How did you wean off Metoprolol?

Yes, that is true, and good for you for both enduring and taking initiative in your own care, as well as for reporting here of your experience and desire to manage your own condition. Every person with a potentially life-threatening condition ought to be encouraged to learn all they can, to trial different regimens if drugs don't work or bring on even worse problems for them, and to help others to learn of their success. The learning is a double-edged sword, so to speak, because a physician who gets questioned or challenged might be offended and ask you to leave and to find another doctor. You should be glad he/she spoke like that because you then know you just dodged a bad one. And do get that second opinion. A third wouldn't hurt to see if they jive. But your pointed questions might encourage the practitioner to deal with your case more closely and thoroughly, and they might be happy to help a person who shows a keen interest in the field and its recent developments and research.

Thanks for chiming in, trmy085.

I'm a diabetic with left ventricular heart failure. I was put on metoprolol succinate 200 MG. I told my cardiologist that it causes my hair to come out. Also, I informed the doctors that my heart has been like this ever since I was a little girl and I made it into the military. One doctor had me on hydrochlorothiazide for fluid , then said it was discontinued and my body swelled up that brought on the HF, of course he retired. Found out that it was not discontinued, then comes the HF. The 200MG of metoprolol makes me feel weak, sleepy but can't sleep, itch and make my hair come out. Have asked for a different heart med, but instead, a form of Diovan was added and Lisinopril taken out. Before all these different meds. I had a normal low/medium low BP. Now it shoots through the roof along with my glucose level. Have anyone else have these issues? I feel like some of these doctors are just pushing meds. on me. I stopped the meds. for 3 days and added ubiquinol, beet juice and hawthorn berries, and started doing better with those than I did on the drug therapy. I think someone needs to talk with the AMA because there's alternatives out there without side effects that works better than the drugs. Anyways, I've always have had heart palpitations that would go away by itself. My glucose levels would always go high and come down by itself. My swelling ankles and fingers would swell if I ate too much salt and I didn't swell at all, if salt was mostly out of my system. I need to know some honest answers from the AMA. It's not One Size Fits All , when it comes to health issues.

Yes. I check BP and take the drug accordingly. Thanks.

My husband was having low blood pressure, falling, dizzy. The Dr. told him to only take the drug if his blood pressure was higher than 120. That was a few months ago & he hasn't had to take it again. But talk to your Dr. before doing this. Good luck.

I have Tachycardia and AFIB. My Cardiologist successfully weaned me off Amiodarone and switched me to Metoprolol about a year ago. It's worked fine so far ... I now am comfortable hiking/jogging/walking about an hour at a time instead of 30 minutes max. before. My resting heartbeat with Metoprolol went from the 60's to the 50's, but no noticeable symptoms developed.. Taking 25 mgs a day. Any noticeable palpitations or arrhymths during the day are short-lived and stop on their own w/o any additional pills. Doc wants me to get Internal Loop Recorder next. Should I?

P.S. I was on Metoprolol for sinus tachycardia

I was on Metoprolol Succinate 25mg twice a day for 15 months. I slowly developed all the symptoms you could imagine. I was also on Paxil at the time. I thought that the symptoms were from the Paxil so I weaned off them. The symptoms continued to slowly worsen over time. The light headedness/dizziness got to the point were I was barely able to drive a car and function. The doctor finally agreed that it "may" be the Metoprolol and to wean down to half a tablet once a day for a week. After researching I extended the wean to three weeks ending with 6.25mg once a day. Day one off of Metoprolol was great ... then the withdrawals hit, terrible first week... felt like I was going to faint all the time and ended up in the ER. Everything was fine after all the tests were run, and sent home. On day 16 now and feeling better, some lingering symptoms like head tightness/tingling, and a bit of dizziness (nowhere near as bad), a few palpitations, and some temporary spikes in BP and HR ... oh, and on day two my teeth hurt ... haven't seen that one on the forums before.

I've been taking 50mg a day metoprolol for the last four years. It slowed my heart rate to about 45-50/min. Didn't help at all with my AFIB. So about three month ago I changed my cardiologists and now I'm under care of an EP. He added Flecainide to my medications list. About the same time I started keeping track and really analyzing my heart rate. Some days it was down to 40!
So I decided that I will now take only enough metoprolol to maintain my heart rate around 50.
Metoprolol also lowers blood pressure, so that needs to be monitored too and now I use the same approach with my blood pressure medications. So the end result is that on average I take one 25 mg metoprolol a day and some days I skip it all. Same goes for my blood pressure medications.

Some people have a genetic issue that makes them poor metabolizers of metoprolol. This is usually found out when a person faints, or has very low BP and heart rate after two or three doses of metoprolol over a single day. The problem is that you're not clearing it...metabolizing it, and when you take the next dose, it adds to what is still circulating in your system. Then, you take the third dose....you get the picture.

I couldn't possibly in good conscience say you ARE a poor metabolizer of metoprolol, but a trained technician can sample your blood and look for the genetic markers. It's a thought...something to keep in the back of your mind for the next consultation. Or, you're simply taking too much or too often.

Is anyone else taking Metropolol for heart rate? I have low normal BP, which makes it hard to take. I switched to evening but now I wake up five hours later and cannot sleep. Also I am losing my hair. I thought the Pacemaker would manage the heart rate better. It was implanted after an almost deadly prescription for Flecainide, which never should have been prescribed for someone with chronic AFib. It is contraindicated for us.