Toprol-XL and stress

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.

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'm 35 year old woman and am on Toprol XL 50mg (generic version) once a day at night for palpitations. I am also on LisinoprilHCTZ 20/25mg for hypertension which was controlled with that and now Toprol. After two weeks was lightheaded to the point where I couldn't function at times, heart rate would be in the 90-110 range which is high for me and ringing in my ears usually during these times. At the bad times my left shoulder and hand would go numb. Finally the doctor is cutting me to 25mg but I'm wondering if that would really do anything and I have to get off of it all together. My heart is healthy but do have palpitations, any suggestions?

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.

was put on toprol 25mgs. one year ago by my heart doctor, for tachycardia which only happened after stress. soon thereafter i developed a numbness in the toes of both feet. i saw my my intrenist who didnt know what it was from. i left the country and was livinf abroad until aug 07. while ther the paresthesia of my toes got worse and started traveling up my foot and half of my calf. saw my internist and was advised to see a neurolgist. he put me thru a series of blood test and an emg. all came up negative. went back to the internist and asked her to review my records from sept 2006. first thing she noticed was that i had been started on toprol. she told me one of the side effects is paresthesia of the feet and or hands, and advised me to cut the dose in half for a few weeks and then in half again in a effort to wean me off of it. its been only 3 days since i began to cut down and already the numbness is starting to decrease. has any one else experienced this? does it go entirely away? please write. hopefull

Hi Toprol-XL Victims. I was put on this med because the doctor felt that I only needed to be on one blood pressure med and not two. I was told to take 100mg a day, but after telling the doctor that I almost passed out 5 times just after 3 days of use, he quickly cut it in half to 50 mg. There are days when my BP spikes. It's only spiked about two-three times over the past 6 months of use.

As with all of you here, I have good days and bad days. Mainly the fuzzy, cloudy feeling in the head, the shortness of breath when going up flights of stairs. My BP was 160-180 over 90. Now it stays about 98/62 - 130/78, and when it does spike it goes up to about 160 or so. Some days I get up and I feel just great...I just wish I had a larger % of good days vs. bad days.

I look at the alternative though.....I almost had a stroke one year ago, and that was not pleasant. I still suffer with slight palipations/seizures (have had two attacks so far). The doctor says it is stress related, but like I told him, I never had problems before. I watch what I eat now. I've lost a good 45 lb.s with another 65 lbs. to go. I'm hoping once I lose all of the weight the BP will drop by itself. I cannot stress enough the importance of removing salt from your diet...oh my goodness. I'll give you an example. One night I had ground meat over white rice (that was prepared on top the stove - no salt of course, but the meat brought its own bad elements to the table). I stood up to walk a straight line and wound up walking a slant. My BP shot up just from eating that.

So far this drug was the only thing to kind of keep me in check w/ my BP.

I am a 30 year old woman who has been on Toprol (25 mg) for a week now. My doc prescribed it for mild hypertension and rapid heart rate. So far, I have had terrible indigestion and other "digestive issues", as well as difficulty sleeping. Fatigue and frequent urination (especially at night) have also plagued me for the past week. I have been taking my BP and heart rate readings every day and have yet to see a noticeable improvement. After reading all of the posts on this page, I am extremely nervous and wondering if I really need to be on this medication

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

Just started Troprol two weeks ago for anxiety and high blood pressure...Now my anxiety is more than ever, and trying to get the ringing in my ears to stop...Yes I was under stress when this happened (closing on house, lots of dental work being done, and work itself). Never had blood pressure problems before. I don't feel just like myself now. Just wondering if Tropol is the cause?

My mother was given Toprol while in the hospital to lower her blood pressure. After a few days, she was completely disoriented and could not answer simple questions about the year or events that had just happened. The doctors thought it was just due to a combination of her age and the stress of being in the hospital but at our request discontinued the Toprol. Within less than a day, her mental clarity had returned.

I have been on Toprol XL 25mg daily since last May. I am now 46 years old and other than this stress-induced high blood pressure, have always been healthy and within normal weight range.

Since then I've had the following side effects:

* NO SEX DRIVE (I'm a newlywed, so this really sucks),
* gained like 15 pounds, cannot lose weight for anything, and I've always been able to lose weight with diet and exercise.
* feeling sleepy a lot,
* more depression than usual,
* and just an all-around-less-energy-feeling.

I found a new doctor and he told me to ween myself off of the Toprol XL, but within two days of going to 12.5mg, I started feeling really, really sick, I can't even describe it, like losing my mind, and my body just felt so strange. Well, at this point I freaked out and went back to 25mg a day. I need to get off of this pill so I can get my sex drive back and also lose the weight I've gained. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with the withdrawal symptoms?

Thanks.

PLEASE READ!

Hi - My wife recently started taking toprol for her tachicardia. Shortly after starting it the doctors told her she was most pregnant. We are both only in our late twenties but she has had heart problems most of her life. my main question is has there been any reports of trouble during pregnancy when using Toprol? We have to decide what we are gonna do here. We are already worried about the pregnancy because of her health problems. Im worried that this is too much stress on her now. Any help you can give will be most appreciated. Thank you