I Took Myself Off of Toprol XL - Are Doctors Prescribing Too Quickly?

Toprol XL is a beta blocker. A beta blocker slows down your heart beat. Toprol XL is the brand name for Metropolol. Primarily, Toprol XL is prescribed for people who have Arrhythmia, Angina, or any condition of the heart that needs slowing down to prevent a heart attack. Toprol XL has even been provided to runners just before a race so they can have a slower heart beat.

Seven years ago, when I was 48, I had experienced several days of tightening in the chest with light headiness. Therefore, I went to my regular doctor and told her about this. I also informed her that since my mid thirties, I have had palpitation of the heart, now and then. I was told that it is common for women to experience palpations in their thirties. However, I did have a concern about these other symptoms, which I had never experienced before. She said she could refer me to a cardiologist but felt he would laugh and wonder why I would be there. See, I wasn't the "typical" stereotype of a heart patient. I didn't smoke. I was a nice weight. And I was only 48. However, she complied and wrote me up a referral to get a stress test.

So I went to see the cardiologist. While waiting for my stress test to begin, he came in and asked why I was there. He too laughed when I mentioned my symptoms because again, I didn't fit the mold for a heart condition.

The stress test began. He was watching the blips and saw something that caused him to go "oh". Well, from that point on, I was put on Toprol XL. He told me I would have to be on it for the rest of my life. He explained I had a moderate case of Mitral Valve Prolapse. Now, I knew I had a minor case of it around at the age of 40, but apparently he told me it was more concerning now. In addition he noticed an Arrhythmia.

During that period I did go through a lot of stress, only to follow two years later with the sudden death of my brother who died at the age of 54. I started getting chest pains again and because my brother died of a heart attack, I was really concerned. So I went back to the same cardiologist. He put me on another stress test. This time, he couldn't find an Arrhythmia and the Mitral Valve Prolapse was not as concerning as it was three years ago. Yet, he did say I had to stay on Toprol. He disregarded my chest pains and said I was fine.

So, I continued for another year of staying on Toprol XL. However, I started to think, "How do I know for sure Toprol was helping me? Maybe it was the stress that I needed to control." My mother was on 10 pills a day by the time she died. And I swore I didn't want to get dependent on pills. So I took up meditation and I decided 3 years ago to take myself off of Toprol XL.

Now, you will read that you should not do this without consulting your doctor. In addition you should take yourself off slowly if you do this. I made the decision to bypass the doctor because surely he was not going to agree with me, seeing I was suppose to take this for the rest of my life. I just gradually skipped a day here or there and within a month I was off of it.

Three years later I've never felt better. I don't' even get heart palpations any more. I think the main reason is because I have learned to deal with my stress and not rely on a drug to do it for me. My stress relief is through meditation. Now, I'm not recommending to anyone to do what I did. What I am saying is we need to question the methods of doctors and sometimes, it can be in our best interest to be a doctor ourselves. Maybe there is a better way rather than a pill. You have to sometimes wonder if the Drug companies are encouraging the doctors to push their drugs.