Metroprolol ER Taper and timing post Klonopin Taper

[[Th...]]

I've been able to get my wife down to 0.0991mg of her benzo through a cut and hold strategy which I've documented in the blog.  So far she's improved a lot since where were initially were and many of her symptoms have gone and some have crept up (I'll update the blog soon with those details). 

 

I'm here to ask you all if anyone has had to also taper off of a beta blocker like Metoprolol and if so, how you did it. Now that my wife is so low on her Klonopin she seems to have this now to worry about and I'd like to make this as easy and anxiety free as I possibly can.  She's taken 12.5mg (half pill) of the metroprolol Extended release since last September. I'm told that is a low dose, but can we really trust doctors anymore?

Here are the questions: 

1. How would you taper off this beta blocker? It's 12.5mg of metroprolol extended release. 

2. When would you start the taper? Should I kick that off immediately after she's done with her Klonopin, should I begin during, or wait for a month and then tackle it. 

Based on preliminary research, I'm thinking of doing a micro taper of the half pill she's taking 2-4 weeks after she's jumped off her klonopin. Perhaps file 1mg of the pill off each day until she reaches the end. If there is a quicker and easier way then I'd love to hear about it.

 

Thanks!

[[mi...]]

So I tapered off Propranolol and I was up to 60mg. Not sure how that compares to Metroprolol, but tapering wasn't easy, but also wasn't NEARLY as bad as benzos. I came off it after a few months since I was having bad side effects from it. It took me about 6-7 months in total. I figured out after trial and error that i needed to wait 6 weeks between cuts no matter what size i cut for it to be effective. I tried 3 weeks, failed, 4 weeks failed, even 5. But if I waited 6 weeks it wasn't that bad. I think I made four cuts total. 60 to 40....40-30.....30-20.....20-15......15-10.....10-5 Jumped is what I think I did. I didn't experience horrible side effects the entire time, and none of them were mental. Just lots of really weird pressure sensations in my torso, some heart beating harder than normal stuff, etc. Weird thing is first week of a cut I felt awesome, it all hit about a week later and went off and on for a few weeks. Totally something you can get through and keep on trucking, but just have to be deliberate and pace it out. Mental stuff was totally solid the entire time, unlike benzo withdrawal. Again, not how this compares to your wife's med, but that's how mine went.

[[Br...]]

Getting to the end of her taper will be a tremendous milestone in your wife's taper and withdrawal progress.  A ton of healing happens during tapering but it's also true that significant healing takes place over months following getting off the benzo.  I wouldn't rush into tapering off any meds including beta blockers until I was stabilized  - and again, this can take months.  So, if I were in your shoes I would hold off on starting the new taper until you've waited a couple of months to see if she has any challenging withdrawal symptoms.

[[je...]]

I agree with @[Br...]. Getting off benzo's is the worst experience ever. There is no way I would taper another med until I know I'm out of the woods from my benzo symptoms.

[[Fa...]]

This was helpful.  I am on Propranolol for AKA, and I have mentioned before that when I forgot a dose once, it was horrid.  And, I knew that it would be something I would have to taper well after I was done with this taper.  I believe I commented on a thread that mikeyjoed had written/commented on regarding this.  But, to see both Brighterday and Jelly Baby say the same, I feel even more confident about my decision.

@[Th...], may I ask if your wife was placed on it for AKA?

 

[[st...]]

Metoprolol put me back in acute like withdrawal. I have spent five months in bed basically and I haven’t done that since the beginning of Xanax wd so I would advise her to take her time as long as she has no issues with it. I am tapering it currently and getting hit with withdrawal symptoms too but need off of it so I pushing through because I can’t function period on it. I would just cut slivers and go very very slow especially if she is dealing with klonopin wd as well. Or maybe wait it out until she feels ready. I never expected a beta blocker to do to me what metoprolol did. Good luck. Wishing you and her the very best