Cardiologist told me today that he wants me to take Topril XL for my rapid heart rate. I'm scared since I took it for one week in March and that's when my month long insomnia began. For those of you taking this med, did you have side effects and what advice would you give me.

everyone i know who has been on topril has hated it - insomnia, weight gain, dizziness, nausea, etc

of course some people swear by it

if your heart rate is too high go to walmart & get a bottle of valerian root, its less than $4, I've been experimenting with it, its a mild sedative guaranteed to drop your heart rate & will lower your BP if stress is a factor in the BP & will help you sleep thru the night

If you are less than 200 lb i wouldnt take the 3 pill dose they reccommend, you will get tired until you get used to it

of course I'm now taking 4 pills 3 times a day but i'm 245 lb

Cardiologist told me today that he wants me to take Topril XL for my rapid heart rate. I'm scared since I took it for one week in March and that's when my month long insomnia began. For those of you taking this med, did you have side effects and what advice would you give me.
It had just the opposite effect on me , all I wanted to do is sleep after I started , it took my already fairly low heartrate at 60 bpm and shoved it down to the low 40's for a pulse rate , got off that in a hurry , won't take any more beta blockers !!!

Please don't take the beta blocker, except as a last resort. Try the ccbs discussed
in other posts first.

I am on metoprol and have been for about 4 yrs, the doctor wants me to switch to toporol xl since its extended release and im only takin 25mg once a day which he said should be twice a day but 50mg makes me tired so he said the toporlol would be better for me, i havent had any problems with other than being tired.

So now I don't think I want to take it at all! Didn't sound like too many positive things to say about it.

Some people really like it and it does what it is supposed to do without side effects. Those people shouldn't change drugs just because it gets bad press.

On the other hand, I am also one of those people who tried it and had horrible side effects, ranging from generally increased blood pressure, nausea, anxiety, and blood pressure and heart rate spikes up into the bad category.

If you have never used the drug, try all the alternatives before you go to a beta blocker.

Agree with Pal, only take meds. & especially beta-blockers as a last resort if you have heart problems. Way too many side-effects. Not a fan of BP Meds.

I agree with mgray. Don't make a decision on other people's experience. It may be perfect for you. This BP game is all trial and error.

at first when I started on 25 mg torprol I slept alot then I adjusted and slept my normal self somewhat then I had to up it to 75 mg and won't go any higher due to fatigue on exertion pressure did go down some but shot back up and is still there. it keeps my jaw from hurting and my inner engine at low idle, and no it hasn't hurt my sleep once I had been on it for about a week or two.

I sleep about normal now. don't go to the bathroom as much day or night like I used to, probably because I am not so nervous or something not sure.

RR

toprol xl gave me severe depression and insomnia,went over a month without sleeping my blood pressure actually went down when i quit taking it. i now have blood pressure under control by taking lisinopril 5mg,procardia 30mg,and hctz 37.5/25mg. so far so good on these meds

Beta-Blockers should only be used as a last resort imo. I weaned in 1/2 off of Atenolol from 100 MGS to 50 MGS and I feel much much better. Not as depressed, my b/p has remained the same, my stomach problems have gotten much better and I don't feel lethargic. My B/P is also the same as it was before. I have no heart problems, so I don't know why I had to suffer on a beta-blocker for the past 2 years. Xanax at 2 mgs a day works much better for me, because I have anxiety that causes the HBP at certain times. My pulse has increased from 53 to 67-70 off of Atenolol, but I feel like a new person. On Toprol I felt horrible for most of the day as well.

Axe, good for you for finally starting to wean off Atenolol! I figured you weren't going to do it. Glad you are seeing some positive results from cutting back your dosage.

Hi Axe,
You should start a new thread about your weaning off of Atenolol. I know a lot of people would like to cheer you on and hear your progress. How did you go from 100 to 50mgs? Just cut them in half at once or taper? I tapered down from 12.5 mgs to 5 mgs little by little. I know it sounds like a ridiculously low dosage but I am hyper sensitive to meds. I started tapering because I had the same gastro problems you did plus my hair was falling out by the handful. My BP is still low although my HR has gone up some. Here are my numbers on and off and in between

First diagnosed, no meds 140/90 HR 105
12.5 mg Atenolol 96/64 HR 66
5 mg Atenolol 108/70 HR 75

So I guess I am where I need to be. No symptoms. A lot less palpitations and no tachycardia except one incidence of too many chocolate chip cookies :rolleyes: I still hit 140/90 at my Dr's office, but she's happy with my home numbers. I am very happy for you. So glad to hear that you are feeling better :bouncing:

Big time difference off just by tapering from 100 MGS to 50 MGS. A lot more positive during the day, no stomach problems, less lethargic. I feel like I finally have my life back. I just cut the pill in 1/2 and have been taking it that way. Thanks for the positive support Graylorn and Beach Bum. Beach Bum, I am really sensitive to meds. like you. I understand. I will keep everyone posted. I will stay on 50 MGS for a week and cut it back to 25 MGS after that, while monitoring my B/P. I got tired of the side-effects and my wishy-washy doctor, so I just want to show him my results. When my B/P was averaging 108/61-65 that was enough with a pulse of 53 on 100 MGS of Atenolol. It was time.

Sounds like a plan Axe. I would be careful below that. I thought at 5 mgs that my dosage was so low it wasn't doing anything and tried skipping it all together. My BP started to creep up, I had chest pains and my HR went way up. I won't do that again. I'm not messing with success.

Although I am a 44 year old female going through perimenopause. I am hoping that all of this is hormonal and will level out. My anxiety is through the roof so I am willing to stay on the low dose for a while. I've got enough other weird stuff going on that I don't need papls right now. Geez. Anyway keep us posted. Stay well.

KayKay,

Sorry to have hijacked your thread. We should have started a new one. But I think all beta blockers are similar and maybe some of this applies to Toprol. I think the manufacturer that makes Atenolol also makes Toprol. So maybe you can get something out of our experiences with the older drug. With either one you have to wean off and it's scary. The doctors never tell you that.

Beach Bum,

I agree.... The docs. never tell you that or that at increased dosages you stand more of a chance of side-effects as well.

Cardiologist told me today that he wants me to take Topril XL for my rapid heart rate. I'm scared since I took it for one week in March and that's when my month long insomnia began. For those of you taking this med, did you have side effects and what advice would you give me.

Kay,

How many mg. of TOPROL did your MD prescribe? Up to 25 mg is not to bad, If it causes insomnia take it in the morning. For a rapid heart rate (which I Know can be scary) TOPROL will relax your heart and take the edge off. Something like a tranqulizer effect. I was also prescribed TOPROL 25mg about 4 years ago for rapid/skipped beats etc. (It worked fine, but with the combination of my other BP meds, I was extremely tired) So I tapered off the TOPROL. Among beta-blockers TOPROL is suppose to be one of the "Better" beta blockers according to HEART FAILURE research studies etc. TOPROL is the extended release version of Metoprolol.

I hope this info has helped

Thanks for all your info.
Doc prescribed 25 mg. but I haven't taken it yet. I go back next week, and will talk to him again about it. I know I probalby really need it as my at rest heart rate is always around 100, but my blood pressure is always fine. any natural ways to lower heart rate??

Kay,

I currently take only 1 BP med called DIOVAN/80mg with barely any side effects. What relaxes my heartrate (makes me feel less stressed) is a CALCIUM/MAGNESIUM/POTASSIUM combination. (CALCIUM 1000mg,MAGNESIUM 500mg,Potassium 99mg) Potassium is not sold in greater than 99mg. This combination is found in many stores. I also take a B-100 Complex tablet. This has helped me. Other citamins like VIT C, E etc.. I take for heart protection in general.

I don't know if you exercise but long distance runners have slower resting heart rates. maybe get into a running program if the doc will allow.

of course it would be nice if they knew why your resting heart rate is so high.

RR