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How did you wean off Metoprolol?
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: Sep 19 7:56am | Replies (551)Comment receiving replies
My medical backstory: In 2014 I had a fall,(I was aprox 56 then) I didn't hit my head but fell hard enough forward that it somewhat knocked the wind out of me. A day or so later I was extremely dizzy to the point I couldn't function. A visit with a ENT diagnosed me with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV) because the fall had loosened microscopic "crystals" in my inner ear.
Unfortunately, physical therapy including all vestibular maneuvers or all conventional medications didn't work so in late 2016 the neurologist prescribed 2Mg of Valium. 1Mg calmed the spinning it never completely goes away but I could work. By mid to late 2017my health was failing. And the falls from the vertigo have now caused Sciatica and that pain increased. In Dec of 2017, I was so weak, having hart palpitations, extreme anxiety, muscle pain and stiffness my mobility was diminished and after a visit to the emergency room, an EEG the ER doctor diagnosed I was low on potassium. In March 2018 my PCP referred me to a cardiologist who did a battery of tests said I have slight high blood pressure and I might have a small heart murmur and prescribed 25 Mg of Metoprolol Succ. along with the Valium.
I still had the vertigo but aprox July or August I felt the same prev symtoms coming back with a vengeance. I contacted my PCP, neurologist and cardiologist and they chalked it up to the Sciatica said I needed physical therapy or lumbar cortisone injections. I now know that I was and have been suffering from benzo tolerance and my body was going through with drawl (along with the Sciatica condition) I'm now trying to taper off the Metoprolol AND the valium.
I know the 12.5 Mg an 1 Mg of Metoprolol sounds like a small dose but it's the length of time I was taking the Valium added with the Metoprolol and 10 Mg of Benicar for my blood pressure. I am down to 6.25 Mg of Metoprolol,50Mof Valium and 10 Mg of Benicar and it's Hell. It's like I read in a previous post I read. I could not do this without God's help. I wish the doctors told me that I could only take both for a short period because after extensive research these meds are not meant for long term use.
Does anyone know if weaning off taking half doses for two weeks at a time is going too fast? Thanks
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It sounds like you have been through the mill, Always hope. And it all started with a fall. Terrible!
As we see on TV ads, drugs come with an alarming list of side effects. Resorting to drugs for one's health problems should be a last resort. Lifestyle changes are still best in dealing with health issues but doctors will reach for the prescription pad...which covers their &%$#@ if anything were to happen to the 'unmedicated' patient. So many health issues including high blood pressure, tachycardia, diabetes etc...can be CURED with dietary and physical activity changes that have as an added bonus; weight loss. There is no magic pill. We have to do the work ourselves...and I am one who admits that I am in the same boat.
As for how to manage weaning off any medication, I would ask the pharmacist. They are your go-to drug specialists. They know how drugs interact with each other and how they affect the body.
This is an aside concerning the Dutch approach to good health: I have been on holiday in the Netherlands for the past 2 weeks. I have never seen a healthier population of people. ALL are very healthy looking and slim. You do not see ANY overweight people. None! The children have rosy cheeks and are also ALL slim; not normal weight but slim. All teenagers are what we would consider skinny and very lanky. I can see why. ALL the Dutch ride bikes everywhere. The streets are crowded with bikes. Even mothers with 2 babies just put them in carriers on the bikes and off they go. The elderly ride everywhere as well. The Dutch eat much less than we do. In grocery stores, packages and jars of food are small. There are no fast food places anywhere although I did see a few McDonalds on the edge of a couple of cities but there are no other fast food chains here. If you get off at a town, there may be one proper, sit down, white table cloth restaurant. If we followed the Dutch model of eating less and exercising more, I am sure most of us would be slim, drug free and healthy.