Propranolol?

[LetMeJustCheckMyCitrusPocket]

Does anyone take Propranolol to help with anxiety before eg. public speaking or a presentation?

I'm very anxious about an upcoming event and was considering asking my gp to prescribe it.

What dose do you take and when before the event...reading about it this seems to vary so much.

Thank you x

40mg is magic for me

@Koazy can I ask, have you been taking it for a while, so are more used to it do you think? Do you take it just beforehand and then it lasts?

It's for a funeral which I am dreading. Want to relieve the anxiety as much as possible but worried if take a high dose then won't be able to function.

Why wouldn’t you be able to function? Propanalol only calms your body (heart rate, stops shakes etc), it’s not a drug like diazepam.

I take it occasionally as I sometimes have panic attacks... it reduces the physical symptoms of anxiety such as shaking.. fast heart beat etc. It does calm me down but does make me tired. I'm not sure what the dose is but think 40mg. I would take it an hour or so before. Good luck
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Do you actually have anxiety or are you feeling (understandably) anxious about the funeral? GP should only prescribe for diagnosed anxiety, not for normal feelings of being anxious.

Propranolol isn't a sedative or relaxant, it work on the heart and nervous system to control things like palpitations, tremor etc but it don't relax you per se.

40mg would leave me spacey and shaky and feeling faint. Start with 10mg and you can increase dose but trial it before your big event.

I have a prescription of it, I suffer from general anxiety so I take 40mg as needed. It purely treats the symptoms of anxiety so slows the heart rate, reduces shaking, and gives me room to take a breath and get the mental side of it under control (ie give myself whatever pep talk I need to push through).

What are you worrying about exactly? It does nothing at all to your brain chemistry, it's purely to put a damper on the immediate physical symptoms of anxiety. It's actually a beta blocker, it's entire function is to lower blood pressure and is typically used to treat high blood pressure/heart conditions. So as long as you don't have low blood pressure already it's highly unlikely to make you non-functioning.

I’ve taken it for years, I started on 40mg twice a day for anxiety. I only use it rarely now but would say try it first. 10mg wouldn’t have done a thing.

Me! 40mg and you’d think I’m the most confident and skilled public speaker ever 😆

I tried 10mg and that does absolutely nothing. I only take it before big speeches in front of a large crowd.

10mg is fine. I use it for big presentations.
you don’t need to see your GP, you can buy it from an online pharmacy for ‘stage fright’ if you fill out the medical questionnaire. Your GO gets a letter I think

I have a repeat prescription for 10 mg propranolol to take " as and when".

I find taking 10 mg when I'm really anxious is very helpful. And if the situation is on going I'll take 10 mg three times a day until I'm on an even keel.

I think if you are only an occasional user then the 10 mg dose is suitable because it provides the calming effect without any unwanted side effects.

Thanks for all the replies, really useful.

I'm going to try to speak at the funeral, and from past experience of public speaking plus the emotions of the occasion, I know I'll be shaking, tearful, racing heart, shaky voice etc.

So was looking into taking something with high enough dose to help with that physical side of things, but not so high that I'm suddenly too tired to function and get through it.

I take 10mg for flights, 30 minutes before boarding, after a bad turbulence experience in the past. I find it is calming and whilst it doesn’t totally remove the anxiety if we hit a particularly bumpy patch, it does remove the physical symptoms, heart racing etc which makes it much more manageable. Your GP will know what dose to offer in your personal circumstances.

I take 10mg each morning and each evening to help me with my day-to-day anxiety.

If I ever have a presentation to do, or an exam to take, or anything else that might be trigger heightened anxiety, I take a 10mg tablet about 30 minutes beforehand.

Honestly OP, propranolol is perfect for what you describe. For me, it has no ill-effects other than completely eliminating those physical sides of nerves.

Thanks again all, it definitely sounds worth a try, and fingers crossed as I'll need all the help I can get x

I take one 40mg an hour before any public speaking or client presentations. It just helps the physical symptoms which inexplicably kick in. You can just buy them online through an online pharmacy. They’ve been really helpful for me

I have used it several times on and off on a very ad hoc basis over the years but I asked for it last week and the GP said they were changing all the guidelines around it and that it has made it much more difficult to prescribe for anxiety ☹️

Hello

I know this post is old but has anyone out there taken propanolol with low bp? Mine is on average 105/63 and I'm worried this will lower it more but I have a huge talk coming up and I need something for the shakes and nervousness when speaking.
Also it is OK to take and drink alcohol with?

I was given a prescription of temporary somatic anxiety recently, it worked very well at only 10 - 20 mg a day.

@Danny46811 I have lowish BP and took up to 20mg of propranolol a day for a few weeks with no ill effect. I don't drink so I can't speak to that.

@garlicktoms thanks for getting back to me and good to know re. BP. Can I ask what your BP is? I just don't want to pass out with it!

A bit higher than yours on average so 110 / 68 in the doctors but it can be lower at home. I am on candesartan for migraine now and while it is helping with my migraine it is taking my blood pressure too low and I am feeling dizzy at times. I never noticed this at all on modest doses of propranolol. I think if you are thinking of using it for situational anxiety and not everyday a low dose would probably be fine. However you should speak to your GP before you take it. I was checked and cleared by my GP to use it so probably check with them first.

I used to take 1 (10mg) when I felt anxious. It didn’t do anything so I went back to the gp. He told me to take 10!!! 10 makes me go to sleep. Very much trial and error. I found rescue remedy better for situations I knew would make me on edge. They can definitely help though.

I take 60mg before a big speech. 10mg would not do a thing.

I take 3 x 40mg per day to try and manage anxiety disorder. It’s a good medication.