Toprol-XL and nightmares

I have been on Toprol XL for five years now. My heart was beating too fast and after taking multiple test my doctor put me on Toprol XL. In the beginning I use to have nightmares. I use to see big spiders all around me. After taking the med I figured out that I couldn't take the med and lay down to go to sleep. The side effects that I have experience is nightmares, hair loss at the top of my head and shortness of breath. I am afraid to try anything else.

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.

I am a 45 year old black female. After the death of my father, I started experiencing blood pressure problems and headaches. I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea 2 years ago. Not having bought a CPAP yet has contributed to a lot of the blood pressure and headache problems. But, my GP put me on Toprol in June '08. I am having difficulty sleeping.Every time I eat, I have severe gas and my chest is hurting off and on. There has got to be a better solution. I started exercising and using Isagenix (******). It is simply wonderful - I have lost weight and toxins. When I go to my doctor on tomorrow, I am going to ask him if I can get off of Toprol. I do not like the way this medication makes me feel.

I first posted back in January, after having been on Toprol XL for 7-weeks. It's now been about 8-months and some of the side affects are still there, although lessened. My BP, as of two weeks ago, was 114/68. My pulse averages about 68 BPM, lowest in the AM (as low as 48 at times) and as high as 78 in late afternoon. After hard exercise my pulse will hit 110-120, but rapidly drops to 75 or 80 within 5-minutes.

After taking my dose (25 mg), almost predictably I have weird chest pain and gas in the afternoon and some muscle cramps. The symptoms subside after a few hours. Other than that all other nasty symptoms have gone away. I still have extremely vivid dreams, but most are very interesting and the nightmares are all but non-existent. Here are some things that helped me. 1) Take the Toprol immediately after a meal and with a large quantity of water. 2) Take it at the same time every day. I tried several different times and for me with lunch works best. 3) Try to stick with the brand name. I switched to the generic version ($8.00 vs $39.00) and the side affects worsened. Anyone that says that a generic is equivalent to the "real thing" is full of crap. 4) Meals with a higher fat content seems to lessen the side affects. Not sure why, but I experimented with this and it works for me. I'm not promoting fatty food (I'm not overweight). 5) EXERCISE if you can. Even moderate exercise will help. I work out 30-minutes each day and this has helped tremendously.

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 am 30 and just prescribed this med for high blood pressure 160/115 sometimes worse. I haven't filled my script because I usually handle all my problems completely natural with the occasional ibuprofen. I do have a balance though and don't want to explode and leave my family behind. I have no weight issues and know the whole kidneys regulate potassium and salt and with HBP you generally need more potassium, magnesium is an import as well as upping the vitamin C but taking that at a different time than the others as it could block some absorption. Thanks for all of your inputs and appreciate anymore.

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!

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 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.

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...

Sy husband started on Toprol 2 months ago. He is 72 & has had high BP for many years. When the cardiologist thought that he may be having heart problems he immediately changed him from Micardis, which was working fine, to Toprol 25mg. At first it seemed to help his high BP remain more stable, but now he is having other problems. His heart rate is usually in the 50's, he's very tired all the time now & has much more trouble remembering things than before. He's also begun having very vivid nightmares. Three days ago he started having diarrhea too. Also for the first time in 30 years we were unable to make love. He also loved working in the yard in the summer but now the heat is just too much for him. He directly attributes these effects to the toprol since that's the only new medication he has been prescribed in the last year. After reading other posts on this site he has decided to wean himself off of it & go back to his previous BP medication. Thanks to all of you who have posted because now he feels more secure in his idea that these problems are from the Toprol.

I have been on Toprol 25 mg for almost a year for heart palpitations. I has worked for the palpitations, but the side effects have been a challenge. I have gained about 20 pounds, have the vivid nightmares, lack of energy, etc. One thing that I have noticed recently is the increased severity of allergies and difficulty breathing. Anyone else experiencing this?

I've been taking 25mg of Toprol twice a day since the middle of February this year. Since then, my joints ache so badly, I'm so tired I can't function, and the nightmares! I thought for sure the Grizzly bear in my dream this morning had me for sure! My blood pressure is a bit lower than usual, but I haven't had the chest pain or noticeable irregular heart rate since I've been taking Toprol.
I guess to get a little, you've got to give a little. sigh.

Low sex drive, tired after moderate physical exertion, foggy-headed all-day, insomnia, low-blood sugar, nightmares, loss of concentration, depression. 25mg/day 24 years old.

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.

Gonna sound crazy but has it happened to anyone else???...After going from 50mg. per day (XL) to 100 mg. per day I immediately had the scariest full color nightmares I have ever had. I jumped right back to the 50mg. tab.s and have been fine. Was it just me? Thanks.. Dennis

Haven't been taking this medication very long started March 1st or so with 50mg once a day. But felt didn't need it so took it kind of sporadically the first week, every other day, then I tried just half the second week 25mg. Then I had to go back to full 50mg this past week, so basically 50 to 25mg for three weeks or so now, and I feel AWFUL. Now that I have dropped back to the 25mg the side effects have lessened but the anxiety is unbearable! My arms and hands go cold and numb. When taking it at 50mg felt very sluggish, cloudy mind, doomed feeling. It just doesn't feel right. I am only 33 years old they did a stress test on me this past Friday and 2-D echocardiogram. Tomorrow they are going to do some blood tests and a get a holter monitor put on me for 48 hours. To see if I "need" to be on this med. I dont' think I do, if it truly was something I needed or helped my body, it would help it not bother more. I truly think I may have some other underlying reason for the high heart rate, my BP has always been normal except when I was hospitalized and then once they had me hydrated and my sugars back to normal (I'm hypoglycemic) my BP went normal I just had the tachycardia off and on. So that's why the doctor in the hospital said to begin the Toprol Xl b/c it's SO SAFE I GIVE IT TO PREGNANT WOMEN!! His words. I pray for those women. After just the one week straight of 50mg when I dropped to 25mg a couple days ago it felt AWFUL to do that as well, today is much better Thank God. But can you have such strong withdrawals after such short period of time? And if so, that is scary in and of itself.

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

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 started Toprol .25 for in the beginning of July for high blood pressure and it brought my blood pressure down about 30 points, along with alot of fatigue. After a week they increased the dose to .50 mg and I had nightmares, a racing heart and no change in my blood pressure. I tapered off the meds and have been off them for 3 days, but still have the racing heart. This stuff is poison.

I am a 40-year-old female taking 50mg/day of Toprol (for HBP) and have experienced the following side effects:

Fatigue
Lethargy
Pain in legs and arms
Loss of breath (even when walking very short distances)
Odd dreams/nightmares
Rapid weight gain (despite no change in eating/exercising habits)
Unusually heavy menstrual flow
Nosebleeds

The cure is worse than the disease! :-(

I have been on Toprol for a year and a half. Four months ago, I was taking 200 mg of Toprol per day. I was tired all of the time. I would have bazaar, nightmare type dreams. My fingers would go numb every morning and sometimes during the day, such that I could barely hold a fork. I would get dizzy easily and would get short of breath easily. When I was downsized from my job, my blood pressure began to decrease. I am on 50 mg per day now. I am still more tired than usual, still get dizzy or short of breath more easily than normal. The nightmares and the numbness in my fingers has disappeared. I am going to ask my doctor if I can try something else to reduce my blood pressure. I am tired of being tired.

nightmares

Itching, like poison ivy, on center of chest, elboes, ears, scalp, knees and around sock line. Itching appears related to areas of rubbing/perspiration. Itching appears to rotate, being in one or two locations for about 2 weeks and then disappearing, only to pop up again somewhere else. Only relief is hot shower water directed at area of redness/itching. Relieves it for 1-2 days. Oh, what a relief it is! :-) Also have "loose bowels," thirst, dry cough and slight sore throat, usually at night. Stopped taking for 30 days and ALL above symptoms disappeared. Started taking again and within 48 hours, symptoms mentioned above reappeared. Another problem, but not provable to toprol, are coldness to extremedies (hands in particular).

Do not get the nightmares/dreaming as mentioned by others.

38 yr. old female, prescribed Toprol for irregular heart beat/palps/murmur that I've had all my life but increased earlier this year to uncontrollable. Medication has also helped my migraines tremendously.

I started at 25mg tab/day, 6 months ago. I have adjusted dosage to 1/2 tab/day and take it at lunch time. This seems to be the best fit so far.

Most notable side effects: odd dreams every night (not nightmares), weight gain and mood changes.
These have only lessened in intensity with dosage change (not recommended for everyone - depends on heart condition severity).
Weight gain is most annoying (15 lbs. in 5 months) - must keep calorie/fat/carb intake in check and exercise daily. Going to try anyways...I like Toprol and don't want to give it up unless there is something to help with side effects.

38 year old female, starting toprol xl 50 daily six months ago. After the first few days went down to 25 daily due to chest pain, migraine, mood swings.

Currently hoping to go off med - was prescibed it for palps, mvp, migraines, and anxiety.

I have gained weight and inlisted the help of a personal trainer 6 weeks ago - has helped but the weight won't come off.

I feel tired, nightmares occasionally, slightly depressed, moody, and lack of short term memory is effecting my job performance. I hope to get off this drug soon too.

I am 30 an just started taking toprol for high blood pressure 10 day ago. The first night i took it I almost pasted out. I thought it was just my bp changing. 3 days later i almost pasted out again and immediatly went to my family doctor. when i got there my bp was 203/130 the highest it had ever been. Of course they gave me more toprol. which did correct the high bp. I am having bad nightmares and mood swings. Dizziness, stomach grumbling, and zombie like feelings. I am going to stop taking it.

disturbing dreams, difficulty waking, exhaustion, short term memory loss, confusion, aching joints, swollen knee, muscle cramping, difficulty concentrating. Switched to Lopressor which helped a little but am still having the problems with nightmares, sleep disturbances and mental fogginess. Doesn't seem to be as bad as with the Toprol XL, though.