Toprol-XL and joint pain

I am a woman in her early 60's. I have slightly elevated BP abd it does tend to spike first thing in the morning, after waking and is much lower (normal) at night. I have tried several different BP meds and had side effects of all of them. The Doctor recently put me on Toprol XL 25mg. After about three weeks, I really did not feel well - extreme fatigue, severe leg and joint pain, depression. I just could not function. I know I am extremely sensitive to medication. I decided to come off the Toprol, after only three weeks and go back to Lisinopril 2.5MG. Now, after only two days of not taking Toprol, I truly feel very weird. Far less tired, but extreme dizziness and a kind of spaced out feeling. Is this just the withdrawal from Toprol...and after only three weeks of taking it? Plus, my BP seems to be very low - the lowest I have ever recorded it. 112/55 last night. Does coming off Toprol actually have a reverse effect and plummit your BP until it is out of your system. If so, why has my doctor told me to triple upon the Lisinopril now I am back on that. Dealing with even slightly elevated BP has become such a major issue for me.

I was put on Toprol XL 6.5 yrs ago. My heart rate had soared to 130+ and b.p. was elevated. So my family doctor put me on Toprol XL 100 mgs. From day one I felt exhausted. He told me that would soon clear up and not to worry, we needed to be more concerned with my heart rate and b.p. I listened and was a good patient. After a year of total exhaustion and having to quit my job I asked to be taken off Toprol. He said it was the only medication that would control my heart rate and b.p. together. He agreed to reduce it to 75 mgs. After a few months I went back and said it was still too much! My b.p. was better as was my heart rate so he lowered it to 50 mgs. Things got a little better at least I could get out of bed by 10:00! Fed up I lowered it to 25 mgs. and tracked my b.p. Finally I told my doctor and he said as long as my b.p.was better 25 mgs.was ok. By this time though I was having other symptoms, body aches, joint pain, mind fog. He attributed it to arthritis and put me on Vioxx. 2 pills later I stopped due to chest pains. The symptoms I had experienced over the past 2 yrs continued so I sought a new physician. Once again he said Toprol XL was the only medication I could take for tachycardia and high b.p. My b.p. was again elevated so my meds were increased to 50 mgs. he wanted to go 100mgs., I said NO!
In 2004 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the pain had become so bad now it was debilitating. I had all the full blown symptoms of Fibro, extreme exhaustion, body aches, joint pain, mind fog, depression etc etc. So I sought treatment for Fibromyalgia for 3 yrs. Not so successfully I might add.
I should note that I had none of these symptoms before Toprol XL.

During a recent Gynecology visit my b.p. was extremely high. I told her my story about Toprol. She said point blank, They are NOT listening to you. I think all the side effects you have been having are due to the Toprol XL.She sent me to a Cardiologist. God bless her!!
After many tests he immediately took me off Toprol. He put me on another medication instead. I am having withdrawal side effects from Toprol, shakiness, shortness of breath, heart rate acceleration and mind fogginess. But, anything is better than another day on Toprol. He told me what I was experiencing was normal withdrawing from Toprol. He also assured me there were many other alternatives to Toprol and if the new medication doesn't work there are other options.
I think Toprol XL is the next drug that should be banned!! I pray everyday my life will return to what it was before Toprol XL and that I will not have any lasting side effects from this horrible drug.

What started out as a simple visit to dentist became a nightmare. My BP was high l73/90...so I went to a doc to get something for the BP. I knew it had been creeping up. I should have been more vigilent and done my own research first. He prescribed l00 milligrams of the generic brand--metropolol. I questioned the dose, but he said it was safe, and I needed something to bring my blood pressure down right away.

By the third day I felt like I had a hangover when I woke up. I started feeling not quite right. Tiredness, depression, and headache. My BP got higher. On the 5th day my heart started racing, with a pulse in the l30's. I spent 6 hours in the ER. My pulse was in the 60's, but BP 210/110. They injected me with 5 mg of the stuff, and also gave me clonopine. My EKG had been normal at the doc visit. In the ER it showed abnormal with sinus tachycardia and First Degree AV nodal block. It returned to normal, and by BP dropped to 150/80 with the clonopine. My glucose was also high at 300. I could feel an immediate relief with the clonopine. Heart enzymes normal. ER doc denied that the Topol caused the racing heart. He said that's not a side effect..perhaps there was an underlying cause. He did say the episode could have been triggered by low oxygen to the heart. I think they all stick together----he's not going to say the first doc was an idiot.

They wanted to transfer me to the "big" hospital for cardiac workup. I refused, since I had an appt.with a cardiologist in a couple days, and the doc that prescribed his awful med. I didn't think my insurance company should fork out $50,000 for an adverse effect from a drug.

I had been doing heavy exercise the morning of the racing heart...it was after I sat down I noticed the increase in pulse rate. NO ONE gave me any warnings..not the doc, or the pharmacist. Both said this was a safe drug.

I cut the dosage in l/2 for two days, until I saw the cardiologist. He said ok to stay on the clonopine for now, and a diuretic. I feel much better, and BP has dropped to the l40's over 80 something...pulse near 80. I am going to do a stress test. Based on a heart scan, 3 arteries have 0 plaque, and two mild.

I read that this drug is not recommended as first choice for BP. In the UK they're weaning people off of it because it causes diabetes, and there's other better drugs out there. I did not wait to "ask my doctor" to take me off of it. I told him I am not taking it....I don't know how much longer he will be my doc. I don't think he should have started at l00 milligrams to begin with...and should have started out slowly at the least.

Caveat emptor (buyer beware) when it comes to this med...and do your homework, and don't be afraid to fire your doctor!

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!

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 am a 45 year old female & am on the Toprol-XL 50 mg & take 1 twice a day...I have noticed I have blurred vision & problems with my eyes & also suffer with my legs hurting a lot & also have joint stiffness & cramps in my feet & legs & have trouble sleeping & some memory problems at times along with feeling tired all the time & some depression & shortness of breath & no matter how little I eat I seem to put on weight & look & feel bloated...don't know if it's the Toprol-XL or not but have only had these problems since I been on that & Crestor.

I have been taking it for two weeks. The first week I noticed severe itching lasting 30 minutes or more within 3 hours of taking the 50 mg pill. I also had headaches, insomnia, nightmares, ringing in my ears and short term memory loss. I thought these symptoms would decrease when my body adjusted to the medication. After taking it for one week, my blood pressure did not go down, but increased. I called my doctor's office to let them know. I should have reported these side effects at that time, but since I just talked to the nurse on the phone, I didn't mention them. The nurse told me the doctor wanted me to double my dose since it was not decreasing my blood pressure. I then began having swelling of the hands, feet, ankles & lower legs, joint pain, increased thirst, dry lips and mouth, shortness of breath in addition to the original side effects. The only thing that stopped was the itching. I am going to call my doctor's office Tuesday (we are in the middle of a 3-day weekend/holiday) and report all of this.

I am a 34-year old women who started 50 mg of Toprol-XL 4 days ago for a rash of panic attacks I experienced earlier this week, after having high blood pressure and occasional panic attacks in the last 3 months. Since then, I've had migranes for the past 2 days, bad allergies, stomach pain, loose bowel movements, slight difficulty breathing, frequent urination, and tiredness/lethargy during the day with trouble sleeping at night. I was already feeling strange my 2nd day on it and called my internal medicine doctor, who, of course, told me to stick with it. At this point, I'm ready for safer, natural alternatives. I'm will call the doctor tomorrow to tell him that my mind is made up and ask for instructions on how to wean off of it safely.

38y.o F taking toprol 100mg once a day for hypertension x 15mths History of Hypothyroidism which is controlled w/ synthroid and closley monitored w/ lab work.
Experience weight gain, unable to lose weight w/ diet and exercise including w/ a nutrionist and personal trainer. Hairloss, lack of libido, chronic joint pain, swelling in hands and ankles/feet, back pain and/or muscle aches, lack of interest in everything, no energy. Major swelling after high sodium intake. Ear drainage, tingling of extremities especially in feet and fingers, visual disturbances. Blood Pressure is okay.
Has anyone experienced an improvement since they've stopped using toprol?

Hi all,
As so many other people have said...I'm really glad I've found this forum!
I too have gained weight..originally I was put on Paxil during menopause for depression and social anxiety, without being told by the doctor that I would gain weight (40 lbs!), then I was put on Toprol for an irregular heartbeat, not aware that this would make me gain weight too! Now I'm up another 40 lbs, (of course part of this is that I broke my ankle and was layed up for a few months) but still 80lbs, most of it due to drugs! I also have joint pain and nightmares and hair loss. I also have not been able to lose it dieting or exercising. There has to be an alternative. I'm going to make an appointment with my cardiologist and bring him some of these posts as well. I thank everyone for sharing their experiences...I will let you know what tanspires.
Hang in there everyone...

I am taking 25mg of toprol for SVT/MVP started about 6 months ago. started having mild joint pain while doing yoga, just thought I was getting older (I am 46) joint pain started getting much worse in my hips and spreads down my legs when walking for more than 20-30minutes. I have had breast cancer and am concerned it may be a tumor I am scheduled for a bone scan on Monday but after reading the messages on this site I feel much better that it may not be bone cancer and might be this medication. time will tell.

I too have experience weight gain with difficulty losing the weight. I am on 200 mg of Toprol XL daily for recurrent ventricular tachycardia. It does not seem to be working as I still have the rhythm and get shocks from my defibrillator. I have also experience nightmares. I have not had any joint pain though.

MAJOR EDEMA~non cardiac! VIVID DREAMS~insomnia, joint pain, and odd heart beats, even while resting. This is scary!!!
Increased weight gain (from fluid retention) huge appetite!

I am so glad I found this site. I have been experiencing severe joint pain and constant edema. I never even thought it could possibly be the toprol xl 50 mg I have been on for over a year now. I have had extensive blood work to find out why I have such joint pain and everything has been coming out normal! I am in pain EVERY day...and it has been getting worse. I do have a thyroid condition (which was also recently checked and all the blood work was fine), because I got terrible joint pain as a symptom of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (an auto-immune disorder) way back in 1999 when I was first diagnosed. So, when this terrible joint pain returned, I was sure it was the thyroid and that my medication for THAT would have to be adjusted. Needless to say, I was shocked and concerned that my thyroid numbers are all normal.
I cried today over this pain...I am only 44 years old and I feel like I'm 90 years old. Maybe fate led me here tonight. It may or may not be the toprol causing all of this pain, but at least I have some hope now. I am scared because since I do have an "auto-immune" disease, I am apparantly at a much higher risk of developing other auto-immune diseases....so perhaps it is not the toprol. I HOPE IT IS THOUGH...

my side effects include HEAVY menstrual flow,muscle pain,leg & back pain,tiredness,weariness,depression,nightmares,dazed,confused,double vision,blurred vision,in a "fog" all the time,cant remember things from one room to the other,screeching in my ears,muscle & joint pain,insomnia,VERY,VERY tired all the time,loose my temper quickly,no energy,weakness,no desire for sex,lethargic

I have been taking 25 mg. of Toprol for about a year. I am 48 years old. For the past several months, I have been fatigue, having chest pains, swelling in my feet and severe muscle weakness and joint pain. My head throbs on just one side very often and I feel light-headed. I have had complete blood work( including a sed rate) an EKG and stress test, all coming back NORMAL. From everything I have read lately, I believe that my problems may be from the Toprol.

I am most glad to find this site! I take 25 mg T. I have the joint pain and numbness in my hands, elbows. My nails are really bad and I think it is from the t. Also have the fatigue feeling and I can't lose weight. I'm able to hold it steady at least. I feel much better having read some of the posts - don't feel like I am going crazy

I have a Mitrol Valve Prolapse. It's very pronounced. I've been on all kinds of meds for it since I was 20 years old and I'm now 50. I was on Lopressor last, but it started to not have much of an affect so they put me on Topral XL 50 mg a day. Since being on it I've been very very tired, more so than usual, but I'm stubborn and push myself. Now I've gotten sever joint pain in my neck, fingers, knees, toes etc. It's awful. I was on the internet looking up the symptoms of lupus and MS; that's how badly I feel. I went to my family physican thinking I surely had to have Rumatoid Arthritis, like my Mom and Grandmother. The test came back normal, no sign of that. I've gained 20 pounds and I've been dieting and exercising the best I can with no avail. I went to look up side effects of Toprol and found this site. Can anyone tell me of a better drug to control palpations and irregular heart beats from MVP? I'd really appreciate discussing a new med with my heart dr. and trying it. I need to get off of this stuff.

after I started taking the medication......I noticed that I was always itchy in the chest area.....then started to feel achey.....lower back pain, joint pain, couldn't sleep, depressed and even started dreaming.......which I rarely do. I was taking Toprol for a little over a month and the back pain today is so severe....that I finally contacted my doctor and said I think we should try something else....I even didn't take the medication for 2 days to get rid of the back pain.

TOPROL XL 25mg (43yr old white male)

I went to the dentist where they took my blood pressure (180/95). they suggested seeing my medical doctor. my doctor started me on 50mg to get the pressure down. the first three or four days I felt like I had run 1000 miles everyday, I was so fatigued. I called the doctor and told him and asked if I could cut them in half (they have a cut line on them). I have now been taking 25mg for about year maybe a year and half (time flys). I am still fatigued but not as badly, I am over-weight by 30-40lbs and I also smoke. additonally, my knees "ACHE", my calves ache and most recently my right hip and my wrists and forearms are aching (like carple tunnel of something). Finally, my indigestion is back (after starting toprol that kind of subsided for several months). I have just been passing it off as getting older and having to chase two small children around.

after reading some of your posts, I wonder if it's not the toprol causing the fatigue, joint pain and the return of my acid-reflux.

I am sitting here typing and my knees are screaming, right now!

has anyone else experienced all these symptoms?

Muscular/joint pain , mainly in right shoulder and arm,along with dizziness, tired.I never had this pain in my right shoulder before I started this medication.It hurts so much I can barely use my right arm anymore for everyday skills.

Weight gain and hitting the gym and treadmill 5 days a week. I'm on 150 mg Toprol @day for 4 years now, joint pain and pain in my calves. Dr. told me to cut my cal intake to 1300 calories a day and even at that not one pound lost and doing 10 miles at the very min a week on the treadmill and upper and lower body weight training. I'm at my wits end with this problem. Help Please!

I am taking 100 mg Toprol for BP. I have experienced excessive itching, joint pain, lack of ambition, hard time driving because of dizziness and focusing of my eyes. I am 69 years old and have no sex drive and no interest in the things I should care about. I am going to my doctor to see if my old BP drug Diazide will be better for me. You can bet I'm going to get off Toprol