Metoprolol is one of the most common beta blockers that is prescribed and there are
several reasons that this can be.
We use it to treat high blood pressure, certain heart rhythm problems, heart failure, to prevent
another heart attack and even to help for headaches.
But for whatever reason that your doctor is giving it to you, the fact that you are watching
this probably means that you are worried about possible side effects and really wondering
if you should even take it.
Well, keep watching because we are going to go over all of that so that you can make a
better decision with your doctor about the best course for you.
Hi there, I m Dr. Erik Richardson a board certified Family Practice physician.
I d like to welcome you to FamilyMed, a channel that focuses giving you practical and accurate
medical information to help you and your family.
If you think this would be something that is helpful to you make sure you subscribe,
hit that notification button and follow along with us.
On today s episode we are going to be talking about Metoprolol.
This is a medication that still is more commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure, but
also is used for a variety of different heart conditions including chest pain due to poor
blood flow to the heart, situations where your heart beats too fast as well as even
preventing migraine headaches.
This is a medication that has been available in the United States since the 1980 s.
Metoprolol belongs to the class of medications called Beta-blockers.
These kinds of medications work by blocking how epinephrine interactions with the beta
cells in your heart and other parts of your body.
They cause your heart to beat slower and with less force which will decrease the pressure
in the blood vessels.
They also work to relax the veins and arteries to improve blood flow.
Traditionally, as we mentioned before, beta blocker s like metoprolol, were mainly used
to treat high blood pressure.
These medications have fallen out of favor, because there are more effective ones out
there.
Also, the whole point in lowering blood pressure is to decrease your risk for heart attacks
and strokes.
Unfortunately, at least on its own, beta blockers don t do as well as other medications, in
trying to decrease this risk.
For this reason, we usually don t reach for it as first treatment.
It can be a helpful addition when we are treating blood pressure but typically not by itself.
So, because there are a lot of different reasons why you may be on this, it s not really practical
that we go through all of them.
This is a great conversation to have with your doctor.
Besides, you really are here to learn about what side effects to watch out for and what
to expect from this medication.
So let s get into those.
Just like any medication, the type and amount of side effects vary by person.
Most people do just great on it without any significant side effects.
But if you do, the most common ones relate to how it affects your heart and blood pressure.
It can slow down your heart rate making you feel a little sluggish and can cause some
fatigue.
Sometimes with that, you can get some dizziness especially with standing quickly.
Others may see some swelling especially around your ankles and feet.
In some, you can get some iching and rashes on the skin.
It can cause some shortness of breath in some, especially with those who have underlying
lung disease.
There are also some reports of some worsening depression while on this medication.
And finally, in some men, we see that it can cause some issues with ED.
All of these can be bothersome symptoms but tend not to be serious, and most people get
used to them over time.
Certainly, if they are more bothersome it is a great thing to talk to your doctor about
and see what they recommend you do.
There are some conditions though, that you need to be aware of and watch for that can
be more serious.
Remember, typically your doctor has recommended this to you because you are having some issues
with your heart and you may already have underlying heart disease.
So because of that, we can see some issues with worsening heart failure and very low
heart rates that can be dangerous.
We also recommend, that especially if you are on it for heart issues, that you don t
stop it abruptly, as it can lead to different heart rhythm problems or even chest pain or
a heart attack.
Talk to your doctor to see if they think you are at risk for these.
Typically, those in good health who are taking it for other reasons do not have these kinds
of problems it s always good to check.
You do need to be careful with them if you are asthmatic or have other forms of chronic
lung disease like COPD.
These medications can make those conditions worse in some people or at least make some
of your inhalers not quite as effective.
It can cause some more significant skin type issues including severe rashes and a condition
called Raynaud s phenomenon where the circulation is decreased to your fingers causing them
to get white or blue and painful when exposed to the could.
There are some people that should really be careful with taking this medication.
I already mentioned those with lung problems, but we also see that those who have really
bad heart disease or problems with plugged arteries in your legs can see these conditions
get worse.
If you already have a heart rate that is really low, especially below 50 or if you are taking
other medications like a certain kind of calcium channel blocker you probably shouldn t be
taking this or at least need to do it under the close supervision of your doctor.
Sometimes there is a fine line that we have to walk with these medications, so work closely
with your doctor on what the best thing is for you.
In general, side effects from this tend to be pretty minimal.
I usually don t have many people wanting to stop them because of it.
So, I don t want you to be afraid of it if your doctor thinks it s necessary.
If you are having problems with it then usually we can switch you to something different.
It s important that you just be aware of what to watch out for and you should do fine.
So those are the main things you should watch for.
This is a great medication though because it is generic and is usually affordable.
It comes in a few different formulations to include tablets that are once a day or twice
a day as well as various IV and injectable forms that are used in the hospital.
For most of you, it will just be the tablets that you will be prescribed and typical doses
range anywhere from 25 to 300mg.
The most important thing that you need to remember with this medication is that you
just need to have a good open communication with your doctor about how it is affecting
you.
It s important that at the very latest you followup with them within 4 weeks to check
how your pulse and blood pressure are responding on this medication.
The times people get in the most trouble with this is when they try and adjust or stop things
on their own or don t check in on a regular basis to make sure they aren t having any
problems with it..
Ok, so that s about all I have to say about metoprolol.
Certainly in these few short minutes we can t cover every aspect of it.
Hopefully though you ve learned enough to feel a little more comfortable about taking
it, if your doctor feels it s important for you.
Well, I hope you found this to be helpful, if you did, please take the time to give this
video a like and share it with your friends.
It helps our channel to grow and reach other people that may need this in their life.
If you haven t done so yet, don t leave without subscribing and hitting that notification
button so you don t miss out on any of our future content.
So until next tine, this is FamilyMed with Dr. Richardson and remember to take care of
your body because it s the only one you have.