Toprol-XL and heart attack

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.

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'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.

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.

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.

My heart doctor had put me on toprol xl for my heart arrhythmia but I was also having really bad dizzy spells and feeling like I want to pass out before the toprol.I did pretty good on it for a good while.then out of no where the dizzy speels started back up and feeling like I want to pass out.Had all the other tests and nothing abnormal was found.But I'm still having the same problems.I had done an oxymeter test and found that I was only getting 79% oxygen to my brain.Then was put on an oxygen concentrator.It worked for a short time but the symptoms came back.So I called the doctor Friday to see if I could quit taking the toprol.They you can't quit cold turkey cause you could have a heart attack.That's scary..And I'm a 44 year old female.I'm not quite ready to go just yet.Especially from quitting a medicine.

Okay folks, I've been taking metoprolol for nearly two months and It sucks big time. Came to this site because of feeling dizzy and I find that's a big problem. I keep feeling dizzier, more tired and I'm a zippy old gal, not overweight, none of that, but dang I just feel like crap and tend to drink more coffee and stuff just to keep zipping. I will take a half dose tonight and call the doc in the morning. Also have gastric problems. Heck, I would rather die of heart attack or brain aneurysm (sp, I know) than live life dizzy.

Graves Disease patient going in remission.
I have experienced all the same symptoms as every one else
leg cramps, exhaustion, loss of sex drive, anxiety/panic attacks,weight gain, hair loss, horrible terrible rash on feet and palms of hands I could go on.
My concern is my doctor taking me off PTU and has not mentioned the Toprol. I understand that stopping increases your risk of a heart attack so what's next?

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 am a 37 year old female that went to the ER 3 days ago for chest tightness & extremely high blood sugar. I have had high blood pressure in the past years but as of a year ago when I was diagnosed as being diabetic my blood pressure has been normal about 117/75 so I go to the ER and they give me 2 EKG's and a heart monitor for 24hrs and put me through a stress test,they also give me this little pill and say it will help me, well not feeling well and wanting to feel good again I take the pill no questions asked. I have never felt so tired in my life. I thought well chest pains will do that to you so I dismissed it. I know they were making sure I do not have a heart attack but, my blood pressure seems to be going lower and lower and I am more tired by the minute, they released me from the hospital and gave me a million RX's including toprol and lisinopril both of whch lower blod pressure ??? do they want me to pass out? so yesterday I took the toprol only and felt like I was sinking , my thinking seemed foggy and my legs felt rubbery. I am sooooo glad I found this site because I will not take this drug ever again I already suffer weight issues being diabetic I don't need anything else. I would prefer to be interested in sex and be able too function this drug seems like it is more negative than it is worth. I think I will stick with the lisinopril, and why would they give me two blood pressure meds when my blood pressure is already normal??? If anyone has a comment please let me know I am very scared about this whole thing

i am a 43 yr old male.........i was put on 100mg a day of metoprolol and it did the job of lowering my blood pressure and heart rate. however after about a year of taking the meto my orgasms would take anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours to achieve. at first it was nice to go longer tham usual, but it has became a problem for myself and my wife. i sometimes think i will have a heart attack trying to release, we go thru bottles of lube to keep her from hurting, and my mood became very bad, i was looking for things to complain about, threatening people at work and so on. i started weening myself off meto 2 weeks ago my dividing the pills in half, and went to see my doctor this week. he prescribed lisinopril 10mg and had me divide my metoprolol in half again for another week. already my moods are 100% better, but i still have trouble achieving climax with sex in timely fashion. i hope that problem goes away soon. i am curious, am i the only male here having problems climaxing?

I've booen on 100 mmg of toprol for over ten years. Have all the side effects including tinnitus and impotence. Last week for chest pain spent the night at the er , three blood tests, three ekgs, a stellar stress test and echo. All normal and still the sense of doom and the pain under the breastbone... This has been ruining my life. I'm furious after reading all this testimonies . Olease someone give me advise. ******

I'm a 30 yr old healthy male. I went to the ER, and then the Dr., about 4 weeks ago after waking up with intense pain in the veins of my right arm and having pounding palps. I had just been told some extremely stressful news the night before, so I was pretty sure this was blood pressure & stress related. ... EKG showed Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, so that's what the Dr's assumed was the problem. I never knew what it was called, but I've had my heart race due to WPW many times since I was a young child .. this did not seem to be related. This was just pounding.

The cardiologist put me on 50mg of Toprol XL daily to control the WPW - even though that wasn't acting up. I left confused. Pharmacy issued generic Metoprolol Succinate mfg. by Sandoz.

I didn't want to be on meds, so I didn't take it for the first few days, hoping that I would return to normal. After all, I just woke up with this all of the sudden.. I had been fine the day before. Palps continued, though, so eventually I relented and started taking the meds.

The first two or three weeks were filled with ups and downs. Exhaustion, palpitations and anxiety would come and go.

This past weekend things got really bad. I began having anxiety attacks -- I think that's what it was, I'd never had one before -- and my vision was totally screwed up. I couldn't focus on anything and was sensitive to some lighting. Black text on a bright white screen (lcd monitor) was especially hard to read. I was completely in a dazed & confused state. Loud noises and crowds were bothering me... which was awful, considering it was my best friend's wedding. Also had headaches, lightheadedness & loss of appetite. These side effects came and went on Friday & Saturday and were pretty constant on Sunday & Monday.

I decided to quit Toprol cold-turkey on Sunday. I have been 2 days without. I have used L-Theamine to reduce stress and keep my blood pressure steady. It seems to be working. I also began taking CoQ10 today after reading some good things about it here.

My vision & mental focus is beginning to improve after 3 days of disabilitating problems. Anxiety has also improved. I even attempted to "get back to normal" at work today, but had to leave after only an hour of strenuous exercise in the heat. Vision problems returned, anxiety set in. It's like riding a really freaking scary roller coaster, except with a legitimate fear that this thing might kill you.

I will update this as time goes by, to let you all know how things worked out for me. I'm really hoping to be mostly back to normal in another day or two, since I haven't been on for very long. Hopefully this will be of help to someone in the future. Damn, I Wish I had never gotten on this stuff.

My BP had been slightly elevated for over a year and my doctor felt it was time for medication. He started me on 25mgs and continued to increase it till I reached 100mgs. I started having anxiety attacks, lightheadedness, dizziness and finally ended up so sick that I was in bed for three days. It was the toprol. I was only on toprol for 3months but found out that trying to come off the drug was the hardest thing I have done. I never had BP spikes before but at the end of the first 24 hrs. without Toprol my BP was hitting 200/104. I went to ER. Matter of fact, the spikes continued and I was in and out of ER until I was finally admitted for tests. The spikes were also accompanied by flushing, rapid pulse(122 beats per minute), lightheadedness and diarrhea.Many times I thought I was having a heart attack. I have seen two cardiologists, an internist and now an endocrinologist for these "BP spikes". All tests come back normal. No matter what the new medication is, nor how low my BP might stay for up to three days....the episodes still happen. My BP can go from a normal range too 200 systolic in a matter of less than 1/2 hr..........Has anyone else had spikes in their BP when coming off toprol. It has been 11 months since stopping this awful drug and I still I no answers....but I have a pile of medical bills.

I started taking the generic of Toprol (metaprolol) 3 months ago. I'm on 150mg per day for a rapid heartbeat, I'm 39 years old. It has helped my heart problems but I don't know if the side effects are worth it. I experience major fatigue that may last a week at a time and subside for a few days, aches in my back and neck (which I've learned may also be attributed to the Lipitor that I am also on), and my worse symptom is constant diarrhea. Some days I will run to the BR 15 times in one day. It seems to subside by dinner time, but that is probably because I stay away from food all afternoon. I'm fortunate that I am a stay at home mom I can't imagine having to go to work in this condition!

Hi all! I have recently started to have a very strange feeling and thought I would post here to see if anyone else can elaborate on it.

I switched from private healthcare to the VA system in March 2008 and the MD at the VA immediately switched me from Toprol XL 100mg per day to Norvasc ( Amlodipine Besylate) 5mg, a generic version and from Zetia 10mg to Zocor. This is mainly due to the fact that the VA does not have the Toprol XL or the Zetia in their pharmacy.

I am a very active person, work out 3 times per week, play tournament level racquetball and generally stay very active. I was feeling fine on this medication for almost 3 years with the only side effect being a little light-headed feeling with hard physical activity. Approximately 2-3 weeks after changing meds I started to get this lumpy feeling in my chest and then it started to progress into an air hunger feeling which felt like my breath was being taken away for a split second. I called the MD at the VA and requested to go back on metoprolol tartrate, which is what the VA has in place of the metoprolol succinate (Toprol XL). The air gasp feeling has only gotten worse and with any excertion I become tired now and start to get the gaspy feeling. Very scary. When it started to get real bad one evening I called 911 and went to the emergency room. Tests came back "ridiculously normal" the ER MD stated. Went back to the VA and the same MD, who doesn't listen, says I am under stress and prescribed me Paxil. I am completely lost as to what to do. I am going in to have another EKG and a holter monitor put on as well as a stress test.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I am desperate to get this resolved as fast as I can. Feel terrible lately and the MD doesn't seem to be listening to me.

Help!

Hi,
I just found this site and was wondering how long it takes this horrible drug to leave your system. I have been taking it for a year and have suffered the WORST depression and anxiety attacks from it. I have been lucky enough to have never suffered from any of these symptoms in my entire life and my heart goes ou to those who live with it every day
So far I have lost my job, any chance of sleep, and I can barely get out of the house in the morning. Its having a direct affect on my marriage, I have lost all intest in my hobbies, unable to concentrate, I'm just a wreck. I just saw my Dr. last week and she made my dose smaller (25 MG) for the past week and I feel worse. Is there any ending to this?

Wow. Thank god for this Bulletin! I was diagnosed with hypertension at age 28
and tried a variety of drugs with no control over the BP. So, about 2 1/2 - 3 years ago, I was prescribed 100MG of Toprol XL which seemed to control it well, but with debilitating long term illness. I had no idea until today that Toprol XL was causing similar grief to others. The horrible symptoms that I have been experiencing now for several years are Extreme Chronic Fatigue, Profuse Cold Clammy Sweating, Dizzy spells, weight gain, seeing specs of light and thousands of eye floaters, severe depression, muscle aches, headaches.

After reading about others with similar side effects, I am confident that it's from this medication. I have had all kinds of testing done including T3 & T4 Throid levels and a full array of blood work with NO LUCK! Regardless of the consequences, I am going to quit this damn medicine today because it appears to take 5 weeks or so to get it out of the body to notice a difference. I am so desperate for change. It is ruining my life because I can
't wake up, I'm always tired even though I get 10-14 hours of sleep. My wife and kids are bummed because I have no energy to do anything, EVER!

If you have any other suggestions or would like to comment about this.

Sincerely,

Sean

About 8 months ago I began to have a little high blood pressure 140/80 and some mild palpitations. I was put on Toprol XL and my nightmare began. I began to have anxiety attacks and my palpitations increased. I was given Xanax to help with the anxiety attacks. I was put on 50 mg. twice a day and I have weaned myself down to 12.5mg daily. I feel much better now but would like to get off of Toprol all together. I have gained weight, and I believe my vision and memory have been affected. Is there any other drug out there that is better to be on? I have never had a heart attack and my echo and stress tests were completely normal. I have read that people with asthma should not take Toprol. I do have allergy shots weekly and have an epi pen. Not sure what to do?? Any advice??

How do others fare after going off Toprol XL?
I have found after several months of using Toprol (50 mg dose before bedtime) and its generic form that it caused in me unaccustomed "aches and pains" and annoying queasiness. So, not liking the near nausea I was getting from it (I am also on Atacan and staying on it) and have only labile HBP in the 130's and 140's), I decided to try going off the Toprol.
I can't tell you what a difference it has made being off that medicine. Nor has my HBP been affected significantly (nor was it by being either on it or off it). I had had a minor heart attack late last year ('06) which in the opinion of doctors demanded a quintuple bypass (I am 84 y/o). The bypass went smoothly. I feel great (I am working full time as a college teacher).
I was hesitant to "experiment" with going off such a potent drug as Toprol. So, I tapered off of it for about only a week. But now that I have and confine myself to taking 'Baby Aspirin' at night along with Atacan in the a.m., I feel 100% better--no more nightmares, restlessness, bloatedness, muscle pain, and above all that annoying feeling of queasiness in my stomach.
I won't get into finger-pointing about advisories from MDs. Medicine is an art as well as a science. In either respect, advice is subject to various conclusions and differences of opinion. People react differently to various medicines. I also feel that MDs these days probably tend to over-prescribe, but not necessarily for "legal" reasons yet that, too, may be factored in in some cases.. There are also regional differences within the U.S. in terms of types and degrees of medical treatment of this or that condition. Some regions are "radical," some conservative in terms of treatment. From my own experience, I would advise people to find out what region they are in by asking their physician about the given "syndrome" that reigns in a given region. Florida, for instance, it outstanding for tending toward the radical. This may well be a reflection of the "patient market" or demand in the given State, a market in Florida, at least, that includes the yearning by oldsters for perpetual life for well past the age of 100 y/o! ---ALW

I have been off of toprol for over a month now. I had some withdrawal effects, pains in my chest, ringing in my ears, headaches, few other minor ones but I am glad to be off the medicine. I am not having the pains in my chest now, they were like angina and I had never had them before I started the meds. I no longer have that foggy head feeling and my memory seems much better. I also am not as fatigued now. I also had gotten very depressed but not sure if it was from toprol or from another med. But now I seem to be out of that funk. Good luck everyone!!!

Male 46 I have been on Toprol - XL for about 1-1/2 years now. I was taking 25mg and I have had all the major side effects listed on this site. depression being the worst. About two months ago without my doctors premission I started cutting the pills in half. Three days ago I stopped taking the pills altogether, I have had some of the worst headaches in my life!! I figure this is just withdrawals from the Toprol. Everyones circumstances are different, however if your doctor is not helping you go find one who will listen! If anyone else has just come off this stuff please let me know you syptoms.

PEOPLE, PLEASE DO NOT DISCONTINUE THIS MEDICATION SUDDENLY, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS!!!

I have been reading about this medication here for some time, and I feel concerned when I read about someone deciding to just quit taking it suddenly. I personally intend to quit as soon as I find a doctor with enough knowledge to help me wean off of it in a safe manner. I've been on it for two years, and the side effects have grown worse than my original health problem, so I understand wanting to just up and quit taking it, but after learning the hard way, I've found out it's not so easy.

Do your homework, read and learn about the potential 'rebound effect' and by all means, talk to your doctor before doing something that may cause you to be in danger ( as in having a heart attack)...if you don't believe me, learn for yourself, the information is easily researched.

Blessings, and good luck...

HI IM A 3O YEAR OLD MALE IVE BEEN ON TOPROL 50MG FOR2 1/2 YRS.I WAS PUT ON IT BECAUSE OF A BUNCH ON PANIC ATTACKS I HAD IN A WEEKS TIME WHICH GAME ME A RAPID HEART RATE AND ALSO THEY TOOK ME OFF MY NORMAL BP MED AND SAID TOPROL WOULD HELP.WELL MY HEART RATE IS FINE AND BP IS GOOD BUT I HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH DURING THIS TIME IVE GAINED LIKE 30 LBS I DNNT FEEL DOING ANYTHING CONSTANTLY TIRED,I HURT IN MY BACK,HAVE HEADACHES,I JUST WANT TO BE MYSELF AGAIN...IF TOPROL IS DOING THIS I WANT OUT!HOW CAN ISTOP IT ON MY OWNWITHOUT HURTING MYSELF

i am a 58 year-old male who suffered a heart attack two years ago. i was immediately prescribed a 50 mg dose of toprol once a day. since that day i have experienced a severe sense of being light headed, dizzy all the time. so extreme at times people and friends thought i had a drinking problem, t times could not even walk. I also experienced what one doctor thought was rabdomyalisfrom taking lipitor. another doctor states it is peripherial neuropathy from diabetes. I get that i cannot walk or stand. my legs just give out. but..............since i have stopped taking toprol i have not experienced any of those side effects again. 100% turn around. the risk with toprol is just not worth it.

My mother is ninety-one and is on Toprol-XL and has been for almost two years now. She started having some vivid dreams about one of her boys running away (her children have been out of the house for 25 years now) and not coming home. We thought it was the beginning of Alzheimer's and are starting her on Aricept. Could any body help me with this. She has always been very healthy until her heart attack two years ago and has never liked to take medication. She keeps asking if it could be the medicine, but the doctors say," No, these medicines are good for you!"

I am a 30 year old woman who has been on Toprol (25 mg) for a week now. My doc prescribed it for mild hypertension and rapid heart rate. So far, I have had terrible indigestion and other "digestive issues", as well as difficulty sleeping. Fatigue and frequent urination (especially at night) have also plagued me for the past week. I have been taking my BP and heart rate readings every day and have yet to see a noticeable improvement. After reading all of the posts on this page, I am extremely nervous and wondering if I really need to be on this medication

I have been taking Toprol-XL 50 mg for the past two weeks instead of Altenolol 50 mg. I have been having tight chest, pain in my throat area and lower teeth. I did not have these effects when I was taking Atenolol 50 mg. My cardiologist changed me to Toprol-XL because Atenelol might have triggered by depression again. I had a heart attack 12 years ago. I also take Linisiprol. I cannot walk more than 2 or 3 blocks in a regular pace when I get the side effects listed above. Is this a regular side effect?

I had a heart attack last May. Am Ok. Was given tons of meds to take, among them, toprol 50mg. I began to experience walking difficulty. It kept getting worse. I just could not walk half a block without leaning on walls or having to sit down. NOT good for the commute to work. Doc checked out everything, blood --- I had MRI's.... the works. Everything checked out ok. So why was my body soooo heavy I couldn't walk? I'm 61 and have had high blood pressure all my life, normal for me was 180/90. After taking the toprol, it plummeted to 90/56. Doc was happy. I was NOT. He finally agreed to lower the dose to 25mg. Improvement was amazing. I'm bee-bopping down the street just like normal. The weight I felt was making my body feel awful is gone. Don't know what my pressure is now, but I see the Doc in a couple of weeks. Should be interesting, since all Doc's have a closed mind to "normal" high blood pressure.

Weight gain!!!! No matter what I do I am still getting bigger in the stomach area. I have been on the drug for a year and have gained several lbs even though I exercise 7-10 times per week!! And I've changed my diet due to a heart attack. Still the weight keeps climbing. My echo and blood work have been great, I would love to get off this med!!

When I was in hosiptal,because of heart attack, my blood presure had never higher than 104/60, but my cardi doctor put me on 25mg toprol , plavix ,lipitor and 500mg niacin and 325 Asprin after 1 week, I had rashes, racing
heart beat but pulse at 45-59 in average, BP average 85-46, both of my leg feel heavy, tingly, pain and short of breath on walking, lying down and going up stair, dizziness, sore everywhere in my back, neck , chest ( I thought , I am going to have another heart attacked). I was scared that I am going to be cripple. Now I am off toprol and Lipitor (which hurt me a lot). Be caution, my primary doctor agnor my compliant many times and just prescript me the anti itch cream, and don't care I almost got killed by the side effect, if I din not going to ER myself, I was in very much pain and terrible condition and staying in hosiptal for treatment again.

Off of Toprol
Re: Nov 26th entry: I visited my primary doctor after my cardiologist said my thryoid med was too high and that was the cause of my high BP. My cardio had put me on Toprol and I had some ugly side effects from it. Well, I gave my primary doc the hospital test results of my thyroid and he said, "But this is in the normal range. There's nothing wrong with your thyroid level." Ugh. Makes me question the cardiologist. I told my primary doc about the Toprol for heart palps, etc., and he took me off of it and onto Triamertine (sp?) which is not a beta blocker but a diurectic for high BP. I took 50 MG for a week, and visited my primary doc again. My BP was down to 100/something small. Can't remember. So he cut my dose of BP med in half. I'm still taking the lower dose of thyroid med until my primary doc can retest and get a handle on my true condition. Thyroid med takes up to 6 weeks to take affect, so it's too soon to test.
So now I don't really know what sent me to the ER with the high BP and arythmia - possibly a panic or anxiety attack. I have Xanax now for that, but have only taken it a couple of times. When I tried it, it pretty much made me sleep great, but don't want to become hooked on it.

So, I'm glad I'm off Toprol. I did not like it. I have a feeling my doc will eventually wean me off BP meds, as I'm losing weight, exercising, etc., to that end.

Oh, you definitely don't want to go off Toprol cold turkey. It can cause a heart attack, etc., is what I've read. I'm not a doctor!

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 started taking Torpol 100 MCG the night of the day I ended in the ER for high blood pressure due to a too high a dose of my thyroid medicine. I have an underactive thyroid, and my med had been increased in the last month or 6 weeks before. It takes a few weeks for the full effect of a thyroid med increase to take place. I didn't realize what it was at first but was having bouts of nausea and dizziness.

Now I still get the racing heart. I went through all the stress tests at the cardio and they were all normal. On Toprol, I get the anxiety, some chest tightness, but sometimes my heart races. Maybe the dose needs to be adjusted.

I never had high BP before this. It was 175 in the hospital, and last night I took my thyroid med at 9. An hour later my heart was racing and I had anxiety and that almost numb feeling all over. By midnight I got up and took my BP. 189/89 Took my Toprol, even tho I wasn't due to take it til the next morning. It helped some, but woke again at 3 with the anxiety.

My cardio says my heart is fine and I'm not going to have a heart attack or anything. I'm not convinced! It's scary. I am hoping that once we get my thyroid med straight, my BP will return to normal. I'm seeing my primary doc this morning to test my TSH again - that's the hormone level of your thyroid.

A friend of mine's mom took Toprol and had all kinds of muscle and joint aches. She finally conviced her doc it was the Toprol, and when she went to another BP med, the aches went away.

At any rate, I think I want to get off of Toprol after all the nasty things I've read about it here.

taking toprol 50mg daily. my legs burn and ache when i walk the dog. had a heart attack 8/17/06. God, I'm exhausted. My bp and pulse are down though. will i ever feel better? Rose McC

feel terrible. like a weight is on me. had a heart attack last friday while on the way to the cardiac cath or. no real damage but a stent put main coronary artery. On toprol, it's awful. my blood pressues is so low and i have no energy. my muscles ache. rose mccarthy

I had mild heart attack 6 weeks ago. I had a 90% blockage in one artery and minimal or none in the others. I Left the Hospital with a mdicated stent and on Topral XL and Lisinopril, and Lipitor. Since then, no energy, depression, insomnia, generally bad feeling. I stopped topral and lisinopril 4 days ago. My BP and heart rate are still very low 40 to 60 beats per minutes, BP 110 to 120 over 60 to 80. How long do these drugs stay in your system? 52 year old male with no other health issues and previously active life.

I have gained weight despite my eating habits staying the same. I experience cold sweats in the night. My head tingles and I become very dizzy. My chest (left side) feels like I am about to have a heart attack and I am only twenty nine. My doctor seems puzzled. I am weening myself off of it -taking it every other night. I started taking it for chest pains and irregular heartbeat / palpitations. It has not helped. I have been on it fot six months. Sometimes I feel like I am going to die. It is a horrible way to live.

I take 50 mg of Toporal daily. Since May 1st, I have been admitted to the ER 3 times for Heart attack like chest pain. After reading others problems, I truly sympathize. Metalic taste, severe chest pain, mood swings, always tired. My doctor has taken me off of Lipitor as the answer for the above symptoms. Guess who I'm calling the first thing in the morning!

After heart attack and taking 50mg Toprol XL twice a day, I've gained about 40 pounds.
My doctor says my weight gain is due to my diet, However,
I eat frugally twice a day.....what gives?

I took Toprol for 2 months and experienced depression, and severe anxiety. My doctor prescibed Xanax to relieve the anxiety, and it really helped. The problem was, I have never before taking this BP medication, ever, experienced either depression or anxiety. I, also, experienced chest pain very like a heart attack, but with no elivated BP, or dizziness. I weened myself off the Toprol, 4 months ago, and have experienced none of the above symptoms since! I have, since ceasing taking Toprol, taken a echo cardiogram with treadmill and my tests were not only normal, but I felt perfectly finely during the tests.

I have feet and leg cramps, don't sleep well, loss of energy, weight gain, no concentration at all and always feel like I need a nap. I'm cold all the time and now I'm having hot flashes. I've been on Toprol xl for 4 months. The only good thing is I don't have irregular heart beats any more. I had a heart attack on December 13,2003.