04-14-2017, 12:22 PM
(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.