Metoprolol for Children

 Metoprolol (Lopressor® and Toprol-XL®) is a prescription medication used to treat several conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, such as high blood pressure, angina, and congestive heart failure. It can also help improve survival rates following a heart attack.
 
Metoprolol is approved for all of these uses in adults. However, for children, metoprolol immediate-release tablets (Lopressor) have not been approved for use in children, but may be used off-label to treat several conditions. For example, Lopressor may be used in children with Marfan syndrome to slow down the progression of aortic dilation (widening of the aorta).
 
The extended-release form of metoprolol, or Toprol-XL, has been studied as a treatment for high blood pressure in children as young as six years old; it has not been adequately studied in children younger than six years old or for other uses.
 
(Click What Is Metoprolol Used For? for more detail on using this drug in children. This article discusses how metoprolol works and describes several uses of the medication.)
 
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD
 
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