Metoprolol (aka Lopressor, Toprol XL) Side Effects

[WFO]

It's been a while since I posted anything. Now at 17 weeks post surgery, I am doing well. I need to exercise more, or should I say at all, but none the less, I feel good.

My only complaint is with sleeping. I routinely twitch, toss-and-turn, have nightmares, talk, sit-up and hit since coming home. This never happened before. I, however, have no recollection of these events. My partner is the "victim" in all of this. The only impact to me is feeling tired most of the time.

Have any of you experienced these side-effects with Metoprolol or another beta-blocker?

I'm due for my check-up so I'll be asking my surgeon and doctor about this as well.

Thanks!

 

[nngbwh]

Here is a link to Metoprolol side effect http://heart-disease.emedtv.com/metoprolol/metoprolol-side-effects.html.

Personally i do get Dizziness, lightheadedness sometimes and itching. Other than that i am doing fine with 75mg daily.

 

[Bina]

Yep, that Meto can really promote some nasty night time stuff, I had some very panicky dreams. It does get better though.
Are you keeping track of your BP and HR? You may need a dose adjustment.

 

[Fiddler's Green]

I'm taking 100 mg of metoprolol and I am looking forward to getting off of it. I'm 29 years old and I had a BAV replaced with an ATS mechanical valve six weeks ago.

I occasionally talked in my sleep before the surgery. Two nights ago I sat up and stared at my wife for a while. She asked me a question and we had a short conversation where I didn't make much sense, then I went back to sleep ignoring her last question. I have no recollection of this. I have no idea if this is a side effect of the metoprolol or if it is just me being me.

I have noticed since the surgery that my memory is not nearly as sharp as it was pre-surgery. I'm not sure if it is the medicine or a symptom of pumphead.

WFO - Maybe ask your doctor for a script of the muscle relaxer flexeril and take that before bed? It should help you sleep more deeply without the crazy problems of sleeping pills like ambien that can actually cause sleep walking, sleep eating, ect.

 

[dfelder]

I sleep pretty good on 50mg of Metroprolol. Amioderone caused me to have lots of weird dreams and flinging arms. Once I was off that, it got alot better

 

[WFO]

Thanks for the comments so far.

I was just reading an old post from someone who thought his ceiling fan was a witch flying around the room. When I was first home, I had the fan turned off because it really freaked me out at night. It's on again but I still wake up thinking it is some kind of thing with arms trying to grab me.

I think it's time to adjust my dose once I talk to the doctor.

 

[jake]

You are NOT alone!

You are NOT alone!

OMG let me tell you about MY adventures with Metropolol.

First of all, I can inline skate 20 miles, hard without breaking a sweat on a nice day, but get totally winded climbing a single flight of stairs!

When I first went on it, nightmares every night, and sometimes waking up in a panic/cold sweat! I had the "jimmy legs" for several weeks until I settled into the meds but every now and again, they come back.

My wife says I laugh and giggle in my sleep, have conversations with the wall and all while I am sound asleep.

I thought I was losing my MIND but thank God it’s only the ACE inhibitors! LOL!!!!

But seriously, I really can’t wait to get off of this stuff after surgery. It really blows!

 

[nngbwh]

Are you people on LSD or Metropolol Maybe I should take a higher dose of Metropolol just to see
if I will get a trip out of it.

 

[Guest]

I was just reading an old post from someone who thought his ceiling fan was a witch flying around the room. When I was first home, I had the fan turned off because it really freaked me out at night. It's on again but I still wake up thinking it is some kind of thing with arms trying to grab me.

LOL!


I don't believe I've ever experienced those extreme side effects from Metoprolol/Toprol. Maybe I have and just didn't realize it was from the meds....?



Cort | 36.m.IL | 5 Monte Carlos.1 Caprice Classic | pig valve.pacemaker * 07/24/2010=ChitownMeet #3 *
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"Confusing what is real" ... Linkin Park ... 'Crawling'

 

[OldManEmu]

Metoprolol made me fatigued most of the time, I also found I had trouble on things that required extended concentration like reading reports and driving.
I didn't do a much driving in the first year post surgery as I didn't feel safe most of the time. I also experienced a lot of strange dreams and I seldom dreamt before going on Metroprolol or after coming off it.
I found Carvedilol (coreg) much worse than Metoprolol, it was so bad I asked the cardio after 3 months to put me back on Metoprolol.

 

[Mentu]

After my AVR, like most people I experienced the SUPER BEAT. It felt nothing like the palpitations before surgery but it did feel extremely strong and my blood pressure went up with it. The metoprolol eased that and as well my pulse rate and blood pressure dropped to a low normal. That was goiod. After about 4 months, though, I had lost that great feeling of energy on waking every morning and in general felt sluggish most of the time. When I look back at my time sheets for that period, I wasn't very productive at work either. I also noticed that sexual function was all but disappearing. Around my 6 month point, my pulse rate started dropping into the 50s every afternoon and one day down to 48. At that point my dosage was cut in half. I asked my Cardio to take me off the beta-blocker at 7 months which he did but asked that I monitor my blood pressure more carefully. A month later, my family Doctor added amlodipine to my list because my blood pressure was creeping upward. I am at almost 10 months and my blood pressure is edging down but is still a little high so there is probably some modification yet to come, however, I hope I can manage without the metoprolol.

Larry

 

[WFO]

I'm scheduled for a check-up on the 30th of July at Mayo and will certainly address my issues. I'm glad that I'm not the only one experiencing strange things as a (possible) result of the Metoprolol.

Larry, I too am feeling tired all the time but have not been checking my HR and BP regularly. I'll start that again as preparation for my check-up.

Thanks.

 

[sweetbanker]

I've been on Lopressor for years and never any problems . After the AVR they increased me to 75 mg twice a day and took me off a drug called Exforge. Everyone has different chemistries, I guess thats why some of the interesting side effects .

 

[TXGal]

I was on Toprol for 10 years and stopped by request 6 months ago. I don't recall any sleeping issues when I first started taking Toprol, but I know for years I didn't have any sleeping problems. My main issues with Toprol was lack of energy & dizziness.. especially if I increased my dose or if I wasn't well hydrated, I would have no energy at all. Since getting off of Toprol, I can't even force myself to take a nap when I feel like I'm tired.. With Toprol I seemed to sleep a lot more. Also, I've found that I haven't had but 1 migraine in the 6 months since being off of Toprol. I am thinking now that Toprol must've increased my chances of a migraine coming on.

I have noticed since the surgery that my memory is not nearly as sharp as it was pre-surgery. I'm not sure if it is the medicine or a symptom of pumphead.

I know how you feel! I still feel this way since surgery, so it's not the Toprol for me unfortunately.. either Lanoxin or unfortunately "pumphead"!

Best of luck! I hope your symptoms get better and you can sleep well soon!

 

[Penny]

I have had the pleasure of dealing with the side effects of metoprolol. They just increased my dosage from 12.5 up to 25mg two times a day.. this drug makes me lightheaded and I feel as if my brain is swimming... grrrrrr
I was having issues with my bp being low and now it is even lower due to the increase of the medication.. I am worried about doing my walks when it is so low so I haven't been doing them.
Needless to say it hasn't been a fun experience. I am off to the doc tomorrow to see if they can maybe lower the dose so that I can function properly through the day and get back on track with my walking..

 

[Shobu]

I got switched from metoprolol to Bystolic after having SE with the metoprolol. The difference between the two is like night and day. There are several B-blockers to choose from; talk to your doc and see if you can switch to something else. All I can say is that it has done wonders for me.


--Dan

 

[Kathy McCain]

Yes, I was on 12 1/2 mg Metoprolol for 2 1/2 yrs. I finally requested to wean myself off. I did not have nighmares or sleeping problems caused by this med. I felt fatiqued most of the time. I have a low BP, even before my AVR. The primary reason I was taking Metoprolol was to decrease my heartrate. I was having occasional irregular heartbeat (fluttering) , which has been checked and my cardio says is not dangerous.

So far, the only side effect that MAYBE I am seeing was lack of energy. I'm pretty certain this med contributed to that lethargic feeling.

 

[Bill B]

I've been on 50mg BID since surgery with no noticeable side effects. It has brought my pulse way down, often into the 40s, but I am quite comfortable with that, never experiencing lightheadedness or tiredness. That said, it is quite common for beta blockers to causes all the things people are reporting here. So, I'm not surprised by anything I'm reading here. It may not be causing your symptoms, but the only way to tell is to try an alternative type of medicine if it continues to bother you. Sleep disturbances after OHS are common, but it should get progressively better, not worse. Same with weakness and tiredness.

Bill

 

[Luckyguy17]

Am somewhat confused as to why most recovering OHS patients would remain on a beta blocker for many months or even years following surgery:confused2:

If the purpose of a beta blocker is to keep the pulse down, this seems to me truly understandable for a certain number of months while the heart tissue is healing. Once the tissue healing is complete, why would it be important to keep the pulse down? If the heart is designed to deliver 130 beats in an active state when healthy, why would you want to put a cap of 105 BPM?

So 2 1/2 months post op am down to 5mg daily of bisoprolol and hoping to be completely off beta blocker in next 2 to 3 weeks.

This may be one drug that is getting a little overused, as are pain meds...

If i can live drug free, why would i want to be using drugs?

A drug should improve lifestyle not impede it

just my thoughts and venting

Gil

 

[Luana]

Am I the only one here taking the beta-blocker propranolol?