What will happen if i stop taking metoprolol succ er?

Question

What will happen if i stop taking metoprolol succ er?

Answer 1

Official, technical answer: Ischemic Heart Disease: Following abrupt cessation of therapy with certain beta-blocking agents, exacerbations of angina pectoris and, in some cases, myocardial infarction have occurred. When discontinuing chronically administered Lopressor, particularly in patients with ischemic heart disease, the dosage should be gradually reduced over a period of 1-2 weeks and the patient should be carefully monitored. If angina markedly worsens or acute coronary insufficiency develops, Lopressor administration should be reinstated promptly, at least temporarily, and other measures appropriate for the management of unstable angina should be taken. Patients should be warned against interruption or discontinuation of therapy without the physician's advice. Because coronary artery disease is common and may be unrecognized, it may be prudent not to discontinue Lopressor therapy abruptly even in patients treated only for hypertension.

In English: if you've been taking it for a long time, your body has adapted to the presence of the chemical in your body and puts forth less effort to controlling your symptoms by itself.  If you come off of it suddenly after having taken it for a long time, you risk a sudden relapse of whatever caused you to start taking it in the first place, possibly worse than it started.  Because of this, make sure you talk to your doctor about gradually decreasing dosage.  It's possible that you won't need to, but be sure the raise the issue before coming off of the medication.