Metoprolol is a beta-blocker that is used as a prescription drug, either as generic drugs or as brand-name drugs, Toprol XL and Lopressor. Metoprolol comes as tablets, capsules, or injectable. This drug is used to treat various conditions such as heart failure, high blood pressure, and angina or chest pain. It is also used to prevent heart attacks.

How Metoprolol Works

High blood pressure usually happens when your blood vessels are tightened. This makes your heart strained, which makes your body demand more oxygen. Taking beta-blockers can prevent the adrenalin from associating with your body’s beta receptors in the heart and blood vessels.

If this happens, your blood vessels tend to relax, and your heart rate slows down, thereby reducing your heart’s plea for more oxygen. Consequently, your blood pressure decreases, and chest pain reduces.

Side Effects of Metoprolol

People taking metoprolol may experience diarrhea, tiredness, dizziness, constipation, bradycardia, breathing problems, rash, and reduced sex interest. These are just mild side effects of the drug. Sometimes, these symptoms go away after a few days or weeks.

Some people experience serious side effects such as low blood pressure, very slow heart rate, cold hands and feet, extreme fatigue, and serious depression. If these become severe, you should seek help from your doctor right away.

Drugs Causing Interactions with Metoprolol

Metoprolol might interact with other medications, herbs, or vitamins. This happens when a certain substance changes the way it should work. This can prevent the drug from being effective much worse, and it can be harmful to your entire well-being.

You need to know what medications, herbs, or vitamins that can cause interactions with metoprolol. Here are just a few lists of drugs that may interact with metoprolol:

Mental health drugs

If you take metoprolol with mental health drugs such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and reserpine, you may increase the effects of the former. It can cause a slower heart rate and lightheadedness. Examples of MAOIs are tranylcypromine, selegiline, phenelzine, and isocarboxazid.

Heart rhythm drugs

Taking heart rhythm drugs such as digoxin, propafenone, and quinidine, can cause your heart rate to slow down.

Calcium channel blockers

Since these drugs are also used in treating high blood pressure and various heart-related problems, combining these with metoprolol might be detrimental for your health. Calcium channel blockers might include verapamil, nisoldipine, nimodipine, nifedipine, nicardipine, isradipine, felodipine, diltiazem, and amlodipine.

Drugs processed similarly with metoprolol

Your body processes metoprolol and drugs used in treating depression, anxiety, and other mood disturbances similarly. If you use these drugs such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, clomipramine, bupropion, desipramine, fluphenazine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, and thioridazine, it could increase the metoprolol levels in your body.

Drugs such as antihistamines, antifungal drugs, antimalarial drugs, antiretroviral ritonavir, and blood pressure drug can also increase the metoprolol levels in your body.

Alpha-blockers

Alpha-blockers such as reserpine, clonidine, prazosin, and alpha-methyldopa can lower blood pressure. If these are combined with metoprolol, these can highly decrease your blood pressure. But if you stop taking these drugs abruptly, it can also cause a big increase in your blood pressure.

Effect of Caffeine While Taking Metoprolol

There are various types of beta-blockers. Metoprolol is a beta-blocker that aids in treating heart failure, high blood pressure, and angina or chest pain and preventing heart attacks. Beta-blockers are made to have anti-anxiety effects that are the reason why it is sometimes used to treat anxiety, although one of its side effects is depression.

But, if you drink coffee while taking metoprolol, it can reduce the anti-anxiety effects of the drug. And since caffeine, one of the active ingredients of coffee, is responsible for increased anxiety, it may not be advisable to drink coffee while taking the drug.

Caffeine may also interact with metoprolol, which can cause your blood pressure to increase. And metoprolol is typically used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease. If you are fond of drinking coffee, ask for your doctor’s advice regarding the appropriate caffeine intake while using the drug. In general, you should avoid drinking or even eating foods rich in caffeine while taking beta-blockers.

Effect of Alcohol While Taking Metoprolol

If you are taking metoprolol, you are prohibited from drinking alcohol because it can decrease the effects of beta-blockers. Take note that beta-blockers might also be used to treat alcohol withdrawal syndrome. This drug can reduce alcohol withdrawal syndrome symptoms such as altered vital signs, agitation, and tremors.

Conclusion

Metoprolol is a beta-blocker that is used to treat various conditions such as heart failure, high blood pressure, and angina. Metoprolol comes as tablets, capsules, or injectable. Metoprolol works by preventing the adrenalin from associating with your body’s beta receptors in the heart and blood vessels. And this can lower your blood pressure because it relaxes your heart and provides an adequate amount of oxygen to your body.

Metoprolol might interact with other medications, herbs, or vitamins. Drugs such as mental health drugs, heart rhythm drugs, calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, and drugs processed similarly with metoprolol might change the way metoprolol works. If this happens, then the effectiveness of the drug could not be affected, much worse, it can be detrimental to your health.

Alcohol and caffeine may interact with metoprolol too. That is the reason why drinking and eating foods with alcohol and caffeine are not advisable as they may have adverse effects on your medication. If in case you want to drink coffee containing caffeine, you may seek help from your doctor. Your doctor might allow you to drink caffeine in moderation and in prescribed amounts.

Increase Your Testosterone Levels with Testosterone Boosters

Male UltraCore is a premium testosterone boosting supplement that is designed to maximize test levels, increase your performance and drive, and give you harder and fuller erections.