Took Metoprolol Succinate 50mg for 4 weeks and stopped cold turkey per cardiologist
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Hello all,
Some great info in these forums not sure if its still as active as it used to be but posting anywho.
49 year old Male, 6 ft 160 lbs.
I was prescribed Metoprolol Succinate 50mg for high blood pressure due to stressful life events. I've been on Lisinopril for at least 10 years and it was working fine up until this year. I had readings north of 170/90 up to 180/120, so my primary care physician chose this beta blocker.
The metoprolol was working at first then 3-3.5 weeks in i started to have every one of the horrible side effects, cold hands and feet, new and worsening chest pain, tightness in chest, shortness of breath etc. I communicated this to my cardiologist and he said to go ahead and stop cold turkey since i had only been on them for 4 weeks. About 3 days in the withdrawal symptoms kicked and so i took diazepam to help with that. I've been off of the Metoprolol for 3 or so weeks and still having trouble sleeping, i havent been exercising where as before the metoprolol i rode the peloton daily very comfortably.
I had a nuclear stress test and that came out ok, 9.2 MET, 65% ejection fraction after stress and 7 Duke score with no indication of infraction or ischemia. The stress test was on the 3rd of september and on the 24th of september i had an echocardiogram and the results were a bit disappointing. "Left ventricle is normal in size. Normal left ventricle systolic function with ejection fraction of 57% (why did it go down so much since the stress test, i get one was at stress and the other at rest but still) Global longitudinal strain is borderline at -17.2%. Right ventricle is normal in size with normal systolic function, TAPSE is 2.3cm." Concerned about the borderline GLS, though again, i havent had my followup with my cardiologist.
Are the feelings of brain fog, exercise intolerance, chest tightness permanent? I feel like the beta blockers did some permanent damage to my heart and it occurred after i stopped taking them between the normal treadmill stress test and the slightly abnormal echocardiogram. I havent had my followup with my cardiologiest yet since the echo was performed last week, so maybe im reading too much into the results this early. I've only been off the Metoprolol for 3.5 weeks.
Any info from personal experiences with this horrible drug, which is now on my allergy list, would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all for reading.
0 likes, 8 replies
cliff51456 BGP
Edited
I doubt that there is any permanent effects (damage) from the metoprolol. Especially after only being on it for about a month.
I was on 200mg for over 10 years. In the last few years of that I started having issues. The brain fog, exercise intolerance, and always being tense. And at the end, problems sleeping. But this was while I was on the drug. Once I stop metoprolol, some of these issues stopped within a couple of days (mostly the sleep issues and muscle tension).
But I am right there with you on time off metoprolol. I am just about at 3 1/2 weeks myself. Still not feeling normal at all. But that might be my new BP meds and/or the meds the doc prescribed to help the anxiety that comes with the withdrawals.
FYI - My cardiologist said that there would be no issue stopping the metoprolol, even from 200mg for 10 yrs. But they did give me Cardizem CD to control my heart rate. Obviously not true....
Hope we both feel back to normal soon!
BGP cliff51456
Posted
Hey Cliff,
Thank you very much for the response. I hope we are feeling better soon too.
I don't see how I could have permanent damage from 4 weeks of metoprolol succinate 50mg even though I stopped abruptly. I've read in many places to never stop cold turkey, you always have to wean off. I've seen folks weaning off even only after a week or 2 of use, maybe that got into my head.
Today is the 4 week mark from when I stopped taking them, and while I'm feeling better than I was week #1 I'm no where near what I consider to be normal; I still get tightness in my chest when my heart rate gets above 120bpm where before I started the metoprolol I could sustain my heart rate in the 150s comfortably. Still get a headache now and then, and my heart beats strange compared to before this med. I have a follow up with my doctor next week and hoping to get some of these questions answered.
I hope you are feeling better.
-Brian
cliff51456 BGP
Posted
Hi. Everyone is different, and I don't want to disregard or doubt anyone else's experience. But I can't see anyone having physical withdrawals from a short period of time on 25 - 50mg doses. Maybe after months or years on these dosages.
You should be fine with just stopping. Maybe a few days of adjustment. One of the biggest adjustment I think is that metoprolol works by being an adrenaline blocker (among other things), so when you stop you system is getting the full dose of adrenaline again.
Wow, your heart rate are way up there. To me, at least. When I was on metoprolol (at my dosage level) my HR was usually in the 50's and maybe low 60's (for a decade). Now it is up in the 70's and maybe low 80's while taking Cardizem. Just this level is a huge adjustment for me.
BGP cliff51456
Edited
I should have been more specific with those heart rates - those are while I'm on the Peloton exercising. My resting heart rate is in the 60s. It was in the low 50s while on Metoprolol which is one of the reasons they took me off so quickly.
Today is 1 month to the day since I abruptly stopped taking it. Still have random chest pains that I didn't get until stopping the drug, also have occasional tightness in the chest as well as the exercise intolerance. I'm really hoping these resolve over time and I get back to normal. I felt better before the Metoprolol and had lots of energy and no chest pains. My heart hasn't felt the same since I started taking this drug. It was originally prescribed for high blood pressure and palpitations. I do feel better today than I did a month ago but I'm just really surprised at how this med affected me, especially after stopping.
jules81443 BGP
Posted
Hi, how are you feeling now? Are you still having issues with sleep? My sleep is messed up and its killing me. Wake up after 2-3 hours and unable to get back to sleep. Heart beat still wonky at times and occasional high heart rate. I hate what this drug has done to me after a low dose for only 2.5-3 weeks. Pill from hell!
cathrine70629 BGP
Posted
im sorry for your suffering. I have been trying to teduce Atenolol and finding myself in a world of hurt. This has been more vicious than psych meds to get off. I am down to a quarter pill (7mg) but too sick to resume tapering
ryan79416 BGP
Posted
Hey did your chest pains ever go away. I'm experiencing the same issues after a couple weeks of use? I'm scared that it damaged my heart somehow.
tracy00751 BGP
Posted
I've been taking Lexapro for years. It doesn't help with my anxiety, so I take Valium as needed. I was recently prescribed Metoprolol. Shortly after, I've felt like a hormonal teenager, crying every day, extremely intrusive thoughts that I've never had before, crawling out of my skin, zero patience, overwhelmed, massive anxiety attacks, nightmares, you name it.
I decided to do some research on metroprolol and it's a friggin BETA BLOCKER which is on my allergy list because they make me insane. This is a fairly common side effect because it messes with other brain chemicals and your central nervous system.
I've never taken a beta blocker this long. But, I'm not taking it again and I'm calling the cardiologist tomorrow.
THIS has GOT to be what suddenly changed.
I've been living in hell for the last month. I'm livid!