What should people with high blood pressure pay attention to when using metoprolol for a long time?

A friend in his 30s told Huazi that he has high blood pressure and has been taking metoprolol to control his blood pressure. He is a little worried. He is still very young. Will he have to take medicine for the rest of his life? What should I pay attention to when taking metoprolol for a long time?

Huazi told him that hypertension cannot be completely cured, but by taking medication regularly to control blood pressure, it is possible to avoid damage to important organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys. Metoprolol is a commonly used antihypertensive drug that has no serious adverse reactions and is relatively safe for long-term use.

1. What kind of hypertensive patients is metoprolol suitable for? Metoprolol is a representative drug among the first-line antihypertensive drugs, beta-receptor inhibitors (also known as "lol drugs"). By inhibiting the heart's beta-1 receptors, it can reduce heart rate, weaken myocardial contractility, and reduce cardiac output, thereby lowering blood pressure.

Metoprolol also has an inhibitory effect on the sympathetic nerves. In middle-aged and young people with hypertension, the sympathetic nerves are often overactivated and the heart rate is accelerated. Therefore, metoprolol is more suitable for middle-aged and young people with hypertension with a relatively fast heart rate.

Metoprolol can reduce myocardial oxygen consumption and increase exercise tolerance, so it is also suitable for the treatment of coronary heart disease, heart failure, premature beats, rapid arrhythmias and other diseases.

2. What should you pay attention to when taking metoprolol? 1. Pay attention to contraindications: Do not use the medicine if you have bradycardia, atrioventricular block, allergies, bronchial asthma, hypotension, severe peripheral vascular disease, etc.

2. Choice of dosage form: There are two common dosage forms of metoprolol, one is metoprolol tartrate tablets, and the other is metoprolol succinate sustained-release tablets. The former is a rapid-acting dosage form with a faster onset of action; the latter is a sustained-release dosage form with a longer duration of efficacy.

3. Take on an empty stomach: Metoprolol is affected by diet. High-fat food can increase drug absorption by 40%, which can easily cause large fluctuations in blood pressure. Therefore, it is recommended to take the medicine on an empty stomach 30 minutes before meals.

4. Heart rate control range: If used for the treatment of coronary heart disease and the prevention of angina pectoris, the heart rate needs to be strictly controlled. The resting heart rate should be controlled at about 55 to 60 beats per minute to achieve the best treatment effect. During treatment, be careful not to let the heart rate fall below 50 beats per minute.

5. Pay attention to blood sugar and blood lipids: Metoprolol has an impact on glucose and lipid metabolism. Especially when used in combination with diuretics, it is necessary to pay attention to changes in blood sugar and blood lipids and intervene according to the specific situation.

6. Impact on men: A very small number of men may experience sexual dysfunction after using metoprolol, but the symptoms can be relieved after stopping the medication.

7. Do not stop taking the drug suddenly: Long-term use of metoprolol will increase the number and sensitivity of β1 receptors on the heart. If you stop taking the drug suddenly, there will be a "rebound" phenomenon, which will lead to a sudden increase in blood pressure, angina attacks, and other sudden aggravation of the condition. It takes at least 2 weeks to gradually reduce the dosage before you can stop taking the drug.

8. Drug combination: Metoprolol can be used in combination with other antihypertensive drugs. The commonly used regimen is to use it in combination with dihydropyridines. It can use the effect of slowing down the heart rate to counteract the adverse reaction of tachycardia caused by dihydropyridines.

When diabetic patients use hypoglycemic drugs at the same time, metoprolol will mask the symptoms of palpitations and heart palpitations caused by hypoglycemia. They need to be careful to guard against hypoglycemia caused by excessive use of hypoglycemic drugs.

In summary, metoprolol is a commonly used first-line antihypertensive drug, suitable for people with hypertension whose sympathetic nerves have excessive hormones due to staying up late, irregular work and rest, obesity and other reasons. It can also be used to treat coronary heart disease, heart failure and other diseases. When taking the medicine, pay special attention to the need to take the medicine on an empty stomach, not to stop the medicine suddenly, and to control the heart rate. The medicine needs to be used under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about the use of the medicine, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.