Slow release 80mg Propranolol

[mizfiesta]

I've been suffering from intense anxiety for weeks now and it's got so bad I hardly ever go out the door. I was prescribed Citalopram and I'm now on day 11 of a 20mg dose. I know that symptoms can get worse initially when starting Cit, and think that's what's happening with me at the moment.

I was at Doctors yesterday (I go to see her every two weeks) and I told her I wasn't yet feeling any benefits from the Cit (as expected as I have read it can take quite a while to work) and she prescribed me Propranolol 80mg slow release to help with the anxiety.

I just wanted to gauge how well the propranolol can help so if any of you have any positive experiences to share with me I would appreciate it.

[Carrera74]

Hiya. I'm taking this and its really helped to take the edge off the physical side to panic. I'm too scared to try anti depressants but I think both will help as one will help your thoughts and the other will help the symptoms :)

[Andyreww]

I'm on it, but stopped due to having bad side effects that I put down to the propanolol it made me feel dizzy and breathless, although the first day it made me feel great

[james toney]

to be honest i am just about to get some more 80mg but i only now take about 3 per week,

i was on 10mg every 12 hours fo about 6 weeks and they did nothing to me, i was sufferring from severe headaches and slight panic attacks,

when i went on to the 80mg slow release every 12 hours , i was feeling feeling back to normal within a few days, i would recommend them to anyone who has this,

as i said i only now take a few per week when i feel like i need them, severe bad head or ringing in the ears)

[Deepest Blue]

I'm on it, but stopped due to having bad side effects that I put down to the propanolol it made me feel dizzy and breathless, although the first day it made me feel great

I was exactly the same as this when my GP put me on 80mg a couple of years ago but I insisted I go back to 40mg, problem being that I'm kind of neither here or there when on 40mg, I suppose they must be working because I'm at least not getting any worse...

[nutter84]

Been taking propanolol 80mg slow release for over 2 weeks think they work brilliantly for general anxiety I am hoping to get the dose increased in a couple weeks when I see my GP. First medication that has given me total relief of the tense feelings of anxiety. The side effects seem to be wearing off now, feeling tired/breathless/fatigued and dizzy however I dont feel it is working quite as well as it did at first hense wanting to get the dose increased because I know you can take 40mg 3 times a day for generalized anxiety. I am also on 2 different anti depressants and anti psychotic for OCD been on them for about 10 years now! This is the first medication I have tried that you can actually truely relax your body:):hugs:

[amandah]

Hi I have been on this medication for my anxiety for many years. I really dont want to have anything heavier like anti depressants. I also take Rescue remedy as well. Also having therapists like Reflexology and a massage to help me at the moment. regards amandah

[Fibutton]

I usually take one 80mg a day and have done for nearly a year now, however I felt VERY panicky during the night and took a tablet, then still felt anxious at 8 am this morning, and took another, have felt totally wiped out all day! But feel that the 80mg are not working for me anymore. Having posted this, I really do not want to go on a higher dose, any advice would be very welcome .

[Mr.Jitters]

It worked really well for me for 6-7 years. I recently changed to Atenolol as it's a longer acting beta-blocker as propranolol was losing efficacy for me; and have reduced my antidepressant dose and completely lost my dependence on diazepam for tough situations thanks to beta-blockers.

[Han_Xander25]

Hi All

I've just joined this forum so not really sure what I'm doing?!

I've had anxiety probably all my life (as a kid I used to freak out if I wasn't asleep by 9pm! - and couldn't sleep if I wasn't, and was really obsessed when I had exams etc) But it only got really bad the last couple of years.

Long story short I recently got put on Zoloft, but only took them for a week because I was already experiencing some pretty horrid side effects (the ones that don't go away after a couple of weeks) despite the fact they seemed to be helping me. To avoid weight gain & sexual problems, they prescribed me with Propranolol sustained release instead...this was 2 days ago & I've already rung the doctors once as I'm so anxious about putting on weight and apparently Propranolol can make you gain?! Yesterday I was still quite anxious..However, I woke up this morning and my anxiety is out of control. The doctors allowed me to stop the Zoloft in place of the propranolol as they thought that would take the edge off any small withdrawal i'd get after such a short time.

I'm so confused now as I thought Propranolol sustained release was supposed to work straight away, but I feel worse than ever now?! Will it take a few days to kick in?

HELP! :scared15:

[mizfiesta]

Hi Han_Xander, I am on 80mg of slow release Propranolol and haven't gained any weight or had any problems at all using it. What it does for me is just 'quietens' all my physical symptoms of stress/anxiety e.g flushing, booming heart beats, and the overall 'jitteryness'. It's a beta blocker and unlike say, Diazepam, it doesn't 'calm you down', but masks the physical symptoms. I doubt that the Propranolol would make you more anxious. Hope this helps.

[Han_Xander25]

Thanks Mizfiesta.

I took a propranolol this morning instead of last night as I was initially told to, and I do feel less jittery & actually a bit happier today - I have the worries but I think not getting wound up to the point of feeling sick is helping the thoughts go away quicker. I was prescribed Diazepam for really bad days, and took one yesterday for the first time...(2mg) didn't do anything at all lol.

My main issue is the thoughts that cause the anxiety though, so I'm not sure how beta blockers will help me. I am doing IAPT at the moment, and probably CBT later as it's not really working. But I really don't fancy going back onto Sertraline or anything like that, so we'll see.

Thanks for your reply :) x

[mizfiesta]

2mg of Diazepam doesn't really do much for me either, but I guess I feel at least a wee bit better psychologically after having take it.

Yea it will take time to get the thoughts under control. If your physically more relaxed then it does help you deal better with negative thoughts.

Have you tried listening to a relaxation cd? I listen to Andrew Johnson's 'Deep Relaxation' app daily and it does help.

I also take Citalopram. It's not 'cured' me but I think it does diminish the power of negative thoughts. Of course no medication is without its side effects/drawbacks. It's a minefield.

You should try writing all your negative, worrying thoughts down on paper then reason with yourself of the likelihood of them happening - it takes away a bit of the power they have over you.

[Han_Xander25]

That's a good idea, I've been thinking of trying that -I do it in my head sometimes, and I know they're irrational thoughts, but they still niggle. Might try some relaxation stuff too. I do go to the gym alot to try and get the stress out, but I'm very busy..which doesn't help as I worry about that too!

My main problem is with my boyfriend, I'm a bit of a psycho-case worrying he'll leave and that other girls will try steal him away lol even though he's given me no reason to worry. He's great about it though and very reassuring. Sometimes I worry that the more he reassures me, the more I need it though.

I was on Citalopram last year but I was violently ill on it, Sertraline helped alot but as I said I got the horrid side effects (also not helping my relationship hehe! :winks:)

I think I'll try stick to the Propranolol, I do feel calmer and I feel it might help me understand my thoughts during the CBT process, as on Sertraline they dissapeared completely, so it was hard to fill out the self help stuff when I didn't feel that way anymore!

How long have you been on the Propranolol for?

[mizfiesta]

I've been on Propranolol for a few months now and I've found them really helpful.

I know what it's like when your thoughts go out of control but try and ignore them. Your boyfriend has chosen YOU and there's no ball and chain keeping him there.

But you must also realise that you might freak him out by constantly seeking to be reassured. Just try and trust him. If he ever does decide to leave, you worrying about it is not going to prevent it. You also cannot put all your faith in one person, or rely on anyone to heavily. Just take each day as it comes. I've been through a divorce (and had two young kids) which I thought the pain of would kill me - it didn't. I survived. You must get your confidence to a level where you don't rely on anyone else to heavily - you must gain strength - your probably already stronger than you think! :hugs:

[Han_Xander25]

Yeah I guess it would annoy me if he was constantly asking me about things all the time. I think I've kinda lost sight of what's normal and what isn't lately. Sometimes I think it's normal to worry about some things, but not every time I see him!

Thanks for all your help. I'm not sure the Propranolol is going to work for me, I'm still pretty anxious most of the time and I think it'd be working by now. We'll see how things go!

Congrats on surviving through all that, wow, I'm not sure I'd be strong enough for anything like that! :bighug1:

[Cobalt]

Hi Han_Xander, I am on 80mg of slow release Propranolol and haven't gained any weight or had any problems at all using it. What it does for me is just 'quietens' all my physical symptoms of stress/anxiety e.g flushing, booming heart beats, and the overall 'jitteryness'. It's a beta blocker and unlike say, Diazepam, it doesn't 'calm you down', but masks the physical symptoms. I doubt that the Propranolol would make you more anxious. Hope this helps.

I second these comments. Also, if you are starting the slow release, give it a few days and take it the same time every day. If you stop taking it, I've experienced, same thing.. it takes a couple days to work out of your system.