nenna71
06-19-2005, 10:58 AM
Hi, I am in need of info on how to wean myself off of a beta blocker. Up until two weeks ago I was on 50MG of Atenolol which was causing my hair to fall out. I tried switching to Micardis but my Dr. didn't have me wean off of the beta blocker, just had me stop taking it. I was miserable for a few days and could no longer take the rapid heart rate (I took the atenolol for high blood pressure, not tachycardia) so my Dr gave me Toprol XL 25MG. Sigh! Yet another beta blocker. If one beta blocker made my hair fall out, won't they all?
Anywho, I want OFF of these damn beta blockers. Can anyone give me info on how to get off the Toprol and onto the Micardis safely before I wake up will all my hair on my pillow!
Thank you,
Brenda
Anywho, I want OFF of these damn beta blockers. Can anyone give me info on how to get off the Toprol and onto the Micardis safely before I wake up will all my hair on my pillow!
Thank you,
Brenda
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skylark
06-19-2005, 12:35 PM
I was on 100mg of Toprol xl for about 5 years. a few months ago I started changing my diet (more fruit & veggies) cut out a lot of salt. Did more exercise. got my numbers to around 112/74. went to see Dr. she gave me 2 weeks supply of 50mg Toprol xl and 1 week of 25mg Toprol xl.
After the 3 weeks she said to just stop. I have been feeling great. and my numbers are still around the 112/74. I am still on Diovan HCT. she gave me a lower doze and I'm hoping to get off these as well.
After the 3 weeks she said to just stop. I have been feeling great. and my numbers are still around the 112/74. I am still on Diovan HCT. she gave me a lower doze and I'm hoping to get off these as well.
zuzu8
06-19-2005, 03:23 PM
Brenda,
I think someday soon, you need to wean yourself off this doctor! ;)
Knowing that atenolol may have been the cause of your hair loss, to put you on another beta blocker doesn't make much sense. And to tell you to just "stop" after a year was idiocy.
Are you now taking the Toprol with the Micardis??
As long as the Micardis alone is enough to control your BP, and you want to start weaning of the Toprol now, you could try 25mg Toprol every other day for about a week or ten days (is it a "splittable" pill?), monitoring your heart rate and BP all the while and see how you feel. Then, if you're feeling okay, stop.
zuzu xx
I think someday soon, you need to wean yourself off this doctor! ;)
Knowing that atenolol may have been the cause of your hair loss, to put you on another beta blocker doesn't make much sense. And to tell you to just "stop" after a year was idiocy.
Are you now taking the Toprol with the Micardis??
As long as the Micardis alone is enough to control your BP, and you want to start weaning of the Toprol now, you could try 25mg Toprol every other day for about a week or ten days (is it a "splittable" pill?), monitoring your heart rate and BP all the while and see how you feel. Then, if you're feeling okay, stop.
zuzu xx
nenna71
06-19-2005, 09:11 PM
Thanks for the replies! I agree with you zuzu my Dr made a bad call by telling me to just stop the atenolol. I actually am going to start weaning myself this evening off of the Toprol. My tablets can be cut in half so I took 12.5 mg this evening and I will monitor my numbers tomorrow. Should I also take the Micardis with the smaller dose of Toprol...at this point I am not taking any Micardis.
Brenda
Brenda
zuzu8
06-20-2005, 04:14 PM
Nenna,
I thought you were already taking Micardis when the doc added Toprol.
Did Micardis not work for you?
What is your unmedicated BP?
I think you should call him and tell him you're weaning...otherwise you are handling your blood pressure alone without any backup.
zuzu xx
I thought you were already taking Micardis when the doc added Toprol.
Did Micardis not work for you?
What is your unmedicated BP?
I think you should call him and tell him you're weaning...otherwise you are handling your blood pressure alone without any backup.
zuzu xx
nenna71
06-20-2005, 04:45 PM
Zuzu,
No, I was not on both meds at the same time. I was on atenolol and then he told me to stop taking that and switch to the Micardis. The four days I was on the Micardis alone my BP was fine but the withdrawl symptoms from the beta blocker were horrible.
So, he took me off the Micardis and put me on Toprol XL 25 mg. Which I took 12.5MG of last night and my blood pressure right now is 116/70. I am thinking I am going to continue the 12.5mg dosage for a few more days and then transition back to the Micardis because at the rate my hair is thinning I will be bald soon!
My unmedicated BP before he put me on meds was 144/90. Sometimes I wonder if I even should have been on a beta blocker.
Nenna
No, I was not on both meds at the same time. I was on atenolol and then he told me to stop taking that and switch to the Micardis. The four days I was on the Micardis alone my BP was fine but the withdrawl symptoms from the beta blocker were horrible.
So, he took me off the Micardis and put me on Toprol XL 25 mg. Which I took 12.5MG of last night and my blood pressure right now is 116/70. I am thinking I am going to continue the 12.5mg dosage for a few more days and then transition back to the Micardis because at the rate my hair is thinning I will be bald soon!
My unmedicated BP before he put me on meds was 144/90. Sometimes I wonder if I even should have been on a beta blocker.
Nenna
err629
06-20-2005, 09:39 PM
Although not directly related to weaning off of a beta blocker, I thought I'd share my experience with Micardis here. I was put on Micardis 40 mg daily in March of this year. This is the first time ever for to be on any BP med. I have noticed that Micardis has increased by Blood glucose level. It used to be in the 90 to a 100 range before Micardis. Now it is in the 107 to 117 range. My doctor does not think Micardis is causing it, but I think it is, because I have been exercising a lot and have lost nearly 10 pounds since March and I feel great. I feel the BG should have stayed the same, not gone up. Micardis, however, does a good job of controlling my BP although my mornings BP still is high. It does go down though once I get up and start walking around and have breakfast.
las7715
06-24-2005, 07:43 PM
Nenna71, what kind of side effects did you experience weaning off Atenolol? I was thinking about doing that and want to know what to expect.
nenna71
06-24-2005, 11:43 PM
Hi, coming off of the atenolol was pretty horrible. I had a rapid heartrate, even walking up a flight of stairs left me winded. I also had headaches, extreme tiredness and full fledge panic attacks. But my Dr had me quit cold turkey and after only four days I was back on a beta blocker (toprol XL 25mg). But now I am doing it the proper way and reducing dosage, I have been taking 12.5mg a day for the past six days and knock on wood, but my pressure has been wonderful and I feel so much better. I know some people love atenolol but now that I am no longer taking it I feel like a new person. I am no longer sleeping 9 hours a night, the feeling of my head being in a fuzzy haze is gone and so are my stomach issues. I never knew how bad I felt while taking atenolol until I stopped taking it. It feels wonderful to exercise once again and actually get my heart rate aboove 120 bpm, something that near impossible for me while on the atenolol.
My advice is reduce dosage slowly and you should be fine. I have two more days of taking 12.5mg of the Toprol a day and then I am going to start taking the Micardis and hopefully my body will not even miss the Toprol and I will feel fine. I just want off of these darn beta blockers!
Good luck,
Nenna
My advice is reduce dosage slowly and you should be fine. I have two more days of taking 12.5mg of the Toprol a day and then I am going to start taking the Micardis and hopefully my body will not even miss the Toprol and I will feel fine. I just want off of these darn beta blockers!
Good luck,
Nenna