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+--- Thread: Propranolol side effects (/showthread.php?tid=3237)
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Propranolol side effects - Drewpickup - 04-13-2017
so I've moved overseas and found a new therapist. I explained to her my anxiety issues and she prescribes me Inderal. Worked like a miracle till I wake up in the middle of the night freaking no out. I felt totally disassociated. Can't explain it except to daub it was like a bad acid trip. Still feel foggy two days later. Anyone else have this experinece? Very weird
RE: Propranolol side effects - mboxfrogger - 04-13-2017
(04-13-2017, 08:39 AM)Drewpickup Wrote: so I've moved overseas and found a new therapist. I explained to her my anxiety issues and she prescribes me Inderal. Worked like a miracle till I wake up in the middle of the night freaking no out. I felt totally disassociated. Can't explain it except to daub it was like a bad acid trip. Still feel foggy two days later. Anyone else have this experinece? Very weird
this is strange because beta blockers are supposed to reduce anxiety. i've had a few propans here and there but the circumstances and other drugs surrounding them didn't really give me an accurate picture of how they behave in my brain. my unsolicited advice is to log this event and continue to take the medication if you want to, and if you have more incidences bring them to your doctor, and if you decide to stop taking it bring this incident to him/her as the reason. if that is a regular or even occasional side effect clearly that medication is not for you. broadly speaking, the best thing you can do before you walk into your doctor's office is arm yourself with information about your condition, the medicine you're on, and the medicine you might like to replace it with. knowledge is power. take part in your pharmaceutical selection.
- S.
RE: Propranolol side effects - Drewpickup - 04-14-2017
Thanks appreciate the feedback!
RE: Propranolol side effects - barq2 - 04-14-2017
(04-13-2017, 08:39 AM)Drewpickup Wrote: so I've moved overseas and found a new therapist. I explained to her my anxiety issues and she prescribes me Inderal. Worked like a miracle till I wake up in the middle of the night freaking no out. I felt totally disassociated. Can't explain it except to daub it was like a bad acid trip. Still feel foggy two days later. Anyone else have this experinece? Very weird
That sounds horrible for you. Propranolol works on anxiety by damping down the "fight or flight" response. It acts on the body rather than directly on the brain. By reducing trembling, racing heart, and the butterflies in stomach sensations, the brain doesn't get the physical cues associated with anxiety. Well, that's the plan! (There is some rather interesting research showing that if you give a beta blocker to someone at a traumatic moment in life, they won't remember it as quite so terrible later on - so may have some potential for reducing the risk of PTSD.)
No idea what dose you are on, but if you've been taking it a while you shouldn't just stop without medical advice. It isn't addictive, but you can get a rebound effect where the anxiety seems worse for a while. Obviously if it is a low dose or you've only had it a few times then rebound is less of an issue. I'd seek medical advice.
I have some vague memory of nightmares being a rare side effect of propranolol - maybe someone can check. (Obviously this was more than a simple nightmare, perhaps a night terror?)
Anyway, good luck. I hope your therapist is helpful.
RE: Propranolol side effects - Leesus83 - 04-15-2017
I get on fine with Propanonol but lots of people I know say it makes them feel 'out of it' or 'funny'.
I get on with certain brands better than others in this respect as some do cause me to feel slightly 'unaware'.
RE: Propranolol side effects - NovemberRain - 04-15-2017
Hi Drew
I agree with what mboxfrogger and Barq said.
I looked up the side effects of Propranolol and "unusual dreams", "vivid dreams" and "nightmares" are considered a more common side effect.
However, listed under the side effects that state you should see your doctor immediately if you experience any are:
depersonalization
confusion about identity, place, and time
decreased awareness or responsiveness
paranoia
quick to react or overreact emotionally
rapidly changing moods
seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
short-term memory loss
I know you did not describe all of these side effects, but I copied and pasted the ones that were more an "emotional" side effect than a "physical" one, like say, "sweating" or "nausea", etc.
I don't know what dose you were placed on, but I also read that a dose that may be too high for a person can cause the above side-effects.
Please see your doctor.
I hope this helps.
Abigail
RE: Propranolol side effects - Rafterman - 11-04-2017
Hey Drew, I have had a structural heart problem since childhood, as well as clinical anxiety. Beta blockers have zero anxiolytic properties. Their only action is to desensitize some of the beta cells (the adrenaline-receiver cells) that reside on your heart, lungs and elsewhere. That way, adrenaline will have less of a stimulatory effect on your heart. They only fool the mind (in some people) into feeling calmer by keeping your heart rate in check. Many performers use them before a show. A good example is Carly Simon. You may already know that she is one of the few celeb's that suffers from full-blown panic disorder. She used to take BB's before going on and still suffered meltdown's. The thing to really worry about is the fact that beta blockers and adrenaline don't mix. So if you do have a panic attack while on them, you can be in for some pretty funky arrhythmia's. Under anxiety, the body dumps epinephrine into the system, which converts to adrenaline, which clashes with the beta blocker. Your heart doesn't know what to do. It's being overwhelmed with adrenaline, while a percentage of it's receptors are blocked. It can react unpredictably. Think of it as someone trying to tame a bucking horse that doesn't want to be tamed. Much better to treat anxiety with an anxiolytic and leave the heart out of it, IMO. Regards.
RE: Propranolol side effects - invisiblejungle - 11-04-2017
(11-04-2017, 08:19 AM)Rafterman Wrote: Hey Drew, I have had a structural heart problem since childhood, as well as clinical anxiety. Beta blockers have zero anxiolytic properties. Their only action is to desensitize some of the beta cells (the adrenaline-receiver cells) that reside on your heart, lungs and elsewhere. That way, adrenaline will have less of a stimulatory effect on your heart. They only fool the mind (in some people) into feeling calmer by keeping your heart rate in check. Many performers use them before a show. A good example is Carly Simon. You may already know that she is one of the few celeb's that suffers from full-blown panic disorder. She used to take BB's before going on and still suffered meltdown's. The thing to really worry about is the fact that beta blockers and adrenaline don't mix. So if you do have a panic attack while on them, you can be in for some pretty funky arrhythmia's. Under anxiety, the body dumps epinephrine into the system, which converts to adrenaline, which clashes with the beta blocker. Your heart doesn't know what to do. It's being overwhelmed with adrenaline, while a percentage of it's receptors are blocked. It can react unpredictably. Think of it as someone trying to tame a bucking horse that doesn't want to be tamed. Much better to treat anxiety with an anxiolytic and leave the heart out of it, IMO. Regards.
Taking beta-blockers can actually be dangerous when there are very high levels of adrenaline, as the beta-blockers leave more adrenaline available to stimulate the alpha-receptors in the blood vessels, causing vasoconstriction. One option would be to take both a beta-blocker and alpha-blocker, but if someone really wants to play around with the adrenergic receptors, I think the safest bet would be to take an alpha-2 agonist like clonidine, guanfacine, or moxonidine, since they actually reduce adrenaline levels instead of just blocking the receptors.
RE: Propranolol side effects - cmdline - 11-04-2017
the reason i dont like beta blockers is if one doesnt have heart condition or raised BP it works opposite,so drowsiness light headiness ,sudden drop in bp, irritation is what i observed ,generally more proffesional people tend to use the before presentations speeches, but long term use indicate theres adverse effects on health for normal healthy people otherwise.
if its md that prescribes them to you id argue to get 2-5mg vals ,as opposed to heart meds,just my 2c here.
RE: Propranolol side effects - maz123 - 06-08-2018
For Social anxiety Propranolol solves so many issues. No shaking, heart rate, and a normal cognitive ability. The high comes from being able to function without becoming nervous.