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AZ & Me

If you don’t have prescription coverage or if you’re enrolled in Medicare Part D but can’t afford your medication, AstraZeneca may be able to help.

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How Toprol-XL works

If you've been prescribed a twice-daily metoprolol tartrate for high blood pressure, but would prefer the convenience of a once-daily dose, ask your doctor about prescribing Toprol-XL or its generic equivalent, metoprolol succinate.

Toprol-XL and metoprolol succinate are specially designed extended-release tablets that belong to a family of medications known as beta-blockers. Extended-release tablets need to be taken only once a day. After swallowing, the coating of the tablet dissolves, releasing hundreds of pellets filled with medication. These pellets slowly disintegrate in your digestive tract, delivering medicine to your body, where it works for 24 hours. This is different from immediate-release metoprolol medications that is short-acting and requires 2 or more doses a day.

What are beta-blockers?

Every cell in the heart muscle has what are known as receptors. When you are under stress or excited, your body releases certain chemicals, such as adrenaline. These chemicals attach to the receptors in your heart, causing your heart to work faster and harder and increasing your blood pressure. Beta-blockers are used to help prevent adrenaline from attaching to these receptors, which, in turn, helps keep your heart rate and blood pressure under control.

Toprol-XL is indicated for the treatment of high blood pressure. It may be used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. It’s good for you to know more about your medical condition and the medicine you are taking for it. So, talk to your doctor about high blood pressure and Toprol-XL.

Important Safety Information about Toprol-XL^® (metoprolol succinate) extended-release tablets

Because of the possibility of serious side effects, such as chest pain or a heart attack, you should not stop taking Toprol-XL suddenly. If your doctor decides you should stop taking Toprol-XL, you may be instructed to slowly reduce your dose over a period of time before stopping it completely.

Toprol-XL may not be right for everyone, especially people who have the following health conditions:

Extreme slowing of the heart rate
Sudden and severe drop in the blood pressure and blood flow through the body because the heart is not pumping normally
Uncontrolled heart failure
Slowdown of the heart’s electrical signal causing a slower heart rate
Damage to the heart’s natural pacemaker that affects the heart’s rhythm unless a pacemaker device is in the body
Any allergies to Toprol-XL or its ingredients

It is important to take your medications every day as directed by your doctor.

Patients who have asthma or asthma-like lung disease should, in general, not take Toprol-XL. Your doctor may not want you to take Toprol-XL if you are taking certain types of high blood pressure medicine; have diabetes; overactive thyroid disease; hardening of the arteries in the arms or legs, or are having major surgery.

Until you know how you will react to Toprol-XL, avoid activities that require alertness. In patients with high blood pressure, the most common side effects were tiredness, dizziness, depression, diarrhea, itching or rash, shortness of breath, and slow heart rate. If you experience any of these or other side effects, contact your doctor.

Read the full Prescribing Information, including boxed WARNING regarding abrupt cessation of therapy.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).

If you would like additional information about AstraZeneca products, please contact the Information Center at AstraZeneca in the US at 1-800-236-9933, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM ET, excluding holidays.

This product information is intended for US consumers only.

Generic metoprolol succinate extended-release tablets are manufactured for Par Pharmaceutical Company, Inc, Spring Valley, NY, by AstraZeneca AB, Södertälje, Sweden.

TOPROL-XL is a registered trademark and AZ&Me is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.

©2010 AstraZeneca. All rights reserved. 1362800 8/11