Toprol-XL and high blood pressure

I am a 40 year old woman. I was having to do a lot of mediation for my work and discovered I had situational high blood pressure. BP was 160/105, pulse 90. Started taking metroprolol and have had terrible dreams about huge spiders at night. That they're in my bed or dropped on my head. Creepy.

My major complaint however is that I feel fuzzy in my mind. I am a paralegal and I have difficulty grasping the word I'm looking for in situations - which is a terrible problem. I do believe that the medication calms me down - but I feel a tiny bit out of it - not really forgetful, just a lot of difficulty grabbing onto and expressing what I'm trying to say. "Fuzzy" is the best word I can use to describe it.

Okay folks, I've been taking metoprolol for nearly two months and It sucks big time. Came to this site because of feeling dizzy and I find that's a big problem. I keep feeling dizzier, more tired and I'm a zippy old gal, not overweight, none of that, but dang I just feel like crap and tend to drink more coffee and stuff just to keep zipping. I will take a half dose tonight and call the doc in the morning. Also have gastric problems. Heck, I would rather die of heart attack or brain aneurysm (sp, I know) than live life dizzy.

I started Metaprolol Succ. 2 weeks ago when I had a racing heart and ended up in the ER. I was actually dehydrated and low in potassium plus going through a fungal detox and that's why my heart was out of whack. The metaprolol has put me on the couch for 2 weeks. Extreme dizziness like I am being pushed down to the ground, depression, crying, fear, some diarrhea,shortness of breath, feeling drugged out, fatigued, weird vision, and the most awful high anxiety I have ever had! I cannot believe someone could have this much anxiety and not jump out of their skin. The first few days I was taking this, I felt great! Then it just went downhill.. I am trying to take magnesium and inositol (all natural) to help curb the anxiety. I told the doctor to wean me off of this, NOW! I am only taking 25 mg per day and I was told to cut it in half for 4 days and then stop. I can't wait to get this stuff out of my head and system. I never had high blood pressure and taking something for high blood pressure is just not right for my system. All I really needed was magnesium/potassium to get my heart under control. I am going to start Enzymatic Therapy Krebs Cycle Potassium/Magnesium in a few days.

Hi- I was on Lopressor 50mgs. twice a day for my slightly elevated BP, MVP, SVT, palpitations, and anxiety attacks. Started having some intermittent chest pain (not bad, just annoying). Dr. switched me to Toprol XL 100 mg/day. Of course, insurance made me get Metoprolol ER 100 mg/day (the generic) but I haven't had a problem with it!! I love taking just 1 pill a day instead of having to juggle the two pills and remembering if and when I took them. I take the pill every morning with breakfast (which is usually an apple and a small bowl of cereal and a glass of water). I have gained some weight since being on the Lopressor, but I started the Dash Diet and have lost about 8 lbs. in about 4 months, not too good but I'm not following the diet as well as I should be! I also get tired and occasionally have problems with hearburn and gas, but anytime you take any kind of medication you will have side effects. Wish I didn't have to take any meds but am not willing to subject myself to the effects of high blood pressure, I would rather have the side effects from the meds. My BP is usually 110/75 now and my heart rate is around 70-75. I'm 47 years old and feeling like I might make it into my 90's now!!

TWO PIECES OF ADVICE:
DO NOT DRINK alcohol within 6 hrs and EAT right before taking Toprol. This should help with all mentioned side effects!
I have noticed that if I drink ANY alcohol within six hours of taking Toprol (before or after), my HR skyrockets to 190+BPM. I thought this might help others. Also, I MUST eat at least 2 slices of bread each time I take it. Otherwise, I will feel very dizzy, faint and have bad dreams.
If I eat, I have no side effects.
Also, there have been a couple times where I missed a dose or took it late and each time, I feel my heart starting to race and the PVC's coming back.

I have been on 25 mg of Toprol for 6months due to PVC's and rapid/ racing HR (160+)/ palps and BP spikes. My 24hr Holter (six months ago) showed 370 PVC's in one day, so I was put on Toprol. All other heart tests were normal. Anyway, it has worked wonders for me. I had another Holter done last week and there were NO PVC's and steady HR and BP. Since being on Toprol HR is 65, BP is 105/60 or so.

I suddenly had high blood pressure. I was put on a heart monitor for 21 days because I was experiencing frequent palpitations. I was given 25 mg Metoprolol ER the genic for Toprol XL on June 6, 2008. I had the usual symptoms extreme fatigue, headache, constipation,swelling, weight gain for the first month. I am 59 yrs. old.
The second month I started to have horrible nightmares, and headaches that would not go away. On Aug.12 while driving home I started to hear voices, had blurred vision and hallucinations. I was driving fast and screaming to make the voices stop.. I ended up in a parking lot. I was crying and for a minute I had a bit of reality. I called the cardiologist office and told the nurse what was going on. She said to immediately stop the meds because I was having a rare serious side effect. I sat crying for awhile and was able to call a friend to pick me up. I stayed at home for 4 days. The entire time my hands shook and my headache was horrible. It was one week before I was able to function properly.
I called my pharmacist and she told me that this drug affects the central nervous system. 2 % of 100,000 people have this side effect. I told her that it was not written on my paper with the prescription. She said that because it is so rare they do not have put it on. She printed out the side effects for me from her web site. A site that is only accessible to pharmacists or Dr.'s. My Dr. wants me to try Cardizeim now and I do not want to because I am afraid. I told him that the BP was down to normal but he still wanted to because of the palpitations. I was given the option of the Cardiziem or seeing and Electrical Man at the Cardiology office. As of yet I have not taken the Cardiziem. This is the first time I have read this web site and I hope that this information may help someone. I finally feel good again except for the rapid heart beat and glad to be alive.

I am a 37 year old female that went to the ER 3 days ago for chest tightness & extremely high blood sugar. I have had high blood pressure in the past years but as of a year ago when I was diagnosed as being diabetic my blood pressure has been normal about 117/75 so I go to the ER and they give me 2 EKG's and a heart monitor for 24hrs and put me through a stress test,they also give me this little pill and say it will help me, well not feeling well and wanting to feel good again I take the pill no questions asked. I have never felt so tired in my life. I thought well chest pains will do that to you so I dismissed it. I know they were making sure I do not have a heart attack but, my blood pressure seems to be going lower and lower and I am more tired by the minute, they released me from the hospital and gave me a million RX's including toprol and lisinopril both of whch lower blod pressure ??? do they want me to pass out? so yesterday I took the toprol only and felt like I was sinking , my thinking seemed foggy and my legs felt rubbery. I am sooooo glad I found this site because I will not take this drug ever again I already suffer weight issues being diabetic I don't need anything else. I would prefer to be interested in sex and be able too function this drug seems like it is more negative than it is worth. I think I will stick with the lisinopril, and why would they give me two blood pressure meds when my blood pressure is already normal??? If anyone has a comment please let me know I am very scared about this whole thing

I am a 41 year old female in DENIAL about my high blood pressure as I don't drink, smoke and I am a fitness instructor. My BP averaged 145-95 daily. The DR explained TOPROL was designed for someone like me. The med will not be fighting my life style, just the blood pressure. There are no life style changes I can make, it's my dads fault! It's my 4th day, the first being the worst. I had a terrible headache and was wiped out. I am a bit tired today, but not too bad. Better today than yesterday! My BP is 114-71 on average. I have been a migraine sufferer my whole life, the last 3 years being the worst. I'm looking for brighter days! Hang in there. More women die from Heart disease than breast cancer.

Weight gain, swollen middle,ankles,and feet. Tired and eat every little and exercise by walking most days. Can't walk too fast because I experience shortness of breath. I take 150 mg a day.

OK FOLKS -HERE'S A GOOD ONE FOR YA- Just over a year ago I was on a heart transplant list. Today my heart function is normal and I am off ALL HEART MEDS. Even after finding out my heart function level was normal I was still living a nightmare for some unexplained reason. After MONTHS of tests and everyone telling me I was nuts a neurologist finally found out I was having seizure activity. Funny how my "seizure activity" feels EXACTLY how I felt when they increased my beta blocker dosage. I'm telling all of you.. This beta blocker helps some but they are burying their mistakes. I now know all of my ER trips, only to have them laugh and have them send me back home, were do to seizures caused by beta blockers while I had heart failure. I'm lucky to be alive.... and now that my heart function is good I have to fight this seizure BS. *REMEMBER THIS - Only YOU know what your body is telling you.. LISTEN TO IT! But do be careful.. You can't just stop taking a beta blocker.. Good luck all cuz we sure need it!

I'm a 30 yr old healthy male. I went to the ER, and then the Dr., about 4 weeks ago after waking up with intense pain in the veins of my right arm and having pounding palps. I had just been told some extremely stressful news the night before, so I was pretty sure this was blood pressure & stress related. ... EKG showed Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, so that's what the Dr's assumed was the problem. I never knew what it was called, but I've had my heart race due to WPW many times since I was a young child .. this did not seem to be related. This was just pounding.

The cardiologist put me on 50mg of Toprol XL daily to control the WPW - even though that wasn't acting up. I left confused. Pharmacy issued generic Metoprolol Succinate mfg. by Sandoz.

I didn't want to be on meds, so I didn't take it for the first few days, hoping that I would return to normal. After all, I just woke up with this all of the sudden.. I had been fine the day before. Palps continued, though, so eventually I relented and started taking the meds.

The first two or three weeks were filled with ups and downs. Exhaustion, palpitations and anxiety would come and go.

This past weekend things got really bad. I began having anxiety attacks -- I think that's what it was, I'd never had one before -- and my vision was totally screwed up. I couldn't focus on anything and was sensitive to some lighting. Black text on a bright white screen (lcd monitor) was especially hard to read. I was completely in a dazed & confused state. Loud noises and crowds were bothering me... which was awful, considering it was my best friend's wedding. Also had headaches, lightheadedness & loss of appetite. These side effects came and went on Friday & Saturday and were pretty constant on Sunday & Monday.

I decided to quit Toprol cold-turkey on Sunday. I have been 2 days without. I have used L-Theamine to reduce stress and keep my blood pressure steady. It seems to be working. I also began taking CoQ10 today after reading some good things about it here.

My vision & mental focus is beginning to improve after 3 days of disabilitating problems. Anxiety has also improved. I even attempted to "get back to normal" at work today, but had to leave after only an hour of strenuous exercise in the heat. Vision problems returned, anxiety set in. It's like riding a really freaking scary roller coaster, except with a legitimate fear that this thing might kill you.

I will update this as time goes by, to let you all know how things worked out for me. I'm really hoping to be mostly back to normal in another day or two, since I haven't been on for very long. Hopefully this will be of help to someone in the future. Damn, I Wish I had never gotten on this stuff.

I started taking Toprol 4 months after having my baby. I never had High Blood Pressure until I was 2 months pregnant and It continued throughout my pregnancy. Four months after giving birth my BP kept creeping up so I went to my doctor and she prescribed 25mg of Toprol. I have been taking Toprol for a year and a half, I have gained over 20 pounds, I have felt like I have been walking in a fog, loss of concentration, been diagnosed with depression, I have slept at night but not feeling rested. I went off the meds for an allergy test and immediately realized that I was sleeping better and feeling rested, so I was monitoring my BP and It has been okay so I have stayed off the meds. I never realized that my problems could have been linked to this med until I went off the Toprol. My question is how long before the weight will come off. I was working out 5 days a week and watching what I ate for over 2 months while on the Toprol and no change. I am hoping that since I am off of Toprol I will start dropping a few pounds soon.

55 year old female
I have been on Toprol 5 years. 50mg. it works for me but since it went generic,I wonder...I am on 10mg lexapro and December started the vivelle-dot for my hotflashes. It is now June and the last 4 weeks my hair is falling out big time.
It is so thin I have to wear a scarf as not to scare small children at work.!! :)
I have talked to a couple of hairdressers and they have told me many of they're clients with thinning hair were on Toprol.
Anyone heard of this? Please help me figure this out.

I feel very shaky, especially when I get up in the mornings. I am always tired, even after sleeping in. I take toprol for my svt episodes which were becoming quite frequent - 2 or 3 per month. I also have high blood pressure and take another med for this (HZT).

I have been on generic Toprol since 2005 to control my high blood pressure. I have many of the symptoms you all experience, tiredness, occasional dizziness, some weight gain. However, the most debilitating side effect I am suffering is neck flushing and anxiety attacks, my chest and neck turn bright red practically whenever people talk to me and I've never had this problem prior to taking this drug, I am shy but not that shy. Now I feel like I have to wear turtlenecks all the time or people will ask me what is wrong with you, are you allergic, etc... I can't even have a regular conversation with my co-workers without my neck turning red and breathing hard. It's ridiculous and I want to know if anyone else has this problem or if I'm just mental.

Thanks.

I too had HORRIBLE experiences on Toprol-XL. I was put on it after I walked into a doctor's office and my BP was 235/152. Yep..you read that right! Scary times. I started taking the med, and I too gained 35 pounds with no change in diet. I was tired, weak, groggy - I honestly felt like I was slowly dying. At that point, I decided that high blood pressure was far better than the experience I had on Toprol. It ruined my marriage. Can you say ZERO libido? I decided that I would try a different form of metroprolol - metroprolol tartrate versus succinate. I did this when I went out of town - I honestly thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest - coming off this medication was horrible, and if the other posts are true about this being worse to come off than opiates, I REALLY feel for addicts now. I have been off the Toprol now for about 9 months, and I feel so much better. I've lost what I call the Toprol weight, and I made some life changes. I did the following: (A) I purchased a rebounder (mini-trampoline) and have built up from 5 minutes per day to 15 minutes per day (goal = 40 minutes per day) - there are HUGE health benefits in rebounding and it's really easy on my joints (google the benefits - I promise you won't be disappointed). I turn on the TV or turn on my Ipod and bounce away. (B) I joined Freelife International, and began drinking Go Chi juice (www.pbowen.freelife.com) because it has three scientific studies proving its effectiveness. (C) I stopped drinking caffeinated soda and began drinking a homemade blend of green (matcha) & darjeeling teas (if you want the recipe, e-mail me and I'll send it pamela.bowen@gmail.com), and (D) I bought a device called RESPERATE (www.resperate.com). I HAVE MY LIFE BACK!!! Don't think you have to live the way you are forever!

I've been on the generic of Toprol XL for a month and a half. I take 12.5 mg in the morning and 12.5 at night. I have gained 10lbs so far, I feel groggy, lightheaded, fuzzy, sleepy all the time no matter how much sleep I get. I get episodes where it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest making it hard to get a good deap breath. I have a headache almost every day. I suffer from severe anxiety to the point that I don't like leaving my house. I worry about stupid things obsessively. I just feel crappy constantly. I was prescribed it due to a high heart rate, but I've never had high blood pressure. I have a dr's appt May 6 and I'm going to ask her to start weaning me off of it. If I would have known the side effects would be this bad I would have asked to be prescribed something else from the get go.

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 put on Toprol XL 6.5 yrs ago. My heart rate had soared to 130+ and b.p. was elevated. So my family doctor put me on Toprol XL 100 mgs. From day one I felt exhausted. He told me that would soon clear up and not to worry, we needed to be more concerned with my heart rate and b.p. I listened and was a good patient. After a year of total exhaustion and having to quit my job I asked to be taken off Toprol. He said it was the only medication that would control my heart rate and b.p. together. He agreed to reduce it to 75 mgs. After a few months I went back and said it was still too much! My b.p. was better as was my heart rate so he lowered it to 50 mgs. Things got a little better at least I could get out of bed by 10:00! Fed up I lowered it to 25 mgs. and tracked my b.p. Finally I told my doctor and he said as long as my b.p.was better 25 mgs.was ok. By this time though I was having other symptoms, body aches, joint pain, mind fog. He attributed it to arthritis and put me on Vioxx. 2 pills later I stopped due to chest pains. The symptoms I had experienced over the past 2 yrs continued so I sought a new physician. Once again he said Toprol XL was the only medication I could take for tachycardia and high b.p. My b.p. was again elevated so my meds were increased to 50 mgs. he wanted to go 100mgs., I said NO!
In 2004 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the pain had become so bad now it was debilitating. I had all the full blown symptoms of Fibro, extreme exhaustion, body aches, joint pain, mind fog, depression etc etc. So I sought treatment for Fibromyalgia for 3 yrs. Not so successfully I might add.
I should note that I had none of these symptoms before Toprol XL.

During a recent Gynecology visit my b.p. was extremely high. I told her my story about Toprol. She said point blank, They are NOT listening to you. I think all the side effects you have been having are due to the Toprol XL.She sent me to a Cardiologist. God bless her!!
After many tests he immediately took me off Toprol. He put me on another medication instead. I am having withdrawal side effects from Toprol, shakiness, shortness of breath, heart rate acceleration and mind fogginess. But, anything is better than another day on Toprol. He told me what I was experiencing was normal withdrawing from Toprol. He also assured me there were many other alternatives to Toprol and if the new medication doesn't work there are other options.
I think Toprol XL is the next drug that should be banned!! I pray everyday my life will return to what it was before Toprol XL and that I will not have any lasting side effects from this horrible drug.

There is an important point that everyone here is missing. I had been on Toprol XL for years, brand name. Recently, a generic version by Sandoz has been issued. It is the GENERIC metoprolol that is causing the side effects, the racing heart, etc. If you can get the doctor to write "no substitutions" on the prescription, and get the original Toprol, you will notice the difference. the problem is, health insurance wants to push the generic, so you will pay more. but it's worth it to feel better!

I was given Metoprolol, a generic for Toprol-XL several months ago, for high blood pressure. It was prescribed after I was determined to be allergic to Lisinopril. ( It caused a cough that lasted 3 months; I sounded like a TB patient.) Anyway, I have been taking Effexor for years, for anxiety attacks. Now that I take Metoprolol along with the Effexor, I am so tired and drained all the time, that I am contemplating quiting work. I go to the grocery, come home and lie down. I can't seem to have energy to breath correctly. My Dr. won't believe that this has anything to do with meds. I have now developed blood and mucous in my stools, diarrhea, and very urgent BMs. This all started after taking these two meds in combination for about 4 months.

Wow. Thank god for this Bulletin! I was diagnosed with hypertension at age 28
and tried a variety of drugs with no control over the BP. So, about 2 1/2 - 3 years ago, I was prescribed 100MG of Toprol XL which seemed to control it well, but with debilitating long term illness. I had no idea until today that Toprol XL was causing similar grief to others. The horrible symptoms that I have been experiencing now for several years are Extreme Chronic Fatigue, Profuse Cold Clammy Sweating, Dizzy spells, weight gain, seeing specs of light and thousands of eye floaters, severe depression, muscle aches, headaches.

After reading about others with similar side effects, I am confident that it's from this medication. I have had all kinds of testing done including T3 & T4 Throid levels and a full array of blood work with NO LUCK! Regardless of the consequences, I am going to quit this damn medicine today because it appears to take 5 weeks or so to get it out of the body to notice a difference. I am so desperate for change. It is ruining my life because I can
't wake up, I'm always tired even though I get 10-14 hours of sleep. My wife and kids are bummed because I have no energy to do anything, EVER!

If you have any other suggestions or would like to comment about this.

Sincerely,

Sean

I'm a 43 y/o male, on Toprol-Xl (25mg) and Diovan(80-mg) for high blood pressure. I've been on Diovan since it hit the market (no side effects at all) but recently developed a fast heart rate with no explaination. I saw a cardiologist and he put me on 25mg of Toprol-XL once each day.It's been 7 weeks and I'm fairly well adjusted with few minor side effects (slow pulse, cold extremities, weird chest feelings when the Toprol starts to wear off) and a major side effect (lack of sleep and weird dreams).

I read an article that Toprol-XL is time released and the medication has it's peak affect 8-hours after taking the dose. I was taking the medication with dinner, but would then wake up at 3:00 am, wide awake, couldn't fall back to sleep. I now take the medication with lunch and my sleep patterns have improved considerably. My incredibly, sometimes scary, dreams have tapered off too. My blood pressure is picture perfect (usually 115-125 over 70 to 80) and the bursts of rapid heartbeats have stopped altogether (I had an echo stress test, echocardiogram, blood work, 3 EKG's) and all were normal. My cardiologist said all my side effects are normal and that if i couldn't tolerate them he would switch my beta blocker.

About 8 months ago I began to have a little high blood pressure 140/80 and some mild palpitations. I was put on Toprol XL and my nightmare began. I began to have anxiety attacks and my palpitations increased. I was given Xanax to help with the anxiety attacks. I was put on 50 mg. twice a day and I have weaned myself down to 12.5mg daily. I feel much better now but would like to get off of Toprol all together. I have gained weight, and I believe my vision and memory have been affected. Is there any other drug out there that is better to be on? I have never had a heart attack and my echo and stress tests were completely normal. I have read that people with asthma should not take Toprol. I do have allergy shots weekly and have an epi pen. Not sure what to do?? Any advice??

I am a 41 yo woman in good health. I started Toprol xl about 3 years ago for a heart palp that would happen maybe once a day, and occasional racing heart beat. I did great for a long time on 25mg once a day. Then about 6 months back I was switched to generic due to insurance issues - they only want to pay for generic.

It took me a while to figure out what was happening, but several problems started happening over the last few months that I am sure were from this generic drug. Suddenly I was having vivid dreams - fish swimming on the ceiling, cats with heads 5x too big! Worse yet, over about 3 months I gained 20 pounds with no difference in diet. And I was getting more and more tired. I started looking into what could be causing these crazy effects - I was only on Toprol and birth control pills.... well, it was not the birth control!

So, I decided to wean myself from the Toprol. I decided I prefer a heart palp and occasional racing heart to this!! I gave myself a couple of weeks of lesser doses, then 5 days ago I stopped it altogether. I am having some horrid "rebound" or withdrawal effects! Numb/tingling hands and feet, headache and - surprise! High blood pressure! I never, ever took this med for HBP, and I have never had HBP! I always had a nice, low blood pressure, even when 9 months pregnant! Now it's running around 135/93 - I work in a medical office, so I got one of the nurses to check it on Tuesday...she sort of freaked! She said she has seen much higher, but mine is not normal. So we have been checking daily, and it's staying up there. I am so mad to think Toprol could have damaged my body in some way so that my blood pressure may not stay messed up for life. I have read online that the rebound effects can last up to a month, even with a fairly low dose like I was taking. Does anyone know if a month is about right? If my blood pressure keeps this high, I suppose I will have to seek treatment at some point. Ugh!

On the plus side, I don't feel so tired. No vivid dreams since I stopped the Toprol, and much better sleep! I feel "clearer" mentally. I just wish the tingling hands and feet would stop - and the high blood pressure!

I am a 39-year-old female who was put on Toprol 25 mg about four years ago due to heart palpitations. The Toprol didn't affect the heart palps at all, but I liked the fact that it kept my heart from racing after I ate, which had been a problem for me since high school. I took it sporadically for a couple years. At some point I started the generic, but I can't remember just when.

About two years ago I noticed that I was hearing noises in my right ear. Gradually the noises prompted me to see my PCP. She thought my BP was a little high (about 138/80) and she doubled my Metoprolol dose right away to 50 mg. She told me the noises were caused by my blood pressure, not the medication.

The noises got much worse right away and I was hearing them almost 24 hours a day. Sometimes it was a whoosh-whoosh noise (which I guess is classic for high BP) and sometimes just like a faucet had been turned on in my ear. At this point I definitely suspect it's the medication itself, not the BP. On days when I don't take the med, the noises are much better or not even present. My heart does tend to race though, and the palps are the same either way.

I'd like to wean myself off the med, and if my BP elevates try a different medication. I can't stand the noises anymore so my priority is to stop them. I am curious if this particular side effect has happened to anybody else here?

I'm a 53 year-old male and do regular Cardio Exercise every week and have for 31 years.
A cardiologist put me on Toprol XL 25 MG on November 22nd. The Doctor prescribed it because I add heart irregularities and palpitations which resulted in me going to the hospital as I didn't know what was happening and never had heart palpitations before in my life. I went to the emergency room and they got me stabilized but brought in cardiologist. My heart returned to normal function in a few hours and was result of taking a decongestant as well as Lisinopril 5 MG. I had just started these drugs and had been on them for three days when the heart palpitation instance happened. The decongestant is ... I had done a two hour hard workout at the gym which I do regularly 3 times per week and then the heart irregularities started on day 3 of taking the two drugs. A cardiologists now has stuck me on this Toprol 25 MG after that day because it helps with irregular heart beat plus my blood pressure was a bit high around 140/90. I immediately started noticing side effects from the Toprol 25 MG but stayed on it plus the Lisinopril 5 MG and 325 MG Aspirin for about 12 days at that dose. I started side effects like tremors, tiredness, constipation, strange dreams, anxiousness, impotence, and struggled to do my workouts etc. I made some lifestyle changes like eliminating caffeine, alcohol, etc and that plus the medicine reduced my blood pressure below 120/80 a bit. I stopped the Lisinopril on December 3rd and my blood pressure is still normal and reduced the Toprol to 12.5 MG at the same time. I did research and the doctor also thinks the irregularity was due to the Decongestant and Lisinopril I had taken for 3 days as both have heart irregularity and palpitations as a side effect. I decided I want to get off the Toprol XL altogether and let my body go back to normal functioning. All my problems were brought once I started taking medicine and the only real problem I have is high blood pressure which I can control now with life style changes and natural supplements. I called the cardiologist's nurse and she said not to do anything until I see the doctor on December 18th. I had already decided to cut the dose in half to 12.5 MG on December 3rd anyway and the side effects got better, but then I had instance the other night after taking a spin class at the gym whereby my heart beat stayed up around 82 bpm for several hours and normally is 59 pbm. I also felt anxious and couldn't get settled to sleep real well. I read on the warning label that your not supposed to work out during the process of reducing the dosage so I guess I will have to stop working out until I'm off this stuff. I have been an exercise person for 31 years doing at least 5 hours of Cardio Exercise per week and then racing bicycles in the summer months doing 10-12 hours of Cardio Exercise. I really want off this drug so I reduced to 6.25 MG today and will stop working out I guess until I'm off. I feel a little shaky and feel sort of like I could faint if I did to much exertion since reducing to 6.25 MG today. I was wondering how long it take to get off this Toprol since I was only on it for 12 days at the 25 MG dosage and should I keep cutting the dosage and go down to 3.12 MG after a few more days and then eventually off after a few days at 3.12 MG? Then how long once I'm off should I wait to return to my rigorous exercise routine?

On December 5th, I reported that, after stopping the Metoprolol, I was having some minor withdrawal symptoms. As an update, this week has not been good. I've had tightness in the chest, sleeping poorly and some gastric problems. It is now three weeks since the last dose. How long does it take to become symptom free?????

Hi, I'm a 51 y/o female nurse that started taking Toprol-XL for high blood pressure. I don't like taking meds because of side effects (other blood pressure meds have caused my hair to fall out, fatigue, depression, etc.) so I started out only taking half of the 50 mg tab. I recently upped it up to the whole tab to get my blood pressure a little lower and immediately started having severe headaches and joint pains. I'm going back down to a half tab and wean myself off this crap. I'm taking Magnesium, potassium, and L-Arginine, which all help relax the blood vessels. I was taking a higher dose of magnesium, which causes some diarrhea, when I decided to lower it and increase the dose of Toprol-XL to see how that worked. I'd rather have the diarrhea from the magnesium! At least then I wasn't crying from depression, having bad headaches and hurting all over! I'm losing weight on Weight Watchers, so hopefully I'll get this blood pressure under control. My blood pressure was pretty well under control with the lower dose of Toprol-XL, higher dose of magnesium, and the L-Arginine and potassium. I'm going back to what was working before. I'm also going to talk to my Health and Wellness doctor about a safer replacement for the Toprol-XL.

I am a 66 year old female with high blood pressure, 150 or 140ish over 90 or a bit higher. Was on 25,, then 50 then 100 and now 200 a day and also taking lisinopril. Can't sleep, and I always was a great sleeper. Not a big fan of taking drugs. Now she put me on Lipitor for 229 cholesterol. Feel I'm being overmedicated but Dr says it's just fine. Have a daughter who is a hospital RN and she says none of her patients take 200 doses. Does anyone else think 200 is unheard of?

wow what a eye opening experience this board has been, in march of 06 i went to the hopst. with a heart rate of over 200 bpm which lasted 4 hours befor i went to hosp. they took me in did some blood work ect. then i got these shots that brouht my heart back to a normal rythem. the next night when i went to be i swore that it was starting all over again i freaked out went back to the e r this time they had me stay for 3 days during this time they started with the toporol. when i went to my dr the next day i got a script for toporol xl 25 mg 1 x a day next visit he raised it to 50 every time i went back i said my heart was not beating right fast and thumpy well a year later i am up to 200 mg after a month i could not take it any more the depression thAT i have been experiencing this last month just about put me over the edge, i hated every one and every thing so depressed foggy feeling all the time no getup and go every thing was a chore. i fount this web sight last night i read almost every post theay all souned like me at some point or another well the last time i took my meds was monday night
when i got up this am i tell you i felt good i had the best day i have had in so long i spent the whole day at work today and it was almost a joy being there i had a clear head i did not want to kill my employees. on my way home tonight i actually yawned and it dawned on me that is really the forst time in may month that i did that i am goint to the dr in the am to see if he will find some thing else for me to take my bp has been 140/85 pulse 74 not to bad so hope fully i will not have to take this any more well thaks for listening hope every one gets some thing that works with out all the bad side effects

Male 46 I have been on Toprol - XL for about 1-1/2 years now. I was taking 25mg and I have had all the major side effects listed on this site. depression being the worst. About two months ago without my doctors premission I started cutting the pills in half. Three days ago I stopped taking the pills altogether, I have had some of the worst headaches in my life!! I figure this is just withdrawals from the Toprol. Everyones circumstances are different, however if your doctor is not helping you go find one who will listen! If anyone else has just come off this stuff please let me know you syptoms.

I am a 34-year old women who started 50 mg of Toprol-XL 4 days ago for a rash of panic attacks I experienced earlier this week, after having high blood pressure and occasional panic attacks in the last 3 months. Since then, I've had migranes for the past 2 days, bad allergies, stomach pain, loose bowel movements, slight difficulty breathing, frequent urination, and tiredness/lethargy during the day with trouble sleeping at night. I was already feeling strange my 2nd day on it and called my internal medicine doctor, who, of course, told me to stick with it. At this point, I'm ready for safer, natural alternatives. I'm will call the doctor tomorrow to tell him that my mind is made up and ask for instructions on how to wean off of it safely.

I'm a 56 year old woman. 5'4" 116. Very fit .Have hypothyroidism and take Synthroid.. Was diagnosed with high blood pressure (which I beleive is due to a too high dose of Synthroid) Was prescribed toprol, just 25 Mgs. Wow!! Was that a bad experience. With the first few days of taking it, began the Foggy brain, dizziness, no ability to concentrate.. no energy.. Head aches, joint pains. Complete lack of interest in doing much of any thing including sex!. Have became almost reclusive because I didn't feel confident interacting with people (I'm a VP of Sales.. not good for my job)! I was bumping into things.. Felt like I was on another planet.. Thought I was nuts... Great to have found this site Also.. Have gain 5 pounds that are not falling off since I stopped this med on my own after only 10 days.. YIKES! Who does this stuff work well for?

Hello to you all. I have been on Toprol XL for 8-10 months. I have "palpitations" which is why I was placed on this med. Also a diagnosis of Mitral Valve Prolapse. My doctor told me that the MVP can trigger the palpitations and that Toprol is the drug of choice. It helped for a few days. I felt like a new person at first. Then the palpitations gradually started to come back. I have gained 10 lbs. I am 50 years old and assumed that my wt gain was menopause. Now I think that is NOT the answer. I am an RN and I intend to wean myself off of the Toprol after reading the messages here! Why do I need to keep taking a medicine that is causing me to get fat and is NOT controlling my symptoms? Good luck to you all.

I had a heart attack last May. Am Ok. Was given tons of meds to take, among them, toprol 50mg. I began to experience walking difficulty. It kept getting worse. I just could not walk half a block without leaning on walls or having to sit down. NOT good for the commute to work. Doc checked out everything, blood --- I had MRI's.... the works. Everything checked out ok. So why was my body soooo heavy I couldn't walk? I'm 61 and have had high blood pressure all my life, normal for me was 180/90. After taking the toprol, it plummeted to 90/56. Doc was happy. I was NOT. He finally agreed to lower the dose to 25mg. Improvement was amazing. I'm bee-bopping down the street just like normal. The weight I felt was making my body feel awful is gone. Don't know what my pressure is now, but I see the Doc in a couple of weeks. Should be interesting, since all Doc's have a closed mind to "normal" high blood pressure.

just turned 50 and three months ago went to the ER with a rapid heart rate 170bpm sent to a cordio Dr. they tested everything. I already had high blood pressure and hi colestrol
I take diavan and lipator and baby asprin. now diagnosed with arterial fribulation and they put me on 50mg toprol xl
I now have a cough,low sex drive,put on 15lbs and feel a little more tired at the end of the day not sure what to do since my blood press. is very good and no more rapid heart rate but the side effects are a problem

I have a tendency for high blood pressure, and due to several major stress factors, I knew my pressure was high & I was having anxiety attacks & not sleeping & migraines. It was my pressure. It was like 137/100. My heart rate was fast. I'm 41. I started ToprolXL 25 mg & really felt better for a couple months. No more headaches. I did, however, always think I'm hypoglycemic or perhaps diabetic. I feel like I need to eat sugar with this med. My scary problem is that I decided to lose weight & started working out at a much higher intensity than my normal walking. I feel REALLY weird. It's like this med is fighting your heart rate when you work out & I feel like I need major sugar. I feel like my heart is swishy in its beats. I'm calling dr tomorrow to get in. The warnings do say that when you are diabetic or hypoglycemic, this med could mask it, but I feel like my blood sugar feels lower taking this med. I also feel like I still have racing heart, but I was under terrible stress & running around when these symptoms started like 2 or 3 days ago.

I am a very healthy 71 year old lady with high blood pressure. I am taking lotensen and 100 mg. of toprol. I have all the terrible side affects. Tired, sluggish, no energy, head fullness, weight gain, but I sleep better. It hasn't helped to lower my blood pressure at all. It has helped the anxiety but the side affects drive me crazy. I will see a cardiologist in three days and hope that he will prescribe something that will lower my blood pressure. Good luck to all of you who take toprol. I understand that it relaxes the arteries and veins. It is a dangerous medication and it is dangerous to discontinue without the doctor's approval.

My doctor put me on toporol 25 mg after a brain hemorrhage from high blood pressure after taking this medication I have had anxiety attacks which made my bp go up, couldnt sleep at night, increase in appetite,thoughts of dying and alot more. I went to my dr and he took me off and said that some people cant tolorate beta blockers and put me on a water pill instead and now I am doing great blood pressure is fine now.

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?

W Female Age:29
i began having high blood pressure just before my second pregnancy 3 1/2 years ago. I have been on Toprol for over 2 years straight to today. I had tried several different medicines that could not control my blood pressure after he was born. Toprol XL 50 mg x 2 daily was the only one that seemed to work, but i do have the side effects. I have had several instances of panic attacks with feeling of dying. By the time i could be seen at the hospital it had already subsided. The doctors have not been able to give any indication as to the reason for these attacks other than it was a panic attack and have prescribed Zanax. I have experienced the heavy left arm with chest pain, the dizziness and nausea along with ringing in the ears. I am now changing cardiologists and will try new medications to rid of the side effects. Again, the medicine has done its purpose, but the side effects are begging to take their toll.

This drug has been horrible for me.
Waves of rapid pulse and high blood pressure.
Waves of shakyness and anxiety.
Cold hands/feet, sometimes numb fingers.
Chronic mental fogginess and depression.
Some weight gain, slow heart rate, pulse in the 40s!
Heart missing beats.
This @ 25mg 2x daily.
I was told to not take it for 24 hours before my stress test,...
while in bed, asleep, about 4 hours after I should have taken it, I began to feel a buzzing throughout my body and noticed my heart racing. My bp was 170/105 120bpm. I took my missed dose and my heart started to slow back down in about an hour and a half.
I told my Dr and he said to double my dose. I did not!
I weaned my self very slowly down to half a dose (12.5mg 2x daily) and felt 50% better.
I tried to go off completely, at 1/3 dose, with my new Dr.s consent. I was good for two days then my bp and pulse rebounded. I am back on it, but now down to a quarter dose and mostly feel like myself :)
I was told by a cardiologist that the side effects (rebound bp and rapid pulse) can linger for up to 6 weeks.
Every other test I have taken has come back fine so far.
I am 30yo male and athletic.
I am sure this drug helps many people.
But for me it has been a 3 month nightmare.
If your story sounds like mine, hang in there, find a Dr that will listen to you and work with you.
You are not the only one.
Also, read side effects for other BetaBlockers

I am taking 50 Micrograms of Toprol per day for heart palpitations and high blood pressure resulting from too-strong thyroid medcine (my thyroid is underactive and the increased dosage of Levothroid caused this). After just 5 days on Toprol, I had some light headedness, nose drip, numbness in the legs, and my BP is still 137/85 at best. I'm seeing my cardio this afternoon, and he is going to switch me to something I think is called Corzine? I am hoping once we get my thyroid med back in balance, I can quit all the BP meds. I did not have high BP before this incident.

I take 100mg of topprol twice a day for high blood pressure. It does keep my blood pressure under control. However, I am constantly tired & am feeling a bit a depression which I never felt when I was taking a lower dose.

Taking toprolxl for about 2 months for high blood pressure along with diovan(320) mg. daily,I have gained weight and am totally fatigued,so I cut my toprol in half and for about a week now,I feel like my old self my energy is returning and I feel like a different person.so I am slowly getting off this medication and also my bp seems to remain low just with the diovan and one half of toprol.

I started Toprol .25 for in the beginning of July for high blood pressure and it brought my blood pressure down about 30 points, along with alot of fatigue. After a week they increased the dose to .50 mg and I had nightmares, a racing heart and no change in my blood pressure. I tapered off the meds and have been off them for 3 days, but still have the racing heart. This stuff is poison.

I started Toprol XL after I was hospitalized with rapid heart beat...I was on Diovan HCL for high blood pressure and had
virtually no side effects. The doctors took me off of it and put
me on the Toprol to regulate my heart rate. I had another
bout of rapid heart rate and my dosage was increased to 50 mg a day. I have overwhelming fatigue...I used to work out
every day and now I can barely do just normal activities. I
practiced karate....not now. I have headaches and my legs
feel very heavy. Does anyone else have these symptoms. I
am a 56 year old female.
Thanks,
Janis

I started taking toprol after my doctor reccommend it for my fast pulse rate and high blood pressure. Originally went to the doctor for problems caused by a nervous system exhaustion. and realised that my pressure was very high 155/98 anyways to make a long story short after taking the lowest dose 25mg for 2 days I started to feel like i was losing control of my mental state of mind, my mood changed to very dull state. like i was just a zombie inside a body - this medication has a bad effect on the brain , it did get my pressure down fast. but the effects on my mood and mental stability wasnt worth it stopped after 3 days. i am wondering how many people who have been taking this medication for years who are now suffering from depression and cant make the connection.

I am a 41 year old woman who has been on Toprol for 2 years. At first there were no problems, and a pleasant side effect was that my chronic migraines were greatly reduced! However, of late, I have been experiencing EXTREME sleepiness, sometimes even first thing in the morning after a good full night of sleep! I have been nervous to drive because of how sleepy I feel. I can barely keep my eyes open anymore, and the muscles of my eyes are even tired from trying to keep them open! I also have extremely dry eyes, atrial flutter, numb and tingling fingertips. The symptoms definately got worse when I went from taking 50 mg to 100 mg per day. I am glad I finally got worried enough to investigate the side effects on the internet. Thanks for your site! I will be talking to my doctor about slowly getting off Toprol and trying another medication for my high blood pressure. The best medicine is Exercise!