Hello Everyone, I`m a first timer to this healthboard, here`s my story. I`m a 39 yr old female who has been on BP meds for about 6months now(Lotrel 5/20) at first the meds seemed to lower my bp but went back to the Doc. yesterday and its up again 158/98 sometimes higher, also My pulse rate always runs really high( and has for as long as I`ve been on BP meds) usually around 98-107, so my Dr. put me on toprol 25mg a day, which I took my first one last night. I`ve been reading all of the post on Toprol and Hope I`ll be one of the lucky ones(so far no real side effects from lotrel) but it dosen`t sound to good, I `m Happy I found thois site because now I`ll know what to look for in side effects. I`ll keep coming back and sharing what I can share about this Med, anyone please feel free to reply to me. Thanks for all the wonderful stories and advice.
Last edited by moderator2; 12-30-2004 at 04:55 PM.
Reason: please carefully review the posting rules - no emails
Welcome to the site. Yes, it is a good place to come and learn about all kinds of health concerns. I've been here only a bit over a month myself, and it has become my favorite spot to come on the web. Some real knowledgeable people here, and so willing to share.
I don't know anything about Toprol myself; I'm on a different BP med. But good luck to you. I hope it does the job you need without side effects.
Thanks for the warm welcome, I think I`m going to like it here too, I come from a large family and there`s always something going on with someone. so now maybe I`ll be able to give some good advice. Thanks again
I'm on Toprol xl 25 mgs also. It's helped both my bp and palpitations. It made me REAL tired at first, but I'm doing better now.
I found that it doesn't last the whole 24 hours a day, though, so I actually take it morning and night. I take 1 and a half 25 mg pills in the morning and another 1 and a half 25 mg pills in the evening. So, it's really 37.5 mgs in the morning and another 37.5 mgs at night. Sounds strange, but it works for me. I'm fortunate that I have a doctor who listens and is willing to adjust the dose to work best for me.
Toprol caused me all sorts of problems & has done so for a lot of people. I am on Atenolol now & it isn't better. I am on a high dose of Atenolol 100 MGS & 5/20 of Lotrel as well. The newest symptom is that my head feels like a baloon from time to time from all of these meds. Lotrel caused flushing when it was hot much easier than before, the combo of both drugs caused me stomach problems, depression, short term memory loss, lack of focus, lethargy, cahnge in personality, cold hands, arms & etc. My body temperature is 96.8-97.2 most of the time on the meds. & my pulse is 52 on the meds. It is a really bad combo for me. It seems like a lot of people have side-effects on beta-blockers & on Lotrel. You are on a low dose, so good luck. I got off of Toprol & am going to a specialist to wean off of Atenolol. Atenolol & Lotrel have been horrible for me Jerry. I looked on a lot of websites & a lot of people have problems with side-effects. Today I feel like a champ, but tomorrow can be a different story with these meds. I feel they should do a lot more research before putting Toprol, Lotrel & Atenolol on the market. The side-effects ruined my lifestyle at 34 & I am going to a specialist on my own freewill to change meds. or get off of them entirely. My B/P on the meds. was 112/64 yesterday & my pulse was 52..... No wonder I feel dizzy from these meds..... I can't wait until I get off of B/P meds. They need to do a lot more research before putting these on the market imo.
I have been on Toprol XL 25 mgs for a year now with no side effects whatsoever. It is a very safe and effective med for most people.
Thanks for the reply, I hope I`ll be one of the lucky ones also, I`ve only taken 2 doses though, how long before you seen a difference in your Pulse? mine is still high.
It does seem that lots of people have had problems with toprol. I would venture to say that I am one of the lucky ones that hit on a good BP med (for me) right from the start.
With so many BP combo meds on the market, I do know that it is a trial and error for each individual.
Hopefully, the Toprol will work for you. As far as lowering my pulse, it took about 14 days for it to kick in.
Toprol caused me all sorts of problems & has done so for a lot of people. I am on Atenolol now & it isn't better. I am on a high dose of Atenolol 100 MGS & 5/20 of Lotrel as well. The newest symptom is that my head feels like a baloon from time to time from all of these meds. Lotrel caused flushing when it was hot much easier than before, the combo of both drugs caused me stomach problems, depression, short term memory loss, lack of focus, lethargy, cahnge in personality, cold hands, arms & etc. My body temperature is 96.8-97.2 most of the time on the meds. & my pulse is 52 on the meds. It is a really bad combo for me. It seems like a lot of people have side-effects on beta-blockers & on Lotrel. You are on a low dose, so good luck. I got off of Toprol & am going to a specialist to wean off of Atenolol. Atenolol & Lotrel have been horrible for me Jerry. I looked on a lot of websites & a lot of people have problems with side-effects. Today I feel like a champ, but tomorrow can be a different story with these meds. I feel they should do a lot more research before putting Toprol, Lotrel & Atenolol on the market. The side-effects ruined my lifestyle at 34 & I am going to a specialist on my own freewill to change meds. or get off of them entirely. My B/P on the meds. was 112/64 yesterday & my pulse was 52..... No wonder I feel dizzy from these meds..... I can't wait until I get off of B/P meds. They need to do a lot more research before putting these on the market imo.
I`m sorry to hear you`ve had so much trouble with the toprol, and hope you`ll find something that works, blood pressure is nothing to mess with and at 34, I thought I was young with High BP(39) My doc says if I`d lose a little weight, it would help it to, so thats my New Years resolution, get in shape, I`ve only taken three doses so far, and I`m not feeling anything during the day, but another post said it took him about 14 days for it to kick in, anyway good luck with your Meds, hope you get it under control.
It was like 114/66 on average for December. Last year at this time it was 121/76 on average. B/P meds. were one of the worst choices that I have ever had made. Mine was caused by anxiety. Treat the anxiety 1st. My opinion!!! Way too many side-effects on the meds. It has truly made me fearful of my health & the meds. are the cause.
Axe, i agree with you. I never had so many problems until i was giving so many meds to take (24 pills total at one time). However, i am now in need of bp meds to attempt to get a decent bp reading. So far, its not working for me.
Hello Everyone, I`m a first timer to this healthboard, here`s my story. I`m a 39 yr old female who has been on BP meds for about 6months now(Lotrel 5/20) at first the meds seemed to lower my bp but went back to the Doc. yesterday and its up again 158/98 sometimes higher, also My pulse rate always runs really high( and has for as long as I`ve been on BP meds) usually around 98-107, so my Dr. put me on toprol 25mg a day, which I took my first one last night. I`ve been reading all of the post on Toprol and Hope I`ll be one of the lucky ones(so far no real side effects from lotrel) but it dosen`t sound to good, I `m Happy I found thois site because now I`ll know what to look for in side effects. I`ll keep coming back and sharing what I can share about this Med, anyone please feel free to reply to me. Thanks for all the wonderful stories and advice.
Hmmm.... First off, it sounds like you are tolerating an ACE and a CCB. But, your heart rate is a little high and you are not getting satisfactory BP control. Before you jump on Toprol, I would think you'd want to try one of the other CCB's that can actually lower your heart rate (diltiazem or verapamil). Of course, you can't get those combined, so you'd have to take a separate ACE. But, first I would confirm that 158/98 reading is correct. Do you have a home BP monitor?
BTW, I'm not a very big fan of Toprol. Have you actually read the label? See: http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2001/19962s13lbl.pdf . Notice, that in the US subgroup of the trials, it actually favored the placebo in mortality. Also, notice that it wasn't all that impressive for females.
I guess I would second Palamede's response. Back when I was first diagnosed, I was given Lotrel and it did not lower my blood pressure. After trying lots of drugs I was given Tiazac (diltiazem), a CCB, which did lower my blood pressure and pulse rate.
Why doesn't your doctor increase your ACEI or calcium channel blocker first before putting you on another drug? There are several different CCBs, which act slightly differently. I don't know about ACEIs.
Some people do well on Toprol, others, including me, do not. I'd want to try increasing the dosage of what I was already taking if I was tollerating it well, before I tried a completely different drug.
Hello,
I have been on Toprol 25mg for less than a week and some pretty strange things are happening to me. It was presecibed for its BetaBlocker abilities. I have been diagnosed with Graves' Disease. This was prescribed to stop my tremors, and slow my heart rate. However, it has done just the opposite. My BP is now around 165/96, my pulse rate averages 94 bpm, and I tremor more than ever. Any ideas as to how all of my ailments have been exacerbated.
