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How can a GP stop Metoprolol script after cardiologist said you’d be on it for life?
I had 7 minor heart attacks back in 2011. No damage to my heart. I have been on 25 mg 2X/day Metoprolol since then and was just cut off cold turkey because my GP wants me to come in to see her before she renews the script. I was on an MS medication called Rebif for two years prior to all of this. No Heart or high Cholesterol problems in my family. I was 51. I walked 5K 3 times a week. I wasn't in a high stress job and was happy.
In November I became uncomfortable enough my fiance took me to the hospital after having a major attack at 2 a.m. in my sleep. I went back to bed til morning then we went to the hospital. I had 2 stents put in because an artery was 95% blocked. I was then put on 5 medications. One being low dose aspirin. The second was for high blood pressure (I can't remember the name of it - I took one, didn't work, switched to the other) Because I didn't have high blood pressure, and I was having so many problems with that particular med - I was coughing all the time. The cardiologist told me that I could stop taking it because I didn't have high blood pressure anyway. So I stopped that one right away after only about 5 months being on it.
The third medication was a med that I had to take for one year because of the stents. I came off of that in November of 2012.
After several more months, I went to fill my scripts and the pharmacist asked if I needed that blood pressure med, and I replied, "No, I don't need that anymore, the doctor told me that I didn't have high blood pressure, I could stop it, however, I don't have high cholesterol either but I'm taking that one." She looked at me and told me that it was the highest possible dose of med for high cholesterol. It had been over a year, I weaned myself off of that and have told my Cardiologist that I don't need it. I have been tested, and my cholesterol is fine, just not as low as they like it to be for someone who has had heart attacks, so my cardiologist still pushes me toward a low cholesterol drug which she knows I am not taking.
The last one is the metoprolol which brings me to the question - How can a doctor just stop your script like that after your cardiologist has told you that you would be on it for life? I haven't taken it for three days now and unfortunately, I am reading all kinds of stuff on the web that is disturbing. Like - "I didn't need this drug either after the stent" "It isn't proven to help" "You need to be weaned off the drug". "It is dangerous to 'just' stop it."
I have an appointment to see my GP on Monday. I will also have a lot of questions for her. I guess part of what I am also stating here is that you can't always trust the doctors. It is a chemical money making industry that pays the doctors to prescribe the high cost drugs fueled by the insurance companies.
My lifestyle has changed a lot because of the MS and I am now being told to go on a really brutal drug called Tecfidera which I am really not looking forward to. Going to find a LICENSED Naturopathic specialist who is local that can guide me with my new lifestyle that is not as active.
In November I became uncomfortable enough my fiance took me to the hospital after having a major attack at 2 a.m. in my sleep. I went back to bed til morning then we went to the hospital. I had 2 stents put in because an artery was 95% blocked. I was then put on 5 medications. One being low dose aspirin. The second was for high blood pressure (I can't remember the name of it - I took one, didn't work, switched to the other) Because I didn't have high blood pressure, and I was having so many problems with that particular med - I was coughing all the time. The cardiologist told me that I could stop taking it because I didn't have high blood pressure anyway. So I stopped that one right away after only about 5 months being on it.
The third medication was a med that I had to take for one year because of the stents. I came off of that in November of 2012.
After several more months, I went to fill my scripts and the pharmacist asked if I needed that blood pressure med, and I replied, "No, I don't need that anymore, the doctor told me that I didn't have high blood pressure, I could stop it, however, I don't have high cholesterol either but I'm taking that one." She looked at me and told me that it was the highest possible dose of med for high cholesterol. It had been over a year, I weaned myself off of that and have told my Cardiologist that I don't need it. I have been tested, and my cholesterol is fine, just not as low as they like it to be for someone who has had heart attacks, so my cardiologist still pushes me toward a low cholesterol drug which she knows I am not taking.
The last one is the metoprolol which brings me to the question - How can a doctor just stop your script like that after your cardiologist has told you that you would be on it for life? I haven't taken it for three days now and unfortunately, I am reading all kinds of stuff on the web that is disturbing. Like - "I didn't need this drug either after the stent" "It isn't proven to help" "You need to be weaned off the drug". "It is dangerous to 'just' stop it."
I have an appointment to see my GP on Monday. I will also have a lot of questions for her. I guess part of what I am also stating here is that you can't always trust the doctors. It is a chemical money making industry that pays the doctors to prescribe the high cost drugs fueled by the insurance companies.
My lifestyle has changed a lot because of the MS and I am now being told to go on a really brutal drug called Tecfidera which I am really not looking forward to. Going to find a LICENSED Naturopathic specialist who is local that can guide me with my new lifestyle that is not as active.
There are two different kinds of Metoprolol? Which one are you on? I have both here.
The question is: why are you taking Metoprolol? I was put on it many years ago to lower my my blood pressure and it did not work or only minimally so - so I quit taking it. I have an RBBB and they found many, many PAC's and I was put on it again (50 mg) and that helped. It did not bring the PAC's down to zero, but 20,000 to 25,000/day anyway and I have been on it ever since.
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I had two stents put in back in 2011 and was put on 5 meds at that time. One of them was low dose aspirin the other four had to do with my heart. The only two I am still taking are the low dose aspirin and the metoprolol - up until last Wednesday. I go to the doctor tomorrow. I'll tell her I'd like to be taken off the metoprolol as well - but properly - what 'they' recommend - rather than cold turkey. I feel like I am finding I need to take deep breaths the last few days and I have had a few 'pangs' in my chest - but it might just be anxiety of the unknown. Doing what the doctor ordered. .....well sort of. Cardiologist said for life - but my GP controls it. Makes sense - right?
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