Toprol-XL and metoprolol

I had my thyroid out due to cancer on 1/22/08. then because of having to take a high amt of levoxyl (synthetic thyroid hormone) I was put on metoprolol for the palpitations. I recently had more surgery to take out cancerous lymph nodes in neck and my dose of metoprolol was increased from 25 to 50 mgs. I was only on 50 mgs for about 4 weeks when I developed depression, insomnia, swollen belly, acid reflux, swollen legs and anxiety. My mind started to go off on me and I had convinced myself that the cancer was in my brain and that's why I felt like I was dying. I was told by my doc that this med does not usually cause depression. I went over the facts and realized I felt pretty good until I started taking this drug. Even on the 25 mgs my legs which are really skinny, started to look like lumpy cottage cheese but I figured it was due to the thyroid removal. I didn't take it at all today because I just want to be rid of it. I know I need to wean off but how long do I have to?

I'm 56 y/o with hx of MVP,SVT and was on Inderal for 23 yrs. until after taking RED BULL energy drink threw me to AFIB that sent me to ER and got admitted overnight ,that problem got resolved until about few months ago i started having on and off palpitations again and my doctor put me on 50mg METOPROLOL and take extra dose for frequent palpitations but i noticed that the more i take METOPROLOL the worst my symptoms gets with some dizziness, sleepless nights ,occasional chest pains,joint pains so i went to my doctor again ,had stress test, 24 hr. monitor, and everything was normal, i was then referred to a Cardiologist-Electrophysiologist who told me i was taking to much Metoprolol that i should cut it to 25mg , He planned to put me on 30 day holter monitor to see the activity of my heart but on the other hand being a nurse i tried to monitor myself, i still have the same symptoms but less since i cut down my dose but i decided to stop the Metoptolol completly and put myself back on Inderal for about a week now i'm telling you it was alike a night and day symptoms of increasing palpitations are less and i feel much better , hopefully i treated myself and goodbye Metoprolol.

I have been on 50 mg. of Toprol xl for 5 years I find it so hard to breathe. Like I have to make myself breathe or I'll just stop breathing. I can't sleep because my breathing gets worse even with my head elevated. I'm getting terrific migraines, ready to tear my head off. I'm short of breath, can't hardly do anything and I feel I ran ten miles.. I have heart failure and low blood pressure. He's giving me this for now and then palpitations. I think this pill is causing all my troubles including anxiety. HELP!!

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.

I have been on Toprol XR generic brand metoprolol since February 2008. No side effects originally. My blood pressure wasn't extremely high but enough that I needed something. Just recently, my BP has sky rocketed. Dr. upped med from 25 mg per day to 50 mg per day. In the last month, I have put on 18 pounds. I am lethargic, not sleeping well at all. Mostly 2 hours a night. I don't have nightmares, just can't sleep. I want off this drug. It isn't controlling my bp anyway. I have a doctor's appt. in a few days. I don't look forward to the withdrawals but it has to be better than the alternative and staying on it. I am afraid of CHF. My legs, hands and face are swollen from fluid retention. I have pitting edema in my legs. I am not having trouble breathing but I don't want that to happen before I decide to go off of it. The website has helped me to realize it is the meds and not me. Thanks for the support.

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?

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

Am in my second month of taking Metoprolol to control atrial fibrillation. Have been increasingly dealing with disturbingly vivid dream, headaches, slight nausea, abdominal discomfort and overall achiness. What is an alternative med to treat atrial fibrillation? I have glaucoma and a cardiac pacemaker for complete heart block. All suggestions welcomed. I'd like to dump the Metroprolol but appreciate that since starting to take it, I've had no problems with fibrillation (which my pacemaker isn't designed to control).

I suddenly had high blood pressure. I was put on a heart monitor for 21 days because I was experiencing frequent palpitations. I was given 25 mg Metoprolol ER the genic for Toprol XL on June 6, 2008. I had the usual symptoms extreme fatigue, headache, constipation,swelling, weight gain for the first month. I am 59 yrs. old.
The second month I started to have horrible nightmares, and headaches that would not go away. On Aug.12 while driving home I started to hear voices, had blurred vision and hallucinations. I was driving fast and screaming to make the voices stop.. I ended up in a parking lot. I was crying and for a minute I had a bit of reality. I called the cardiologist office and told the nurse what was going on. She said to immediately stop the meds because I was having a rare serious side effect. I sat crying for awhile and was able to call a friend to pick me up. I stayed at home for 4 days. The entire time my hands shook and my headache was horrible. It was one week before I was able to function properly.
I called my pharmacist and she told me that this drug affects the central nervous system. 2 % of 100,000 people have this side effect. I told her that it was not written on my paper with the prescription. She said that because it is so rare they do not have put it on. She printed out the side effects for me from her web site. A site that is only accessible to pharmacists or Dr.'s. My Dr. wants me to try Cardizeim now and I do not want to because I am afraid. I told him that the BP was down to normal but he still wanted to because of the palpitations. I was given the option of the Cardiziem or seeing and Electrical Man at the Cardiology office. As of yet I have not taken the Cardiziem. This is the first time I have read this web site and I hope that this information may help someone. I finally feel good again except for the rapid heart beat and glad to be alive.

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?

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

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

Thanks, Tony

I'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.

55 year old female
I have been on Toprol 5 years. 50mg. it works for me but since it went generic,I wonder...I am on 10mg lexapro and December started the vivelle-dot for my hotflashes. It is now June and the last 4 weeks my hair is falling out big time.
It is so thin I have to wear a scarf as not to scare small children at work.!! :)
I have talked to a couple of hairdressers and they have told me many of they're clients with thinning hair were on Toprol.
Anyone heard of this? Please help me figure this out.

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 my history started from last couple months when I realize my bp went up very high(160/100) so I started metoprolol succinate 25mg,for couple days i felt fine and my bp went down but I noticed some pain in my right side so i thought maybe is the liver problem and i started to get off.After a week i was suffered from withdrawal(first week i decreased dose to 12,5mg)then my bp was very high so i called doctor and he prescribed metoprolol 100 mg and lisinopril 25(i never used this one)and hydloxiazyde 12,5 and i felt better for couple weeks then I started to get heart palpitation and very low bp so I quit hydroxiazyde and now I'm on toprol xl (oryginal brand) and still have chest tightness (i switch metoprolol to toprol one day ago)and how you guys divide the tablets to get exact amount its hard

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!

50 yr old female ( gasps @ 5-0 still)

I've been on ToprolXL for some time now. I started with Tenormin and felt FINE! The doctor then decided it was not the 'right medicine' for me and changed me to a 'new and better medication' names TOPROL XL, He started me on 50mg a day. I had experienced rapid heart beat of at least 150 bpm up to 200! My heart had to be stopped in the ER to get it back to being a normal rhythm. At the time I was 39 yrs old :( SCARY! I had every test imagined. Heart tests, lung and leg scans. You name it, I had it done to me ( thankfully, to make sure it was nothing serious). Although I do consider a heart beating that high to be serious! I already have a anxiety disorder, I noticed that my panic attacks are worse now more than ever! I am very very lethargic. Just thinking about doing ANYTHING makes me tired. I even getting tired when I talk too much! My mouth is always excessively dry. I put on weight and even paid for a diet that consisted of 2 'shakes' and one meal per day. Followed it to the "T"! and nothing ?! I've recently read that ToprolXL can lead to all kinds of diseases. One of them being Lou Gehrig's (ASL) :( I am SO very upset that medication is prescribed supposedly to make a person feel better AND I don't think I've physically felt this depleted and depressed in years! I want medical answers and I need support and words of encouragement from everyone that has been on this drug , most especially those weaned off ot it and are on a better drug. Most of the people I notice taking TOPROL XL are taking it fro HBP or symptoms other then the one's I have. I am SO confused now :(

I have been taking kelone for 20 yrs due to palpitations and a rapid HR the pappitations got worse over the last few months and I was panicky so I went to the dr and this is what happened!

I was put on metoprolol 25mg 2x's a day and it didn't work. I found myself in the hospital with a rapid HR and not feeling well. I had been on kerlone/betaxolol for more than 20 yrs and my NEW Dr was not familar with it so he swithched me. I went to fill the RX and was told by the PharmD that it had a very short half life compared to my old med. I asked the Dr. he said lets try it. Well like I said I was in the hospital within 2 days. I wanted to know what you all think about switching from generic to Toprol Xl and what should my does be? I was raised to 50mg metoprolol 2x's a day and it still doesn't seem to work. I know it is wearing off and I feel crappy! I am 38 with a hx of type 2 Diabetes which is controlled and I take Metformin 500 mg er. I also take Crestor 20 mg all other things are ok but I can't excercise or do any activity due to the feeling my heart is going to POUND out of my chest.
Any and all advice is welcomed since I am new to this med and dont't know if I go back to the palpitations I had with my old one or feel like crap with the new one.

62 year old male. After one month of taking it, my doctor raised me from 50 mg Metoprolol to 100 mg. No side effects until the dosage was raised. Then immediately got a traveling toothache, going from one tooth to another, culminating in an extreme earache. Had many of the symptoms mentioned in this forum, including short term memory loss resulting in my first auto accident in 40 years--a parking lot collision which was my fault. My doctor refused to ascribe any side effects to the drug except headache ; but I was told by local pharmacists that doubling the dose was too drastic and that my symptoms were typical. Had some rebound after stopping on my own a week ago, but pretty much back to normal, and the side effects are gone. I've tried other BP meds and am convinced that modern medicine just doesn't do it. Am looking into natural alternatives.

I was on toprol-xl for almost 8 years without many problems. i also take isosorbide mononitrate.A few months back I was switched to the generic version (metoprolol succinate er by sandoz) now i have many problems.First I have to say I am disabled with severe COPD. Although I do not feel depressed I have a lot of symptoms of depression. Remember I had no symptoms what so ever until switched by Walgreen's or HMO or Doctor to the generic version. Not sure what to do I have a doctor that does not truly listen,plus he did not want me on toprol xl to begin with. Even though it was good for me. Good luck people!

I am 57 years old, and never had HBP, I went to the cardiologist and told me I have 140/80 and prescribed Toprol XL 25mg. I bought the generic ones. Today is my second week and I did not know that my headaches (never had headaches before), electric chocks ringing ears , breathing problems, were a side effect of this pill until reading all these experiences of so many people. I am going to cut half the dosis and lower it, so I get out of this medicine. The doctor made an EKG and gave me Toprol because my left atrial was big due to untreated HBP. Is there any natural product, better than this killing medicine, please advice.

There is an important point that everyone here is missing. I had been on Toprol XL for years, brand name. Recently, a generic version by Sandoz has been issued. It is the GENERIC metoprolol that is causing the side effects, the racing heart, etc. If you can get the doctor to write "no substitutions" on the prescription, and get the original Toprol, you will notice the difference. the problem is, health insurance wants to push the generic, so you will pay more. but it's worth it to feel better!

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!

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

HI, I was prescribed IC Metoprolol succ er 25 mg. same as Toprol xl. I feel tried, I am a fitness instructor and teach 13 classes a week. 8 aerobic and 5 weight training classes. I continue to gain weight. With this being a blocker, I have just come to find out this med wont let you heart rate go up when you exercise so you muscles can get oxygen and burn fat. The lack of oxygen makes you (us) more tried less motivated to workout or anything for that matter. It has effected me in this matter. I am calling my doctor to change my meds. this website was great. I new It had to be my meds, you don't workout this way and still gain weight!!!!!!!! I have always been very fit and muscular, something i took pride in. now I"m looking flabby. It"s really hard for me. Hard to motivate people when you don"t look like things I share with people all the time. hang in there the weight will come off just be consistent, when I continue to gain weight.

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

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 39-year-old female who was put on Toprol 25 mg about four years ago due to heart palpitations. The Toprol didn't affect the heart palps at all, but I liked the fact that it kept my heart from racing after I ate, which had been a problem for me since high school. I took it sporadically for a couple years. At some point I started the generic, but I can't remember just when.

About two years ago I noticed that I was hearing noises in my right ear. Gradually the noises prompted me to see my PCP. She thought my BP was a little high (about 138/80) and she doubled my Metoprolol dose right away to 50 mg. She told me the noises were caused by my blood pressure, not the medication.

The noises got much worse right away and I was hearing them almost 24 hours a day. Sometimes it was a whoosh-whoosh noise (which I guess is classic for high BP) and sometimes just like a faucet had been turned on in my ear. At this point I definitely suspect it's the medication itself, not the BP. On days when I don't take the med, the noises are much better or not even present. My heart does tend to race though, and the palps are the same either way.

I'd like to wean myself off the med, and if my BP elevates try a different medication. I can't stand the noises anymore so my priority is to stop them. I am curious if this particular side effect has happened to anybody else here?

I am 49 years old and have been in great health until about 6 months ago due to some stressful situations with one of my nephews. My blood pressure was 140/80 at the highest. At this time...I began to have some mild heart palpitations and was put on Toprol XL (50 mg.) suddenly my palpitations became more intense and occurred more often. Then I began to have panic attacks and vision and memory problems. My doctor then prescribed Xanax .25mg. for the panic attacks. I weaned myself off of the 50 and began to take .25 mg. I really wanted off of it so I tried to cut that in half for several weeks. After about a month...I went off of the medicine for several days and began to have some strange symptoms. My arms were tingling and numb, I woke up sweating, my head felt strange...so I went back on the Toprol (25 mg.). I really would like to get off of all of this medicine. I have never been one to take anything and I am far worse than I ever was. I just wonder if doctors read this information and if the drug company takes note of any of this. I think this is a very strong drug that is over prescribed. I worry that I have damaged my heart with this drug. I am just not sure what to do. Please help...

On December 5th, I reported that, after stopping the Metoprolol, I was having some minor withdrawal symptoms. As an update, this week has not been good. I've had tightness in the chest, sleeping poorly and some gastric problems. It is now three weeks since the last dose. How long does it take to become symptom free?????

Update - 7th day with zero Toprol. Feel just awful... Breathing has not improved, tight band feeling around chest keeps coming and going like before. B/P spikes, headaches, etc. The Diovan (80mg) was making me cough and making chest tightness worse - so she tried me on Dyazide - made me dizzy and sick to my stomach. This has been just one of the WORST experiences of my life. I was SURE all my problems were related to my (4) years on Toprol - but on day 7 with NO TOPROL and not feeling better I am depressed, discouraged, and just want to curl up and cry and cry and cry. I have ended up in the ER three times since the weaning began - once for breathing, once for pulse (over 215) and once for severe abdominal pain. My family thinks that I am 'mental' and that it is all in my head???? I cannot take much more of this.....

I took Toprol for almost 2 years then in Aug generic came out Metoprolol and I switched over. I was taking 25mg. After a few weeks, I noticed numbness in my index finger and middle finger. Then it happened in other hand. Doc said I had tendinitis in one hand and slept wrong on the other...I was also depressed and having panic attacks. From the onset of taking Toprol my sleep was disturbed,but thought it was age related. Once I went on Metoprolol insomnia set in. Then my feet went cold and numb and my arms were so heavy and tingly and my joints hurt. My right shin hurt to touch as well. Vision was cloudy and had trouble adjusting to light changes. Finally it dawned on my that the changes occurred about the time I started the generic. I went back to doc and he pretty much told me I was crazy, prescribed Xanax and a session with a psychiatrist! He switched me back to Toprol and I felt no better then he switched me to
Atenolol with same result. By this time, my chest was on fire and I had extreme difficultly breathing. Called doc and he told me to stop cold turkey. I did and thought I was going to die one day. Throat closed up blood pressure soared. He stopped me on Nov 11 or 12th. I have been on nothing. Blood pressure is not leveled. When I first sit down it is like 140/93. If I wait a few minutes it goes down to 120/80 or a little lower. I was expecting to feel a lot better by this point in the game. I still have numbness in my pinky and ring finger and in my toes. If I take Advil it lessens to where it is not so bothersome. Anyone know how long this stuff takes to get out of your system? I am shopping for a new doc since mine know things I am a hypo. I am a 39 yr old female with no other health issues. Was originally put on for stress related palps.

I began 50 mg Toprol XL 2 years ago then reduced to 25 mg when palps and blood pressure normalized. Had trouble sleeping. Back in August, I began taking the generic version Metoprolol. One day I couldn't feel my index finger and thumb on right hand and immediate began to worry. I also began feeling depressed and was having terrible panic attacks. Sleeping was non-existent. Also, my chest felt as if it was on fire. Throat closed up and had difficulty breathing. Went to Walgreens nurse and she looked at me funny and said it was allergies to try Claritin and Flonase. DID NOT HELP! Went to the Dr. and he too chalked that up to allergies and gave me a shot. That relieved the breathing symptoms but nothing else. He told me numbness was tendonitis and gave me a "pretty brace." Numbness and tingling did not improve in fact went into other arm which caused me alarm. I went to chiropractor for help...nice massages but still numbness! Then my hands and feet started going cold...I'd had it. Went back to Dr and he put me on Xanax for panic attacks, told me I was depressed and need to see a psychiatrist for mood altering meds. I was ready to slug him! The numbness and tingling are insane! The Dr. to appease me switched me back to Toprol XL...no relief then tried Atenolol. The thing is for a few days while the insurance was figuring out what to pay for, I didn't take meds and began improving. Tried Atenolol and symptoms came right back. Called Dr and was told to just stop altogether...no weaning. Terrible tightness in chest could not breathe...miserable and scary. The next day I got a little better. Sleep improved somewhat but still having trouble with muscles tingling in feet up to knees and muscle cramping in right calve and for arms. Wondering how long this stuff stays in system. Seems to me I should be done...I have been off 17 days and am looking for relief for muscles symptoms...also looking for new Dr...anyone out there know how long this stuff hangs out in your muscles and stuff?????

60 yr old/young female: I started generic toprol (metoprolol 50mg xr) yesterday (11/22/07). Took about 3:00 PM. The next morning around 6:00 AM, I had a hot flash that equated to one you would have if you had taken niacin. Body was burning and I was sweating. Looked in the mirror to see if I was flushed, because of the severity of the hot flash I thought my body would be totally red. It wasn't. I called my pharmacist to report this event. He researched and found no evidence of such. He did say that it did not rule out the possibility that it was caused by the Toprol. Asked me to keep him posted as his customers were the ones that helped him be able to report side effects to other. Well I found this site and low and behold I have read of the hot flashes and all of the other problems. I will not be taking this medication. I am not a pro medication person anyway and related that to my dr, but at some point you feel you have to have trust in someone. I don't trust medications. I know at some point in my life I will probably have to take something, but not Toprol. Sounds as though it will cause more problems than it will cure. Thanks so much for your input. It will prevent me from having to wean myself off this mess. Oh yeah, I was also feeling the depressed, anxiety mentioned. Not at a high level , but just knew I wasn't myself. That was after just one dose. I can't imagine how it would have progress. I feel very blessed.

I am a nurse of 20 years and was placed on Toprol XL for super ventricular tachycardia (SVT) over a year ago. I was place on 25 mg dose after a stress test, ekg, echocaridogram and 24 hour halter monitor. I was not feeling any better and I was having periods of weakness, profuse sweating and being clammy. The cardiologist had me wear a 30 day event monitor and it showed frequent PVCs and runs of SVT. So he increased the dose to 50 mg. I continued to have the weakness, tachycardia, PVCs, extreme weakness, poor concentration and extreme periods of sweating with becoming clammy and some chest pain. Oh and I started having severe left leg pain that I had not had since my back surgery, so I went back to my pain specialist for treatment. I became so depressed, thoughts of life not worth living, poor endurance, not able to sleep in bed due to severe leg pain and increasing bouts of tachycardia, irregular heart rate, weakness, and sweating this is while at rest or working the symptoms remained. I forgot to mention that my blood sugar was increasing during this time to the point of in danger of being a diabetic.

I decided to stop the Toprol XL after reading some of the side effects that are less common. I was able to sleep in bed for the first time in 6 months, no leg pain. I called my cardiologist and he told me my symptoms were not consistent with Toprol XL side effects or reaction and to double the dose of Toprol XL. I refused and changed cardiologist, one who listened to me.

The result is I stayed off Toprol XL, after 5 weeks it is getting out of my system. No more sweating spells, cold clammy spells, extreme weakness, I feel part of life again and ready to go back into the world not hide from it, my blood sugar is getting back to normal. I am getting my strength and endurance back but have to rest some still, oh and I am losing the 25 pounds that I gained while on Toprol.

I still have irregular heart rate and that is okay but I am on a new medication that really seems to work. Oh, and the spinal implant that I was to have has been cancelled because the leg pain is almost gone and I sleep in a bed not a chair.

I am sitting here is shock as I read the posts here. I have been taking Toprol XL for about 5 years now. It was 50MG and went up to 100MG when I had some heart arrythmias. Except for some dizziness at first no other side effects were noticed. For some reason my cardiologist switched me to me metprolol. I am currently scheduled for colonoscopy, a look into my stomach as well as blood test and stool test and on a strict diet.. why?, because I have been having serious gastro problems for 2 months now. (Diarrea, gas, stomach pain, blood )I told m first gastro guy about my meds and he said Metoprolol would not cause it. Yet I have just read here and on a side affect site, that gastro problems happen to 5 out of 100 people!!! This problem started very soon after I switched meds. Yesterday I skipped m meds accident. I went 48 hours without meds. NO problems! I took m meds last night and this morning my stomach is in turmoil. Tomorrow I cut my meds in half. Then call my cardio guy and change back to Toprol. There is an obvious difference in the drugs.

Weight gain, short term memory loss, not focusing when driving, depression, weird dreams, low sex drive, no drive at all.

I take metoprolol to control a ventricular tachycardia (50mg 2x/day). I feel extremely fatigued, diarreah, abdominal pain, disturbed sleep, racing heart. I have been on it for nearly a year but my dose was doubled from 50 to 100 last month. The side effects seem to have gotten worse in the last 2 weeks. Does anyone know if it builds up in the system? and how long it takes to reach "therapeutic levels"?

I'm 27 F, been on metoprolol 25mg for a year now, gained 15 pounds for absolutely no reason, the last month i lived on salad tuna and water and still gained weight, consulted my doctor and he let me go off. (cold turkey since low dose) and I've been off it for three day, my bp and pulse have been very low, thank goodness, but I've been getting ringing in my ears and very bizzare/disturbing dreams!! Anyone else get these symptoms after they went off? How long will it take for the drug to leave my system? GOOD LUCK 2 ALL!!!

This may be long, but please bare with me. My mother married and moved away 14 years ago. Before that she had one bypass surgery, and then shortly after marrying another. Sometime in the late 90s she was put on the drug Lipitor. She told me at that time that the new medicine was effecting her memory. My response was stop taking it! Due to the long distance apart and caring for my family I forgot about it. She began experiencing more memory loss and cognitive deficits and we were led to believe it was the beginning of Alzheimer's. Then in 2001 I read an article by Dr. Duane Graveline M.D. who said that Lipitor causes memory loss and other symptoms. I became alarmed and called to talk to my step sister who was helping my Mom and her Dad though living apart, and who was seeing that my Mom took her medicines. She informed me that a new cardiologist my mom had seen recently then had taken her off the Lipitor because of studies done that he was aware of, so I was relieved, but her brain deficits worsened gradually. Now she is living with me (and her husband) and she has worsened so that she cannot function without guidance and directions in everything. I oversee her medicine now and have discovered she is on Metoprolol though she has not had a history of high blood pressure. She must have been put on this shortly after being taken off the Lipitor but by another doctor who put a stent in. Some possible side effects are in essence dementia symptoms and I am convinced that my Mom's Alheimer's/dementia is drug induced. I am very upset about this and hope to convince my doctor who will be her attending physician that this is a real possibility and that it may be reversed if she is weaned off this drug. I will keep you posted.

Friend who is 70 developed cough whichi kept him awake at night. He switched off Topril (generic Metoprolol).

I was taking Coreg...inferred with sleep first week or two...took 1 hour then 2 hours to fall asleep for 5 hours. Then wide awake.

After three weeks, did not get to sleep..stayed up all night, wide awake. Went 7 days with maybe 10 hours total sleep. Doc switched me to Topril 25mg. Problem continues - after 4 days, still wide awake all night. No desire to nap during day..wide awake but very tired and exhaused.

It may the be 'class' of drugs that are similar. The Coreg sleep problem worsened with time. The Topril continued it when I switched. Doc has taken me of Topril now.

I take 100mg of metoprolol per evening. I have gained 15lbs over the last 8 months and am at my wits end. I don't want to get fat. This also has caused some other personal side effects. I also take 300mg of Avapro & Clonidine 2 .
Has anyone had these problems?

I just stopped taking my Metoprolol. I had the worse panic attack in the world while working. I felt I was always gasping for breath and semi alive. These drugs suck, it also gave me hypoglycemic symptoms which is not fun. I will deal with my blood pressure without drugs I was taking 25mg twice a day and it messed me up.

57 years old healthy white male. Exercise 6 or 7 times per week, excellent diet, lots of neutricuticals. I gt occasional (once per month) bouts of lone atrial fib, requiring 2 to 3 doses of rythmol to regain sinus rythmn. I use metoprolol when I sense an impending atrial arythmn, usually once or twice a week. My only side effect is an inability to exercise strenuously while on the drug - just can't obtain a high enough heart rate.

I am attempting to electrically reprogram my sympathetic nervous system. I am using rythmol and metoprolol proactively before an attack, soon as I feel one coming on. I have extended the intervals between episodes to about 5 weeks with this method. I would appreciate input from anyone with similar symptoms.

Bruce

I cannot take metoprolol (Toprol) because of its devastating side effect of sleepiness. It's greatly exacerbated my lifelong neurological condition called narcolepsy, which brings sleep attacks at unpredicted times. I'm unable to make doctors' appts or do very much at all because of the sleepiness. I explained this to the doctor, but I believe he does not understand CNS disorders.Willpower does not work for the attacks are sudden and uncontrollable- - it is not ordinary sleep, which I believe he's confused it with. I've had similar responses to drugs with CNS side effects, so I've had to avoid them.

The doc has added three more drugs that can potentially cause added sleepiness. Since I'm unable to communicate how nonfunctional my life is since hypertension control, until I can find another doctor less rigid than mine (a long process due to doctor shortage here), my only option is to substitute atenolol, the previous beta blocker I was on, at therapeutic equivalence. I'm a week completely exchanged, and so far so good, but nolocal replacement doctor is yet available, but I may be sufficiently awake to be capable of driving to the medical school far away where the doctors are.

I believe my doctor is highly technically capable at treating hypertension, but my rare narcolepsy and the impact of Toprol, are not taken seriously.

The standard treatment has been a central stimulant such as amphetamine. More recently, I've switched to a new drug Provigil (modafinil), and I'm maxed out on thatl

I developed high blood pressure last summer after 71 yrs of normal pressure. I do not have heart disease other than chronic atrial fibrillation that's been with me for 50 yrs. To date, no structural heart problems, no artery disease other than pulmonary hypertension that accompanies my rare lung disease IPF.

I am taking a Metoprolol called Betaloc which I think is the same basically as Toprol. I have post-nasal drip and a slight cough, occassional sore throats,nasty taste in mouth, bad sleeping pattern (poor night every few days but drop asleep during day) and a bit tired generally. However my irregular heartbets are gone... I plan to reduce the dosage and see what happens. It is essential to know what the side effects are of different medicines; then we can stop thinking we have some other problems and weigh up the pros and cons of continuing to take the tablets!
The nasal drip is annoying, for example, but hardly serious.

I have taken metoprolol for several years starting while I was serving in the army (late twenties). Now I am 37 years old. The first problem I encountered was lethargy, which forced me to cut it in half and take at different times of the day. But the worst problem by far is numbness in the hands. just holding a pen or pencil will cause fingers to go numb. I am a guitar player but that is quickly becoming an impossible task. It just recently occured to me that a drug change may reverse this- if anyone has an anecdote please contact me, thank you.

I am now on 200mg a day of metoprolol for about 3 months now. I am 32. I gained about 10 pounds. I also get quite dizzy from it.

MY HUSBAND HAD BEEN USING TOPROL FOR AWHILE AND THE DOCTOR JUST RECENTLY CHANGED IT TO METOPROLOL.
I FIND THAT HE IS VERY MOODY AND EXTREMELY TIRED. HE HAS BEEN ATTENDING CLASSES WHERE HE WAS TESTED IN PHYSICAL ENDURANCE. BEFORE HE STARTED TAKING THIS MEDICINE HE HAD NO PROBLEMS MEETING HIS GOALS, NOW AT THE END OF HIS RUN HE SAYS HE FEELS AS IF HE HAS A WEIGHT ON HIS CHEST AND HE CAN'T BREATH. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THIS?

My mother, age 89, was diagnosed with high blood pressure after cataract surgery. At the 6 month check-up the opthomologist found flame hemorrhages and hypertensive vessels on the back of the eyeball. The internist found her BP 190/90. She started taking Metoprolol 100 mg twice a day and Lisinopril 20 mg once a day . The BP went to 160/80 in 2 weeks so the lisinopril was increased to 40 mg per day. She is now is lethargic, lost her appetite, lost 16 lbs, slightly nauseous, confused (particularly ater taking the Lisinopril), bad headaches. For the last 3 days she has had diarrhea pretty bad. and taken to her bed. We can't figure out which of the medications is to blame. Anyone else experience these symptoms?