Anyone have experience coming off of 12.5 mg of metropol?

@ekiss metoprolol cannot be stopped cold turkey. And the pill can only be split if it has a score line down the middle. Never stop taking metoprolol suddenly. Abruptly quitting this beta-blocker can cause severe rebound effects, including dangerous spikes in heart rate and blood pressure, chest pain, or increased risk of heart attack.

@camy33x I had no problems and now take nothing. No fib or flutter. i had a successful procedure at UCSF with Dr. Gerstenfeld

https://www.verywellhealth.com/metoprolol-dosing-safety-storage-7506123
Everything I have seen says to taper off metoprolol, and then only when instructed by a qualified person. Even so, metoprolol CAN be stopped suddenly if.....IF....and WHEN....it is substituted by an appropriate 'stand-in' like diltiazem, bisoprolol, propafenone, flecainide, or amiodarone, as examples. Again, only as instructed by a medical authority who knows you professionally.

@vjs003 Well, according to the electrophysiologist I saw a number of years ago, it really isn't necessary to gradually wean off a small dose of metoprolol, ie, 12.5 mg/day would be a small dose. He didn't define what a small dose would be, other than the examples of 12.5 mg or even 25 mg/day. I was stopping metoprolol at the time under his care, and switching over to diltiazem to see if this would improve my bradycardia and still control the tachycardia. I had to taper off gradually from a dose of 150 mg/day, and his instructions were to do this over a three week period, ie, from 150mg to 100 on week 1, 100 to 50mg on week 2, and 50 to 25mg on week 3, then none at all ( though I was switching to dilatiazem, which as it turned out neither controlled the tachycardia or stopped the bradycardia). I did experience some of what I'd consider rebound effects, which included feeling "hyped up and jittery" for about 2 weeks. My blood pressure was still controlled by the other meds I took, and the tachycardia, well, that'd been a part of my life for quite a while anyway, but well controlled by the metoprolol. Without it, well, it wasn't pretty since the diltiazem didn't do much to control it.

I know the metoprolol package insert states pretty much the same thing you've listed in your post, but the package insert does not indicate at what dosage of metoprolol tapering off the medication should occur when it's being discontinued. As it's been often repeated, one shouldn't discontinue a medication without the knowledge, instructions and guidance of the prescriber, and I think guessing at how much to continue tapering off metoprolol ad infinitum is a sure fire way to drive oneself crazy. I've seen comments from people trying to taper off an initial 25 mg/day metoprolol dose by half, then half again, then one more half, and so on till it seems they're trying to cut a salt-grain size pill particle by half yet again and wondering why they can't find that sliver after their pill cutter made short work of it- all the while going on and on about the miserable "side effects" they're still perceiving and complaining that the metoprolol is the worst drug on the planet. That's got to be frustrating for them, and if those "side effects" are real and continue, it'd be better to investigate their real causes and not continue to blame them on a drug that was discontinued some time before.
Seems to me the best way to go about tapering off a drug like metoprolol is to ask for and follow specific instructions from the prescriber, starting with the dose the person is taking, exactly by how much and how long to continue the tapering off process.

Took Metropolol before I was diagnosed with APNEA. Once I got started with CPAP and oxygen, I stopped it with no side effects or withdrawal. I am 82 and, like you, avoid meds it I can.

@marybird Hi, I have bradycardia with the metoprolol but that is good I guess cause of the apical aneurysm makes for a less forceful heart beat being warranted. That is the pits that you have that tachycardia when off metoprolol so did the dr put you back on metoprolol cause you mentioned that did control it? Do you get enough calcium and magnesium? Those minerals help heart rhythm I think.

@vjs003
Thank you so very much for your concern. I understand and have been monitoring the situation as now, I cut down to 25 mg ( yes there is a score line on my pills) and every other day. I was part of the Athletas monitoring system where my daily BP/heart rate results were automatically sent to my cardiologist's office, so I have a fairly professional BP monitor which I use daily. So currently, with the cut back, I don't seem to have any rebound effects and feel much better. I will continue to take 25 mg every other day for another week or so unless anything changes. Unfortunately, I am in a midst of being somewhat "abandoned" as I had to leave my cardiologist due to very bad practices, i.e. unreturned calls, not being able to get hold of him with problems, etc. My new Cardiologist's closest appointment is scheduled for December 17th. My current PCP is on vacation until August 28th and none else/substitute got back from her office to advise me. Hence, I am on my own for now. I am glad that I have found this site and able to read other people's experiences with this drug. Thanks again for your outreach and kind advice. I will be closely monitoring all of my symptoms and BP/heart rate daily and will act accordingly. I am in Los Angeles and my stay with AFib at Cedars Sinai was excellent but finding an available, reliable, caring cardiologist is an other matter entirely, and it doesn't help that a large number of the best specialists went concierge which my poor Medicare won't cover. I am very optimistic though and believe that things will get better once I am able to secure a new care provider, cardiologist.

Hi, Glad that taking the 25mg metoprolol every other day is working out for
you. I have at times asked the pharmacist for advise about my medication.
They are happy to help. They know all about these drugs that
prescriptions are given to them to fuil. They may be able to advise you on
the best way to wean off metoprolol, but what you are doing now seems to be
working for you. Also, the new cardiologist you plan to see would have
Physicians Assistants that have had their training in heart conditions
working in the office. Maybe you could ask about getting an an appointment
with one of them since your appointment with the new cardiologist isn't
until December. That blood pressure monitoring sounds ideal! I am also glad
to have found this site. there is a website called drugs.com where you
can type in a drug and learn about it. I also ask A.I. alot of questions.
Of course, when I get an answer, I check it with a reliable medical
website. Best wishes to you and never stop learning about this medical
stuff.

FWIW, I took 25 mg extended release Metoprolol daily for 4 years until early this year when I was instructed to discontinue. There was no tapering period. The only side effect I can report is that my resting heart rate gradually increased by about 5 bpm and my systolic bp increased (also gradually) by about 5 to 10 mmHg.

@vjs003 I've had a long history of tachycardia- SVT, occurred rarely when I was younger but got more frequent and longer as I got into my 50's ( I'm 79 now). I was started on metoprolol after a long bout of SVT with a heart rate of around 200 took me to the ER where they slowed it down with an adenosine IV, continued with digoxin over the next 12 hours to get the heart rate back to normal. I continued with the metoprolol which did a great job of controlling the tachycardia for the next 17-18 years or so, if there was bradycardia I wasn't aware of it then and we never picked it up during doc's visits. After that was when the bradycardia ( heart rates in the 40's) set in, intermittent and asymptomatic at first, but it got worse and was symptomatic over the next couple years, and I started having more breakthroughs of tachycardia as well.
My cardiologist increased the metoprolol to 150 mg/day to control the tachycardia, but as one might figure that also contributed to the bradycardia. I was referred to the electrophysiologist, who diagnosed me with sick sinus syndrome ( tachy-brady type). They were talking pacemaker, but first wanted to see if my getting off metoprolol might correct the bradycardia, so that is when I weaned off the metoprolol as described in my last post. I still needed a medication to control the tachycardia, so diltiazem was substituted for the metoprolol, in the hopes that this drug could control the tachy without the side effects of bradycardia. The diltiazem did virtually nothing for the tachy, and I still had the bradycardia, so that's when we opted for a pacemaker.
I don't know if the EP would have just tried to keep me on higher doses of diltiazem to try and control the tachy after the pacemaker was placed, but I begged him to let me start taking the metoprolol again- even a low dose of it along with the diltiazem, and he agreed. I took 50 mg metoprolol with 180 mg diltiazem ER for a year or two after the pacemaker implant. After that, my cardiologist ( the EP had left the practice and I was transferred back to my old cardiologist) increased the metoprolol, first to 100 mg/day, then 150 mg/day after my remote monitoring pacemaker reports showed an increase in tachy/arrhythmia episodes, some of which were A-fib. He discontinued the diltiazem ( he hates diltiazem, don't know why) so now I take the 150 mg/day of the metoprolol, which for the most part keeps my heart rate under control. I still get some breakthroughs of both SVT and A-fib, but mostly they are short lived and not every day. He's instructed me that in the event of a longer episode of A-fib, or SVT, to take an extra 50 mg of metoprolol, they really don't want to increase my regular dosage more than the 150 mg/day I already take.
My calcium and magnesium levels are fine- the calcium is checked twice a year with routine labs, and magnesium occasionally, but it's been fine too.
I'd have to say that at least in my case, metoprolol has been my go-to drug to control the SVT, and the A-fib as well- no side effects that I can determine, and I feel better when I take it. I think one of the reasons it works for me is that I also have high blood pressure ( well controlled now) so the metoprolol doesn't drop my blood pressure too low as it does many people with normal, or low blood pressure. The metoprolol probably did at least contribute over time to my bradycardia over time, not the direct cause but it likely uncovered an underlying problem with the sick sinus syndrome that I already had- this according to the two EP's and the cardiologist I've seen over the years.
That's me- as they say, others' mileage may vary, in regards to metoprolol!