Toprol-XL and hands and feet

I have been taking 12.5 mg Metoprolol for my palpitation and occasional racing heart. Few days ago I got a rapid heart rate again and I increased the dose to 25 my as original prescribed. Now I have chills, cold hand and feet, insomnia, shortness of breath, chest pain, etc. I have cut back to 12.5 mg. The problem is that even with 25 mg my heart races once in a while but I can't tolerate increasing this drug. I want to wean off of it. What is the best way to stop this drug?

I was prescribed Toprol for an irregular heart rhythm (eventually diagnosed as premature ventricular contractions) that developed suddenly when I was 54, despite an active lifestyle, low-normal weight (110), low stress levels, and low blood pressure (100/60). I felt as though my heart was skipping beats, and the "catch-up" beat was so strong my entire chest seemed to vibrate. The Toprol stopped 98 percent of the PACs virtually immediately. But within days I noticed occasional numbness in my legs, and my hands and feet turn icy cold for no obvious reason. I'm also quite tired till late afternoon (I take the Toprol around 10 p.m.), and I just feel "blah." No suicidal, but generally unmotivated. I am often sleepy--at least until around 1 or 2 p.m, when the Toprol starts to wear off. I'm not ready to stop taking it yet--though these reports are sobering--because the PACs made a normal life impossible. But I'm going to be cautious, and if other side effects appear, look for other options.

Back in July I was experiencing rapid heart beats and shortness of breath. I'm a 43 white female with a high stress job. I went to the doctor expecting him to prescribe a sedative. He hooked me up to an EKG which showed I had a left bundle branch block. He then ordered blood work, chest x-rays, an ultra sound, and a nuclear stress test. All test came back fine, but my stress test showed a heart attack, which apparently is common with the left bundle block. I then wore a 24 hour Holter moniter which indicated tachycardia. That's when the doctor prescribed 50 mg Metoprolol. My BP and heart rate are now almost normal and the shortness of breath has gone away. I still experience a mild heaviness in my chest, but that is only when I allow my self to be stressed. I have gained over 5 pounds in less than 2 months and my dreams are more vivid than usual. One side effect that was listed on my drug info sheet that I haven't read about on this site described a cough, which I have had for over a month. I mentioned the cough to my doctor and he said it was prob post nasal drip so he prescribed 180 mg Fexofenadine and told me to cut the Metoprolol in half so I would be taking 25 mg. The Fexofenadine has helped with sneezing that I have always experienced, but the cough is still there. The cough is not always severe, but it has interrupted my sleep twice and my job once. The last bad coughing episode lasted 90 mins during the night. Has anyone else experienced the coughing side effect of Metoprolol?

I've been taking 25mg toprol-xl since December 07, Went to Dr one day for something not heart related and he told me I have a heart murmur, after several test I found out my tricuspid valve was regurgitating. My BP has been a little high but nothing out of control. I have gained over 20lbs since Dec, I ve been extremely tired, swelling in hands and feet. Aches and pains in joints and muscles. I just recently stopped taking zocor thinking that was the culprit and probably was, but now I think it could be the combination of the two. I am going to take myself off of the toprol (monitoring my BP of course) and was wondering how. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I am 36 and take 100 mg of generic Toprol a day. I was put on it due to many ( I mean 30 to 40) palps a day. I had been on Atenolol for about 5 years and the doctors told me it had simply quit working. I had an echo and a 24 hour holtor monitor and both came back negative, yet I felt like I was dying daily. My palps have diminished with the medicine, with a change in diet and running 5 or 6 days a week for about 3 miles. Caffeine and alcholol have almost been excluded. I do have cold hands and feet and have had much trouble losing weight. Stomach cramps and an upper right side cramps have been an issue. After reading your posts I think we need to get off this stuff

I am so glad that I found this site. I was put on Toprol in January and Just recentky i have panic attacks, chest tightness,tingling and numbing sensations in hands and feet, and i am deperessed. I also have some difficulty breathing. My Dr. told me that I am depressed and these side effects are from depression and not the medication so she gave me Zoloft, which I am not taking. I am not crazy i know that my symptoms are from the meds. i am going to wean myself off and pray i can be "normal" again. This is the worst time of my life and I pray that I can do this.

I was put on Toprol xl (GENERIC) 3months ago. Its been a nightmare. I was put on it for rapid heartbeat. My blood pressure was great 110/70 sometimes lower. I was happy with it for about 2 or3 weeks.Its been all down hill since. Sleepless nights, horrible sweats, leg cramps from my knees down, cold hands and feet. And horrible headaches. It was at the point i didn't want to get up. Called my doctor and he said to stop taking it.Today is my second day without it and last night i finally slept all night first time in 3 months. Woke up with no headache and i haven't had any sweats. I see my doctor tom. I am not going back on. I don't think its the medicine for me.

I am a 41 yo woman in good health. I started Toprol xl about 3 years ago for a heart palp that would happen maybe once a day, and occasional racing heart beat. I did great for a long time on 25mg once a day. Then about 6 months back I was switched to generic due to insurance issues - they only want to pay for generic.

It took me a while to figure out what was happening, but several problems started happening over the last few months that I am sure were from this generic drug. Suddenly I was having vivid dreams - fish swimming on the ceiling, cats with heads 5x too big! Worse yet, over about 3 months I gained 20 pounds with no difference in diet. And I was getting more and more tired. I started looking into what could be causing these crazy effects - I was only on Toprol and birth control pills.... well, it was not the birth control!

So, I decided to wean myself from the Toprol. I decided I prefer a heart palp and occasional racing heart to this!! I gave myself a couple of weeks of lesser doses, then 5 days ago I stopped it altogether. I am having some horrid "rebound" or withdrawal effects! Numb/tingling hands and feet, headache and - surprise! High blood pressure! I never, ever took this med for HBP, and I have never had HBP! I always had a nice, low blood pressure, even when 9 months pregnant! Now it's running around 135/93 - I work in a medical office, so I got one of the nurses to check it on Tuesday...she sort of freaked! She said she has seen much higher, but mine is not normal. So we have been checking daily, and it's staying up there. I am so mad to think Toprol could have damaged my body in some way so that my blood pressure may not stay messed up for life. I have read online that the rebound effects can last up to a month, even with a fairly low dose like I was taking. Does anyone know if a month is about right? If my blood pressure keeps this high, I suppose I will have to seek treatment at some point. Ugh!

On the plus side, I don't feel so tired. No vivid dreams since I stopped the Toprol, and much better sleep! I feel "clearer" mentally. I just wish the tingling hands and feet would stop - and the high blood pressure!

I started taking Toprol XL seven years ago to control palpitations. Side effects I have experienced include loss of hair, coldness in my hands and feet, probably due to the lower blood pressure, and, believe it or not, palpitations. I am somewhat, but not entirely, certain that the palpitations that I originally suffered from were from poor exercise, stress and a bad diet. The new palpitations I get are from squatting, reclining in certain positions, raising my legs up in a certain way which I attribute to side effects from this drug. I am trying to cut down on this drug, but it is hard. My heart has grown accustomed to it and it acts up whenever the dosage is reduced, no matter how slowly I do it. I want to get it down to 12.5 mg. I take about 18-19 mg now (I cut the 25mg in half and take one of the halves and cut it in half again). Some things about this drug: take it consistently, e.g., same time with same amount of food. It will give you some harmless, but scary, palps if you do not keep a regular pattern. Indeed, I can usually tell when a palp is Toprol-induced. Another thing is to be wary of doctors who have you double or quadruple a dosage at one time. Years ago my doctor told me to go from 12.5 to 50 mg after I complained of some palps that I now know were Toprol related. I thought he was nuts because my pulse was already way down due to this drug. I envisioned myself fainting. being a bad patient, I upped it to 25 instead. Later, after looking at a Holter monitor readout, the doctor calls me and says lower my dose to 25 because my overnight pulse was getting to a point that if I took anymore Toprol the pulse would be dangerously low. I never told him I did not listen to him. But I have to say I have not suffered all of the side effects listed on this site such as depression. The drug was and has been effective in controlling the palps that were driving me crazy. My palps were very bothersome and this drug gave me peace of mind. But, looking back, I think I could have brought about the same results with a healthier lifestyle. I am very cautious about taking myself completely off of it entirely and will do that with the guidance of a doctor, not the one mentioned above of course. But they are hard to find. Most of them will tell you beta blockers are the greatest and if you take dosages as low as mine there are no problems whatsoever.

I too am having many of the side effects listed on this site including chest pains, fatigue, shortness of breath, foggy head, dizziness, to name a few. I am wondering if anyone has had heartburn or an increase in heartburn while being on this drug. They have recently switched me from Toprol to the generic form, Metaprolol. More of these symptoms seem to have come on since switching to the generic. Any thoughts?

I am 29 and i have been taking Toprol XL for 3 yrs. now and i was amazed when i seen what everybody had to say about this med. I had been on other meds for Anxiety, Panic Disorder. I was on Paxil CR and also Klonopin. I had gain 70 pds in 5 yrs and thought this is from the Paxil so i decided to come off of that and the Klonopin. Well, I'm still taking the Toprol XL and i am still haveing problems and it's just like alot of the same things i have read from other people on here. I am concerned about this med. And i hope everyone can find something that works great. If any one has any good luck with a different med please post it. I'm looking for a different way to deal with the rapid heart rate without all the nasty side effects of Toprol.

I have been on Toprol XL for over 2 years and I can't believe what I am reading on this website. I am so glad that I googled. I have had many of the same problems and I am taking 100 mgs once a day. I cannot lose wait, my memory is horrible, I am always tired, I even had the itching thing go on, my joints ache some thing fierce, so bad that I went to a joint specialsit to have them checked because I thought that I may be getting arthritis at 37. I suffer from both depression and anxiety and was given this medication called Lexapro and had a panic attack in the middle of the night so that was the end of that. I have also had the sleeplessness and the sleeping too much and most importantly the edema of the hands, ankles and feet. I can't wear shoes that are too flat because they swell, I can't wear shoes that are too high because they swell, I can't eat salt because they swell, I can't stay out in the heat or humidity for too long cause they swell, I am so tired of swelling I want to scream. I also get very bad leg cramps and leg pain when I walk too far, also my menstural cycle is crazy. I bleed so much (sorry guys) that I have to buy new at least 2-3 new pairs of jeans a month because of "damage". I get overly fatigued and everything because fo blood loss. I am so tired of this it is not funny, but I like the fact that it is time released and is somewhat gentle. I am going to speak to my doc next week about changing though because I thought that I was in a very small group that was having these issues, even down to the inability to lose weight.

joint pains, mental confusion, weakness (bad), muscle aches, BP higher, bad dreams, cold hands and feet with numbness, pain in lungs.

slowly took myself off!

wow. i am a 36 year old female that started taking 50mg of toprol about 1 month ago for frequent pvc's. all these side effects i am reading about are just blowing me away. i have several...foggy, tired, difficulty falling asleep, muscle aches, weakness, tingly legs, weight gain, depression, nightmares, swollen ankles, hopeless feeling, decreased sex drive, cold hands and feet, leg and foot cramping.... NONE of which i had before. THIS MEDICATION IS EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i will be weening myself off of it starting NOW!!!! i would much rather feel my heart beating funny than feel like this.

Have been taking toprol for 2 years. Have had leg pain and cramping, mental confusion, very constipated, developed diabetes and have cold hands and feet. Doctor says I must take this med and I am trying to have him prescribe an alternative. Stopping abruptly is out of the question according to the cardiologist as it may cause angina or heart attack. Anyone out there experience constipation or some of the other adverse side effects?

I have been on Toprol XL for approximately 2 years. I started out on 25 mg. for palpations and rapid heart. Then the dosage was increased to 50 mg. and now the doctor wants me to take 100 mg. I have freezing hands and feet. My eyes are either so dry or watery so that I cannot hardly see. I have at times terrible shoulder, arm and leg pain. My brain feels likes it's full of goo. I can't think.

I am currently wearing a King of Hearts monitor. I have sent approximately 15 transmissions. During the transmissions I can hear my heart speeding up. The technician who takes my transmissions keeps telling me that my heart is beating normally. If that is the case, then I must ask my cardiologist at my next appointment, why am I taking Toprol and spending $35 a month for the medication if my heart is normal? By the way I am NOT increasing my dosage to 100 mg. I will stick with the 50 mg. for now and am considering tapering off even more.

31 years old I started taking Toprol XL 25 for palpitations then switch to 12.5 due to drop of pressure. I vet been in cloud 9 since no feeling what so ever sad,depress,week tremors,dizzy,Gas BLOATING no appetite .I was loosing aprx 5lbs a week cold hands and feet, bruised feeling in chest severe neck pain. Sinus pain and pressure.I was running to the ER thinking I was going crazy

lots of hair loss. rapid weight gain, swelling in hands and feet when standing and sitting for long periods ot time.

52 yr old male-I was taking 100 mg and experienced
shortness of breath,weakness,dizziness,stomach bloating,
insomnia, and cold hands and feet. I cut back to 50 mg and
side effects have decreased. I am checking blood pressure
often and getting more exercise along with a better diet. So far no increase in blood pressure.

I am 42 and have been taking Toprol XL for 8 months now for control of hypertension. Started at 50 mg, went up to 100 mg. Side effects have been almost constant cold hands and feet (especially at 100 mg); occasional fatigue; difficulty exercising within 3 or 4 hours after taking it (heavy, tired feeling when running); sometimes very low heart resting rate (ll see how irritable I get in the transition.

Achy joint pain increasing the pain in my wrists, hands and feet. Ache in big toe does resemble gout. Cervical neck pain and hip joint pain come and go, but the pain in my wrists, and feet remain constant. Lower back muscle pain and deep muscle pain on my right chest area. Some loss of short term memory and confusion in daily routines that did not exist before. The severe anxiety when missing a dose is very disturbing and that is exactly what happens to me and I don't want to be "addicted" to a drug. My depression (which was under control for thirty years) has now returned. If this is the price I have to pay just to lower my BP for a bit, than NO THANKS. I am on 50 mgs of Toprol and I want my doctor to decrease my dose.