Meaning & use
metoprolol
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
A prescription drug of the beta-blocker type that slows the heart and lowers blood pressure, used for conditions such as hypertension, angina and irregular heartbeat.
Grammar: Used without a: he takes metoprolol every morning.
Patterns
- take metoprolol for something
- be prescribed metoprolol
- metoprolol tartrate
The doctor prescribed metoprolol to bring down her blood pressure.
He was told to take metoprolol twice a day after his heart attack.
Metoprolol can make some patients feel tired when they first start it.
Common combinations
- take metoprolol
- My uncle takes metoprolol with breakfast.
- prescribed metoprolol
- She was prescribed metoprolol for her fast heartbeat.
- metoprolol tartrate
- Metoprolol tartrate is taken more than once a day.
- metoprolol succinate
- The extended-release form is called metoprolol succinate.
- a dose of metoprolol
- A missed dose of metoprolol should not be doubled up.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beta-blocker
- Beta-blocker names the whole drug class, whereas metoprolol is one specific medicine within it.
- atenolol
- Atenolol is a different beta-blocker with a similar effect, so it is a relative rather than another name for the same drug.
Word family
- beta-blocker noun
- the class of drug that metoprolol belongs to
- hypertension noun
- high blood pressure, a main reason for prescribing it
- angina noun
- chest pain from poor blood flow to the heart, another use
Commonly confused: metoprolol or metformin? metoprolol or metronidazole?
metoprolol vs metformin
Metformin is a diabetes medicine and has nothing to do with the heart, though the names look similar.
metoprolol vs metronidazole
Metronidazole is an antibiotic, not a heart drug.
Practice
Metoprolol is most likely to be prescribed to a patient who has ____.
Choose one answer.
Metoprolol is a beta-blocker that lowers blood pressure and heart rate. An infection would call for an antibiotic, and the other options are not treated with it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “metoprolol”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.