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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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Margaret -- Good morning.
When I stopped my beta blocker several years ago, I cut the dose in half for a week to see how I would react to it. Then cut it in half again the following week, and then stopped it after that.
This was a conservative way to discontinue the med.
NOTE: I literally had to cut the tablet to accomplish the above.
Good luck!
/LarryG
Has anyone quite taking? My Dr said just quite taking it. No weening? He just said stop taking!
How do I ween myself off of this drug Toprol
@cblatch001 -- Hi. Best thing to do is contact the prescribing doc. Your history, diagnostics and other health info is vital to how to proceed. From your post, this MD will likely have your most recent records, and may be in the best position to ascertain how to move forward with your care.
All the best!
/LarryG
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1 ReactionI’ve been taking Metoprolol for a few years and got as high as 75mg. I recently was changed to Micardis. Should I continue to take/wean down the Metoprolol while starting the new BP med(Micardis)?? I have been experiencing palpitations, fatigue, feeling jittery and very anxious. Thank you.
Hi, Kenny. If you're taking the beta blocker only for Afib rate control, and your current BPMs are pretty low, weaning off it is certainly reasonable. Cutting your dose in half for a week, and seeing how that works is what I would've done. And if OK, then cutting that in half again for another week, and if all is well, then stopping it altogether. I would've checked this procedure with my EP beforehand, of course. (I'm presuming you have an accurate way to obtain heart rate readings.)
Been taking BBs for over 20 years and have cut my dosage over time... think I started at 50 mg / day. Eight years ago or so, I went down to 12.5 mg / day. Four months back, I increased it to 25 mg / day. My EP is totally fine with me taking readings at home and adjusting my own doses based on my experienced BPMs. (NOTE: I'm a licensed RN, and used to work in an ICU years back.)
Good luck. Hope things improve for you!
/LarryG
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1 Reaction@erodla, I moved your question about weaning off metoprolol 25 mg twice daily to this existing discussion:
- How did you wean off Metoprolol? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/weaning-off-metoprolol/
I did this so you can easily connect with fellow members like @becky1024 @markdeegan @dprest56 @mrsilver @dalous @sueinmn and others. Click the link above to read past posts.
@erodla, You're right to ask questions. The FDA warns "Don’t stop taking metoprolol suddenly. If you do, you may experience worse chest pain, a jump in blood pressure, or even have a heart attack. Stopping metoprolol is not recommended. If you need to stop taking the drug, first talk to your doctor. Your dosage should be gradually decreased under a doctor’s supervision."
I suggest you tell your doctor about your concerns. It is possible that because your dosage is low enough, the period you were taking the drug was short enough and your condition is stablized that you are okay to stop. But I think it's worth sharing your concern.
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1 ReactionOh ok I understand now sorry to hear that my cardiologist said is ok to cut them also the nurse said that every doctor is different I know had you had any issue since stopping it ? The pill I m on day 6 of stopping it
My doctor told me that the Metoprolol ER shouldn't be cut in half even though it had the line in it to do so. When I checked with a friend of mine who is a nurse she told me the same thing. She was the one who told me instead of cutting them in half to start taking them every other day for a week then every third day for another week and then stop. But I decided on my own after the first week of every other day to just stop on my own.
I was put on Metoprolol after the heart attack. I was on a ventilator for about the first 10 days in the hospital and was given everything through an IV. After they removed the tube from the ventilator and they deemed that I could swallow I started taking it in pill form.
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1 ReactionWhen I first went to the cardiologist he told me that my heart was strong. My EKG was good. The reason for my diagnosis was because my Troponin was high. He said that he has seen this a hundred times from people with Covid and said he was going to reduce the Metoprolol from 50mg to 25mg then wean me off. My second visit my EKG was good I was walking up to 2 miles a day and when I told him about all the different side effects I was having from the Metoprolol he said he was going to leave me on it because I had a heart attach. Then he said he would see me in 6 months. No explanation of why the change of not weaning me off or any response to the complaints of the side effects. This drug was causing depression so bad that I began to think I would have been better off dead than to feel this way. Within days of being off this drug my mind cleared and the dizziness went away and I felt positive about life again. As I said before I'm going to a Holistic doctor this week to get a second opinion but going off of how I feel, I feel great.