Has propranolol worked for anxiety for you?

[bigbells]

I suffer from situational anxiety and panic attacks. I'm fine at home but if I'm in uncomfortable or new situations I have attacks with very unpleasant physical symptoms - sweating, shaking, retching and urgently needing a toilet. The fear of these symptoms has kind of made me a bit of a prisoner in my own life. I won't do certain things or go to certain places because I'm scared of having an attack. Especially the toilet element which is very real and very urgent. But when I'm home in my own surroundings I'm fine and don't feel anxious at all.

Anyway I've tried many things over the years to try and beat this. CBT, citalopram, exercise, yoga, talking therapy...nothing worked. Then I requested propranolol from my mental health nurse who agreed it might help. I was given 10mg to take on an as and when needed basis and it did nothing to alleviate my symptoms so my nurse said I could take two at a time making it a 20mg dose. I still don't really feel much different. It's like the panic sensation is dulled a bit but it isn't really stopping the retching or bowel issues which are the most distressing for me.

I'm wondering if it may improve or if I need a higher dose. Or if I'm just doomed to feel like this forever. Has anyone else had any success with propranolol or other beta blockers for anxiety attacks and physical symptoms of panic?

It did nothing for me whatsoever. Whereas my friend has found it a life saver. So like many meds it’s horses for courses. I take Sertraline now and that’s helped me massively,

Oh gosh it's so frustrating. Nothing seems to work for me. I had such high hopes for this as it sounded like it would fit my circumstances perfectly : a magic pill to literally stop adrenaline and anxiety in its tracks. It's so disappointing that it might not work.

Beta blockers won't help with the psychological side of anxiety, but for me they helped hugely with the physical side (palapitations, sweating, head spinning) and because of that I was able to cope with the psychological side better.

They have changed my life. I can remember clearly the first time I took one - the panic feelings had started and I suddenly realised my heart wasn't thumping in my chest. My head felt clearer.

They work for me but you have to take them BEFORE your brain kicks off. So about 20 minutes before entering a high stress situation. I take double that dose though. 40mg up to 3 times a day. As long as you don't have asthma, I'm sure your doctor will be happy to prescribe a higher dose.

I take propranolol for panic symptoms associated with PTSD. I take them about 20-30 minutes before entering a situation I know is likely to be triggering, or when I first start to notice my 'early warning signs' and they definitely help. They don't remove all anxiety but for me they make it more manageable.

Did nothing for me

Works well for me, I know my triggers so I'll take 20mg about half an hour before I'm entering a situation that I know I won't be comfortable with, and I make sure I have enough with me to 'top up' should I need it.

It works like magic for me. Doesn't remove any of the fearful thoughts but it stops the shaking, sweating, voice trembling part that makes everyone else realise you're in a panic.

Yes this is what I thought would happen - relief from the physical symptoms which would eventually reduce the fear that causes them and basically break the cycle. So far they don't seem to be doing much to ease the physical stuff though. My heart maybe isn't so crazy but the gastro issues haven't improved much.

I've been taking them for a while - 10mg 3 times a day. They didn't help much so I asked my GP for advice. She breezily told me that 10mg is a 'tiny' dose, and to double up, then triple if no better. She said she'd be happy for me to go up to 120mg a day if necessary. I'm currently on 60mg a day, (3 x 20mg), and I'm definitely feeling better than before. I'm reluctant to go too high as I have bradycardia, (resting heart rate of 51-53bpm), but GP seemed unconcerned so 🤷🏼‍♀️.
As others have said, they don't necessarily stop the anxious thoughts, but they do take away the physical symptoms.

When I'm getting overwhelmed and unable to focus it calms the noise in my head and allows me to breathe and see clearly. I mostly get like this at work when I have a billion things to and freeze and can't prioritise, so it really helps me when I need to just DO STUFF without getting anxious and panicky.

If that's familiar you might find it helpful.

They made me very poorly. I was almost bed ridden for nearly a year. Made my anxiety 100 times worse with constant thoughts of fear and death.

Been off them 2 weeks now and slowly recovering. I personally would never touch the drug again.

Game changer for me at work as I suffer from public speaking anxiety

I've never been on it, my sis was & it made her ill.. I've had citalopram for years & no issues. It sounds like you could do with something just for when you KNOW you're going to be suffering, like diazepam, quick acting, but doctors seem to guard it like the crown jewels these days.. :-(

Can you remember when and why it started? Finding and dealing with the root cause of the anxiety is the first step in getting better. Once your mind isn't triggering the fight or flight physical response the symptoms will disappear. Don't forget the body has no idea if danger is real or imagined and will simply react to whatever the mind is telling it.

My dd takes it as part of a larger plan to help her anxiety (mostly social, but low level all the time - related to autism). She takes 40mg twice a day - morning and later afternoon (before evening activities). She also sees an incredible therapist and her doctor would prescribe melatonin if she needed it (as she believes sleep is hugely important in the treatment of anxiety).

It makes a huge difference and it has made me realise how important it is to find the right medication and not to suffer without - we take medication for headaches, high BP, etc - meds for mental health are just as vital and important.

I love my propranolol, it's changed my life. Take twenty mins before scary thing and voila.

I can take up to 3 a day ,or none a day depending on how I feel.
they calm me down to keep going

I don't remember why or when it started. However I do think the fear has been exacerbated by the sheer number of times I've had issues. The amount of times I've been in the car going somewhere and had a panic attack and had to get my dh to take a detour to find a loo. And when I've got there I've always had to go it's not like it was just a symptom that was in my head. So now it's like I'm expecting it to happen and the fear or being sick or spoiling myself before I can get to a toilet is an obsessive fear for me. It's never actually happened but it's felt close on a few occasions.

Agree I need an 'as and when' medication. I took citalopram for a while and it didn't really help plus it left me feeling very detached and spaced out. I thought propranolol would be the answer because it would stop the physical reactions of fight or flight. And once I knew I had control over that I wouldn't be so anxious all the time. But it's just not making that much difference. Maybe I do need a higher dose. At the moment I have a stockpile of 10mg tablets. I currently take 2 at a time if I feel im going into an anxiety inducing situation. Maybe I should try 3.

40mg is the sweet spot, OP

Might be worth trying mebevrine for the digestive side. It's meant to fix the muscle spasm and can remove nausea in me which I think is psychological.

I take 40mg as and when required. High pressure meetings, presentations etc. They stop my heart palpitations, the ringing in my ears etc.

They work for my husband but he takes them everyday. He’s tried many other tablets and various talking therapies and these are the only thing that helps. He still gets anxious but it’s much better (he has generalised anxiety disorder)

I’m on 80mg slow release. I started on 10mg as and when but then doctor said he wanted to take away the added anxiety of worrying about when to take it - but mine is also for tremor which was really bad. I couldn’t pick up a drink without spilling it sometimes. I had jelly legs all the time and was also having panic attacks, it was like a big circle of physical awfulness. Taking beta blockers was like putting on a big warm blanket.

I ordered online from a British pharmacy that did an online consultation. It's for situational anxiety, 40mg but useless if you have general anxiety.
My heart wasn't racing and I felt calmer when I had hanxiety/beer fear but I don't suffer with situational anxiety so haven't taken them regularly.