What does propanolol do?

[hotchocolate86]

I appreciate this may sound like a bit of a silly question but I have been prescribed propanolol for anxiety. The thing is I don’t really understand how it works or how it will make me feel. Does it work instantly? I have a tight chest through anxiety and intrusive thoughts? Does it work to relieve those symptoms? I haven’t taken it yet as I just don’t know what to expect and I’m scared it’s gojng to make me feel weird.

For me it relieves my physical symptoms but not my emotional/mental ones.

So of him having a panic attack it will calm my pulse, stop my hands sweating etc

I take it and it gets rid of my physical symptoms such as racing heart and shaking. I'm generally anxious so it helps a lot but not with the underlying cause

I take it to prevent migraines but its main action is to reduce your blood pressure. If it helps, it is on the WHO list of essential medicines and is considered very very safe. The wikipedia page is quite good.

In practical terms, I only notice I've stopped taking it when the migraines start again! Otherwise, there are no weird side effects (for me anyway) other than a calmer pulse.

www.headmeds.org.uk/my-story/81-i-take-propranolol-for-anxiety-rachels-story

Not my story in that link but they did help me massively in the past.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propranolol

It slows the heart rate

If heart palpitations are the main symptom of your anxiety then it will help stop the vicious cycle of your heart racing due to anxiety and this in turn making you more anxious

It calms the physical symptoms.

I only started to get intrusive thoughts when I started to get physical symptoms of anxiety, so it was really helpful for me.

If you suffer with physical symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks it can get you out of the constant cycle of racing heart/chest pains/sweating/shaking or whatever your symptoms are! And allow you to concentrate on rationalising your intrusive thoughts.

Saved me, it did.

Hope it helps OP

I think it's a beta blocker? Dh takes it for his heart condition.

If you have low blood pressure you may struggle with this. I had to stop taking it as I nearly fainted every time I did exercise. Use as and when rather than a regular dosage

I take it for anxiety. It helps with the physical symptoms such as a racing heart, which can mean you feel mentally calmer in response.

Ok this is all really helpful. Thank you. I do get chest pains. I didn’t realise they could be linked to anxiety though. My blood pressure is on the lower end so I’ll definitely take as and when. I’m just going to have a read through those links but it does sound like something that could help. I think my anxiety just doesn’t allow me to take medication easily as I get scared about what effect they may have on me.

It stops your body dumping adrenaline into your system. So stops the physical effects of anxiety which are caused by adrenaline not knowing what to do with itself.

When you panic your body produces adrenaline.

Adrenaline is a 'fight or flight' hormone. So in evolutionary terms, it gets your body ready to run away from, or fight, a sabre tooth tiger! This means your heart rate speeds up, your breathing rate increases and blood is diverted to your muscles, which can make you feel shaky. The 'primitive' automatic part of your brain is also stimulated so that you can become hypersensitive to your surroundings (looking out for that sabre tooth tiger) and less able to think logically.

Beta blockers like propranolol stop adrenaline acting on these areas of your body, so you still produce adrenaline but it doesn't affect you in the same way.

OP really's post above is a great explanation of how it works.

However do not take as and when as you've suggested you might in one of your posts. It's not that type of medication. You can take it for a period of time and then stop (suggest you see GP before stopping), but you should not take it as and when or intermittently. See your GP if you'd like this confirmed, or if have more questions.

I was nervous about starting it too- would it make me worse ?! Would it make my tummy worse? Would it have a big scary effect?
No to all of that. It stops my heart from hurting and pounding out of my chest and racing and my poor, overwrought body from physically being able to freak the fuck out. It won’t change your thoughts or ‘cure’ you, but it gives you a break and is not addictive. As PP have said though, you do not take it ‘here and there’, you stop it under doctors orders, this is your heart that’s under pressure, Propanolol helps it, take it as prescribed I promise you it’ll be ok, nothing will be noticeably different except on day 3 maybe you’ll realise you haven’t felt your body panicking and going primal, it’s such a relief.

Exactly what Jolly said ^ that's how it worked for me.

It works on the physical symptoms of anxiety so it won't do anything to make you feel strange emotionally or mentally. I felt very very relieved after taking my first one after months of suffering with severe anxiety. I cried, I was so relieved.

I haven't needed them for years now but I would hesitate to get them again if I ever need to.

I was told to take it as and when needed after the first full week. My gp said that was totally fine as they were prescribed for anxiety not a heart condition. Definitely ask your gp about that or a pharmacist.

Only thing I'd keep an eye on is your blood pressure as yours is low already.

The way adrenalin works is that all over your body you have little patches of cells called beta receptors. They are concentrated in areas you need if you want to fight or run,so your heart, lungs, leg muscles, brain etc. When adrenalin is released into your blood stream because you are scared or ready to fight, it flows round the body and attaches to the beta recpetors. When they lock on to the beta receptors, it activates the fight or flight, so your heart rate increases, you release glucose into your blood stream, your muscles power up, you brain switches to hyper alert etc.

If you take a beta blocker like propanalol, it attaches to the beta receptors and just sits there ‘blocking’ the site. So when you release adrenalin because you are nervous, it just sails right past the beta receptors and cant trigger anything because they are already full with propanalol.

Now there are some side effects. I personally get a brain fog that I don't like much and since I naturally have low blood pressure, it makes me quite sluggish! But the benefits can really outweigh that.

Just remeber that if you take it for more than 2 weeks, you cannot stop cold turkey, you have to taper it down slowly. Otherwise your body is going to go from no adrenalin response one day to 100% response the next day as the recpetors will all be suddenly unblocked. High risk...

They do what it says on the tin --> block your beta receptors. Google beta receptors

Great explanations above. I take it plus ADs and have found this to be a massive help.

As others have said it's something you need to commit to taking daily. It's not something to take ad-hoc when you have triggers

It was a godsend for me, but made me feel sleepy, and had no energy, so I had to stop taking it unfortunately.

Also made me a little weazy - if you’re asthmatic, make sure your doctor knows.

I disagree. I'm not a medical professional but I do trust the dr who prescribed it for my son's anxiety attacks, specifically to use "as and when" needed, but obviously with a maximum daily dose.

Should add, he was warned that there was a lag of 30-60 minutes before he would feel the full effect, when taken in this manner, but it was definitely very helpful at stopping the physical symptoms of anxiety for him.

Sorry! I should have quoted. I don't disagree at all with the post directly before mine. I was disputing that it needs to be taken daily, if at all.

No worries! I understood