Metoperlol tartrate vs metoperlol succinate

[StayAtHomeMom]

My PCP is upset with me for only taking my metoperlol tartrate once a day. It bothers my sleeping schedule when I take the second dose. So she has prescribed me the succinate version which is a once a day. Has anyone else tried the succinate version? Does it work as well? Any weird side effects?

[RecipeForDisaster]

That's the one I take, I need steady metoprolol in my system for as long as possible. I take it at bed time. I don't find that it works for the whole 24 hours but I can split it and take it every 12 hours per my cardiologists. I usually don't, because I need it at night more than any other time. Pharmacists tell me this particular form is okay to split along the score line, but not anywhere else nor can it be crushed.

[StayAtHomeMom]

15 minutes ago, RecipeForDisaster said:

That's the one I take, I need steady metoprolol in my system for as long as possible. I take it at bed time. I don't find that it works for the whole 24 hours but I can split it and take it every 12 hours per my cardiologists. I usually don't, because I need it at night more than any other time. Pharmacists tell me this particular form is okay to split along the score line, but not anywhere else nor can it be crushed.

Does it help heart palpitations and keeping your heart rate lower?

[Guest KiminOrlando]

I take it, and I too take it at night. I've been on it for 15 years and my body finally adjusted to it. It doesn't last the full 24 hours, but it runs out at night when I should be slowing down. I don't split it and I take 50mg.

[Pistol]

@potsgirl207 - in my case I also had severe swings in BP and was worried to take meds for that reason. But once I started them I found that my cardio-vascular system started to slowly get balanced ( well - at least calm down some ).  That may not be the case for you ( but I hope so )  and you need to find the treatment that is right for you, whether it is medications or alternative measures. The important thing is that IT HAS TO WORK! I always am scared to take new meds and almost feel like I am a hero when I do - and then it never is THAT big of a deal, even when I do not respond to them. Dysautonomia is trial-and-error ( at least for most of us ). --- I wish you well with everything. YOU are your own advocate - so there is no one who can tell you to take or not to take meds.  

[Guest KiminOrlando]

I had low BP too. In some POTS patients it helps maintain your BP because it controls the tachycardia. That may be why your doctor gave it to you. Tachycardia, once it gets going too high, causes the BP drop.

[StayAtHomeMom]

2 hours ago, potsgirl207 said:

BTW what did they give it to you for....I mean what did they say it would help with..the heart rate ??? they gave it to me for High Blood pressure....but I am 

really have HUGE swings in BP....way up and then way down.....do I am scared to take the hypertensives....

I take it for my tachycardia and heart palpitations. In theory it helps with all of my symptoms because it controls my tachycardia. 

Tartrate lowers by blood pressure a little but I was normal to start with. The other day when I went to the doc I was excited. I took both my tartrate and my midodrine (which ups BP) and my blood pressure was 124/77. So I am glad it balances out when I am active. 

[StayAtHomeMom]

2 hours ago, Pistol said:

I always am scared to take new meds and almost feel like I am a hero when I do - and then it never is THAT big of a deal, even when I do not respond to them

I am scared of new meds because I don't always react the way I should. They gave me prilosec when I was first sick thinking I had GERD. I ended up at the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. Took me days of feeling that way to figure out it was the medication. 

[RecipeForDisaster]

I was very scared to take metoprolol myself. I started with 12.5mg very carefully.

 

I use it for awful pounding palpitations and fast heart rate. It absolutely helps. Without it I sleep very little if at all.

 

Both of my cardiologists say that metoprolol is a "lousy anti hypertensive " at lower doses. I can take up to 50mg daily if I need it, but I almost never do. My BP can run in the 70-80s and I still take it because there's very little effect. I do think lowering my fast heart rate does help my BP come up. My resting rate is back to the 60s-70s where it used to be. Even sitting here with a rate in the 90s or higher felt uncomfortable to me.

[StayAtHomeMom]

I took my first dose of the succinate today. We will see how well it works. I mostly need it during the day so hopefully it will work best if I take it during the day. 

[RecipeForDisaster]

It may make you a little tired. Mine wears off as time goes on, sometimes after as little as 6 hours. The most important thing mine does is lessen the pounding so I can sleep easier, but it helps during the day too.

[StayAtHomeMom]

It worked pretty well today. I went out and went to our local fair. I could feel when my midodrine wore off but I felt ok about my metoperlol. Not sure it brought my HR down enough though. I will have to watch it over the next week or so. No funky side effects. 

[Shannoncr]

I take succinate daily (25mg) & tartate (12.5mg) for breakthrough palpitations. neither has done much for the tachycardia with position changes - it’s slowed it down some but not a whole lot. I take it more for blood pressure though as I now have high bp. hasn’t done much for that either. 

the difference is that succinate is an extended release. the tartate is fast acting but doesn’t last as long. at least that’s the way my cardiologist explained it. 

[StayAtHomeMom]

That is the way it was explained to me as well. So far I am on day 3 and I feel like it isn't a high enough dose. I may have to see if I can up it to 50. 25 is helping the palpitations but not the tachycardia.