Metoprolol & surgery?

[nicoleford12]

I have been diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Millions of tests & experiments later, I have been put on 100mg Metoprolol Tartrate. It works WONDERS & my heartrate has gone down from the 160s to about the 70s. The only downside of it is occasional extreme fatigue where I am literally falling asleep at my desk at work. My cardiologist says it's because the meds are dropping my blood pressure but nothing to be alarmed about. I sometimes get extremely dizzy as well (like having to hold onto the walls when I walk) but I figure these are all better than being in the hospital every week. The last time I went to the ER, my heartrate was 181bpm & they gave me Ativan which caused me to hallucinate like crazy & have very strong amnesia. I slept for almost 24 hours as well. The ER doctor is actually the one who prescribed the Metoprolol, not my cardiologist, & I think he hit the nail on the head. I am only 20 & have been very healthy throughout my life until last December when I was put in the critical care unit for 3 days with this problem. Anyway, I am rambling. I have had surgery twice before in my life & came out with no problems. I am thinking of having surgery again & want to know if any of you out there have had surgery while taking Metoprolol. I'd love to get some advice.

[cindy707]

I did have surgery while on a beta blocker with no problem at all.  I was one of those people that had to try to personally break all of the records with increased heart rates that went into the 300's until i had my ablation done a couple of years ago.  You have to remember that they will be closely monitoring your vitals when you undergo any procedure and if your b/p drops trust me they know exactly how to increase it if you are under a general so i wouldn't be too concerned with that.  The best person to ask however would be your heart doc since he/she are in charge of it.  If they advise you at all to reconsider the surgery if it is elective i would definately heed their advise...each case is different....

[Nurse2b1982]

Hey! I was diagnosed with IST in 2007 and my rates would go up to 200bpm. Funny that you mention the Ativan thing in the ER. I went the ER where I worked and my heart rate went up to 170 out of the blue after they gave me some medicine for a headache. They did an EKG and of course, it was sinus tach, so they gave me Ativan.....long story short, I was admitted for the high heart rate, the Ativan bottomed my blood pressure everytime I stood and I too, slept for over 24hrs. I was put on Metoprolol succinate 12.5 once a day nad that has prevented my HR from geeting too high(now it only gets up to 140-150 if Im excited, before it was 200bpm). As far as surgery, I was told that I would have to stop it one day prior to the surgery. It is my understanding that a small amout will remain in your system for a couple days so you shouldn't have any problems. You will have to talk to your cardio and see what their preference for you is. Good Luck!