Metoprolol - Benefits, dosage and side effects

Metoprolol is a class drug beta blockers used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure.

Metoprolol works by blocking a substance in the body called epinephrine (adrenaline), which is a substance that can make the heart beat faster, narrow blood vessels, and strengthen contractions in the heart. By inhibiting adrenaline, the heart rate will slow down, blood pressure will decrease, and the workload of the heart will decrease.

In addition to hypertension and heart failure, metoprolol is also used to treat heart rhythm disorders and angina, and prevent migraines.

Trademark:Fapressor, Lopressor, Loprolol

About Metoprolol

group	Beta blockers (beta blockers)
Category	Prescription drugs
Benefit	Lowers heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the workload of the heart.
Used by	Mature
Pregnancy and breastfeeding category	Category C:Animal studies have shown adverse effects on the fetus, but there are no controlled studies in pregnant women. The drug should only be used if the expected benefit outweighs the risk to the fetus. Metoprolol can be absorbed into breast milk. If you are breastfeeding, do not use this medicine without consulting your doctor.
Drug form	Tablets, film-coated tablets, injections

Warning:

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, especially hydrochlorothiazide, digoxin, diltiazem, verapamil, and clonidine.
Do not stop treatment suddenly because it can make the condition worse. Stop the medication gradually and under the supervision of a doctor.
Avoid the use of metoprolol in children and the elderly.
Please be careful for patients with or who have a history of stroke, myasthenia gravis, hyperthyroidism, thyrotoxicosis, disorders of the liver, kidneys, and blood vessels, psoriasis, asthma, diabetes, coronary heart disease, bradycardia, and mental disorders.
The use of metoprolol for patients who will or have just undergone surgery must be with a doctor's advice.
If an allergic reaction or overdose occurs after taking metoprolol, see a doctor immediately.

Metoprolol Dosage

Condition	Medicine Form	Dose
Heart failure	Oral	Initial dose 12.5-25 mg, once daily. The dose may be increased at 2-week intervals, up to 200 mg per day.
Hypertension	Oral	100 mg per day, once a day or divided into several consumption schedules. The dose may be increased weekly to 400 mg per day, depending on the body's response to the drug. The maintenance dose is 100-200 mg per day.
Artimia	Oral	50 mg, 2-3 times a day. The dose can be increased up to 300 mg per day, which is divided into several consumption schedules.
Arrhythmia emergency management	Intravenous injection	5 mg at a rate of 1-2 mg per minute, and may be repeated at 5 minute intervals if needed. The maximum dose is 10-15 mg.
Angina pectoris	Oral	50-100 mg, 2-3 times a day. The maximum dose is 200 mg, once daily.
Adjunct therapy for heart attack	vein injection (intravenous)	Give within 12 hours of the onset of chest pain, 5 mg at 2 minute intervals. The maximum dose is 15 mg. Followed by 50 mg metoprolol tablets 15 minutes after the last injection, every six hours for 2 days. The maintenance dose is 100 mg, twice daily (tablets).
Migraine prevention	Oral	100-200 mg per day, which is divided into several consumption schedules.
Adjunctive therapy in hyperthyroidism	Oral	50 mg, 4 times a day.

Taking Metoprolol Correctly

In using metoprolol, follow the doctor's advice and read the instructions for use listed on the medicine package.

For metoprolol injections, drug administration must be carried out by medical personnel on doctor's instructions.

Metoprolol tablets can be taken with or after meals. For patients prescribed metoprolol film-coated tablets, do not chew, split, or crush the drug first. Metoprolol film-coated tablets should be taken whole.

Take metoprolol at the same time every day, for maximum treatment results.

For patients who forget to take metoprolol, it is recommended to do so immediately if the interval with the next consumption schedule is not too close. If it is close, ignore it and do not double the dose.

Interaction Drug

The following are interactions that may occur if you take metoprolol with other drugs:

Increases metoprolol side effects, when used with reserpine.
Reduces effectiveness of metoprolol, if used with epinephrine.
Increases blood levels of metoprolol, if used with cimetidine.
Reduces blood levels of metoprolol, if used with rifampicin.
Increases the risk of hypotension and heart failure, if used with general anesthetics (general anaesthesia).
Reduced antihypertensive effect, when used with indomethacin.
Potentially increases the side effects of diabetes medications.
Increases the risk of one type of heart rhythm disorder, namely AV block, if used with digoxin, diltiazem, or verapamil.