I am thinking that metoprolol is the reason for my excessively vivid dreams and my general feeling of cruddiness almost all day long.
Without boring everyone with my reasoning and justification for these suspicions, I'm asking for my premise to be accepted, and then asking this question: When people have switched from metoprolol to diltiazem, have they noticed any difference in how they felt during the day and when sleeping?
Or do they feel pretty much the same, given that both meds reduce heart rate and blood pressure about the same degree?
I do know that switching from a beta blocker to a calcium-channel blocker is a complex decision, but, again, the switch is possible, and probably recommended, for many people. For me, the switch does not seem to be ruled out.
(I stopped all alcohol at the same time that I started metoprolol. I felt no reward for my alcohol abstinence -- part of the reason that I suspect metoprolol as causing the same "hangover effect" that I had with the wine and beer.)
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Corazon17
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Metoprolol affects many people in the way you describe. I cannot tolerate it I did tolerate Diltiazem a lot better and from reading numerous posts here, I think that is the majority verdict. Just make sure you wean off the Metoprolol in making the switch. Your doctor and/or pharmacist should be able to help you here.
I've been taking metoprolol for about 10 months. In the first few days, it felt great.
I was first prescribed one 25mg pill per day. But when my pulse increased substantially late in the day (from 50s to 80s), I suggested doubling the dose, and my GP agreed, and then, a few weeks later, my new cardiologist agreed.
So maybe, to some extent, I am at fault for the effects I whine about. I attribute them to metoprolol perhaps unfairly. But without alcohol in the mix, maybe it's not unfair.
Unfortunately, it seems that my GP and my cardiologist PA are not willing to weigh in on medication. An appointment with the cardiologist or an EP is a long time away. I suppose my GP would take a swing if I were to whine sufficiently.
I have been on metoprolol almost from day one which is five years now. First it was the tartrate then succrate I am also on losartan I never know what to blame why I always feel like you. I just feel lousy all the time and have come to believe it’s just part of everything until I got some type of virus in I doing very well with my pacemaker, but yes, I still have that overall lousy feeling
is there really anything that won’t make us feel this way? I’m beginning to think not. I just had both of those doubled a few weeks ago I’m not even sure why and it’s not going heart rate actually hit 107 yesterday and that’s with a pacemaker. All I’m doing is actually walking from one room to the other. I see my new PE on 15 April. My is the one that changed my meds. I won’t even say what I’m thinking of him right now, but it’s not nice. Before I got the pacemaker they were trying everything because of my tachycardia for six months of almost 200 was the only thing that made a change, but it was only for two weeks. That’s why the pacemaker.
i’m glad someone the dreams sometimes it’s just horrible. I won’t call them dreams they are definitely nightmares for quite a while. I was sleeping so well now I can never get into a real sleep every 2 to 3 hours. I seem to get up. I’m too tired to stay I don’t know what to go to sleep in a good way
everything start with whatever I got in November I am hoping my new EP can help me. My incredible EP I had moved away in October. Of course that’s when everything went crazy. While he was here, I had two years of without him doing anything but being here.
i was getting the same for months but after starting Magnesium supplements morning and night after about 6 months my blood levels of magnesium increased and my weird dreams disappeared. I make sure i don't have any Supps until 2 hours after my metoprolol
I've no experience with Metropol, but Bisoprolol definitely caused me to have wild dreams. Having never taken any hallucinogenic drugs, I rather enjoyed the weird and vivid fantasies! I never thought of them as nightmares, but can understand that some people might. Since coming off the Bisop, no more fun dreams...
I thought Bisoprolol was making me depressed - can't be certain because there was a lot going on at the time in my life. Diltiazem was a vast improvement. It did give me slightly swollen ankles but that is much better than depression!
A couple of days after starting diltiazem, I had to go to hospital with my heart doing crazy rhythms and other symptoms. The medics assumed it was AF even though the symptoms were different and I'd been asymptomatic up to that point. The attack subsided after a dose of bisoprolol and I was sent home and taken off the diltiazem and put back on bisoprolol.
Over the next few weeks, I had several more attacks of reducing symptoms and intensity until they disappeared altogether. I've been back to being asymptomatic for several years now.
As I said earlier, my symptoms weren't "classic" AF but, I learned sometime later, that they matched the strong adverse reaction mentioned in the diltiazem leaflet.
I don't think that my situation was helped by the fact that I was taking amlodipiene,another calcium channel blocker, at the same time.
I switched from Bisoprolol to Diltiazam two weeks ago, I take 60mg morning and evening a few hours after taking them I have terrible headaches and stomach pain I have increased my antacids for the stomach pain it hasn’t made any difference, I am going to contact Pharmacist/ GP to see if it will settle down or maybe try another medication. Not sure if this helps you because we tolerate medication differently. Good luck.
you are all great. You are the first one I’ve seen pain. Something I have had quite a bit of. I try to see if it’s something in particular that I have eaten or had to drink, but it’s not. I have had them off and on before but they are becoming almost regular now all I have to do is be laying here and I get some type of a sharp strain not acid pain right in the middle of my abdomen
I began metoprolo at 25 but then was increased by half (split the tablet) which was ok, until heart rate seemed to elevate often up to 120 or so while I was basically doing nothing. Went up to two 25 since tablets, then one at 50. Didn't attribute my morning tiredness (just didn't want to get out of bed) to that Rx until it was mentioned on here...and have gone back to the split tablet and lower dosage and feeling 100% more human in the AM, with my heart rate staying below 90 unless I'm exercising. I've gotten some really helpful information here!
another great person to see about not wanting to get out of bed. I’m not that lazy. I have things to do. The only thing that actually gets me up. Is my dog needing to go out I can’t ignore him.
wow all this time I thought I was just crazy but I’m beginning to see a common denominator with us
Hi I was put on Bisoprolol when I was diagnosed with the flutter. I reacted very badly , Did not have any sleep for three weeks I was so bad talking with the brocken voice
The cardiologist change to Diltiazem 120 mg twice a day and I feel better
It is well known that the beta blocker does not suit every one and sleep is one of the mayer side effect reported
Suggest talk to your GP and get the medication change
I think they are both awful. On diltiazem, I had syncope (I fainted) and broke my arm. No one warned me of that possibility. Syncope is a “side effect.” That was a pretty major effect! And both were relatively ineffective for afib, at least mine. I think both made me feel worse, never better
My goal was to get off ALL drugs, and I did with a Watchman and an AV node ablation + pacemaker. Best decisions I ever made. The drugs were, for me, as bad as or worse than the afib symptoms, especially amiodarone. The Eliquis was okay, but with the Watchman, I’m off that, too.
Just throwing this in for something to think about. I just can’t see drugs as a solution.
Hi SweetMelody2, Now that you had the AV node ablation do you feel any a fib activity even though your heart doesn’t respond to it anymore? I take half a 25 mg tablet of Metoprolol morning and night and it’s very hard to get my heart rate above 100. Otherwise I feel good but would love to be able to hike uphill without stopping lots.
I have the pacemaker and but I’m still on pretty much all of my meds. I have a very complicated case involving all parts of my heart and then some I’m wondering if my new PE will have other ideas he is very much like the one I adored so I wonder if there’s a reason for keeping me on these or if he might try something different. I also wonder is it better to have the devil you know than the devil you don’t as I’ve gotten used to feeling lousy this way if I get new side effects that won’t be fun. I know I will be on the anticoagulant for life and probably the statin unless they come up with other new things. The watchman is not a fit for me at least at this time they had to create a pacemaker just for me so it’s complicated
thank you all for sharing these little things might seem comment to you but they are a little bit eye-opening for me right now because of the way I’m feeling.
there’s a possibility because bad falls not that long ago that I may have thrown something off on my pacemaker or the possibility of inflammation/infection because of the mystery virus I had for two months. I just wish I could turn the clock back before I caught whatever that was because I was feeling so good.
In the last 30 odd years I have been on Atenolol, Sotolol (twice), Metropolol, Multaq, Diltiazem & Amiodarone.
All are pretty powerful pharmaceuticals with a whole bunch of side effects, but in general they all do their job.
We expect magic bullets but in my experience there isn't one. The key is to find the one that whilst assisting you with the particular rhythm issues you have has the least impact on the rest of your physical & mental health.
I found that Diltiazem was great got about 6 months & then I felt lethargic. With Metropol I was also good for a few months. Multaq made me depressed.
Atenolol messed up my concentration a little bit and Bisopralol plays havoc with my memory. But I'm still ticking along living my life the way I want to, you just have to find a trade off you can live with.
I take metoprolol and flecainide for tachy brady and i also have pacemaker. I have trouble getting to sleep and I dream and then wake up from the dream. Some nights I sleep only about 3 hours. I started taking 1 tylenol PM and that has helped me fall asleep. My PA said it was safe to take PM every night if I need to. I only take 1 which is 1/2 a dose but then I have a history of reacting to medications. I would probably ask my doctor first.
I was on Atenolol for 24 years with at least two trials of metoprolol. Ultimately Beta Blockers kept my heart rate and BP too low and impacted my overall metabolic processes. Hated the way I felt and tolerated it less with each passing year. I also trialed Verapamil though it didn't make any difference with my PAC/PVC's. Diltiazem, however, absolutely stopped all palpitations. I had read that Calcium Channel Blockers might be preferred for younger or athletic folks who did not want or need to decrease their rates as much. Diltiazem worked very well but ultimately I had unbearable constipation and very hard stools. Even eating oatmeal and Metamucil every day. Had to abandon it unfortunately.
metoprolol made me have horrible nightmares and deep depression. called the doctors nurse said “yeah that happens sometimes “. They switched me to digoxin (not sure of spelling) and that drove my blood pressure crazy high. So then they prescribed dilitaziam and I refused to even try it. I was also taking flecanide I decided to just take the blood thinner and do the flecanide and metoprolol as a PIP. So far it’s worked really well. I haven’t had any a fib. I also increased my intake of magnesium maybe that helped.
Been on metoprolol (50 mg 2x daily) since June '24, after going into AF.
Felt overall "blah" for first few weeks, and have frequent but not nightly vivid dreams. It definitely is recognized as a cause of vivid dreams for some folks.
If only vivid dreaming were afoot, I would be fine with metoprolol. However, the vivid dreaming, not present to such a degree before metoprolol, suggests to me that I may be vulnerable to other side effects -- very tired during the day, not having gratitude for waking up and being alive, lethary, headache, etc.
These feelings might be present without metoprolol. They were present before metoprolol, but then I was drinking wine or beer nearly every night for years -- not much (12 ounces of wine typically), but probably enough to induce next-day feelings like I describe above.
Those pre-metoprolol feelings often would dissipate by late afternoon. With metoprolol, the feelings persist pretty much all day long. (I take 25mg twice a day.)
Not drinking alcohol for many months, I had hoped to experience a suitable reward, if you will. But the reward hasn't come -- maybe because of metoprolol, is what I'm thinking.
Ergo, I'm seeking anecdotes from people who have switched from metoprolol to diltiazem -- that is from beta blockers to calcium-channel blockers.
I suppose I should throw in the fact that I also take rosuvastatin and Eliquis (apixiban), but I believe that those meds are regarded as mostly "innocent."
I proved that Metoprolol @ 186 Day caused breathless and my normal 47avg bpm Night H/Rate had pauses of 2 secs! Sweating and couldn't exert myself with anything. I had said NO to it as @ 99mg I couldn't breathe. Given 23,75 x 3 daily for 1 year 5 mths. No one would listen so reduced down to 1 x 23,75mg daily.
Changed to Bisoprolol up to 10mg by a Heart Hospital Specialist and had another Heart Monitor. 156 Day still un controlled Day H/Rate. But no breathless or pauses. But fatigued
7 months confronted with a Locum who referred me to Private H Specialist.
NOW introduced CCB Diltiazem. Best med ever. Within 2 hours 156 became 51 !!!!
180mg 1/2 dose too much. So reduced to 120mg early morning and 5mg night reduced to 2.5mg.
Regime now AM Diltiazem 120 CD mg
and
since BP low I stopped Bisoprolol.
Little fatigue now.
Careful with Diltiazem as it worked so dramatically for me. Try 120mg CD early morning first. As Diltiazem has both actions of controlling your BP a little, and H/Rate a lot.
The AM Diltiazem with 1.5 Bisoprolol reduced BP, and H/Rate to 60s raising afternoon. It allows the low H/Rate of 47avg at night bpm.
The PM Bisopolol stopped steadied my BP to 133/79. and H.Rate 80s Day.
Resolved.
Best of British - I hope this works. Please let me know.
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