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.

@mdm123

That's good advice @mayofeb2020, thank you. I do have a wrist monitor and it has been providing the numbers I mentioned earlier. Here at home when exercising I score 110/70. While on Metoprolol I score lower than that. For instance, this morning was 102/67. I see in the White Coat Hypertension article on Wikipedia that high results are usually due to smaller cuffs, or cuffs too small. In my case on Tuesday, that's exactly what it was. There's a red one and blue one, the blue one is the smaller one and it is what both the nurse and the doctor used on me. I usually request the red one but was for sure certain my BP was not a problem based on my home scores. Seeing 160/82 on the machine TOTALLY shocked -- bamboozled, even -- me, to the point that I didn't know if asking for the red would make a difference.

To me the BP issue wasn't even an issue. I was actually there to talk about another issue (I've created a thread on this forum about it entitied "Feeling Like Heart is Kicking Me When Sitting"), but the 160/82 reading fully sidetracked my whole morning -- and week, for that matter.

Also, I got into a discussion with my doctor with regards to cuff vs. arm. Apparently, wrist measurements aren't as accurate as the (upper) arm. I am aware of this nuance, but to me, if one is scoring 110/70 on the wrist, that has got to be good for a 120/80 for an arm cuff. Regardless, I took to Amazon to find a highly rated arm cuff for a good price ($26), so I am going to try that out and add that to my metrics. I'm sort of miffed with this battle! Tired of these automated machines!

Not sure if links can be posted, but this is the one I got: amazon.com/dp/B07JN1DF1D

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I have been using a cuff for several years. I find that mine is very close to upper arm machine ( I have both and compare them fro time to time). The thing about the cuff is that. You have to get it on exactly right or it will give a false readings(usually too low). I use
Mine on both arms witjh at least 4 minutes between readings,

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@exboater

I have been using a cuff for several years. I find that mine is very close to upper arm machine ( I have both and compare them fro time to time). The thing about the cuff is that. You have to get it on exactly right or it will give a false readings(usually too low). I use
Mine on both arms witjh at least 4 minutes between readings,

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@exboater @mdm123. Yes, it's a good idea to take your bp twice. May be it's tmi but a full bladder gives a higher reading. Don't check your bp right after exercise, sit quietly for 4-5 minutes first, once a nurse told me to uncross my legs. I sometimes take my bp on both arms but not routinely, maybe I should start.

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I got off of it because I was having hoarseness every morning and had been for a long time. It was a last resort to try to figure out why the hoarseness. I did get right off it and was put on a calcium channel blocker. My hoarseness disappeared.

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thanks for sharing. i am glad you had a fix. I take metoprolol and am having increasing difficulty with an itchy throat and sinus pressure. I have to sit up and cough -- it keeps me awake.

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@lucky1038

thanks for sharing. i am glad you had a fix. I take metoprolol and am having increasing difficulty with an itchy throat and sinus pressure. I have to sit up and cough -- it keeps me awake.

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I have a persistent cough. And, I take it to slow my heart rate due to leaky heart valves and afib. When I try half a dosage, I don't feel as well, and get scared and go back on the regular amount of 25mg which is a low dosage. My sexual function is about non existent along
with my husbands impotence which he seems to like, not that it matters at 73 years. Also my memory is poor and I forget stupid things. Most of my conditions are a combo of so much of life beating on me for 73 years. I don't see how we can separate things. Symptoms.

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@healthytoday

I have a persistent cough. And, I take it to slow my heart rate due to leaky heart valves and afib. When I try half a dosage, I don't feel as well, and get scared and go back on the regular amount of 25mg which is a low dosage. My sexual function is about non existent along
with my husbands impotence which he seems to like, not that it matters at 73 years. Also my memory is poor and I forget stupid things. Most of my conditions are a combo of so much of life beating on me for 73 years. I don't see how we can separate things. Symptoms.

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Our brains age and many ‘elders’ and ‘Not so old’ have some memory loss.... (my friend in her fifties).
With Mild Cognitive impairment we can lead a an active life: carry a note pad and pen! I keep a pad near our phone and in purse or pocket.

There are meds now that HELP with memory ...
and with a good doctor’s help we stop taking prescriptions that caused! changes in memory and mood.

Thank God I found a neurologist who said:
“Stop taking Clonazapam.” He referred me to someone on his team who helped me with a slow titration off of Clonazapam... and added another med to HELP with memory.

I am still trying to compensate for not remembering... but you can find aids: note pad, calendar, a kind!relative or friend who does not say: “ You already told me that!”
I try to keep a daily phone log/calendar: really helps!

All the best to you. You are not alone.
Don’t forget to exercise if you can: walking,
Yoga, singing, 🖼 Art?

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I took metoprolol for a very short period before and after mitral valve surgery (subsequent heart transplant alleviated the need for a beta blocker). I hated the metoprolol and quit cold turkey though I was not on it more than two months total. No issues for me in stopping.
Good luck and...
Best always,
s!

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@scottij

I took metoprolol for a very short period before and after mitral valve surgery (subsequent heart transplant alleviated the need for a beta blocker). I hated the metoprolol and quit cold turkey though I was not on it more than two months total. No issues for me in stopping.
Good luck and...
Best always,
s!

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Hello @scottij,

While I'm glad to hear that you had no issues after going off the metoprolol it is always best to contact your doctor if a medication is causing a problem and get a different script or a plan to reduce the med with the doctor's approval. This is especially true for meds that affect the heart and/or blood pressure.

I also took metoprolol for a short time and didn't do well with it. I contacted my cardiologist and told him about the problem. He prescribed a similar med, but one that did not have the side-effects.

Remember to contact your prescribing physician before removing a med and check to see the correct way to do so.

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I did not mean to imply that I made that decision on my own. As my original post indicates I trust my professionals. My cold turkey quit was approved by my cardiologist and aided by having taken it for so short a period.

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@scottij

I did not mean to imply that I made that decision on my own. As my original post indicates I trust my professionals. My cold turkey quit was approved by my cardiologist and aided by having taken it for so short a period.

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I'm glad that you clarified that, @scottij!

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