Feeling low after stopping meds.

[vagueinpurple]

Hi all, I have had AF for 13 years following death of first husband. Have been on a beta blocker for that long, and then flecainide was added about 7 years ago. I had a cardiac ablation in October 22. After 4 months I came off flec slowly over 5 weeks then stopped metoprolol . It is now 5 weeks off all meds except apixaban. I felt very weak after stopping the beta blocker and am still very lacking in energy. (I am 72 and have had CFS for many years.) Does anyone have input/experience about how long the body takes to adjust to being off meds...maybe especially the metoprolol? Thank you

[CDreamer]

Hi - everyone is very individual but a lot of people struggle coming off Beta Blockers because they are (or were) also used to reduce anxiety. Many have found that reducing the dosage very slowly will mitigate the affects. Were you told to just stop?

Going by my own experience I would say think months not weeks and please do go back and talk to your doctor about this as not enough notice is taken about the affects of coming off Beta Blockers.

Good advice and explanation in this video:

youtu.be/uucUyMaJPQg(Not working as expected?)

[vagueinpurple in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for your response. Yes I am accepting it will likely be months...smile

[etheral]

Unusual that stopping a beta blocker would make you feel fatigued. Certainly see your doc and perhaps look for other causes...etheral

[Peony4575]

I had a horrible time after stopping beta blockers and fatigue and weak feeling legs were a big part of that . As C Dreamer said think months not weeks

[vagueinpurple in reply to Peony4575]

Thank you Peony4575...yes I am accepting the wait...smile

[Paulbounce]

Hi VinP. It's great to hear that you've been able to manage your afib with medication and had a successful cardiac ablation. Coming off medication can be a challenging process, and it's normal to feel some side effects.

In terms of adjusting to being off medication, it varies from person to person, but typically it can take a few weeks to a few months for your body to adjust fully. It's important to give your body time to adjust and rest when needed, especially given your history of CFS.

Overall, it sounds like you're making positive steps towards managing all this, and I wish you all the best on your journey towards good health. You'll get there don't you worry - that's a 'Paul's Promise'. Why not keep a 'grateful for log'. Write down something you are grateful for every day and read it at the end of the week. Let's change 'feeling low' to 'feeling grateful'. I'll be checking up on this and keeping my eye on things

Here's a song to cheer you up. Click on watch on YouTube to listen to it.

Paul

youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65...(Not working as expected?)

[vagueinpurple in reply to Paulbounce]

Thank you Paul for the encouragement...smile

[Paulbounce in reply to vagueinpurple]

Don't worry - be happy!

Paul

[Oldiemoldy]

Metropolol never did anything for me except make me tired. So stopping it and switching to flecanide didn't seem to affect me - except the flecanide works as a decent antiarhythmic.

[DesertDeuces in reply to Oldiemoldy]

I had been on Metoprolol for a couple of years, along with Xarelto. It didn't seem to cause me any problems. I got Afib while being given the wrong treatment in a hospital. They stressed me so much that my previously healthy heart couldn't take it anymore. That was 4 years ago. Just a comment about how stupid the medical staff was: when I got severe chest pains, I begged for help but nobody did anything for me. I begged for at least a popsicle to put out the fire in my chest and the nurse said, "You cannot have a popsicle. You're on a liquid diet." A few months ago I suddenly began to vomit blood - lots of blood. I went unconscious. Doctor said if a friend hadn't found me I would have died. I got 10 units of hemoglobin transfusions and never had had one before in my life. I'm 76 years old. After discharge from the hospital, I was back in the hospital and had emergency surgery on my colon. They found holes in my colon and abscesses on the abdominal wall.

The doctors took me off Amiodarone and put me back on Metoprolol even though my cardiologist took me off it. I ended up suddenly dropping like a rock when I was washing my hands in the bathroom. I stopped the Metoprolol and resumed the Amiodarone. So far I haven't had any side effects from stopping the Metoprolol.

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

Hi

Metroprolol gave me 2 pauses night x 2 secs.

I was changed to Bisoprolol which is better for Afs.

But H/R 120 plus at rest Day. Now on Diltiazem 120mgAM / 2.5mg Bisoprolol PM.

What is your BP and what is your H/R. I think you need a 24-monitor to see what is going on.

cheers JOY

[DawnTX]

Did you go off your medication cold turkey?

I was on Multaq and taken off of that immediately while still in the hospital. I am still on metropolol. Before the pacemaker, I was also put on digoxin and taken off of that in the hospital. My metropolol is now one time a day two tablets instead of twice a day.

Personally,, I don’t know how moving meds around does not affect us. After the past 2 1/2 years, I’m not sure which medication causes what side effect I’d love to know what I really would feel like without any of this stuff in my system, but I am holding onto my Xarelto.

Withdrawal can be horrible I was on a medication that they suddenly pulled off the market without warning. I had to go through withdrawal because of it it was an anti-depressant. Even though I was given another one, I still went through withdrawal and felt horrible and severely depressed. It takes several weeks for new meds to kick in. Have you talked to your doctor about how you feel? If you’re EP is not available even your general practitioner should be able to help. Please feel better other than that it sounds like you are doing better.