Ah...yes. I've taken Toprol XL since my Ross Procedure in Aug '06. For the first year post-op I took 75mg per day. My surgeon said I could lower that to 50 mg after my one-year follow-up visit. Before my surgery, I weighed about 190 lbs. By 6-months post-op, I was up to 200 lbs.....and I was almost fully recovered and playing tournament tennis again. During my 2-year post-op followup visit with my surgeon (Aug '08), I told him I'd like to lower my dose again, because it was still making me sluggish when I played tennis and I couldn't ever lose weight...no matter what I tried. He said I could lower it to 37.5 mg per day, if I also took 10mg of Lisinopril. This is all in an effort to keep my BP and heart rate down. I did this for a few months and my BP and heart rate stayed low (115/70 and 62). I decided on my own that I would lower my Toprol XL dose to 25mg this past January (while still taking the Lisinopril). My BP and heart rate stayed low, I lost most of the sluggishness when I played tennis.....and what do ya know....I lost 15 lbs. in 2 months. I tried dieting before this, but it never worked. It did start working when I lowered my beta-bloker dose. After I lost my 1st 15 lbs., I quit seriously dieting, and just watched what I ate. I lost another 7 lbs. by July.
I had my 3-year follow-up visit with my surgeon on Aug 18, and told him about lowering my dose. He said I really should go back up to 37.5 mg per day with the Toprol XL. He thought that was the minimum dose necessary to help preserve the longevity of my auto-graft valve. So, I went back up to 37.5 mg per day on Aug 19. I've noticed a large increase in my appetite since then. I've been able to keep my weight down so far, so I'm hoping I can keep it up. But there has definitely been an increase in appetite. It has to be from the Toprol XL increase. There have been no other changes.
Sorry to be so long-winded, but I thought my experience may be helpful.
Good luck. I know it can be quite a struggle.