How did you wean off Metoprolol?

Posted by kenny48 @kenny48, May 11, 2018

Hi,
I've been taking both flecainide and metoprolol now for eight years, as a prophylactic for Afib. I recently moved to North Carolina and have a new Cardiologist. Have had a lot of PVC's this past two months, and had to wear a heart monitor for an entire month. He said that although I had a lot of PVC's I didn't have even one PAC! He also noted that my BPM was low in the low fifties most of the time. He asked why I was taking metropolol. I told him that the only thing my previous doctor had said was " it makes the flecainide, work better". He suggested I stop taking the metoprolol to see how I do without it. Unfortunately I read a lot of information on the internet. I read that it can be very dangerous to stop taking it. I take 25 mg metoprolol succinate, split in half. Once in the morning with my flecainide, and then again in the evening for a second dose. He wants me to take half in the morning and skip the evening dose for two days, then stop entirely. Has anyone else stopped taking this drug in a similar manner? I'm worried that the cut off is too soon.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.

@afrobin

Good news! Success story!
My BP is moderate and I do take a medication for it but plan to continue my walking regimen when I get home which does lower it. I have been walking an average of 14,000 steps per day here on holiday in the Netherlands. I will lower salt intake and modify my diet which is high in veggies but it's going to be even higher. No more homemade soups. They need to be salty to taste like anything. I need to reduce portion size, eliminate carbs at each meal, lose weight.. .maybe 30 pounds which I know will lower the BP. My cholesterol is normal. Big Pharma lowered what it deemed 'normal' to such a low number that half of American men 65 - 74 are on statins. It seems that all my friends are on statins.
The documentary on the Nature of Things with Dr. David Suzuki (on YouTube) reveals research by several eminent, Canadian cardiologists that only a man in his forties who has had a heart attack should be on statins. It is especially dangerous for seniors causing muscle weakness and memory loss. Thank God I don't need it but if a doctor told me I did, I would not take it. I just read that 61% of people prescribed statins are non compliant after 3 months.
Pill takers Beware!

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Re cholesterol. I am a tiny little thing clocking in at 105 lbs. Inherited high cholesterol from my dad.
Intolerant to statins. Good diet- very good. high ldl. Started injecting Repatha (evoculamab - biologic) in Sept. LdL down 50%. I was a stroke waiting to happen.

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Watch the documentary: https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-cholesterol-question Cholesterol is no longer the big deal it used to be.,...or what Big Pharma would have you believe it is. $$$ It's c reactive protein and inflammation in the body.

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Do you know why the French have so few strokes and heart attacks compared to other countries such as the US? They drink wine with their meals. The wine especially red wine contains resveratrol which keeps the blood thin. I would go for wine before injecting myself with some chemical. You need to drink 4 ounces daily to keep the blood thin since the effects last 24 hours. Red wine gives me a headache so I take a resveratrol pill...when I think of it.

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@afrobin

Watch the documentary: https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-cholesterol-question Cholesterol is no longer the big deal it used to be.,...or what Big Pharma would have you believe it is. $$$ It's c reactive protein and inflammation in the body.

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No, the most recent studies, just last week confirm that high LDL plays a huge role in cardiovascular events.
I think you and I should agree to disagree!
Enjoy the rest of your stay in the 🇳🇱. Would love to see those tulips.:)

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@afrobin

Do you know why the French have so few strokes and heart attacks compared to other countries such as the US? They drink wine with their meals. The wine especially red wine contains resveratrol which keeps the blood thin. I would go for wine before injecting myself with some chemical. You need to drink 4 ounces daily to keep the blood thin since the effects last 24 hours. Red wine gives me a headache so I take a resveratrol pill...when I think of it.

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We all have to make our own decisions.

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Yes, we will have to agree to disagree. I question and doubt any study that promotes a statin or drug because it is undoubtedly backed by Big Pharma. I prefer to believe the Canadian researchers (in the documentary) who have no stake in the game; nothing to gain.

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Exactly...hopefully based on credible sources.

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@afrobin

Exactly...hopefully based on credible sources.

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Evidence based. Okay I'm done. Off to enjoy my Sunday.

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@afrobin

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.

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Yep! AFRobin, I wish I had taken a more proactive position regarding my heath during that time and researched the valium before taking it. I was (I felt) a healthy 125lbs, and very active before the fall and even after when the vertigo would allow. I'm now aprox 95 lbs weak and frail. Benzos are a life destroying evil that doctors should prescribe with the most extreme caution, if ever, and no past even ten days. I found out tolerance for the Valium was building in my system after 14 days because it had already compromised the GABA in my brain and nervous system and I took it for 3 1/2 years!

There are soooo many people, especially ages 65 to 80 hooked on benzos and dying from it. The numbers for emergency room visits for people in this age group taking Benzos is heart breaking!! There is so much info on Benzos and anti-anxiety meds if you research it. Maybe big pharma increased the percentages a physician can earn for prescribing these types of addictive meds?

I wish the doctors would think of a family member when they are prescribing these meds and give their patients a stern and heartfelt warning because my doctors said nothing. They just kept writing out those prescriptions with a smile. I'm sure they wouldn't want a loved one to experience this kind of Hell. My son says:" I'm so sorry you are going through this Mom" and I'm sorry he has to see me this way.

Benzos are no joke and because Metoprolol has an anti-anxiety agent it's also addictive and causes some people like me all kinds of health problems that like me, they don't attribute to the medication.

The medical community needs to look at other options for treating heart patients. (And they're out there) Especially when the patient comes to them with their health already compromised. Makes no sense.

With the grace of God and his guidance, when my tolerance withdrawl is complete from these meds, my life, my health and lost time with my family will be restored to being as healthy as I was before the fall. In Jesus' precious name!

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I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, AlwaysHope. If I can give you one word of advice it is to be PROACTIVE. Don't leave your health in the hands of someone else...such as your doctor. Can you see a good naturopath; preferably one who has his or her doctorate of naturopathy who can help you get your health back on track.
Write down your history in point form and take any medicine and supplements to show him or her. And most important of all, take questions to ask. Never mind the cost. This is your health at stake. The naturopath will create a healthy diet for you, probably encourage you to take probiotics (50 billion Garden of Life) to boost your immune system and to get plenty of sleep and exercise.
Our plates should be very colourful. You don't want to be looking at a plate of beige food. I think your naturopath can work with your doctor to get you off any meds that are giving you problems. There are more natural ways to cope with anxiety such as exercise and some natural supplements. Avoiding coffee and tea is a start. Aiming for at least 7 servings of fruit and vegetables is also a good start. I wish you all the best.

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