new to propranolol

[gijasonk]

Hi, im on day 1 of taking 5mg of propranolol. I know its a low dose, but im wondering if anyone else has any of these symptoms? its been almost a full day since taking 1 pill last evening. Im feeling pretty tired and kind of mentally numb (not feeling emotions, not laughing as much as funny things or feeling much of anything else). I started taking it because iv been having problems sleeping due to alot of anxiety. Last night was the first night i slept pretty good in a while. I went for a run this morning, only did 2.5 miles because i was getting worried about my heart not beating as fast as it should be so i stopped. Today we went to a movie and it was really funny, (TED) but i found it hard to really feel any of the emotion along with my laughter. I dont know if this has anything to do with it, but my feet also kept getting warm flashes for a couple hours. Is this normal? will it go away eventually? or should i just stop taking this pill? Appreciate any advice.

---------- Post added at 18:55 ---------- Previous post was at 17:57 ----------

actually i just looked again, its 10 mg not 5. I feel better after eating something, although im still pretty tired. Not sure if its the pills or just not caught up on sleep yet. I do have another question. Is it safe to exercise on these pills? I usually do pretty exerting things like p90x and jogging. I would hope its safe to still do this while taking these pills.

[frenchbean]

Hi. I'm no expert but from what I understand propanolol acts on the symptoms of anxiety but not the thoughts/mental causes. it can cause a lowering of the heart rate - my dr told me that i may tire more easily when exercising, but I would imagine if you are fit and well, it shouldn't significantly affect your ability to exercise.

I'm not sure that the emotional numbness you describe could be due to propanolol as it does not work on the emotions in the way that anti depressants do but please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I would stick with it for a while to see how you go, as it is a fairly gentle medication and alot of people including me have found it helpful.

Good luck

[gijasonk]

thanks for the advice. Day 2 the pill didnt seem to work as well as it did the first day, was near falling asleep at the end of work, had very disturbing dreams last night. and my anxiety seems to be off and on, on minute im normal, the next minute im getting anxiety off and on most of the day, going to try this for a couple more days, and maybe start taking a pill at an earlier time instead of in the evening.

[Jsp]

Propranolol is a beta-blocker works directly on the heart in order to reduce anxiety related symptoms, such as increased heart rate, palpitations etc. It does this by blocking some of the adrenaline that the heart recieves. It will not make you feel less anxious as it does not effect the brain like anti-depressants. It only works upon the heart.

Reduced heart rate and tiredness is a common side effect, and you should get used to it as time goes on. The zoned out/numb feeling thay you're describing may be due to the tiredness and anxiety itself. If you feel like you're having trouble with these side effects, see your doctor as they may be able to prescribe you something else such as an anti-depressant.