Hi @myra. Sorry to hear about your unfortunate symptoms after stopping Metoprolol abruptly and starting on Carvedilol. Your question is interesting -- asking about stopping Metoprolol, but not about starting Carvedilol. I have been on Carvedilol for more than a year, having started at 12.5mg per day (in two doses). I'm now taking 50mg per day in two doses. I can't identify any symptoms from starting Carvedilol.

I was advised from the beginning not to suddenly stop or sharply reduce Carvedilol, which is a beta blocker used to regulate heart rhythms and reduce blood pressure. Since then, I have read several articles by medical professionals giving the same advice on Metoprolol, which is also a beta blocker. Your long reliance (and perhaps dependence) on Metoprolol raises an important question about possible side effects from abrupt halt of the medication. It is so important that you should promptly tell your cardiologist about your symptoms and ask whether the abrupt shift from Metoprolol to Carvedilol could have caused your problems. Ask also whether the two drugs are equivalent in both purpose and effect or whether each is used for a different set of symptoms. If your cardiologist isn't clearly sympathetic and understanding, you should get second opinions from another cardiologist in answer to all of these questions. Your primary concern should be to get a good medical diagnosis of your instability, nightmare, and urination problems.

Good luck in getting this episode behind you. We'd also like to know more about why your cardiologist relied on Metoprolol to treat your hypertension for so long.

Hello @myra,
I'd like to add my welcome to @predictable's who has given some great insight, and I would encourage you to read these discussions about Carvedilol, too:
1) Side effects of heart medicine carvedilol joint pain and stiffness: http://mayocl.in/2nTvsB6

2) Stopping Carvedilol (Coreg): When will the effects wear off? wear off? http://mayocl.in/28YeSeN (This discussion, (No. 2), includes a reply by a Mayo Clinic pharmacist).

I'd also like to introduce you to @murryone @neeci @sittingscribe1 @momma78 @constanceann @teatime @barnes123 @lola63 @auntdd @incrediblemulk98 @doug_58 @barneythe2nd, as I'm sure they will return to share their experiences with you.

@myra, you may also wish to see this discussion about Metoprolol:
New to Afib, warfarin and metoprolol (beta blocker): http://mayocl.in/2neURa8

@hopeful33250, @kdubois do you have any information to share about your experience with Metoprolol that would help Myra?

Hello @myra I had similar side-effects to the Metoprolol. I had very busy dreams (felt tired when I woke up). I looked on the drug's website and noticed that was a side-effect along with dizziness and clumsiness. So I emailed (using My Chart) my cardiologist and he agreed that what I was experiencing was most likely a reaction to the med (he said it crosses the brain) and he switched me to Attenolol which has worked nicely without the side effects. It did take a while for the dreams to settle down, several weeks. Teresa

Hi @myra, did your doctor say why he wanted you to cease the metoprolol immediately? From what I understand, ceasing metoprolol shouldn't cause those symptoms.

Hi Myra,

After my bypass I was on Metroprolol and was told by the surgeon that if my heart rate went below a certain number or my BP readings were very low to stop taking the Metroprolol. Well, my heart rate did go below the rate specified by the surgeon and I was switched to Carvedilol. That one has kept my resting heart rate down to as low as 36, but the migraines I suffered through of years are gone unless I try to go off the Carvedilol.

The migraine doctor told me if I were to switch to any other beta blocker it would have to be back to Metroprolol. She claimed it was the only other one that would address my heart problems. They seem to be like twins, Carvedilol and Metroprolol. The pharmacist however differed with both of the doctors and suggested Attenolol.

I don't think there are any perfect for everyone drugs ever made by pharmaceutical companies.

Very interesting. I was put on Carvedilol instead of Metoprolol overnight. The Nephrologist claimed they are more effective. I am taking 6.25mg , twice
a day now because my pulse was too slow, instead of 12.5mg twice daily. I do not feel any different at all. Hope you get it under control. Axel

Some cannot, even with your recommendations, ever bring their heart rate to a "normal" HR. Some need off that medication completely as their HR is too low to be on it.

My husband just came off coreg this week.The problem is he is waking up two or three times per night to urinate.He had never done that before.He is a smoker has a history of stents # 11 .He has been on coreg for three years. Complaining of fatigue and constant headache so he abruptly stop taking coreg this week.

@jacobwill
When I abruptly quit core I suffered migraines. Have a history of them and they seemed to disappear after my bypass surgery. Then I asked my Doc about going off Coreg. he stated that I should try it. OOPS!!! Back came the migraines I had been free of for 6 months.
Tried again just cutting the does in half, still got migraines.

Sooooo, long story cut short I took advantage of advise posted here. Don't be abrupt about weaning off the stuff. Go slowly, work out a wean off schedule. Took 14 weeks, but when I was completely through with the stuff , not a single migraine.

Maybe your hubby should figure out a wean off schedule and temporarily use the core but begin a wean off , but not so fast.

Hope this helps.

Eilena

Hi @jacobwill,

I'd like to welcome you (and your husband) to Connect. Before anything else, I'd like to mention that your husband's decision to stop taking Coreg (Carvedilol) abruptly should be an immediate concern. According to this information from Mayo Clinic, "Do not interrupt or stop taking this medicine without first checking with your doctor. Some conditions may become worse when the medicine is stopped suddenly, which can be dangerous." https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/carvedilol-oral-route/precautions/drg-20067565

Moreover, the black box warning placed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this drug states, "Don’t stop taking this drug without speaking to your doctor first. Stopping carvedilol suddenly can cause changes in your heart rhythm, worsened chest pain, or a heart attack."

I sincerely encourage you to view this other ongoing discussion, started by @teatime, where @doug_58 @1712aolg @shawn2018 @strmalik @vbrooks82 @zany @and many others have shared some truly valuable insights and experiences about tapering off and/or stopping this drug:
–stopping Carvedilol (Coreg): When will the effects wear off? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hi-everyone-i-am-glad-to-be-a-part-of-this-community/

@jacobwill, it is often a matter of trial and error finding the right medication; would your husband consider asking the doctor for something else? Has he informed the doctor about waking up frequently every night?