Metoprolol. Tapering off. Side effects. Horrible drug!

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Metoprolol has been the worst medication I've ever been on. After a year of not knowing what was making me sick we found out it's this poison. I have never suffered so much and now after so much I found out it was this medication which I was given for hypertension. I've always ran but high and I believe I in fact have white coast hypertension I have MS so it's hard to know what's wha. Unclearly this drug ruined my life. I was 5"8 145lbs after losing a lot of weight from the pesky steroids I was given initially for MS then this drug in one year (despite healthy eating) packed on 30lbs and gave me a list of horrific side effects to include swelling chest pressure burning in arms sleep disturbances extreme dizziness depression I never thought possible. I'm slowly tapering off as no one warns you how risky stopping this drug is. Into week 2 of taper and it's hard

I have a tough time with MS but was never this sick

Also doctors hand this crap out like nothing despite FDA warnings. Anyone else go through this? I can't wait to be rid of this poison in me. My anxiety is off the charts

I can't believe I agreed to take this Med. I trusted my doctor. Never again. Have been to ER very sick 3 times. Even ER doc said it's not a good Med to treat HTN of any kind

Thank you for your time

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  • Edited

    i sincerely hope that everyone is doing better . i just thought id drop by to give a tip. i just confirmed through experience that vit b complex supplements can trigger palpitations even food like chicken liver can trigger it. twice i had to endure 110 plus bpm palps due to this. may we all get healed fully soon in Jesus' name. thank you

  • Edited

    I have been off metoprolol for more than a month and it's still affecting me. I have horrible adrenaline like I'm falling from a plane or something. I get it throughout the day and I wake up every day at 5 with it and it keeps me up from then on. my heart pounds and I feel scared to death. I also have nightmares that are horrible. I wake up shaking and my pulse and blood pressure are off the hook. the never had any of this until metoprolol. this drug ruined my life. I really hope this goes away because this could not be good for my heart. very scared

    • Posted

      Dont worry, you will see from my earlier replies that it took 5 months for me, tho things started improving after 2 months. it was another bb but they are much the same re this, depends on the person, my GP def knew about all this and just said i should be feeling better by X (that was 2 months from end of tapering), but in my case things lasted much longer. i had to re-start eventually, after nearly 2 years, as i do have a medical problem, but i learnt a lot and keep the dose lower than the dose i started with. With my problem i should not have stopped entirely, but i have got more of a handle on my problems now, and realise these meds are essential lifesavers for many, often older, people. They may be given to some others inappropriately, i do not know. The experience of going through this may not seem of any use to you at present, but it may be in the long term. Sadly, you just have to keep calm (any extra adrenaline is not a good idea) and wait. Best wishes

    • Posted

      google mudra for your heart. these are simple hand positions with your fingers and used in eastern medicine. sending you positive energy for a quick healing.

  • Posted

    Been on Metropolol for 8 yrs. 12.5 twice daily after a bad injury directly affecting my sympathetic nerve of the autonomic nervous system. the injury put me in fight or flight mode and high BP over 160.

    This med really helped me.

    Some celebrities would use it for stage fright for anxiety. It reduced the fright or flight effect, reducing the adrenal which decreases the sympathetic system and thus reduced heart rate and blood pressure. Great.

    But now how do you get off it?

    My doctor thought since I have always been on a low dose I could stop. Tried it for two days. Day one went ok, day two, BP shot up to 134/100 and felt that anxiety associated with the sympathetic nervous system. Tried doing more parasympathetic activities like deep breathing and meditation to get the autonomic nervous system back in balance. It was too difficult so went back on 12.5 x twice daily and called Pharmacist. She said play it by ear, but MUST wean of it or end up in the ER. My HR is in low 50's and BP has been returning to normal. 117/78 HR low 50's

    Her Schedule

    from 12.5 twice daily to:

    1/2 that dose twice daily - 2 wks

    1/4 that dose twice daily - 2 wks

    1/4 that dose once daily - 2 wks

    1/4 that dose @ other day - 2 wks

    i will have to be patient and try this.

    Does anyone know if this will work? Does anyone know if this will work. Hoping doing parasympathetic activities will also help restore the autonomic system balance. This may take some time.

    • Posted

      hi.ive been off it for a month and a half and I'm still having problems. I was in the er last night with a pulse of 180. it can stay in the nervous system for at least 3 months. it takes time. why are you getting off of it if you like it?

    • Posted

      hi everyone. i've been reading other posts here and found this one to be the most helpful. i hope we're allowed to post links here. best wishes and God bless!https://patient.info/forums/discuss/beta-blocker-bisoprolol-withdrawal-and-breathlessness-493734

    • Posted

      I have recovered enough from these injuries to be able to get off the meds. also now experiencing HR too low. it served its purpose in lowing the high blood pressure as a result of the injury.

    • Posted

      what did they do in the ER to lower your HR from 180?

    • Posted

      nothing because I was doing breathing exercises until the ambulance came so I got it down to 120 so they didn't give me anything

    • Posted

      was on metoprolol for only 4 months. tapered off from 25 mg daily to 12.5 daily 10 days and then 6. 25mg daily for 10 days. dizziness is becoming less. this was not sanctioned by a dr. did my research and used this approach. I'm going to be 75 in February and want to live my life not just exist. be patient and meditate. you got this!

  • Posted

    Hi May name is Faith, How long did it take you to wean off the Beta Blocker? And how much did you wean at a time, Like a quarter or less? I've been on it for (atenolol) 5 years?

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