(BPT) - Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common condition that affects approximately 1 in 3 Americans, but only about half have their blood pressure under control. Often referred to as a “silent killer,” high blood pressure typically has no warning signs or symptoms, causing many people to go undiagnosed. If not properly treated, hypertension can lead to angina (chest pain), heart failure, or a serious cardiovascular event, such as heart attack. Fortunately, hypertension is a treatable disease. Routine blood pressure screenings and starting the conversation with your doctor are important first steps in understanding disease prevention and management.

Important Risk Factors:

If a relative in your immediate family had or has high blood pressure before the age of 60, your risk of having it doubles. Hypertension also affects 40 percent of the African-American community, making this population in particular at higher risk for the disease. Additional factors that can increase your risk for high blood pressure include: age, prehypertension, diabetes, an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, obesity, too much alcohol, and tobacco use.

Effective Disease Management:

Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle are two important components to begin managing hypertension, however, in addition to these steps, a doctor will often prescribe a daily medication to help control your high blood pressure. Adherence to medication you’re prescribed is key to effectively managing the disease. It’s important to continue taking your medication as directed by your doctor to receive the full benefits of treatment.

TOPROL-XL^® (metoprolol succinate) is an extended-release tablet that belongs to a family of high blood pressure medications known as beta-blockers and is also used to treat angina and heart failure. If you are diagnosed with hypertension, talk to your doctor whether TOPROL-XL is the right treatment for you.

For patients prescribed TOPROL-XL, there is a convenient home delivery service available to help manage medication costs and ensure that you always have your daily dose: TOPROL-XL Direct. No insurance is necessary and signing up is easy. All that’s needed is a valid prescription from your doctor for a 90 or 30-day supply to complete the online enrollment process at www.TOPROL-XLDirect.com. Once enrolled, TOPROL-XL will ship directly to your home. During and after enrollment, patients have access to a 24-hour support center via e-mail or phone to ask questions and request auto refills.

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 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 one has a pacemaker device
• 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 currently taking certain types of high blood pressure medicine, or have adrenal gland tumors, diabetes, low blood sugar, liver damage, overactive thyroid disease, or hardening of the arteries in the arms or legs.

Your doctor may not want you to start taking TOPROL-XL if you are about to have any type of surgery.

If you have a history of serious allergic reactions, the usual dose of epinephrine (adrenaline) may not work as well if you are taking TOPROL-XL.

Until you know how you will react to TOPROL-XL, avoid activities that require alertness.

Contact your doctor if you have any difficulty in breathing.

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.

Approved Use for TOPROL-XL

TOPROL-XL is approved 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.

Click here for full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING about suddenly stopping therapy with TOPROL-XL.

You can also visit www.Toprol-XL.com or call 1-800-236-9933 for more information.

3217711 Last Updated 2/16