cvoor
10-17-2008, 10:35 AM
I've been on Metoprolol for 6 months now. I am on 25 mg xl, once a day. My side effects keep changing. For the last 2 wks or so, I had insomnia, and now, for the past couple of days or so I can sleep. Also, I get hot flashes on and off. Once in a while, blood pressure spikes, or increased blood pressure, higher pulse, especially in the mornings. Sometimes I have more energy, other days not. Sometimes palps, other times not. Also, last wk for a few days, I was incredibly irritable, and now I'm ok.
Could this be an adjustment that needs to be made to my dosage, or is this just normal ?
Could this be an adjustment that needs to be made to my dosage, or is this just normal ?
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ms58
10-17-2008, 01:10 PM
I was on Atenolol, another beta blocker, and had a very bad experience. But I did a lot of research when I was on it to try to figure out why I felt so wierd, kind of like what you are describing.
What I found out is that beta blockers slowly build up in our systems over time. Most have no problems initially, but over months side effects slowly start up. The effects are often very subtle and we don't always relate them to the pill, but in your case, you are seeing the problems and are smartly relating them to the cause.
Over the course of the one year I was on it, I had many of your symptoms. My once upbeat, happy self became very anxious, nervous and sleep was difficult. But it took over 6months for the side effects to start, and then they just got worse and worse.
I also have poor perpherial circulation, a condition which the beta blockers are never supposed to be used with as they reduce perpherial circulation. So I had horrible headaches, ringing in the ears and migraine symptoms too. And my blood pressure was going up, just like you, due to this circulation issue.
I've been off for about 3 months now, but I still get the adrenaline flush and anxiety off and on, tho it is getting better.
You have to ween off beta blockers. But do yourself a huge favor and get with your doctor, tell him/her you need to get off the drug and find something else. Your side effects will get worse and getting off gets more difficult the longer you stay on the drug.
What I found out is that beta blockers slowly build up in our systems over time. Most have no problems initially, but over months side effects slowly start up. The effects are often very subtle and we don't always relate them to the pill, but in your case, you are seeing the problems and are smartly relating them to the cause.
Over the course of the one year I was on it, I had many of your symptoms. My once upbeat, happy self became very anxious, nervous and sleep was difficult. But it took over 6months for the side effects to start, and then they just got worse and worse.
I also have poor perpherial circulation, a condition which the beta blockers are never supposed to be used with as they reduce perpherial circulation. So I had horrible headaches, ringing in the ears and migraine symptoms too. And my blood pressure was going up, just like you, due to this circulation issue.
I've been off for about 3 months now, but I still get the adrenaline flush and anxiety off and on, tho it is getting better.
You have to ween off beta blockers. But do yourself a huge favor and get with your doctor, tell him/her you need to get off the drug and find something else. Your side effects will get worse and getting off gets more difficult the longer you stay on the drug.
ACE28
10-17-2008, 04:45 PM
I can say that their have been numerous side effects posted on the web recently abou METOPROLOL side effects. It appears that CONSUMERLABS and PEOPLES pharmacies have tested the Generic TOPROL-XL called METOPROLOL XL, and found the the pills to be inferior and not equivalent. You have to ask for the brand name "TOPROL XL" by Astra Zeneca. I'm not sure about atenolol, but the brand drug Atenolol is called TENORMIN, and a prescription for 90 days is well over $100. The generic Atenolol is about $3.00 at Walgreens. Is there a difference, you decide. I have not had any problems with TOPROL XL brand. Sleep problems could arise from the ingredients, and the inferior release properties of the drug...
P.S. This is just my opinion from what I've read....
P.S. This is just my opinion from what I've read....
ms58
10-17-2008, 05:34 PM
I think anyone taking any drug, owes it to themselves to do complete and thorough research on the side effects. Ofcourse not all people react the same to any drug, and many are fine on beta blockers, ace inhibitors, HCTZ etc., but others have problems.
OP is experiencing almost the exact problems I had, so it seems she has problems with beta blockers. Aside from all the negative side effects she is experiencing, her BP is going up.
I can't think of any reason, anyone would take a pill to reduce their BP, and then have it go up, and continue on that class of drug. Generic or brand.
OP is experiencing almost the exact problems I had, so it seems she has problems with beta blockers. Aside from all the negative side effects she is experiencing, her BP is going up.
I can't think of any reason, anyone would take a pill to reduce their BP, and then have it go up, and continue on that class of drug. Generic or brand.
ACE28
10-21-2008, 01:35 PM
My point about the generic difference is that for certain brand name drugs, the generic "Equivalent" has not been proven to be equivalent. Especially for TOPROL XL, the only generic which was tested and proven to be equivalent is manufactured by PAR pharmaceuticals. All others are junk, according to PeoplesPharmacy and CONSUMERLABS. Sometimes a good pill takes a bad rap. I believe it's worth giving the brand name drug a try if side effects and tolerabilty remain horrible, especially for cardio-meds. If a pill is not manufactured to specific requirements, the drug can either release it's ingredients too soon or not soon enough. This can lead to skin flushing, irregular heartbeats, sudden dizziness, body aches etc... Also, beta blockers are all different in regard to side effects. ATENOLOL side effects are different than COREG or TOPROL side effects. Most importantly, not everyone experiences the same side effects with the same drug or class of drugs. The newest beta-blocker released is called "BYSTOLIC". This pill was designed to eliminate many of the side effects of the older beta blockers. Many on this board and others have given it high praises....