I need to discontinue 12.5 mg once a day of Metopolol. Is this dangero

@windchester I don't want to bust yer chops or call you out, but your '...for some reason...' worries me. It's just my personality where I am driven to understand, and I need to do some heavy reading and listening in order to get 'there.' I have to know what and why. So, your quoted text has me wondering if you understand how important it might be that you do NOT cease taking this already very low dose of metoprolol.

Please don't feel the need to reply to me if you'd rather not. I'll understand and guess that at least you've had someone ask you to consider that you might be making a mistake.

@gloaming not “some reason”

“SAME” reason (referencing another post) — heart fluttering here n there. Not that you’re a doctor or nurse — I have had all heart tests— I’m good and he was trying this as a way to alleviate fluttering at night.

@windchester Shucks, I read 'some' and replied accordingly. My bad.

@gloaming LOL that’s fine it happens — my job requires attention details so I’m ocd but I mess up sometimes — I’m a human!! 😛

I googled your question. I know from experience some meds should not be cut off abruptly, It indicates metoprolol is one of those.

I would wean off by slivering off about 1/8 for a couple days and then 1/8 more and continue til gone. If you feel anything weird, stay a couple more days as is and then continue.

I am not the average patient, and am NOT telling you what to do. Only what I would do. However, I would not have taken it to begin with. I would stop consuming caffeine, high animal product and dairy and sugar diet and walk. Which is what I do and at age 77 and take no drugs.

You are responsible for your health. 100%. And for those who sound the gongs because they believe a doctor needs to be consulted for everything instead of searching for knowledge on how to prevent, just keep scrolling. Doctors are trained to treat not get rid of the problem. And when a med causes a problem, they just give another med that often also causes a problem, often the same one as the original.

I have had two experiences years ago, and weaned myself off meds that I was told I had to take until doomsday. 47 years later, I am still alive and healthy without them.

@lindy9 hey Lindy, I share most of your attitudes, when I discuss any meds with a doctor I'm always pushing to start with small doses and to know about discontinuance and have discontinued several heart-related drugs because they weren't helping or had awful side-effects, ... but let me tell you about the beta blocker I've been on. The moral of the story is sometimes they really do help.

I had high blood pressure but worse I had a variety of strange arrhythmias confirmed by Holter monitors and such so besides an Arb and diuretic was given atenolol, supposed to be 25mg twice a day, a standard small dose. But I took the first one - and it was like I'd been hit in the head with a brick, my heart rhythm did not respond to exercise and little issues that I'd expect to cause little blips of mental excitement - did not. I talked immediately to the doctor and ended up taking just 12.5 mg once a day, and that was plenty. And I took it only as-needed, probably a very rare way to take a beta blocker. But for me that worked, for a couple of years. It was a small enough dose that I could stop for a week sometimes, no ill effects. BUT over time, well, the breaks got rare, and I even went to 12.5mg twice a day. This is still below any standard dosing but the point is, I really need it. In fact, in retrospect, I probably needed it for many years before I first tried it! Odd little symptoms I've had my whole life, if taken more seriously, I now think in retrospect indicate a beta blocker would have helped.

(I also know that chocolate contains natural beta blocker, and I can feel that at work if I eat even a little (which I do!), but to equal even my very small pill dosage would be a LOT of chocolate every day!)

So let's appreciate a useful drug when we run across one. People have a huge range of genetics, and conditions, and diets, and activities, and sometimes there are drugs that live up to at least some of their claims!

@carbcounter Well yanno, I'd be thrilled to be be able to substitute chocolate for the 150 mg/day of the beta blocker I take (metoprolol) to control my heart rate and keep the arrhythmias under control! Imagining that'd be a truckload of chocolate every day, and I could vary what I eat because I never met a chocolate candy I didn't like. Hmmmm, what would I start with....?
Dove Bars to start with, milk chocolate......

@marybird fwiw you want the dark chocolate for the maximum effect, I always recommend Lindt bars, they have 85%, 90%, and 95%. About an ounce of any of those and you may feel it within an hour or so.
(normal "dark chocolate" is about 40%)
They say milk chocolate does not work because the milk solids block it but I have a different theory, I think the milk solids just buffer it so the effect takes place but hours later and lasts longer, but since there's just less chocolate in milk chocolate you'd have to eat 2+ ounces with a lot of sugar involved, and it's something I don't think most people would want to do every day.

@carbcounter You know this post was entirely tongue-in cheek, don't you? While I'd love the theoretical scenario of replacing my beta blocker with chocolate, I know that it wouldn't be good for me and it wouldn't even be possible. I'd have all kinds of side effects from all that chocolate, including heartburn, other GI side effects, probably more cardiac arrhythmias from the caffeine and other components in the chocolate, not to mention weight gain and all kinds of effects I work hard to avoid. But it's a fun idea, and I think it's even possible that a small amount of dark chocolate once in a while could be beneficial. I prefer the milk chocolate for taste, preferably something with brickel or butter toffee bits, but those probably would be in the category of "not beneficial" or even harmful. I know the dark chocolate is recommended for the maximum beneficial effects of chocolate.

When I was first in AF, I took metoprolol for rate contol. It didn't work to control it, but by the time I stopped taking it I was taking 75 mg twice a day. My cardiologist changed my medication and I just stopped the metoprolol. Didn't have to ween off it. No problems.