Toprol-XL and 4 months

Hi- I was on Lopressor 50mgs. twice a day for my slightly elevated BP, MVP, SVT, palpitations, and anxiety attacks. Started having some intermittent chest pain (not bad, just annoying). Dr. switched me to Toprol XL 100 mg/day. Of course, insurance made me get Metoprolol ER 100 mg/day (the generic) but I haven't had a problem with it!! I love taking just 1 pill a day instead of having to juggle the two pills and remembering if and when I took them. I take the pill every morning with breakfast (which is usually an apple and a small bowl of cereal and a glass of water). I have gained some weight since being on the Lopressor, but I started the Dash Diet and have lost about 8 lbs. in about 4 months, not too good but I'm not following the diet as well as I should be! I also get tired and occasionally have problems with hearburn and gas, but anytime you take any kind of medication you will have side effects. Wish I didn't have to take any meds but am not willing to subject myself to the effects of high blood pressure, I would rather have the side effects from the meds. My BP is usually 110/75 now and my heart rate is around 70-75. I'm 47 years old and feeling like I might make it into my 90's now!!

My doctor took me off metopolol (genericToprol), and my last dosage was a week ago. I suffered weight gain, tiredness, and muscle fatigue during my 18 months on the drug.

I have 2 questions - how long will the drug remain in my system, and has anyone who experienced weight gain while on Toprol or the generic, lost any weight after stopping it?

Thanks, Tony

I started taking Toprol 4 months after having my baby. I never had High Blood Pressure until I was 2 months pregnant and It continued throughout my pregnancy. Four months after giving birth my BP kept creeping up so I went to my doctor and she prescribed 25mg of Toprol. I have been taking Toprol for a year and a half, I have gained over 20 pounds, I have felt like I have been walking in a fog, loss of concentration, been diagnosed with depression, I have slept at night but not feeling rested. I went off the meds for an allergy test and immediately realized that I was sleeping better and feeling rested, so I was monitoring my BP and It has been okay so I have stayed off the meds. I never realized that my problems could have been linked to this med until I went off the Toprol. My question is how long before the weight will come off. I was working out 5 days a week and watching what I ate for over 2 months while on the Toprol and no change. I am hoping that since I am off of Toprol I will start dropping a few pounds soon.

I decided a long time ago, Doctor's are not the best listeners!! I am a nurse, I know!! Read my post today June 18th. I have been praying for an answer to all my symptoms, especially the profuse sweating I have been having for the past year!!! I believe I have found my answer at this site. Thank God I found it. All because I was looking up info about Toprol because after the doctor increased my dosage yesterday , today my ankles and feet swelled up like balloons!!!!! Now I have pitting edema!!!
I have gone to a # of doctor's in the past year and a half and I think they believe it is all " in my head"!!! I have been so depressed. My husband has even threatened to leave me. NO interest in much of anything. I don't know what it is like to sleep anymore :-( My husband says " just close your eyes and sleep like a normal person". Maybe after he reads the posts at this site he will begin to understand that everything I have been going through is "REAL". I am calling my Dr. in the morning and she will WEAN me off this awful drug!!! My BP has been going up since I have been on Toprol instead of going down. I have wondered why the Dr. didn't just change the med. It really makes one wonder. DO the Dr's ever hear what we are saying???? I would be happy to share stories with anyone on this site. How many of you have experienced profuse sweating???? The doctor will WEAN me off this drug!!! :-)
God bless everyone!! I pray you all get off this drug!! It needs to be pulled by the FDA!!!
Joyce47oh ;-)

I just discovered this after 3 months of total misery, 7 different doctors, multiple tests, 1 hospitalization, 16 pound weight loss, almost lost my job, etc., etc., etc.. I want to know if this will have permanent effects on my body and heart and will I ever be the same again. I have been back on the brand TOPROL XL for 9 days now. Keep in mind I didn't know what was happening to me, I never thought twice about the switch to generic, it was cheaper and I also had a lot of stress going on in my life at the time.

My pharmacy switched my "Toprol XL 50 mg" to a Generic one called "Metoprolol Succinate ER 50 mg" (manufactured by Sandoz) in December 2007. I have been on some form of Beta Blockers for years due to PVC's, AVNRT, Bigeminy, Trigeminy and Couplets. NOT High Blood Pressure. In my case I get very symptomatic from the arrhythmias: very low blood pressure, chest pain, fatigue, blacking out. I've had EP studies and attempted ablations in the past, but they were unsuccessful. For the last 2 years I had been under control on this med. Within a week of starting the new generic, I was at my eye doctor because my left eye went from 20/20 to 20/60 and was so blurry that I felt like I had suntan lotion or something in it. The new symptoms just kept coming. Since Dec 07, I have been to a Neurologist, Neuro-Ophthalmologist, Endocrinologist, Gastrointerologist, Ear Nose and Throat Doctor, Cardiologist, and many more. The generic form caused my arrhythmias to come back with a vengeance, I got depression, I couldn't sleep, my chest hurt, my BP was like 85/45, I lost 16 pounds and couldn't eat. I was almost passing out, seeing stars, I had bigeminy/trigeminy day and night for days on end, I was crying for nothing, very moody, I was coughing and wheezing, I had tingling in my arms and hands, loud ringing in my ears, I couldn't concentrate let alone think. I had tons of blood work that the doctors said, "just didn't look right". Upper GI test discovered a hiatal hernia, MRI discovered brain lesions, I had a high red blood cell count (but not anemic), my ferritin was high, my blood sugar was high, I was tested for MS, Lupus, thyroid, everything under the sun and was borderline for these diseases! I thought I was going to die, I had never been depressed in my life and this was the worst. I was beginning to think I was a hypochondriac. But, it was all there on paper, all the tests showed something wrong, but they didn't know what.

I googled Toprol brand versus generic and found out that it wasn't just me, thousands of people have had these same reactions since they started making Generic Toprol. Please read up on it, everyone who writes their story can't be wrong (there is at least one from every state complaining of the same thing). I've been taking the old TOPROL XL BRAND for the last 9 days and my arrhythmias have completely stopped, I have an appetite again and the depression has lifted. I hope it didn't cause any permanent damage.

I know this is probably happening to people everywhere who don't have access to the internet or maybe don't get out much. If you ask the pharmacist, they will tell you that they are exactly the same and they are NOT. The generic may work perfectly for you, but it doesn't work for all. In trying to figure out why I was so symptomatic, the doctors in the hospital took me off the beta blocker completely....I could have had a stroke or heart attack. I started back up on the brand name when after I googled it and realized that you can't just "go off" Toprol. I just wish I would have discovered it about 3 months ago. They thought for sure I had either MS or Lupus and were trying to rule out all the mimics of these very serious diseases. I'm going back to my doctors and have them repeat all the blood tests, etc. to make sure everything is back to normal.

I'm trying to get the word out.

I was given Metoprolol, a generic for Toprol-XL several months ago, for high blood pressure. It was prescribed after I was determined to be allergic to Lisinopril. ( It caused a cough that lasted 3 months; I sounded like a TB patient.) Anyway, I have been taking Effexor for years, for anxiety attacks. Now that I take Metoprolol along with the Effexor, I am so tired and drained all the time, that I am contemplating quiting work. I go to the grocery, come home and lie down. I can't seem to have energy to breath correctly. My Dr. won't believe that this has anything to do with meds. I have now developed blood and mucous in my stools, diarrhea, and very urgent BMs. This all started after taking these two meds in combination for about 4 months.

Shortness of breath, foggy headed, joint pain, weight gain, stiff neck, clicking sounds, loss or flexibility of joints, tired. Felt old! Went on Toprol-xl for maintenance only. Never had high b/p. Talked with a friend, then found this web sight. Guess I'm not alone. Guess it's not me! Changed doctor now, one that will listen. She urged me to go off it and monitor my b/p. Took about 2 weeks, been off for a total of 3 weeks now. Feel great. Most symptoms are gone. No more inhaler and feel better. Clear headed again. Blood pressure is now high though. Don't know if it's me or the drug. Don't know if drug has done any damage. Had an ekg done. Dr. said heart is working to hard now. Wants to do a complete stress test. My wife and I are worried if its the Toprol-xl wearing off, or not. Anyone else had an ekg done. Does Toprol-xl damage your heart? Need answers. Looking for feed back. I'm only 53. Never had health problems before. Thought I was just growing old!