Hello everyone,
I have taken propranolol only two times, and I think it's fantastic. It's not like I have any kind of panic or anxiety but it helps a lot managing those situations like public speaking. My question is if it's have any kind of side effect after a long term use, if you becomes too attached to the med etc. if anyone knows something or have experience with this med please tell.
Thanks in advance,
(03-28-2017, 05:18 PM)Tsuinr Wrote: [ -> ]Hello everyone,
I have taken propranolol only two times, and I think it's fantastic. It's not like I have any kind of panic or anxiety but it helps a lot managing those situations like public speaking. My question is if it's have any kind of side effect after a long term use, if you becomes too attached to the med etc. if anyone knows something or have experience with this med please tell.
Thanks in advance,
This is something I'd be interested in but have no experience. Yes any thoughts welcome
i found it works ok for anxiety,but side effects quite unpleasant,rash like itching when it wears off, also if taken higher dosage makes you feel unwell as BP drops,so not my really top choice of med for anxiety.But think on official leaflet it states long term usage and cessation could cause side effects,since it drops blood pressure and for normal person without high blood pressure issues not sure how it affects heart,but would definitely read up, or get professional opinion,since it affects heart and thats not smth youd want to play with at stake.
After my doctor whom lost his license for incompetence and groping women patients and failure to keep records, I got my records. He had me on propranolol for six yrs.
According to the physicians desk reference at the time, it should be used for six weeks tops at a time.
You don't want to mess with ur blood pressure unless a doctor has advised that u have high blood pressure.
This is a med to be used for speeches or when out of, say, valium.
Not for long term as far as i can recall. I no longer have a PDR. But, one should not lower their blood pressure or heart rate without it being deemed a necessity. humble opinion and all based on research from a few yrs back.
Be careful. All meds have side effects. I don't believe the majority of doctors even look them up.
Though I don't believe there have been any studies done on the long-term effects of beta-blocker usage, such as propranolol, I believe that what Charon wrote about staying on it for 6 weeks makes the most sense.
I've never read the inside pamphlet for propranolol but a 6-weeks maximum is something I believe to be very reasonable for a couple reasons.
Firstly, I am sure that the 6 weeks is for people taking propranolol daily to combat hypertension. Using it sparingly for presentations, social events, etc. you can take it longer. Unless of course presentations, social events, etc. IS YOUR JOB! Beta-blockers are truly an amazing class of molecules that suppress the release of adrenaline from your adrenal glands and whether you like it or not, adrenaline is secreted by your body everyday in varying doses (not just when you get panicky or put into a situation where your body goes into fight-or-flight mode) keeping you alert when you drive, when you meet someone new, when a horrible news story is just read and so on. And by continually suppressing it, your body's homeostasis will get out-of-whack just like with any other drug.
The second reason is more scientificky and I probably shouldn't try and go into the nitty-gritty details of it...but propranolol is one of the few, very few drugs that contains a
naphthalene nucleus in the molecule. Currently in the scientific community, especially with medicinal chemists, there is simply not much known about how they get broken down through oxidative processes in the body (because they can be subjected to many, many more pathways than other pharmacores). But if you were a trained medicinal chemist today working on improving a drug's potency, and a colleague in your team were to propose using a naphthalene ring as the nucleus to increase potency or binding affinity, they would be met with raised eyebrows and be questioned out the whazoo as to where the hell their logic came from and might even look foolish.
Nonetheless, propranolol is a fantastic medicine in my opinion and I always have a stock of 30 or so if I have to get up in front of large audiences and give presentations...I always though I would outgrow my fear of public speaking by continually doing it and that one day it would just go away....NOPE!
Woah!! I didn't know it could be so dangerous, thank you people for your explanations, I'll take into account your experiences when using it. Haven't thought deeply the fact that this med deals with heart and blood pressure and these are big words. The two times I took it I felt the way I should be without the stressing situation I was in, no side effects, and thought about using it in other situations, but I know it's a med it must to have some cons.
After reading your words I won't use it so freely and taking a higher dose is out of question. My intentions now are to resort to this med only when needed, presentations (not my job thanks god), job interviews and exams with a lot at stake but very sporadically. Have little faith in losing my public speaking fear and I'm too lazy to work on it so in some way I need it.
Also I had in mind using diazepam but in contrast to propanolol it gives you drowsiness or so I have been told and in these situations I need to be fully awake.
Well many thanks friends, I feel now much more informed about this issue, best wishes.
I have been on propranolol 80 mg ER for years as a blood pressure med prescribed by my primary doc. No other doctors have ever questioned this, even my surgeon. I know when I have missed a dose due to the palpitations I get. I assume it must work differently for people with high blood pressure because I have certainly seen my fair share of doctors over the years and none have ever expressed concern about taking it. Just my experience.
Slick
(03-31-2017, 01:27 PM)suinr Wrote: [ -> ]Woah!! I didn't know it could be so dangerous, thank you people for your explanations, I'll take into account your experiences when using it. Haven't thought deeply the fact that this med deals with heart and blood pressure and these are big words. The two times I took it I felt the way I should be without the stressing situation I was in, no side effects, and thought about using it in other situations, but I know it's a med it must to have some cons.
After reading your words I won't use it so freely and taking a higher dose is out of question. My intentions now are to resort to this med only when needed, presentations (not my job thanks god), job interviews and exams with a lot at stake but very sporadically. Have little faith in losing my public speaking fear and I'm too lazy to work on it so in some way I need it.
Also I had in mind using diazepam but in contrast to propanolol it gives you drowsiness or so I have been told and in these situations I need to be fully awake.
Well many thanks friends, I feel now much more informed about this issue, best wishes.
It's not that they are dangerous, in fact, they are relatively very safe in comparison to other drugs. I would say Tylenol is more dangerous than propranolol. It's just that there have not been enough long-term studies done on the drug to determine to what extent it may change a person's biochemistry, unlike benzodiazepines, where there are decades worth of research showing that once a person becomes dependent on Xanax, it's likely best to keep them on it because of the significant changes that occur in the brain.
The only warning a doctor will tell you is not to exert/strain yourself physically (i.e., working out, hard physical labor) when on beta-blockers because your adrenal glands WANT to secrete adrenaline to facilitate faster heart rate and blood-flow getting more oxygen to the muscles but CAN'T to a significant degree because the drug is preventing that from happening. I'm not sure about the consequences that may pose for an individual but know from personal experience that is the only warning that I was given from a doctor.
Texas Chemist Wrote:
"The only warning a doctor will tell you is not to exert/strain yourself physically (i.e., working out, hard physical labor) when on beta-blockers because your adrenal glands WANT to secrete adrenaline to facilitate faster heart rate and blood-flow getting more oxygen to the muscles but CAN'T to a significant degree because the drug is preventing that from happening. I'm not sure about the consequences that may pose for an individual but know from personal experience that is the only warning that I was given from a doctor."
Really good posts on this thread Texas Chemist, thanks. I'm already on a Beta-Blocker (not Propranolol) and an ACE Inhibitor for high blood pressure. I sure wish my GP had taken the time to describe the effects of these meds. to me in terms of strenuous activity. In fact, I don't think physical exertion is even mentioned in the documentation I receive from the pharmacy with my prescriptions (although I will read more carefully when I receive my next prescriptions to be sure).
I exercise regularly and also get a fair amount of exercise in earning a living. The meds. prescribed are doing a great job at lowering my BP, but they really have an impact on my cardio exercise / activities. I have some knowledge of how Adrenaline works, enough to know why it feels like I'm dragging a friggin boat anchor whenever I start running, walking the dog, hiking... (everything is uphill where I live). It usually takes me about 20 minutes to work through the funk, then I'm good to go for the rest of a 60 - 90 Min. workout. I have always wondered why I am able to work through it and, like you, hope there are no consequences from the extra push it takes to get through it.
To the OP suinr, it sounds to me like you must still be fairly young (you mention exams and job interviews). As such, I encourage you to try to dig deep within yourself and face these events clean. Even if you fail, knowing that you have given the task your best shot will help you to become more self reliant, it will give you a better sense of your true limitations and, with luck, show you that the strength you need, you already possess.
I wish you the best of luck in life suinr
Black Bird
You are more than welcome Raven. I try to inform and help when I can without while trying not to make too many assumptions that are outside of my field.
Glad to hear that you are a very active individual and though it becomes harder while on beta-blockers, you can keep pushing and reap the benefits just the same.
