Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 86)

i've been taking metoprolol for several years as partial treatment for high blood pressure. through diet and exercise, i've lowered my BP to the point my doctor says drop the metoprolol.

i did, 3 days ago, and i'm soooo tired, dizzy, irritable, and my vision is blurred.

is this withdrawal? how long will it last?

i remember starting this medication was terrible to get used to. it appears that stopping it is just as bad.

REPLY

REPORT

Thank you, Bob....

You have really been a "good listener." And I thank you. I completely understand what you are saying. I think its all a conspiracy .A way for our government to keep us( .If you will.) And a way to make money. I never implied the medicine didnt work. I just know I've had a lot of side effects. From nausea, hair loss, weight gain, fatigue, and the list goes on. I just wanted to thank you. And I hope the best for you as well....

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Took metropolol for 9 months 50 mg daily it was off and on with this pill some good some bad very unpredictable side effects finally I said enough the doc is weaning me off 1/2 the first week then one on one day off the second week and now off totally for 12 days and still feeling side effects to some degree .
Awful medicine

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I have been on metoprolol tartrate 2mg for 1 month for mild spiking BP; stress related! Side effects were horrible so I stopped cold turkey 4 days ago. On the 3rd day after this, my doctor put me on amlodipine besylate 5mg; I took 1/2 a pill that night and could not sleep all night and the diarrhea was back in the morning and had bad cramps in both feet so I haven't continued that one either! My BP was 121/70, pulse 69 upon waking this morning. 118/62 BP and pulse 69 after going to the bathroom. Went up to 138/76. Pulse 75 after breakfast and 150/71 BP / pulse 86 after I started going over bills and getting ready to go shopping! I notice my heart speeding up when I am moving around now and breathing, exercise brings it down. I am going to try to keep off of these drugs as I cannot seem to tolerate the side effects. I am a 71 yr old post menopausal woman with osteoporosis. Other than that I am pretty healthy and my blood work is very good. Anyone out there having success getting off this drug cold turkey?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Jan, are you sure that it was only 2Mg?

About cold turkey, you can go cold turkey after only 1 Month on a drug. You will usually have mild or none withdrawal symptoms. Even though some people had a few rough days/week after taking a drug for only 1 Month, but in general you should be fine.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Bob, you are right; typing error! It was metoprolol tartrate 25 mg!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Bob, I hear you! I think the generic drugs can be a problem especially for older people like me; A nurse told me that they use different fillers in generic drugs and many people have allergic reactions to them and older people like myself cannot tolerate them!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

About the original and generic drugs, they are around 90% the same but 10% different. They could be slightly different in strength, duration, peak times etc.
But also, they do have some different ingredients and fillers and they can cause different side effects in different people.

But about Beta Blockers, I tried a few of them, both the original drug and generic versions, and I had problems on each version (although slightly different side effects on each version).

About your case, my opinion is that your problems weren't because of a generic drug, but because of Beta blockers in general.
Some people (majority of us on these forums) don't tolerate Beta blockers well and that's it.
You would probably have the same problems both on an original drug and on generic versions.

Good luck

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I don't do well with Meds in general; had horrible allergic reactionin in 2011 with z-pak antibiotic! Thanks for your input Bob!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Bob,
At eight months and I have some new symptoms. When I breathe deeply, as when a doc is listening to your lungs with a stethoscope, I get pain from the bottom of the breastplate up to the throat. Also a lot of phlegm in the morning.....no cold or virus. Been going on a month. I had a chest xray which was negative. Thoughts??

Hope you are well.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Matt, about lungs, maybe you have started to walk more and do more activities now and now your lungs are "growing back" to their normal level.

Remember that your whole body and all muscles have atrophied during the time on BBs and returning to a normal state takes a lot of time after 15-20 years on BBs.

It could be related to this or maybe those are some other medical problems, unrelated to Beta blockers. I hope that you will be better.

Can you walk and do more activities now?
Is anxiety getting better?
Elevated heart rate is probably gone by now also?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Bob, I am having daily headaches...pressure behind my eyes and back of neck! Could this be a side effect of stopping the beta blocker cold turkey after only 1 month using it?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Jan, hi. Yes. Headaches, dizziness, high heart rate, high blood pressure, nausea, pain in muscles/body are most common withdrawal symptoms.

I have stopped taking a drug 2 months ago, after weaning off for months, and I still have some episodes of dizziness, breathing problems, elevated heart rate, anxiety, headaches.

2-3 days ago I had a strong headache and I usually never have headaches. Beta blockers have made your blood vessels in your whole body wider and your body readjusted to those conditions (with wider vessels). Now when your vessels are normal or narrow again (especially in the brain), it takes some time until your body readjusts again to these new conditions.

Also, even when you quit a drug, it remains in your body and organs for a few more weeks in small doses, especially inside the blood-brain-barrier. So, it takes some time until your body gets clean from a drug (especially for people who were taking it longer) and then it takes some time until your body fully readjusts again to a life without drugs.

Anyway, in short: headaches (often together with dizziness) are perfectly normal and one of the most common withdrawal symptoms.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Jan,

I had those headaches during the early months of withdrawal and I never had headaches before. It is one of many withdrawal symptoms, probably tension headaches. Tylenol helped some, but they eventually disappeared.

If you are experiencing anxiety, the tension headaches could be part of that, too.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Thank you to Bob and Matt, your feedback helps so much; pretty scary experiencing these side effects. It's been 8 days now since I stopped the Beta Blocker. I still have a nervous tick on my shoulder, keeps jumping and pulse starts pounding whenever I get up and start moving or walk to the mailbox, but that too is easing. I am scared to start exercising again. I thank God that I found this site; it is so comforting and helpful.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Danny, if you are still reading,

How long did it take you before you felt the anxiety effects start to lessen and was it and off and on process as many here describe, feeling good for several days or weeks, then feeling poorly again?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Bob,

I still have a high heart rate after 8 months. Blood pressure is high as well. I have been fighting depression as my knees and back have been bad this winter, so I am not exercising as I used to, especially in the winter.

My anxiety is almost always around, at times worse than others. I had an anxiety before the beta blocker withdrawal and all these doctors are telling me that it was the beta blocker probably masking my anxiety. But I never experienced the level of anxiety that I had when it turned on me.

One doctor wants me to try a small dose of propanalol (12.5 mg), but I am so fearful of any new drug, especially a beta blocker, than I do not dare. I am watching my diet and noticed that dairy products sometime bring on nausea now....never before. He also thought I should see my cardiologist about an ablation, but my EKG's are fine and my heart beats on sinus so that seems absolutely wrong.

I notice now that I get very anxious a few days before any doctor's appointment, something I really never had before. I usually have trouble sleeping the night after an appointment with all kind of things swirling around in the anxious brain.

Danny, who was on M for 10 years and is less than half my age, said it took him a year before he felt better and saw the light at 10 months....and I was on it 20 years.

Hope you are well.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I am 14 months off and heart rate just now getting back to normal and blood pressure still gets kinda high with heavy activity. My anxiety is still bad too. Ive noticed things disappear tho like heart flutters and muscle twitches. Its been a horribly long road for me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Sandra,

Glad to hear that you are feeling better....it also gives me hope at 8+ months. Struggling with depression but managed to get my taxes in. My heart rate, BP and anxiety are all still abnormally high.

Let is know how you are doing from time to time.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

It has been 12 days now since I stopped beta blockers and I still have trouble sleeping and the shoulder tic is so bad it feels like I may tear something or dislocate my shoulder and it is in constant pain! I am considering wearing a sling! I was only on the beta blockers 1 month and 4 days. I am never taking that med again! Taking a magnesium citrate powder in water at night; it is supposed to restore, balance and relax! I noticed that my BP is really good in the morning after taking it the night before! I can't wait for all this edginess goes away! Hoping you all get better day by day!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Matt, about Propranolol, well, that is an oldest Beta blocker.

It affects anxiety a lot from what I have read. On one hand, it may help you (but you will again have side effects as on other Beta blockers). But if you'll decide to stop one day, you will go through this hell one more time.
Even one month on it would be enough to neutralize all what you have done in these 8 Months. Probably even 2-3 weeks on it would require a new withdrawal lasting for Months.

So, my opinion, don't take Beta blockers, it will be the same as on Metoprolol.

Maybe it would be better to try Benzodiazepines, different drugs for anxiety etc.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

My Dr. told me I can just quit the metoprolol, my heart rate sometimes dips into low 40's for a few seconds at night...

3 REPLIES

So I was prescribed Metoprolol for high BP and have taken it for a total of about 8 years. It was horrible in the beginn...

20 REPLIES

My son had a terrible experience on wyvance. He has phyciatic systems to include halluciations. The doctor took him off ...

428 REPLIES

I have been in pain management for years, lost my doctor along with other patients, and primary won't fill or says s...

299 REPLIES

I have been on kolonopin 1 mg daily for 14 months now I am depressed and very anxious most of the time I want to get off...

292 REPLIES

How long before muscle aches and weakness subside after discontinuing Lipitor ## Had been on 10mg for 4 years. recently ...

204 REPLIES

I have been taking 200 mg. a day for about 4 years. I thought it was a coincidence that I've lost 50% of my hair dur...

165 REPLIES

I have been on Vyvanse for 4 weeks and I am now tapering off. I was going to quit cold turkey , but I wke up this mornin...

159 REPLIES

I started Metoprolol this Monday after the cardiologist prescribed it because of being in the ER with extremely fast hea...

103 REPLIES

I have been on stelaine for 25 years with short breaks but I am trying to stop it and getting nasty withdrawal effects. ...

87 REPLIES