Safest Way to go off of Blood Pressure & Cholesterol Medication

[MarciHorton333]

What is the safest way to go off of my high blood pressure medication - Metoprolol Tartrate Tablet 100 mg.  take 1 tablet 2 x daily?

What is the safest way to go off of my high cholesterol medication - Fenofibrate Capsule 150 mg. take one capsule
daily in the evening?

[tom_h]

BY the way... I forgot to add that beta blockers like Metoprolol no longer first line treatment for hypertension.  They've been replaced with more modern drugs.  Yes, you and I still take it.  For me, it's effective and cheap; literally pennies per dose.  Not so with the newer drugs.  However, they could benefit you though, so it's worth it to ask.

[tom_h]

Well you're in luck, because I take both Metoprolol as well as a Statin, so I can give you some advice.

200mg of Metoprolol wrecked me, and I'm a very active person usually.  It felt like I was walking in concrete shoes.  Every step was an effort, and any physical effort caused a heavy weight feeling in my chest.  My heart just wouldn't get up to speed.  Fortunately I was on that dose for about 3 weeks before my physician and I cut it back to 100mg.  At that dose, I could function normally again and it was effective.  Here's the thing about the strength you're currently on.  Metoprolol has a half life of around 5-7 hours.  What that means is if you take a 100mg tablet of Metoprolol Tartrate, within 5 to 7 hours, half of the drug has been metabolized, and you have approximately half the level remaining within you.  I assume that you take your daily dose approximately 12 hours apart.  So in 12 hours, when you take your second pill of the day, there remains a small amount in your blood from the first pill.  You keep repeating this day after day, month after month, and what happens is you begin to build a level of drug that is much higher than what was intended for you.  I don't know if physicians think of this when they prescribe dose levels for a patient.  I now take 75mg daily (25mg in the morning, and 50mg at night) and find that I function fine at this level.  I had been on it for about 5 years in an attempt to control a rapid heartbeat issue that I had called SVT.  It was also extremely effective in controlling my borderline hypertension.  I eventually had a procedure to fix the SVT, but stayed on Metoprool fo the hypertension, and I'm remain on it today, but on the 75mg now.  If I feel that the drug is beginning to build in my blood, I just stop a dose for a day or two.  This give my body a chance to metabolize the excessive buildup of the drug.

Statins... OK..I was probably borderline before I started it.  Taking it probably pushed me over the edge.  I control my blood glucose by diet alone now.  I haven't seen a backed potato or a large plate of pasta in years.  I eat a Paleo diet, and that seems to work for me.  But once a diabetic, always a diabetic.  There is no cure, only control.  Still, my physician says that it's better to have borderline blood glucose than high cholesterol.  My total cholesterol dropped from 220 to 135.  My wife is in the same predicament, except where I take 20mg of Simvastatin per day, she takes 80mg.  She also has type II diabetes but controls it with Metformin, and a slightly reduced carbohydrate intake.  I firmly believe that statins contribute to diabetes but I continue to take it.  It has been proven that I cannot control it by diet alone.

[ScalpMassager]

Are you overweight?  Inactive (sedentary)?  If so, I think reversing one or better yet both of those ought to reverse your heading towards diabetes 2.

Activity need not be exercise -- just more upright (on your feet activity) can help.  Though if it's safe for you (perhaps consult with your doctor, first?), walking's an excellent routine to estabish as at least a daily habit.

[MarciHorton333]

Yes, I fill tired and drained all the time and I can't sleep. I have heard that both beta-blockers and statin drugs will cause Diabetes. I have been pre-diabetic for a long time and am starting to get symptoms of type 2 diabetes. My doctor has been ordering blood tests every 3-6 months to see if I need to go on medication to prevent Diabetes. I have been testing my glucose levels every day and they are in the low range of Diabetes. I am so sick and tired of taking pills that make me feel like I am not myself. I am always, tired, weak, have muscle pain, I have headaches daily, I have leg cramps, I have memory loss, I have vision problems, I have pain and neuropathy in my feet.

[tom_h]

I'm not being a smartazz in saying this, but the safest way to come off of each of these medications is thru the advice of your physician.

Cessation of either one of these medications could have a rebound effect.  Again, you physician would be best to consult with
  

Metoprolol Tartrate Tablet 100 mg.  take 1 tablet 2 x daily made me feel like a zombie.  It was terrible!  I reduced to 100mg and was much better!  May I ask why you want to go off either one of these drugs?  Are you having a bad time with both?