Toprol-XL and libido

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 too had HORRIBLE experiences on Toprol-XL. I was put on it after I walked into a doctor's office and my BP was 235/152. Yep..you read that right! Scary times. I started taking the med, and I too gained 35 pounds with no change in diet. I was tired, weak, groggy - I honestly felt like I was slowly dying. At that point, I decided that high blood pressure was far better than the experience I had on Toprol. It ruined my marriage. Can you say ZERO libido? I decided that I would try a different form of metroprolol - metroprolol tartrate versus succinate. I did this when I went out of town - I honestly thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest - coming off this medication was horrible, and if the other posts are true about this being worse to come off than opiates, I REALLY feel for addicts now. I have been off the Toprol now for about 9 months, and I feel so much better. I've lost what I call the Toprol weight, and I made some life changes. I did the following: (A) I purchased a rebounder (mini-trampoline) and have built up from 5 minutes per day to 15 minutes per day (goal = 40 minutes per day) - there are HUGE health benefits in rebounding and it's really easy on my joints (google the benefits - I promise you won't be disappointed). I turn on the TV or turn on my Ipod and bounce away. (B) I joined Freelife International, and began drinking Go Chi juice (www.pbowen.freelife.com) because it has three scientific studies proving its effectiveness. (C) I stopped drinking caffeinated soda and began drinking a homemade blend of green (matcha) & darjeeling teas (if you want the recipe, e-mail me and I'll send it pamela.bowen@gmail.com), and (D) I bought a device called RESPERATE (www.resperate.com). I HAVE MY LIFE BACK!!! Don't think you have to live the way you are forever!

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.

Started Toprol last summer for palpitations and skipping heartbeat. Have gone up and down with dosage. I've read just about all of the side effects and there are only 2 out of many that bother me. Most of what I've read are women. Do any men suffer from decreased libido? This one is KILLING me!! Also short term memory loss.

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.

Skipped heart beats, fast resting heart beat and moderately elevated BP generated a prescription for yours truly about two years ago. I take 12.5 mg dose of toprol every morning and it has generally fixed the problem. I still get occasional skipped beats and sometimes the heart is beating faster and harder than I think is called for but by and large I am much better off since I started taking toprol. I have gained weight. I do have occasional problems sleeping. My libido seems to arrive swell enough (no pun intended) when the occasion permits it. I also take 10mg Lipotor, 81mg aspirin and 500 mg metformin daily.

I was on 50 mg of Metropolol for 4 years for HBP. While on it I gained 50 pounds, could not lose weight, although I would eat less, developed anxiety, depression, loss libido, was irritable etc.
My husband could not figure out what was wrong with me. Before taking it, I was always a happy go lucky person without mood problems. I also developed palpitations while on it. I have recently weaned off due to cardiologist putting me on a Triamterence, a diurectic and have lost 18 pounds.

But watch out, I weaned myself off from 50mg to 25mg and then to 12 mg in a period of 30 days and have now experienced extreme anxiety, fear of losing control (panic attacks) and shaking at nighttime. Has anyone experienced these withdrawal effects even after tapering off so slowly?

Since starting 25mg Toprol XL after having a stent inserted and suffering a mild heart attack during the angioplasty, I have lost all libido and have gained 40 lbs. My ability to jog/run has been diminshed. I also feel depressed, unmotivated and suffer from memory loss and brain "fog."
My question: Do I really need to be on this medication?
Thanks.

I am a 52 male with Blood High Pressure problem produced mainly for high trigliceridos in my blood. This drug lowed my pressure and my "libido" also, I am really worry about the libido because I am having truble with my wife.

Recently had quad bypass open heart surgery. Am taking Toprol 75mg - 2x a day.

No libido, very sleepy mid afternoons, difficult to sleep.... also many of the side effects reported on this website.

Will call my Dr. next week about this. This drug may not be for me.

63 yr male.

I was prescribed Toprol XL for my migraines 1 1/2 years ago. I have taken 50mg pill per day. Because of recent awareness of the side effects I have been experiencing (I though it was just me getting old, out of shape, etc) I ran across this board looking for others with the same situation. My side effects included: very, very tired, sleepy all the time, weird dreams all night long, dry eyes, constantly in a "fog" feeling brain dead half the time, low pulse rate usually around 40 bpm, even unable to control my temper when I got angry. I went to my dr. and asked to be taken off this drug. I half-dosed for a week and am now almost a week off and I can't begin to tell you how wonderful I feel. My blood pressure and pulse are back to normal, I'm no longer tired, have my libido and energy back, and no more weird dreams. If you want to try going off Toprol, ask your dr. first, it's not a medicine you should just stop taking. I have my HAPPY HAPPY life back. Thanks to all of your postings!!!

I have been taking Toprol XL 25 mg for 3 months. I am excessively fatigued, have gained 15 lbs., have swelling in legs and ankles, decreased (almost non-existent) libido and no energy at all. I'm 49 yrs old and and was prescribed Toprol XL for tachycardia by my family doctor. He doesn't want to listen to complaints of side effects. Says my dosage is not high enough to cause these problems. I have to get off this stuff! It's ruining my life!