Propranolol for anxiety

[Sojo88]

I was prescribed propranolol by the doctor the other day as my anxiety symptoms have become quite bad and I've been waking up feeling incredibly anxious for a while, which then turns into a sort of lower anxiety with some nausea throughout the rest of the day. I tried a 40mg pill the other morning when I was feeling particularly anxious and found that it didn't relax me, it just made me feel slightly dizzy as noises suddenly became quite loud. I'm reluctant to take one again but realise that maybe it will become better if I keep taking two or three a day. It's just I thought with beta blockers you can take them as and when you need them?

Has anyone else got any experience of taking propranolol for anxiety and how soon it starts working, and if you had any side effects with the first pill?

Propranolol may help with some of the physical effects of anxiety like fast heartbeat etc but not the mental side (sadly). They are relatively fast acting.

Hi thanks for answering. Yes, I thought they were meant to be fast acting but they just didn't really make me feel any calmer - maybe they're not the right medication for me.

How bad is the anxiety? Have you had it long? May be worth trying meditation or mindfulness etc and exercise is always good. Or if it's severe you may need talking therapy and/or some mild antidepressants. Plenty of options xxx

Is that beta blockers? I think they just regulate your heart rate.

I've always been anxious but it's usually been the thoughts and mental side of it that I've found hard. About a week ago I woke up and just felt incredibly anxious and then thought I was ill, but realise now it was probably just symptoms of anxiety following on from that, and now I'm waking up every day feeling really anxious and getting various symptoms which are quite uncomfortable to live with. Just want something to make me feel calm as I feel restless most the time and can't enjoy or settle down to anything. Originally wanted the beta blockers for the intense anxiety in the mornings, but it didn't really help. To be honest got myself quite worked up just about taking medication! I've not taken anything before and was worried about how I'd react. I'm also arranging therapy with someone so hopefully that'll help.

Can you take two a day? I find them great but take a long acting slow release one that's 80 I think.

If the anxiety is very high I think other things are more helpful. You could try the full dose.

Remember that people take them
For driving lessons and performance anxiety so there's nothing to worry about. At the same time, it might be you need something different?

Yeah I'd read they were very safe but think I'm just hyper aware of sensations in my body and so was just waiting to feel something from the pill! I've had anxiety for ages and always wanted medication as I thought it would really help...but yes maybe a different medication would be better.

Could take two or three a day - doc suggested 40mg pills which seems like quite a lot when some people take like 10 or 20mg? Could always halve them.

I have 10mg 'as and when' and I find it helps a lot when I feel that I'm starting to get in that anxiety spiral.

They work v quickly and slow my heart rate, so I find it easier to tamp down on the unhelpful thoughts.

I'm not a doctor! But yes you could try halving them.

Although I'd guess if 40mg doesn't calm me, 10 won't. I'll maybe give it another try but take a pill at bedtime the first time so that I'll sleep through any side effects. I did think they could be used as a one off, so a bit gutted they're not working so far.

Will try and speak to doc but good to know other people's experience with it - wanted to know if it's possible that it doesn't work on anxiety for some people. So thanks for advice so far everyone

I found Propanolol helpful when I was having physical anxiety reactions despite my brain being relatively calm. I found it formed a kind of bubble around me and calmed my body / heart rate down whilst I retrained it to understand that a particular job was not that scary. It might have been less useful if I was having mental anxiety as well as physical anxiety.

I hope you find something that helps you soon.

I can very much relate to how you are feeling. When my dd was about 4 I started to get bad anxiety. I would wake in the morning feeling anxious. It was a horrible feeling. I started to realise that a lot of my anxious thoughts that I had repressed in the daytime seemed to be being processed by my brain during the night leaving me waking with anxiety. Like you I am hyper aware of my body, any feeling of nausea would cause a spike in my anxiety due to a phobia I had of being sick. It ended up in a vicious cycle. The anxiety cause physical symptoms which in turn made me anxious. I was given 40mg propranolol and didn’t feel massively different at first. It didn’t cause any adverse effects except some lightheaded feelings on occasion. I spoke to my GP who changed me onto a slow release tablet. I started taking it last thing at night and it helped massively. It allowed my body to properly relax while I slept and stopped me waking with a racing heart. I now just take 20mg as and when I need it (maybe once a month if that) but still find it hugely helpful. Hang in there it really does get better.

Good luck op

Why not just call your doc and talk about the side effects? That is the best thing to do probs

I take 40mg 3x per day. I was taking it twice for migraines. Then my anxiety decided to ramp up x1000 so the dr upped my dose to 3 times.
I take an extra one if I feel really panicky but rarely need it.

Side effects with the first pill?

The first time I took one I ended up in hospital. I was completely out of it and ambulance was called. Vomiting and lost sight, apparently it was down to blood pressure plummeting. Never dared take another.

I have been taking propranolol for a few months now.

I’ve got lots of the 10mg tablets. I take 5 a day, spread throughout from when I wake up, to last thing at night. (I also take a 50mg Sertraline last thing at night; seems a good combination for me.)

My heart rate was always a bit too high (100), and very reassuringly, it’s usually between 60 and 80 now, which I’m happy with.

Keep experimenting. Maybe split your tablets so you can have four lots of 20mg spread through the day? I think a too-high dose at once can cause dizziness.

Good luck!

Thanks very much everyone, lots more good advice and experiences. Although sorry to hear about your experience, @Notredamn, that sounds terrifying - I did avoid looking at the side effects before taking the first pill so that I didn't scare myself too much.

Thank you @mummybean84, that actually sounds really similar to what's going on with me, glad to hear things are going better for you.

Will take note of all your advice, thanks very much.

I'm hyper aware of my body too but have only ever experienced good things with them.

I have low bp too and for some reason it's fine, though I know they made my dad a bit dizzy.

When I took the slow release daily years ago, I found I wasn't exhausted by the end of the day, possibly from tension?

I personally think they're fucking awesome!

I'm intrigued by these slow release ones - might try and talk to the doctor about them.

Obviously this is just all personal experience and you are best talking to your Gp.

I was just thinking about how I ended up on them; I seemed to be very quickly up and down because my panic was quite deeply set to confidence and various issues and so he suggested a slow release one and to take daily. So it's 80mg but slow release

This was for the 40 mg

"Propranolol is completely absorbed after oral administration and peak plasma concentrations occur 1 to 2 hours after dosing in fasting patients. The liver removes up to 90% of an oral dose with an elimination half-life of 3 to 6 hours"

so a second dose might actually help you a lot after a few hours, as it leaves the body quite quickly.

I googled the slow release and apparently the effects can last 24 hours. I think in I had more benefit taking them daily.

Can you take up to 3 of the 40? I noticed it said that on the nhs site. You'd get more than the slow release but you might find the slow release one more stabilising? Could you try a regular dose of 2 or 3 daily?

The other thing I discovered more recently is that it's often useful for people with hypermobility who seem to have a tendency to constant low level anxiety. I'm hypermobile and actually a friend is too and also said they were amazing when she had them for post partum hyperthyroidism.

Yes I've been wondering about if it works better if I take 2 or 3 daily rather than one when I need it - found it hard to take anymore after my experience with the first one. Tbh the only side effect I really had was a bit of dizziness but I get very anxious about feeling nauseous which puts me off taking them anymore.

One thing that bothers me is that propranolol is supposed to slow your heart rate, and so it doesn't sound very healthy to keep taking them everyday, a few times a day! Obviously they must be ok because so many people use them but it's part of what goes through my head when I take one.

I've never seen that as an issue nor seen much of an effect. It helps the anxiety, which can involve a racing heart, and the best thing is when things calm down, you just don't take one.

I've just had to take them for three days and needed them. Today I do feel calmer and haven't taken one. I also do other things though, cbt and mindful type stuff that works for me. I've had to find what actually works as not everything does.

Started taking propranolol 10mg 3 to 4 times a day for bad anxiety on my second dose and i feel more anxious will go away

My daughter was prescribed the slow release one too - she got on much better with them.