Metoprolol Withdrawal Hell

My blood pressure has always been fine except for the occasional bit of anxiety for which I've taken a low dose of Metoprolol Succinate ER, cutting a 25mg pill as best I could to about 6-8mg. Now I've become dependent on a daily dose of from 12.5mg to 16mg for this past month. If I don't take that amountk at about the same time every day I develop anxiety and my heart rate goes up.

I've tried reducing doses by cutting the 25mg pills. But if I don't take the same amount the anxiety strikes. How can I wean without the anxiety? One problem may be you are not supposed to cut the ER pills. Could a compounding pharmacy crush a 50 mg pill and mix it with a slow release compound to make 25x2mg capsules from the 50mg? That would allow better control of dosing. Would taking low dose Valium (2 to 5mg) alleviate the anxiety while I go from 16mg Met to 14,12,10,etc. or is that a bad idea? Would switching to Propranolol work during Met weaning, though it is not extended release? Is there any other med to control the anxiety while weaning off Met? I'm somewhat desperate and grateful for any ideas you may have.

Zoloft and Prozac are used is pregnancy safely for anxiety! You may want to ask your Obgyn about one of them. I prenatal medicine specialist M.D. not sure of the correct name for her profession told me she uses those two with her patients and has never has any issues. Hope they may help!

Hi candystore and welcome.

Have you consulted your doctor and/or pharmacist about this?

You should have a clear idea of how to decrease from your medical prefessionals.

Until you can get your dosage where you want and need it to be...why not try some natural anxiety reducing exercises to help with the breakthrough/withdrawl symptoms.

In our Resources (main page, 1st post) there are video links to breathing and relaxation exercises that are extremely effective, especially is done daily.

The symptoms that you are experiencing are of a mind and body origin...so if you can get your body and mind to relax through these coping tools, your reactions such as heart rate and anxious feelings will decrease.

I wish you the best, and invite you to post anytime.;)

Scaredy Cat

Hi again C.S.

I am sorry that your thread somehow got off topic...the forum has been so busy this weekend, and sometimes with a lot of activity that can happen.

Again, I think that you really need to ask your medical professional about weaning and what alternatives you should consider for anxiety relief.

You can certainly ask about using a benzodiazapine (Valium, Xanax, Klonopin) for this. They can be used as needed/short term basis...and have little side effects.:)

I also really recommend the breathing and relaxation exercises to help you during this time as well. Everyone, and I mean every person alive should practice these in my opinion!

Best wishes, and again sorry for the thread getting off topic.

Scaredy Cat

The old saying is that to someone with a hammer everything looks like a nail. When I go to a Dr. they suggest a drug to treat the presenting symptom. The side effects of that drug are usually either not known or ignored. (Big pharma doesn't emphasize side effects when promoting its products.) My Drs. have recommended a heavy duty drug for insomnia called Remeron (another off label use), an anti-depressant (what are the side effects of that?) or say just quit as I'm only taking such a low dose of the Beta Blocker. They haven't really heard me and/or don't have anything else to offer.


In the past when I occasionally had mild anxiety I took a Beta Blocker (Metoprolol) for its off label use for anxiety blocking, though it was originally approved by the FDA for reducing blood pressure and heart rate. It worked. But...like many drugs it had unintended consequences. Tolerance and dependence developed. The lowest dose pills are 25mg in an Extended Release version. They last about 24 hrs. I went from an occasional 5 to 8mg to 5-8mg every day. If I didn't take a dose when the previous day's dose was wearing off, or reduced the dose, I developed anxiety, felt awful, and couldn't go to sleep. Some times I had to go up to 20 or even 30mg to calm myself and get some sleep. Turns out you can get hooked. Not everyone does, but I did. So I became a Beta Blocker junkie.



I've tried hypnosis and deep breathing. Even some low dose *********. They don't work to calm what I feel is a chemical dependence. I agree some part of the problem may be the mind-body connection contributing to the anxiety. Though I haven't had luck with attempts at self calming in the past it seems I need to keep trying a vareity of relaxation techniques and look for incremental improvements rather than a silver bullet/magic pill (though it would sure be nice to find one.)



I guess I've got lots of information. Though I'm hoping there may be something I haven't already heard of I probably just need to plan a course of action with what I already know and be prepared for some bad days (and nights) as I wean and try to find relaxation as best I can.

Post Edited By Moderator (Scaredy Cat) : 4/21/2013 1:41:39 PM (GMT-6)