Propranolol for anxiety

[Redfluffysocks]

Has anybody been prescribed propranolol for anxiety and is it effective?
I think I have low level anxiety all the time, which is fine, I can cope with it, and just get on with things. But every now and then I have periods of excessive worry and get carried away with the "what ifs" and the anxiety rockets. I don't worry for no reason and lately it's been worry about things affecting/upsetting my kids. I'm sure I'm going to give myself a heart attack or stroke one day with all the stress I put myself under. I know I blow things out of proportion and catastrophise which I know is pointless but I seem unable to stop myself. But as I said, I'm not like this all the time. I don't want to go on antidepressants, been there and tbh they didn't do much for me but I have heard that propranolol can be taken as and when and can have a calming effect. Is that true?
I would like something just to calm me down when I go off on one and wonder if this would reasonable to ask for, providing that is, I can pluck up the courage to go to the docs.

[tobee]

Hi. I've been on propranolol for 2 1/2 years. I was put on it short term originally because I failed a pre operative assessment because I was highly anxious about the general anaesthetic and about having an ecg at the assessment and my heart rate was very high. So they put me on beta blockers and checked my heart rate a few times, was able to go ahead with the operation. A few years before I'd had panic attacks and gad which I dealt with successfully with CBT sessions. I've not been taken off the beta blocker for various reasons. I didn't particularly like the idea of it slowing my heart rate, I have vivid dreams as a side effect and also find it hard to lose weight which is a disputed side effect. However, I now tolerate it pretty well. If you think of anxiety as a mental phenomena that kick starts physical sensations which then causes more mental issues and so on, it does slow the heart rate noticeably and seems to break the cycle. I'm not as anxious any more and don't currently have any health worries (touch wood). It sort of gave me some breathing space with my anxiety because, as I say, the cycle was disrupted. I'm on propranolol 80mg slow release capsules.

[tobee]

Ps you definitely can take it as & when btw. Plenty of people reportedly take it before speech making etc. I think the slow release stays in your system for a few days.