Toprol-XL and sedative

I just started Toprol XL on Friday (four full days ago). I was put on it to decrease heart rate and palps, I have Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. I am 35 years old. I was prescribed to take 50mg twice a day, and I am on the generic. Almost immediately, stomach upset started with diarrhea. I still had some palps at 25 mg. twice a day, which the MD told me to start with for about two days. So, after doing the 25mg for two days twice daily, I went on to the 50mg twice daily. Last night I slept for twelve hours straight, and then felt like I had a sedative after I got up. After taking my next 50mg dose this morning, I got so sleepy again, and felt like sleeping and was in a fog after the twelve hours of sleep last night! I can't imagine mixing anything else with it that causes drowsiness, you would pass out. I feel like I can't think clearly,and feel more crabby and irritable. I called the MD this am. and was told to go back to 25mg twice a day, and that side effects would lessen over time. I have had this sinus tachycardia problem for years, and got diagnosed with it officially in 04. It is very annoying, with shortness of breath, pounding heart,and feeling like you are running a race which sitting still. I have also had an increase in feeling like it skips a beat. All this prompted the Toprol usage. It does help the heart rate and palps, but now I feel so tired I can hardly put one foot in front of the other. I try to walk for thirty min. at least five days a week, and today it was all I could do to make it. I have to watch my twenty month old daily, and I can't keep up with his energy now for sure. I plant to go back to the 25mg twice a day starting tomorrow, and maybe eventually get to the 25mg once daily. I never would recommend anyone stopped something like this cold turkey, you could find yourself in the ER, never play with any heart meds!! I pray that a slow decrease will be the answer to finding some symptom relief of my condition, yet still being able to function daily. Thank God also I am a stay at home mom for now, starting this and trying to work, I would be sleeping on the job!

Back in July I was experiencing rapid heart beats and shortness of breath. I'm a 43 white female with a high stress job. I went to the doctor expecting him to prescribe a sedative. He hooked me up to an EKG which showed I had a left bundle branch block. He then ordered blood work, chest x-rays, an ultra sound, and a nuclear stress test. All test came back fine, but my stress test showed a heart attack, which apparently is common with the left bundle block. I then wore a 24 hour Holter moniter which indicated tachycardia. That's when the doctor prescribed 50 mg Metoprolol. My BP and heart rate are now almost normal and the shortness of breath has gone away. I still experience a mild heaviness in my chest, but that is only when I allow my self to be stressed. I have gained over 5 pounds in less than 2 months and my dreams are more vivid than usual. One side effect that was listed on my drug info sheet that I haven't read about on this site described a cough, which I have had for over a month. I mentioned the cough to my doctor and he said it was prob post nasal drip so he prescribed 180 mg Fexofenadine and told me to cut the Metoprolol in half so I would be taking 25 mg. The Fexofenadine has helped with sneezing that I have always experienced, but the cough is still there. The cough is not always severe, but it has interrupted my sleep twice and my job once. The last bad coughing episode lasted 90 mins during the night. Has anyone else experienced the coughing side effect of Metoprolol?

I'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.