Propranolol side effects

[cmdline]

propanolol for someone healthy with anxiety isnt good actually long term, its heart medicine to reduce BP.

Reason why OP woke up feeling like freaking out is that once BP drops below certain range which for healthy people is like 100bp/s you will get that sick light head feeling, since sleep alone drops your BP to very low lvl and beta blockers bring it even more down, so its natural for body to react.

Ive tried it couple times and even being a smoker having bp high sometimes single 20mg pill would send me almost to the floor with feeling weak and nauseous.
Im no doc and guess in mild cases 2-5mg over days period would be fine for healthy person, but at larger dosages it feels really nasty, since while it prevents shaking and panic by keeping bloood pressure at a level, but for someone healthy it actually forces it down, which i imagine cant be good in general, yes people take it even doctors who do surgely but its occasional usage, and for anxiety it doesn't solve main problem same as benzos, only benefit is is that its not as addictive or dangerous as benzos, so if it works for some its great.

[thepianist]

Another option is metoprolol.

Also a beta-blocker but not as old as propranolol and doesn't pass through the blood-brain barrier as easily, so lethargy and fatigue-like side effects are drastically reduced.

Not so sure how easy it is to get prescribed because it primarily targets the heart and is most commonly prescribed to those individuals that have atrial fibrillation. Wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor about it though...

[Chinchillin777]

Was prescribed this medication as an adjunct to more powerful anxiety medications, made me feel weird, hard to describe but out-of-place, “disassociated” is a pretty good description as the original poster termed it. I felt physically weak and drained, as if I could barely walk across a grocery store with my cart, or load my things into my car without help. I am only ~30! Definitely not a medication that I reacted well to, but apparently it is helpful to some, particularly for public speaking as it limits physical signs of anxiety far more than productinf any positive mental changes. Once again, just another individual’s experience.