I wish it was history. Doc said it will last a week or longer so I'll be whining for a while. I used a saline nasal flush thing earlier and my mouth tastes so salty I can hardly move my tongue.
I decided to take a covid test this morning; I just can't imagine how I feel so rotten from a sinusitis. Anyway the home test was negative. I just wrote a message to my doctor via MyChart to see how I might wean myself off of Metoprolol. I was given that Rx during chemo to help regulate my rapid heart rate and I don't know why I need it now. I read that it can cause a toxicity that causes muscle spasms and cramping and I have to wonder if this has been the culprit all along for that misery. Anyway, I'm going to stop taking it but I need to know how to go about it. I don't want to make things worse.
Well, the message to my PCP was fruitless. She has directed me to my cardiologist because "it is dangerous for some people when coming off of beta blockers." Duh. That's why I asked for a "weaning schedule." So I consulted Dr. Google and came up with my own plan. I will cut my dosage in half for a week, then that in half for another week, then NONE. If the cramping continues then I will know that the metoprolol was not the culprit after all, and hopefully I won't die during the test. I am going to schedule a consult with my cardiologist, too. I want to work with him to find an effective blood pressure medication. I have been taking Lisinopril for years and I feel that it's not keeping up. Which reminds me... I was looking at online information about Lisinopril and see that a person should not eat BANANAS when taking it. Whaaaaaa???? I have never heard that so I guess I have been gambling with my life while trying to get potassium all this time.
I did that with my carvedilol, which is about the same thing as the metropolol, and it worked out fine for me. I cut it in half for a couple of weeks, then started taking that amount once a day instead of twice, over around the course of a month, so I am now taking a half pill once a day, instead of a whole pill twice a day. As long as everything seems okay, I may cut back even further at some point, but it stopped all of those dizzy spells that I was having before.
seems i keep writing posts but not hitting Post. @Yvonne I take carvedilol,2 -2 times a day and amlodipine 1 - once a day for 6 years.i am thinking of asking new heart doctor in Jan if i can cut a dose. All this mess they put us on causes the very problem your trying to correct.
Ask if you can take potassium. It, magnesium and calcium are the electrolytes needed for muscle control and relaxation. We need an insane amount of potassium (4000 mg a day) and blood tests can't reveal if we are short as it doesn't just float around. PS it can remove excess fluid, maybe helping your lymphodema?
My PCP has tested me for potassium, calcium, etc. and all was normal. Diuretics are contra-indicated for people with LE and can worsen symptoms for some patients. Diuretics can remove fluid, but increase the protein concentration of the lymph fluid. "Diuretics could increase the concentration of cellular debris in the extracellular space, which in turn may accelerate the permanent fibrotic changes characteristic of lymphedema." Also, I have gout so diuretics are a big no-no.
I don't know how long it might take for your spasms to reduce after being off of the Metoprolol (if that is the cause.) I finally got off of that maintenance antibiotic I was on for a year. Long-term use (6+ months) can cause pulmonary and cardiac issues, and the pulmonary ones might take up to 6 months to clear. I assume that's because of underlying damage that needs to heal, and not that it takes 6 months to clear your system. I'm glad to be off of it. You might ask how long it might take those spasms to clear up if the Metoprolol is the issue. It might not be just a few days. What a pain...
Honestly, I don't think they have a clue. They are hesitant to even admit that the metoprolol could cause the cramping. I read on various medical/pharma websites that the drug itself clears the body in a couple of days, so I'd expect some improvement within weeks...?? Who knows.
So many side effects to taking meds. My husband was put on Lisinopril maybe 6 months ago for high BP. This is the only blood pressure pill that he has taken that hasn’t caused him bad side effects, so he thought. His GFR has dropped since he started on this blood pressure pills. Apparently, the BP pill has been sucking the potassium out of him too, even though he eats lots of potassium foods. The doctor prescribed him potassium pills to take twice a day and told him to come back for another blood test in 6 weeks to see if the potassium pills helped raised his gfr. Nope, no difference. So his doctor told him to take 3 potassium pills and to go back for another blood test later on, which is at the first of the year, I think. The 3 pills are now causing him bad heartburn/acid reflux, which he never has had before neither. He takes potassium pills with food. He now has quit taking the 3rd pill and is now back to taking two. He is about ready to quit the BP pills. This is the only medication he takes.
When that oral antibiotic lost its effectiveness and my urologist put me on the liquid antibiotic that I instill directly into the cath, I asked if I could go off of the oral antibiotic (because of the side effects) but he did not want to "rock the boat" since things seemed to be working. The last appointment was a follow-up to having a stone removed, and I read some of his comments before I went in and they said "We discussed going off of the oral antibiotic." Sure enough, he said he wanted me to quit it without my having to ask. Like you and many others here, I do my research first so that the conversation can have some factual basis and can be guided in the proper direction. They can't know everything, bless their hearts.
True. My PCP said today in a message, "Your cardiologist prescribed the Metoprolol for your PVCs and it could be dangerous to stop taking it." Well, actually NO. My cardiologist said my PVCs were "no issue of concern" and no treatment was recommended. I got the beta blocker from an oncologist at MD Anderson because my resting heart rate was getting scary on chemo. (So naturally I corrected my PCP, lol.)
Since a few folks have commented on potassium...I used to supplement it in powder form, mixed with grapefruit juice. That was a long time ago, when I used to do a lot of bike riding. I've not added potassium to my supplement program these days because I thought I read that it can be dangerous if you don't dose properly. Did I misread the data? Am I being overly cautious?
No, you are not being overly cautious. Over-dosing potassium can cause severe issues so it pays to be careful with that.