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How did you wean off Metoprolol?
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.
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what aout an insertable under the skinheart monitor? so they can see whats going on in your heart. it monitors for two years. a electrophysiologist can do this, one that has good credentials by his name and at a larger hospital, some dr that is through and well known
Thank you!!! This is the first thing I’ve read that makes sense to me. I live in Canada where the medical system only lets you have one crack at a cardiologist or diagnosis. I was put on metoprolol 2years ago- for suspected atrial flutter- no symptoms other than a high heart rate that spun back down on its own but which I felt worried about when it showed up on a drug store monitor I used just by chance-I had no discernible symptoms otherwise- I had other cardiac tests-all normal but was put on metoprolol while on a wait list for a cardiologist. Immediately upon starting the medication I was so sick! Fatigue, general malaise, sleeplessness, chest pain, shortness of breath and low blood pressure. I knew it was the metoprolol- my dose was eventually reduced to half 12.5 mg twice a day so I wasn’t as sick- but I’ve never been the same. I wanted to go off it but was convinced by others that I needed it to protect my heart- since atrial flutter could cause stroke. I also continued to have the tachycardia even more often. Meanwhile the “triage” at the cardiologist I was waiting to see, decided I was low priority and I had to wait 11 months to be seen (while continuing metoprolol and feeling ever worse.) No one would even consider trying me on a different beta blocker when I asked- though a pharmacist suggested it. Doctors here so busy and burnt out- it’s impossible even to get a 10 minute phone appointment with a GP for which- if you can get it -you wait 3weeks . Once I saw the cardiologist a year ago now- he was scornful of me for being at all worried about the high rate a year prior to my seeing him-though it had started happening ever more frequently and has since really increased. He said I had a kind of SVT (EAT)which was not deemed a serious condition (which must have come up in the holter readings which the referring doctor- an internal medicine guy at my local hospital - (there is no actual cardiologist in my town)- had initially read and thought might be atrial flutter. And the reason I was triaged as only semi urgent-but nobody thought to tell me or my GP that it was not flutter. So I suffered a year of these debilitating side effects thinking that I had a potentially serious condition and had to endure them while I waited .) After talking to the cardiologist- also very busy and acting like I was wasting his time- I determined from what he said that I didn’t actually “need” the beta blocker to prevent a stroke or heart attack - though he also insisted I should stay on it -indefinitely -for the SVT and totally poohed poohed my claim that it seemed to be the thing making me sick. He said that the chest pain and other symptoms were likely anxiety and unrelated to the SVT. He prescribed propofanol which I tried for three days and had such a huge reaction to it (more tachycardia even at night- and unable to even do yoga without pulse rate shooting up to 150 and staying up) that I knew it would be a disaster to stay on it. Propafenal has a “box warning” and is -from what I read AND heard from a pharmacist -not recommended for anyone who does not have serious heart disease. But my refusal to continue on it -I felt like I was poisoning myself frankly- just made the cardiologist and my GP further write me off as an anxiety case. I had already spent the year worrying and feeling like hell, had bought a smart watch because I felt that there was not enough medical oversight which made things worse because I then truly did become neurotic about looking at my heart rate. I now am labelled as “anxious” on top of everything- have spent a fortune on therapists who are calling my SVT and other seemingly cardiac symptoms, “somatic illness”. I have chest pain, shortness of breath, blurred vision, heart rate that spins up to 150 to 170 bpm multiple times a day. Despite a year of the best psychological therapy money can buy. (Here in Canada mental health care is private pay… but regular medical care is free for all but somewhat limited as a result-and the private pay medical advice available is limited to entrepreneurs who charge more than I can afford. I have even tried naturopaths and other alternative medicines and every dietary supplement available and exercise. I’ve tried -despite this continued medical advice to stay on it -many times to wean off the metoprolol because that feels like the moment -(now two years ago) when I started actually feeling sick- but whenever I do, my SVT gets a lot worse and all of the chest pain and other feelings of malaise I get before and after it increase-so I, having had no medical support in the first place to wean off it, just give up and go back on it. I recently tried again and just gave up the weaning (I was down to 10mg twice daily) yesterday. I am so desperate now- something has to give. It’s why I googled and saw this. And why I’ve written this long crazy reply to your post. I’m really really interested in knowing anything else you have found out. It’s been two years for me and my gut says it’s the beta blocker that’s making me sick and I really want to try to get off it. But how? Thanks again. Keep me posted? Best of luck to you. 😊
Look into a Kardia monitor. They aren't costly, and will provide you with a full report of your heart rate over night.
One other thought: there is such a thing as knowing too much. Being consumed with data will be as harmful over the long run, due to stress, as the condition you fear. If you're sleeping reasonably well, and awake each morning, and can otherwise function, and if your various conditions that require treatment are periodically assessed to make sure the treatment is appropriate, try to get on with enjoying the hours of the day.
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1 Reactioni would go by your gut feeling. i went by what a few drs about what they thought i did wrong with my meds for afib . with no luck on their advice i went back to what i was doing now i take less mudication with fewer side affects so now i break up my metropolol and keep my pulse in the fifties. i only take the flecainide acetate if it gets too strong and long, wer they waned me to take it twice a day with onle 25mg once a day . i ended up taking more medication to control it and my bracardia was worse. now i take less meds and doing much better . i decided to go by my gut feeling . they believed that my flecainide acetate would not work if i did not take it 2x a day and felt i was taking too much metropolol. everyone is different
For your information I am 78 years old. My next step is to talk to my cardiologist in the middle of January about replacing metoprolol with food that can do the same thing for my body without the side effects. I'm talking about fish, garlic, hawthorn berries, etc. I'm not experiencing any serious side effects at this point but I am concerned about side effects in the long term even when taking a small amount of metoprolol on a regular basis. I hope you keep trying to reduce the amount that you are taking. I am no doctor but I am thinking that you should go on 12.5 mg a day for a while before you go off of it completely. In addition I have read information that would indicate that flecainide is also a problem in the long term. I don't know how much research you have done in that area but I would encourage you to do so if you have not.
Hi, thanks for you comment. Glad to see you are slowly coming down and your Afib isn’t showing anymore. Yes, I’ve done multiple echocardiograms, EKGs, a stress test and lots of blood tests and a holter monitor, but only for 3 days since each day was like $100. But with all of those tests, it doesn’t show any heart condition. My naturopath believes it’s a chronic infection somewhere so just running blood tests for other concerns ruling out lyme and other stuff. Only tough thing is being on metoprolol for over 3 years makes it much harder to get off because your body is so dependent on it and feels like a deadly situation at times without it.
I had AFib and had it corrected with an ablation. After that I was on 25 mg of metoprolol per day but then worked with my cardiologist and I am now down to 12.5 mg per day. I have a meeting with her in the middle of January to discuss getting off of metroprolol in total. I did wear a heart monitor for 30 days that showed that I was no longer in afib. That was about a month and a half ago. You might think about a heart monitor and or an echocardiogram if you haven't done so recently. That might make you comfortable in your decision. I think you are doing the right thing to explore getting off of metoprolol.
Hi everyone, I’m a 25 year old male that has been on 25mg Metoprolol Tart twice a day for tachycardia. I was in bed one night and my heart just started racing, so I panicked and went to the ER. That’s where the doctor at the ER prescribed me this medication. Honestly, the worst side effect medication ever but slows my heart rate so I’ve been dealing with it since I was 22 years old. Tried switching meds and those didn’t slow it down, so was put back on Metoprolol again. All I was told is to keep taking this medicine and do test after test after test. Everything comes back fine, which I’m happy about, but frustrated that there’s no solution. Slowly started weening myself off, 25 in the morning and 12.5 at night for a while. Currently on 12.5mg in the morning and 12.5mg at night. Been on this for about the past 8 months. I’m worried about coming off of it fully, but that’s the goal. I’ve went to a naturopath who believes we can get off of it after fixing a few deficiencies and running a few rare tests, so I still have hope. I have noticed hair thinning, dizziness, brain fog, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to heat, irritability, and irregular rhythms. 2023 goal is to ween down to 12.5mg once a day, and eventually come off of it and see how the rate is doing then. Goodluck to all and wish me luck haha. God Bless, we got this. Always believe that things can be reversed. I never will believe that it’s permanent.
I take the same, but I have slightly elevated blood pressure. Is your blood pressure normal?
Same thing with side effects for me too. I have only taken 1 25mg XR in 5 days. I feel this may be a damaging med in the long run. Let us know how you are doing. I care.