Metoprolol Withdrawal (Page 88)

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

Unless you have wheezing, it probably is not asthma. I was given some steroid inhaler that I use twice a day. It has not eliminiated the phlegm in the AM, but the breathing is not so painful. I cannot take NSAIDs or they would have suggested ibuprofen.

It is very strange that this occurs eight months after the withdrawal began. Never had anything wrong with my lungs and I quit smoking cigarettes 40 years ago.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

JR,
thus far, almost 10 months off Metoprolol, it seems to have been headaches, flushing, nausea, high anxiety ( some panic attacks), depression, flu like achiness, arthritic like joint pain (maybe), fatigue off and on, asthma like symptoms (deep breathing pain, lump in the throat, and phlegm) and chest pressure, dizziness upon standing, high heart rate and blood pressure for me.

Some of this may have been occurring while on M., especially the anxiety (panic attacks) and flu-like symptoms.

M. did not prevent a triple bypass I had performed, while on it, in 2014. Nor did it lower my blood pressure all that much. It did lower my heart rate.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Went to a pulmonologist today. He told me to start taking beta blockers again. He thinks that I was on rise in anxiety for something else and that the switch to atenolol and back to metoprolol had nothing to do with my increase into extreme anxiety.

But I perceived a difference in anxiety that wa extreme when IM

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Matt, I am having a heck of a time. 15 months off. I cant drink caffeine without feeling like my head is swollen ( if that makes sense). Its like that with any meds that i take. Im constantly fatigued and always have mucus stuck in my throat. I also have constant asthma. My biggest issue is the sensitivity to everything that goes in my mouth. I get really lightheaded and dizzy. Its awful. Anyone else have the sensitivity issues?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Matt, I got diagnosed with crohns disease back in September.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

That drug has ruined me. I am dizzy, can not drive right, I have anxiety, lack of concentration and panic attacks. I feel like I am going crazy. I quit taking it a day ago and still feel the same. Horrible

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Kim- how long were you on it ? . I have been off for like 15 months and feel alot better . The anxiety is still there but it gets better .

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Sandra

I am sensitive to any new meds. I Am trying HCTZ, a diuretic, to bring my BP down and it makes me fatigued and anxious. It does bring down my BP, but it raises my HR.

I even tried Aleve and it made me tired all day, not sleepy tired, just fatigued.

I hvae used an inhaler with an anti-inflammatory and it helped with the phlegm and the burning when taking a deep breath after about a month or so. I am now able to breathe deeper without pain.

This is at 10+ months.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Anyone have heartburn like symptoms? I feel like a burning in my chest almost all the time, I've been off almost a year now, and sometimes think I will never be normal again

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have heart burn now too it sucks and the anxiety is still there

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

JR, Norma, and Sandra

How is the anxiety compared to when you where a few months off? Does it come and go or is it constant? Did any of you have anxiety or depression problems/issues before you started M?

Do any of you have joint pain that was new after stopping M?

Sandra, when did the asthma like symptoms start? Were they there right away or did they develop later on?

Do you ever feel yourself for a while? It has been so long now that I have trouble remembering what normal is or was?

Bob, if you are around, let us know how you are doing.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My anxiety isnt as bad but its still there. My asthma started when i got on the M but never went away. Im also more depressed. My theory is that the M suppressed our system so much that it is now so sensitive to everything. (Not so much a theory, more like common sense). I dont feel good. Ever. I dont know what normal is. I would love to hear if anyone ever became normal after even a few years. Im losing hope.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Sandra,

Sorry that it is still bothering you after such a long period of time? I have read here many who have felt normal after some period of time, from a few months to people like you and JR, over a year.

I know that I do not want to go back on any beta blocker even though the doctors universally advise that. They do not understand what most people are going through here and why they would not go back.

I listen to my body and my body did not write the medical journals that these doctors, from cardiologists to endocrinologists, base their theories, practice and prescriptions on.

I asked my friends who were on beta blockers (and there were many) and none had any problems unless they missed a dose and they felt palpitations. So, for many it is a good drug, not for everyone, obviously the many who post here.

Obviously anyone who still has symptoms and does not feel right after so long a time is going to be depressed, much like a chronic disease.

Long term anxiety will almost certainly lead to depression, too. But at least the anxiety is waning

Did you ever go back on M during withdrawal and why did you get on in the first place, HR or BP?

Are you better than you were, while on M?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Matt I never had anxiety before taking M my was coming and going, but has stuck around for about 3 weeks now! I don't really have any joint pain, I did before coming off. The heartburn sensation is the worst, it runs all the way up, the most depressing thing for me is that everyone thinks it's impossible for the M to be effecting me this long ??

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I went back on it off and on when I was withdrawling. I was first on it for fast heart rate.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Norma,
It is very discouraging that they do not believe you. All my doctors continually tell me to go back on beta blockers. They are just wrong. Not everyone's chemistry is the same.

What I have trouble with is all the side effects from drugs that I never had before, since withdrawal. The sensitivity to food, medicine, even the OTC medicines.
I do not take opiodes because they make me "wired" whereas they put most people to sleep. Aleve now depresses me. So did Cardizem, another blood pressure medicine. Norvasc made me nauseous. Tylenol is about all I can take and it is not much good against inflammation.

Your heartburn sounds like GERD, angina or lung inflammation or maybe it is just withdrawal and your body readjusting to life without beta blockers.

10 and 1/2 months for me and I was on Metoprolol for 20 years and it turned on me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Sandra,

Have you tried prilosec or other protein pump inhibitors for the heartburn. Anxiety churns your brain and your stomach so that may be the problem. It also increases your heart rate.

If you are on other medicines, it may be those. OR it is just the withdrawal from metoprolol. I had really bad nausea for up to six months often and on from withdrawal. I cut out caffeine, most dairy products except skim milk and ice cream. It is not only medicines but food that we have sensitivity to. It is mostly gone, but I watch my food intake. Also after six months I developed pain upon deep breathing right in the center of my chest, right in the center of the chest below the ribs up through my throat. An inhaler with corticosteroids has helped that inflammation, pain and phlegm build up. One of the side effects of beta blockers is "asthma like" symptoms as Sandra has had since starting metoprolol.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have been on 50mg of metoprolol 2x a day since a MI in 2014. The extreme fatigue made life not worth living. My cardiologist is tapering me off (down to 1 a day)..and immediately felt much better. After 2 weeks of doing really well, I suddenly had an attack on Monday... increased heart rate, dizziness, slight shortness of breath followed by panic. Ended up at hospital where EKG and other tests showed nothing. 2 days later still having similar issues if I am not resting. Bad part is not sure if this is a problem with going off the drug or something else cardio (or not!) related.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Sounds as if you are going through withdrawal from the dosage drop.

Metoprolol usually calms people down by reducing the adrenalin flow to the brain, resulting in lower Heart Rate and lower blood pressure. The fatigue you experienced at the higher dosage is a common side effect.

Give your body some time to adjust to the increase in adrenalin, due to the drop in dosage.

Withdrawal always brings about your second guessing yourself on whether it is the reaction to dosage drop or something totally new.

To be safe, have your heart checked out. If it is metoprolol and not Toprol XL, the extended release capsule, you might try going up to 37.5 mg for a while and then coming back to 25 mg once you stabilize at 37.5. Talk to your cardiolologist about that first.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Stay away from proton pump inhibitors! They are very dangerous long term!!! Don't be taking people's advice on here unless you know they are a qualified medical expert! There's a lot of people that think they know it all! Always consult with a medical professional!

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