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← Return to Metoprolol Withdrawl
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I'm a 30-year-old male who has been taking the beta blocker metoprolol for approximately 3-4 years. I recently wanted to stop taking metoprolol and discussed it with my cardiologist. I have been seeing this cardiologist for just as long, and I've had normal EKGs, echocardiograms, and I was on a week-long Holter monitor twice with no findings. I had already attempted to taper off the metoprolol and cut my 25mg pill in half for maybe more than a week. The cardiologist told me that 25mg or 12.5mg of metoprolol is such a minute dose that it shouldn't cause me any issues if I just stop cold turkey. The cardiologist didn't even run an EKG on me since May of last year.
It has been approximately a week since I've stopped taking metoprolol completely. I woke up last night with a heart rate of about 100 beats per minute and slight palpitations. I checked my blood pressure, and everything was normal (123/84). I was unable to get back to sleep due to "sleep starts" or "hypnic jerks." I started taking metoprolol many years ago after I got COVID, before the vaccines were even available, and I was experiencing palpitations and tachycardia. Tonight, I'm still experiencing insomnia and can't sleep.
I feel that my cardiologist is incompetent for not running an EKG on me or even having me taper off the medication that I have been taking for many years. I don't really trust their decision-making. I feel that I'm experiencing withdrawal symptoms, so tonight I took another half of a 25mg pill of metoprolol. I feel very full of energy, as if I have a dump of adrenaline. I researched that abruptly stopping metoprolol, even at a low dose of 25 to 12.5mg, can still cause withdrawal symptoms, which the cardiologist said I’d be fine going cold turkey. It says that it can cause rebound tachycardia, hypertension, and adrenaline dumps that make your body hypersensitive, and can also cause hypnic jerks and insomnia.
Can I get any type of feedback or recommendations? Thank you.
Replies to "I'm a 30-year-old male who has been taking the beta blocker metoprolol for approximately 3-4 years...."
@anonymous1274 I'm getting the same thing. I've had low heart rate for some time, been on metoprolol for a long time. Now my VA doctor said get off so I did, now the heart rate is running in the 80s, still dizzy like I was with the low heart rate, but now can't sleep, getting headaches. I feel the cardiologist who first denied there were any real problems, in fact dizziness wasn't a heart problem. I feel he's guessing and I'm the guinea pig in this story. Not sure why I'm writing other than I feel trapped in a guessing game by doctors
@anonymous1274
Sounds familiar to me. I actually tried getting myself off of metoprolol succinate as well. I was on 100mg. So I went from 100 to 50. Due to my heart rate being under 40. I waited about six months and tried to split it again. So 50mg to 25mg. The first six days I felt like I had my life back. Feeling good. Great heart rate again. No nightmares or body aches. Well the 7th day. My heart rate went to 167 when I stood up. Felt like the whole rhythm of my heart was off and pounding out of my chest. I went to the hospital. My pressure was high and I was having PVC issues. I was told to go back on the 50mg and they referred me to a cardiologist who is a month out from seeing. So now I’m back to the nightmares, the irregular heart rate spikes and palpitations. Body aches, headaches. I honestly feel like this medication is slowly killing me and no one cares. Been on this for 7 years and living like this the whole time. Not realizing it was this medication. I see the cardiologist in another two weeks. So I have to suffer until then and maybe someone will listen to what I’m saying. I hope you get some answers because I am at my breaking point with this mess. This medication is awful and should never be out there to ruin peoples health.
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@anonymous1274 I see that your post is 2 years old now but I'm curious to how you're doing. You're so right about your cardiologist being incompetent. He should have given you an EKG and also weaned you off the metoprolol instead of telling you it was "a minute dose and you could go cold turkey". Maybe some people could do it that way with no problems, but everyone is different. Something your airheaded doctor isn't aware of. I cannot stand most doctors so don't get me started. They're just not the same anymore. They seem stressed and lazy. They make excuses why this or that is not necessary, etc. They skip things when they should be doing their jobs right. I don't have heart problems but I take Metoprolol for my blood pressure. I get anxiety sometimes and this stuff really helps. It relaxes me. I read that it's used for anxiety off label. Again, just wondering how you're doing since you stopped it. My best to you.