioligist said I had the heart of a 16 year old! I changed from a very active person to a couch potato because i was so scared something was going to happen to me! I developed severe panic attacks and depression and was afraid to be alone even for short periods of time. My blood pressure was also running high like 140 or 150 / 90's to 100's. They started me out on Diltiazem which did me absolutely NO good and caused me to feel very tired and sleepy all the time! Then they tried me on bystolic which i had an allergic reaction to and thought my throat was going to completely close up! Then they put me on Metaprolol 50mg tablets once in the morning. I have been on this pill since October. So far the ONLY side effect that I have is that my ankes are swelling pretty bad. It has dropped my blood pressure to like 117/60 or 70 and has dropped my pulse rate to like 70-80. It has also made my heart palpitations very few and far in between! I have NOTHING bad to say about this drug except that is has made my feet swell but I can deal with that verses living every day being petrified that something is gonna happen to me! I am supposed to go to my family dr. to probably get put on a low dose water pill for the swelling! This drug has REALLY helped me!

The generic was useless. But Toprol XL itself may also cause palps, insomnia, drowsiness. Neither Metopropol or Toprol XL are the gold standard in treating blood pressure, in my opinion.

My husband was prescribed Toprol, and received the generic by a certain manufacturer. Toprol seemed to work okay, but hubby added 25 mg of my Atenolol to 'help' keep things under control... then pharmacy switched manufacturers, AND MY HUSBAND'S BP WENT SKY HIGH AGAIN... it was as if there was NO control.... We quickly gave him my Atenolol again, and within a few weeks I called pharmacist while waiting for doctor's appointment to come up.... She gave hubby the NAME BRAND TOPROL, and within two hours, HIS BP WAS DOWN. Husband has appt. w/ doctor this Friday, and will explain situation. We know it is not wise to take anther's prescription, but when BP is 195/145, and a person can't get in to see their doctor, what do you do ????? I am hoping the doctor will LISTEN, and BELIEVE that the generic Toprol IS NOT THE SAME AS THE BRAND NAME......

I have been on Toprol for 6 mos, after switching from the generic metoprolol for 1.5 years. It has made a HUGE difference being on the name brand versus the generic and well worth the extra $$. The generic would cause heart palp, stomach problems etc. I even asked the pharmacist if there was a difference in generic vs name brand and he said yes..same active ingredient but who knows what else they put in there. Blood pressure went from 150/90 to 114/76, but I have also changed my lifestyle to low-salt, walking at least 3x a week, more positive thinking!. Also I have lost weight after getting on this pill @20 pounds but not sure if its because of the lifestyle change or what. The only bad aspects of this pill is the depression it can cause and I do seem a bit anxious sometimes, especially at night. I am 38 y/o with no family history of high bp, currently taking 100mg.

Toprol XL I just started a week ago as the medicals cant get my blood pressure under control. I also take Lisinopril at 40mgs. Was told at 40mgs. of Lisinopril thats the highest dose there is (which I found is a lie from a lady I know when she told me her husband takes lisinopril XL or along those lines). Meantime..on Toprol..I cant figure how to describe it other than..when the medicals decided not to deal with my medical issues and gave me 1st Zoloft then Prozac. I had such bad reactions from them I told the medicals to deal with my medical problems dont blow me off with shrink pills! Meaning...I have the same reaction with Toprol as I did with Zoloft and Prozac...emotional, cant focus or concentrate..cant sit still..I look like crap because I cant sleep more than 5 hours or so...
Im already plump from middle aged (and I use to be bone thin at one time)..Im hungry..and yet I look and smell food and I about gag...Bits and pieces at times I can get down me though..Toast, yogurt, that kind of thing. IM tired and weak too...It takes everything I have in me just to peddle my bike 3 miles around the housing area I live. After that, I flop..
I have to pee every 2 mins too...Bad enough the pressure from fibroids on the bladder..Medicals say..Dah..they will shrink when you are finally post menopausal. ( I would love to tell that line of BS to the doctors with breast cancer or prostate cancer..see how they like it).
I am trying to give the benefit of the doubt here..give it time and see if these side effects wear off in time...But as it stands...
Between this crap and the migraine medications..IM sick and tired of not being heard/taken seriously by the medical community...Getting so Im all for alternative medicine and just let the medical doctors/FNP-C and specialists kiss my backside..

I was on 50 mg. then increased to 100 mg. After about 10-14 days on the 100's, I began itching all over ... broke out in a horrendous rash, especially on my back, arms, and legs. Went to my GP who quickly diagnosed a new BP med called Bystolic 5 mg. for a trial.
I've been on Bystolic now for only 2 days. Rash is driving me crazy! I realize now that when I was on the 50 mg. of Toprol XL, I was itchy ... but I never broke out in this huge rash until I had to increase it to 100 mg. I thought, because I was 52, it was *flushing* due to hormones. Boy, was I wrong! Dr. told me to take Zyrtec for the itching/rash.
Now, after changing to the Bystolic, I feel much better (B/P and heartrate). Seems like I was having an allergic reaction to the Toprol XL which is maybe why it didn't work as well. Even though the Bystolic is a much lower dose than my Toprol, my BP feels much lower, and so is my heartrate!
Toprol XL's big side effect is the itching and rashes which can be debilitating. Oh, I had horrendous nightmares on Toprol ... so bad, I didn't want to to go to sleep!

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.

I've been having PVC's for about four months with tachycardia. My doctor put me on the generic for Toprol -- 50 mg. For two days I was dizzy, faint, weak and nauseated. But no PVC's or tachycardia. Because of side effects my doc decreased the dose to 25mg. five days ago. I felt better. No PVC's or tachycardia, just kind of felt out of it and tired. Yesterday I felt pretty good. My mind was clear and I was less tired, but last night my tachycardia returned with PVC's and I've had them a lot today. Do I need to increase my dose?

I was reading your post and had to reply to it!! I have been on toprol xl for about 10 years or a lil longer! Started out at 100mg a day now take 200 mg a day. Am a 37 year old female,feeling like a 90 year old female! For the past 3 years or so experiencing numbness started in my toes, now my left foot to right below my knee is completely numb,right foot and leg getting that way!My hands stay real tingly also! When they are not numb they hurt me so bad. I just couldn't believe your post when I read it! Been to neuro telling me I have severe nerve damage in arms legs and feet? I am like from what? Had all kinds of tests and MRI, nothing.... Thank you for your post,printing it out and taking it to my doc! Maybe we have finally got a diagnosis!!! Sounds like it is the meds to me,Not to mention I am also on 3 other bp meds! Just scared me saying I might have M.S. More like toprol xl huh? How is your numbness now? Was wondering if u experience pain w/ the numbness? Thanx T.

My doctor has upped me from 50 mg to 75 mg Toprol and i swear I am getting fatter by the day. Up until i was 55 i weighed 125 lbs now 5 years later i am 138 and cannot for the life of me shift it even 1 pound. Not only do i eat 6 to 9 fruits and vegetables a day, fish 4 times a week and chicken, no sugar in anything and do the 10,000 steps a day or treadmill. I probably eat and drink less and exercise more than i ever did and have never been so fat. Just out of interest I plugged in Toprol and found this site. I am going to go back to my doctor and ask her to change my medication.

Straight from Wikipedia:
Metoprolol may worsen the symptoms of heart failure in some patients. Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort; dilated neck veins; extreme fatigue; irregular breathing; an irregular heartbeat; shortness of breath; swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs; weight gain; or wheezing.

This medicine may cause changes in your blood sugar levels. Also, this medicine may cover up signs of low blood sugar, such as a rapid pulse rate. Check with your doctor if you have these problems or if you notice a change in the results of your blood or urine sugar tests.

This medicine may cause some people to become less alert than they are normally. If this side effect occurs, do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are not alert while taking metoprolol .

Side effects
Transient effects include dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, tiredness, diarrhea, unusual dreams, ataxia, trouble sleeping, depression, and vision problems. It may also reduce blood flow to the hands and feet, causing them to feel numb and cold; smoking may worsen this effect.

Serious side effects that are not to be tolerated for any length of time include symptoms of a very slow heartbeat (less than 50 bpm) (e.g. persistent dizziness, fainting, unusual fatigue), bluish discoloration of the fingers and toes, numbness/tingling/swelling of the hands or feet, sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction (impotence), hair loss, mental/mood changes, trouble breathing, cough, dyslipidemia, and increased thirst. Other highly unlikely symptoms include easy bruising or bleeding, persistent sore throat or fever, yellowing skin or eyes, stomach pain, dark urine, and persistent nausea. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness. Taking it with alcohol might cause mild body rashes and therefore is not recommended.

Why on earth do Doctors keep prescribing these medications that are doing more harm than good? They are causing so many other symptoms, no wonder our Health Care in this country is "out of sight". We take drugs that continue to make us sicker , sicker, and sicker, which require more testing, testing and testing....HELLO people...you need to ask yourselves if you "believe" what that Doctors are telling you. I don't, not anymore. They are SOOOO misinformed by the Pharmaceutical Rep pushing drugs that the DRUGS have become the REAL DISEASE! You need to go back to "square one"...and get off of everything.

My girlfriend age 62 was taking 14 different medications that included BP Meds, Cholesterol Meds, and on and on. She's now laying on a Ventilator from all the interactions these drugs have caused her. She cannot even lift her head of the pillow. Her memory is shot! Just another side affect of the drugs. Are there any Doctors out there who can "step out of the box" ? You're killing people with the drugs your prescribing because you don't understand the interactions they have with each other. You just keep on prescribing. You need to study each medication before you keep prescribing them.

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 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??

Hi. I started Toprol-XL 25 two years ago due to high blood pressure. Recently(Feb 2009) began an exercise program (walking) and lost twenty pounds. I was allowed to reduce to 12.5 mg for a few months. My BP was still looking great so I was told by my Doc to go to 6.25 for seven days and then completely off. Today I took my last dose! I'm going to keep up the exercising and really watch my weight so I never have to take this again. While taking this, I had cold hands and sometimes was dizzy. Also had some crazy dreams (I will miss those a little bit!) ! When you're on Toprol it seems you really can't over exert yourself. The first week I took it I thought I was going to die when I mowed the lawn. Literally probably should have gone to the emergency room. So if you are just starting please take it easy !!! I always took the pill at the same time every day with food before and after. Never drank alcohol during these two years (except for very small sips). Make sure to ask for the name brand, NOT the generic, even if you have to pay more. You want the time release version so the medicine flows more steadily.

I have been on toprol for sometime now, and what I have found is, I have no sex drive at all which is causing problems in my marriage. I am always tired, can't remember anything short term that is and my shoulders are always hurting as if I have been lifting weights. I am also noticing bruises if any kind of pressure is applied to my skin which is weird. I also get swollen ankles and lots of hair loss. My vision is giving me lots of problems. I now wear glasses that are so thick you would think I borrowed them from the bottom of a Pepsi bottle. I just don't know what to do anymore. I have expressed most of my symptoms to my doctor, but my cries have gone unheard. I am afraid to stop taking the medication in fear of having a heat attack.. I have taken my daughter through a specialized school until she was able to manage herself but today I cannot remember how to do math or just simply write and essay which I think is weird. I am also having a hard time with spelling and reading long passages due to my lack of energy and concentration. Does anyone have advice that is helpful?

I have been on Toprol-XL for about 8 yrs. I just found this forum and I'm glsd. I thought I was going crazy - but after looking at all the msgs, most of all I have been experiencing lloks like it could come from the Toprol-XL. I have gained about 40lbs in the last 7 yrs and just started a diet and it is extremely difficult to lose weight - could this all be from the Toprol? Are the dreams related to it as well? Some of my dreams(almost all) are so vivid. Has anyone stop taking the Toprol and had good response from it?

I was on Toprol XL for 6 years. This drug is not good. I am a 47 year old women that weighs about 120 and am 5'3". I have had HBP since I was 30 and have tried most of the medicine out there to try and control it. Toprol made me feel horrid. No sex drive, tired all the time, sometimes so tired I couldn't even get out of bed, dizzy, chest pains and tightness, feels like my throat is closing, panic attacks.... the list just goes on. I am now on Azor and it seems to work great for me. Coming off Toprol was another nightmare and it took me several months to completely wean myself off of it. Today is my 5th day completely Toprol free and I am starting to feel like me again.

I am 23 years old and I am here to post how I'm feeling on 12.5 mlg of toprol xl. The first week I felt fine, my BP continues to be low but my headaches are almost completely gone. The second week I only had problems 12 hours after taking the pill. My heart rate goes up to 95 bpm. I try to ignore it and fall asleep. When I wake up I feel ok. Then I take the pill and same thing the next day. Wednesday I will go completely off pill. I am very nervous. I do have the cardionet heart monitor and it comforts me. I do not want to end up in the ER due to palpitations. I will keep you posted.

I'm taking 25 mg Toprol XL once daily following a mild heart attack in June 2008. What I have experienced is just an overall feeling of aging--tired, muscle aches, fuzzy thinking, forgetfulness, short fuse. I have very little motivation to do things around the house and tire easily. I accepted an invitation to golf this week, but I already told the group that I may only be able to do 9 holes. I don't feel like I could do 18. That's just not me! I have cut back to 12.5 mg. but still feel like a really old man. I complained to my cardiologist, but he said that my dose is too low to cause these problems. I am going to slowly reduce my dosage to 6.25 mg. to see if that helps. I feel my quality of life has suffered for taking this drug.

I am 44yrs old and have been on toprol xl for about 4yrs. I get short of breath every morning and I can't sleep. Sometimes my body feels like it's internally trembling especially at night. I cannot lose weight and actually gained 30 lbs since I've been on it. My hands also go numb sometimes at night. I've been reading eveyone's complaints and really believe it has to be this medication. I must get off this crap soon. Goin for a second opinion.

I am 23 years old. After being on 25mg/once a day Toprol XL for 1 year I began to experience Head aches almost everyday, nightmares, low blood pressure 89/62, weakness, weight gain, loss of memory. I started the pill after an S.V.T episode. Any how I said enough is enough I want off this med. so I went to see my doctor and she told me to cut my pill in half so far I feel good my headache is slowly going away and my BP is 110/72 instant improvement. I will be on lower dosage for 2 weeks,if i continue feeling good she said I can then go completely off of it. I am so excited. I asked to get off pill 6mo. before but Doctor (my previous doc. I changed docs) said he didn't recommend it I think it was a whole lot of BS seeing that I felt no need to be on pill as I only had one episode 1 year ago. My opinion is if you feel your ready to get off pill be assertive and let you doctor know this is what YOU want. I will post again after my 2 weeks are up. I am confident that I will be just fine :) God is with me and he will protect me as he will you.

A year ago I was misdiagnosed with Sinus Tachy. I did have HBP though and did not know it. We just moved across country, looking for a house to buy, living in a hotel until we closed on the house, and then moved in and started renovating it. Lots of stress...on top of that i was not eating right. i went to a new doctor in our new town. I had an echo, stress test, and holter. the only test she used to diagnose me with tachy was 1 time of having a heart rate of 148 for a second or two. after being put on toprol i started having crazy symptoms. i changed doctors and the new doctor sent me to a cardio. i had a catheter done. the cardio didn't find anything that he said was alarming and wished his heart was like mine. the results were sent to my primary doc. my new doctor sort of listened to me and when i took the results of the initially holter that showed the tachy, i asked him if i indeed had sinus tachy. he looked at the results and said NO. i asked him if i can get off toprol xl...and he was hesitant. after telling him my symptoms he relented. he told me to go to 75 mg and then check with my cardiologist in a month and see if he wanted me to go down further. my bp and hr prior to lowering the dose averaged 100/110- 55/72 with hr averaging 65-70. July 5 was my first day of tapering my 100 mg tablet to 75 mg tablet. the first couple of days were pretty rough. my heart rate would spike to 110 with activity (taking a shower and walking very slowly around the house) and during an "episode" while sitting down would be 75-90. the BP spikes would go up to 140/90 during the "episodes" but would come back down with lots of deep breathing. i had chest discomfort, weird headaches and just an overall feeling of like i might die of a heart attack. around the 5 and 6 days...i was able to slowly move around without the above mentioned symptoms being less severe and by the day 7 and onward my heart rate had re-stabilized back down to around 105/118 over 65/80 with h.rate hovering around 70-80. after 2 weeks on 75 mg...i decided to lower it even further, down to 50 mg. the first 2 days of 50mg, there didn't seem to be any serious things happening but on the 3rd day it hit me. my pulse upon getting out of bed was 100-105 bpm. when i walked around slowly around my house, it stayed elevated..high 90's. it sort of settled in between high 80's and low 90's. my BP was now hovering around 118/125 over 79-89...sometimes spiking as high as 132/90 a couple of times. after the day progressed, the heart rate settled back down to around 80 ish and was in the upper 60's and 70's when i was reading in bed last night. my blood pressure last night was 116/78 with pulse at 66. i thought ...not too bad. Well this morning at 4am i woke up feeling hot and scared. i checked my BP and it was 109/74. a few minutes later i checked it again and it shot up to 126/83 pulse ranging anywhere in the 110-135 range. it finally settled around upper 80's. this spike occurred with me still lying in bed...not moving a muscle. i had my husband to get my toprol 50 mg tablet and a banana and once i took this my blood pressure lowered a little with occasional spikes along with erratic pulse as well. my blood pressure today has been ok....anywhere from 123/75 down to 108/69. my pulse on the other hand if hovering around upper 80's at rest (rest meaning sitting down on computer or driving) and it shoots up to mid to upper 90's while moving around..like going to the bathroom or walking from room to room. while i was making lunch it was in the low 100's. I guess all this to say that this is a roller coaster ride. i want off this med. once i have realized how potent it is, makes me more determined to get off....it is scary though. last night i swear i thought i was having a heart attack. my chest started constricting and my right leg became heavy...like it was losing blood flow...weird.. i know. i know that its rebound effects will occur, but when they are happening, i begin to think ...ok...do i need to stay on this med???? what i found interesting is that when i dropped the first 25 mg the rebound symptoms would occur around 11 am and last until 4 or 5pm. I attributed this to when i take my med...i take it right after breakfast around 8am. when i was on the full 100 mg these were the times i would feel the MOST fatigued....like a walking dead person going thru the motions of life..pretending to be ok. And im a homeschool mom so you can imagine how hard it was to pretend. i wasn't that surprised to find that my rebound effects occurred during this time. This last drop in dosage was different. The first 2 days i did not have the mid day rebound effects...they seemed to be elevated continuously throughout the day with the less rebound effects being right before bed. What was even more alarming was the middle of the night scare that woke me up..... i just wanted to share my current experience with withdrawing/tapering from Toprol Xl 100 mg down to 75 and then now currently at 50. i see my cardiologist in a few weeks and don't think i will taper down anymore until then. he is going to redo all the heart tests...and if i have a green light then i will continue to taper down until im off. For the record, my side effects while on the 100mg XL tab were......frequent...and i mean frequent urination, hair loss, (i have long very thick curly hair that i wear in a ponytail and i had to figure out how to hide the side bald patches..im only 38) seeing spots and floatys daily that i thought i kept seeing spiders move across my floor or walls, upper back/should pain that was very debilitating, vision focus problems, ankle joint pain...(i would wake up with a limp cuz the pain in my ankle joint was bad then the next day it would be gone only to return a few days later), hands and feet tingly all the time. i have also had thyroid tests... Weight gain or stubborn pounds that would not budge...even with daily exercise and a diet that consisted of fish 3-5 times a week cooked without oil or fats and eating only sauteed veggies and fruit. i have not had a piece of bread or processed carb in months relying on an occasional small baked potato with no condiments. i have calculated my nutrition so precise that i making sure i consumed 4500 mg in potassium, 2-300 mg magnesium, less than 600 mg sodium daily, 1200-1300 calories with 50-80 grams of protein and less than 30 grams of fat. all this and my weight would not budge. after dropping my dosage down to 75mg from 100, i lost 4 pounds in a week without changing a thing..I was even sitting a lot due to the crazy spikes in BP and HR. During that second week of 75 mg...i lost 1 pound. now that i have dropped down to 50mg i have lost 2 pounds and its only been 4 days. I would like to know anyone else's experience with withdrawing from toprol xl.

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?

I take 25mg of Toprol XL for mitral valve prolapse. The only thing is I feel tired like I could fall asleep all the time. Is this common with this medicine on such a small dose. My doctor said this small dose shouldn't bother me. Anyone else take this dose and feel tired?

Oh and btw...I am a 46 year old female, originally diagnosed with MVP (mitral valve prolapse) and ectopic atrial tachycardia at the age of 25 1/2 years old. I am getting ready to start nursing school in 2 weeks and really don't want to deal with all this crap, as school will be all I can handle. Thanks for listening to me. :)

I started off taking Tenormin 50 mg 1 x a day and Lanoxin 25 mg 1 x a day about 21 years ago. I continued to have constant palps and skipped beats even though I was on these meds. I wound up developing vertigo after about 5 years that got so bad I had it daily. I ended up with severe sinus problems and was given a cortisone packet of pills (the kind that decrease each day you take them) to take. The vertigo left for 6 months, coming back again with a vengeance. I begged the docs to put me back on cortisone pills again, once more helping to stop the vertigo. However, at the same time I also stopped the Lanoxin. ??? I totally believe that Lanoxin was part of the problem causing the vertigo. I now only have it from time to time, maybe only a few times a year. I still blame the Toprol that I now take for the left-over vertigo. I was taken off of the Tenormin after about 10 years of taking it and put on the Toprol at that time and have been on the Toprol xl for the last 11 years. The docs said that I needed to be on Toprol XL, as it was an extended release and would help me much more around the clock. I did not notice much difference throughout the switch, but looking back I do believe that a lot of the things that I have been dealing with through the years are side-effects of the medicines. I have had irritable bowel syndrome, told I have fybromyalgia, then told I did not have fybromyalgia, hip and back pain, skin problems on one of my hands that started with the Toprol, headaches, tiredness, horrible weight-gain (without overeating!! Honestly.), I have averaged 5 lbs. a year and the docs never even listen to me when I voice my concerns, I have been diagnosed with anxiety, joints ache, ankels, feet, face and hands swell, stomach bloats something terrible, acid reflux, hiatial hernia, and I had a tumor removed that could have been a problem off my rectum (who knows what caused it), I have had CTs and MRIs of my head, twice, for the vertigo and what I was told was probably psuedo-tumor cerbri (because of months of severe headaches), told by my eye doctor that he wonders if I have beginning MS, everything came back fine and things seem to resolve and go into something else. I have been passed from my general physician, to a cardiologist, to a ENT, and a neurologist. No one can ever find anything physically wrong, but they did conclude that I definitely had benign positional vertigo. LOL, that means they could not tell me why I had it. I put a stop to testing when they wanted to do the spinal taps.

Now I am experiencing tightness around my lower rib-cage and feel as though I am sucking for breath, I have a terrible time falling asleep at night, I wake up gasping and swearing that I am dying. My rib-cage is numb around my right side, not so much the left side when I lay down to go to sleep at night. After a few bouts of this I finally fall asleep and sleep all night most times. My blood pressure is now on the rise 150/99 at the highest. I have been working out lately with a few positive effects, more energy, more endurance, less aches and pains, muscles are starting to tone up, however, no weight loss. I thought my bp was starting to lower, but found out it was actually up. I went to my family doc and she listened to me really good, realized at last that I was not shedding the weight despite the efforts I was making. She cut my toprol to 25 mg 1 x a day and put me on lisinopril, I did not tolerate the lisinopril so she switched me to dyazide, lowest dose 1 x a day. I have great positives ...no more swelling, weight loss, lower bp, HOWEVER, I am now having jitters, anxiety (somewhat), no appetite at all, a few muscle spasms in my arms and legs, nothing painful or severe, dizziness, slight headache that comes and goes especially through my eyes. I am also experiencing coughing, and raspiness...but I am also coming out of a bout of bronchitis, which got really bad with the lisinopril. I believe it is partly due to the meds.

I called my doc today to tell her about the twitching and buzzing feeling and to ask about the dyazide. My feelings are that I am experiencing a lot of different things, first the bronchitis, and all the meds I was taking for that...albuterol, musinex, tylenol w/codeine, and biaxin, then the decrease of my toprol xl, the bad effects of lisinopril (coughing and raspiness), and now starting the new drug dyazide (generic form). I really want this to all settle down and work out for the best, but it is getting to me now (after 2 weeks). Last Saturday I would up in the ER with shooting pains through my chest that left me very pale and lightheaded when it happened as well as very tight throug my chest and sucking for air. The ER did chest xray, chest CT w/contrast, bloodtests, urine test, bp's sitting, standing and lying down (it is highest while sitting), everything came back good. No heart attacks, no blood clots, no bronchitis anymore, nothing. Blood work was good, urine was good. I am beginning to think that perhaps my body is reacting to cutting the Toprol xl in half. Sort of a withdrawal. There is really nothing else it can be and I really don't think that the dyazide is that bad of a drug and probably not causing all of my problems now, maybe just a part. Which are the tingling, dizziness, anxiety, twitching, and coughing. I have only had 3 of the dyazide medication. But have read that withdrawal symptoms of Toprol can cause these problems for a while. I am also thinking that the shooting chest pains last week were also withdrawal of the Toprol as it had been 1 week at that point that it had been cut in half.

Any opinions, if anyone can make heads or tails of anything that I have wrote. Sorry for the length and if it is confusing.

i started taking toprol about 2 years ago. my doctor started to notice a trace of blood and a small amount of protein in my urine. after a few more urine test over the span of 2 years, the traces of blood would come and go, but the protein levels were rising. eventually i was sent to a kidney specialist. he immediately took me off the toprol. he believes that the toprol may have damaged a filter that goes to both kidneys.he also said that if proteins are getting through the filter there other stuff is getting through too. , which can cause problems in the future.i have an appointment to see him again in 2 months. hopefully not being on this drug anymore, there will be a chance that this filter will heal. if not we are talking biopsies, and kidney drugs. my entire life the only medical problem was my blood pressure, now because of doctors and drugs i may be the sickest i've ever been. somebody said thts why doctors call it a practice, there only practicing

It seems as though a lot of people here have experienced what I have...shortness of breath, feeling like you can't get enough air, lightheadedness when standing, etc. I'm only 21 and on 50 mg of this sh**. The past 2 days I have cut myself down to 37.5 mg and hopefully this will help. Being anxious about not being able to breathe correctly makes it worse. I'm pretty sure the shortness of breath is not cardiac in origin as I have recently had a normal chest x-ray and echocardiogram. I even tried a peak flow meter to see if I had developed asthma, and my reading was 400, which is normal for my weight and height. 5'3, 108 lbs. I am convinced that it must be the Toprol, which I was taking for inappropriate sinus tachycardia. If I had some kind of cardiomyopathy (which causes shortness of breath) that symptom would be HELPED by taking the Toprol XL, as it would relax the heart. I want off this stuff, or at least reduced a lot.

Over the 5 years of 50mg Toprol starting out to 200 mg Metoprolol.Over the years I have had the weight gain,losing weight is difficult,tiredness, muscle aches,anger,anxiety, weeping, feeling not in control, bad dreams, spiders on the wall. Which it totally out of character for me. Doctor upped it to 200 mg a day which has totally intensified all the above, I thought it was my age,hormones etc... never thought of these meds.
I am so glad that I came on this web sight and realized people are going through the same horrible side effects that I am going through and feeling alone and I am not going out of my mind.
I need to get off this ,plus I am on benicar/hcz. My Blood Pressure is very difficult to bring it down. Dr's just prescribe and practice its like a spit in the ocean-some meds work and some do not. It is finding the right combo meanwhile we all suffer...

I've been weaning off Toprol for about a week and it's been terrible. I'm shaky, feel hungry all the time, can't concentrate and want to jump out of my skin. Is this normal? How long will it last??

My 90 year old, very mentally sound, grandmother was admitted to the hospital 2 days ago after complaining of severe pain in her back. While in the emergency room, after being diagnosed with a pinched nerve, her blood pressure rose and the staff doctor decided to admit her and put her on this horrible drug! He started her out with 100mg 2 times a day. My grandmother went from her usual calm perfectly sane self to a combative, babbling, lunatic within 6 hours of her first dose! It scared my aunt so bad that she started calling everyone to come say goodbye while there was still a chance that grandma would recognize us! I just knew that there was no way my completely lucid grandmother could go into dementia overnight so I told her to find out if the doctors had administered a new medication since they admitted her. They had and it was toprol XL. The stupid doctor tried to tell us that her behavior was related to a very low dose of prednisone that she taking for 2 years. We immediately demanded that the toprol be stopped and within 8 hours she started to return to us. She had spastic tremors, severe dementia, hallucinations, shallow breathing, agitation(went from laughing to combative in the space of 10 minutes!), dehydration, very frequent urination, extreme mood swings, brain fog/confusion, eyesight and hearing loss, her tongue swelled up, and her eyes were rolling back. It has been 36 hours since her last 100 mg dose and she is still fading in and out. We pulled her out of the hospital and brought her home today where the side effects have decreased but continue none the less. Since 11 this morning she has had bouts of not recognizing her own home and asking us to do things like take things out of the oven that she said she put in it, which of course she had not. I am praying to God that this medicine does not leave permanent damage. My grandmother is an unusual case for mental soundness at her age and it would be so unfair for that to be stolen away from her because of some stupid medicine that she was not only forced to take but over dosed with as well! DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE WITHOUT RESEARCHING IT THOROUGHLY!

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've been taking .25 of Toprol XL for about 5 years now. The firs few years were fine but the fatigue slowly starting getting worse. Now for the last 6 months I've been battling hypoglycemia. Does anyone know if the two could be related? It's a pretty awful feeling.

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.

I have had a cough for 4 mos.nothing shows in a breathing test,cat scan & blood work.I have no mucas coming up .Occasionally ,small
amounts of water like substances which is thick comes up.I take avapro 300mg & Toprol xl , could either one of these meds be the cause of my problem? I really do need an answer I am exhausted.
I have coughed so much that my head hurts as well as my throat when have the coughing episodes.

I have been on Toprol XL or the generic for over seven years. After the first two months on it I started to notice small, scaly patches appearing on my hands and arms. I was told this was just a coincidence. I had the areas biopsied and was told it was Granuloma Annular. Whatever?? Apparently there is no cure. I have never had any skin problems in my life and I,m sixty seven years old. I also noticed I,m constantly fatigued, cough constantly, still have heart palpitations and seldom get a good nights sleep. I,ve tried to get the doctor to discontinue it or put me on something else and they all act like they are afraid to try it. I,ve been tested and was told my PVC,s are benign, so why the concern? I just want to get off this stuff.

Vivid dreams, anxiety, spikes in blood pressure, stomach pain, shoulder and back pain. Discontinued Toprol XL a week ago and still experiencing some side effects. How long does this process last.

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.