Are Irregular Heart Beats After Missing Few Doses Of Metoprolol A Cause For Concern?

Posted on Fri, 18 Sep 2015

Question: We went on a short trip and I forgot to take my metoprolol with me, so I was unable to take my medicine from Friday evening through this morning. Last night when I went to bed, my heart was pounding so fast and so hard, that I thought my heart was going to 'jump out of my body'. This happened to me a few weeks back, but I didn't miss taking any metoprolol. The episode two weeks ago only last about 2 minutes. This time I had not been taking metoprolol, and the episode took almost 40 minutes. My husband was going to take me to the hospital, but it finally stopped (and there wasn't a hospital nearby). Is this something that I need to see a doctor for, or is it because I forgot my metoprolol?

Answered by Dr. Benard Shehu (40 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Following advice...

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you for asking!
I read your query and understood your concerns.

What you have experienced is typical for tachycardia and palpitations and you shouldn't worry about that. The fact that the symptoms were similar to that experienced before support this conclusion.

Tachycardia is more pronounced and last longer if you stop abruptly metoprolol (as in your case).

For the moment i would recommend to avoid alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks in order to prevent future episodes.

Hope this was of help!
Wish you health!
Dr. Shehu

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar