propranalol quick ques.

[xLJx]

ive been told by my therapist i can come off the props. im on one 10mg tablet a day ( down from 3 a day, then to 2) ive been on them since december. now ive run out and ive not yet been to the docs for anymore/to tell him id like to come off them.
and it says on the packet dont come off them without like telling your doc whatever. dont just suddenly come off them.
so i havent got one for tonight and i wont have one for tomorrow (the nearest time i cud go the docs is friday)
and im scared cos i wont have tabs for 2 days.

has anyone come off them like this? is it ok?
10mg isnt really much is it. and ive weened down from three a day

any suggestions? bit worried.
xxxxxx

[Cathy V]

Hiya, i take propranolol and have been on 80mg slow release since last november. It was pescribed for high blood pressure and migraine (the migraine has since been misdiagnosed!) as the doc said it was good for treating both conditions. I started off really well with them, but in the last few months theyve started to cause a few probs. My weight has increased on them, and they just seem to zap my energy. Also my anxiety seems to have returned complete with the dreaded ectopic heartbeats:ohmy: !

I'd also read that you shouldnt just stop taking them, so i asked the doc if i could stop them and he gave me something that only treats the blood pressure, but within a few days my anxiety was really bad, so he put me back onto the propranolol and although the anxiety is still there, its not really bad. But i do know that there are newer betablocker around than this one and theyre supposed to be kinder to the body with less side effects. I have the names of three of these and am going to talk to the doc about it tomorrow.

I wouldn't have thought that the small dose youve been taking will make too much difference to be honest, though everyone reacts in different ways. If you think that you're now ready to give it a go without them then not having them for yesterday and today would be a start i guess, though its prob a good idea to just let your doc know that you're gonna try and see what happens. I hope it works well for you and that your withdrawl reaction is minimal. Let me know how you get on, and i'll keep you posted with news of any alternative that my doc agrees to let me try.

Best wishes
Cathy:) x

[xLJx]

Hi Cathy, thanks for the great advice, please do keep me posted.
im feeling a bit panicky today but i think thats brought on by thinking about not being on the tablets!! im off to the doctors tomorrow so ill see what he says :D

good luck and keep me posted xxx

[Cathy V]

Yep I agree with you when youn say your panic is prob due to thoughts about stopping the propranolol. You're obviously worried about how your body will react without it, and the worry will probably cause more side effects than not taking the pills:wacko: !! If you're really are down to just 10mg a day i really think you'll be fine without them...really really! Keep in touch and let me know how you feel, i'm here most days.

Cathy:) xx

[jellybean43]

HI Cath
Sorry to hijack the thread but I sent you a PM about propranalol and i just got a message back and it was the one i sent you!!Did you send the wrong one by mistake.
Anyhow,sorry to hijack xxx

[Coni]

Hi Cathy, I was on propranolol for a few months and had to stop them because they were making me cough....my doctor told me just to stop them and I was on 40mg twice a day....cant say I noticed any major problems when I stopped (apart from being able to sleep at night cos no more cough lol), but everyones different and ideally you should go with your GPs advice.

luv Coni XX

[Cathy V]

Jelly :shrug: bean, yes sorry, don't know what i did but must have pressed the wrong button and it was such a good message too!:D

In answer to your question though, as you can prob see from other people who take propranolol, the effects, even with the same dose, can be different. Though most people seem to have the weight increase problem. For me personally, besides this they just about mask the anxiety, but i can still feel the ectopics, and i think thats what makes me feel despondent. To have to cope with the weight gain and the loss of energy,weakness in my muscles etc, only to know that they don't help the one symptom that i find hard...the ectopics. Because i know that if the dose is increased in order to treat the ectopics, then the other side effects increase also...can't win can we? and its also a bit disheartening to know that more than a few people have stopped taking them without any trouble, but everytime i try to come off them, its like going back 20 years with my anxiety, like the battle has begun all over agin:weep:

Carthy xx

[Cathy V]

I also apologise for some of the apelling mistakes. The german keyboards are not exactly the same as 'Querty' and some of the letters are in a different place, and if i touch type it can come out like gobbledygook!:huh:

Cathy x

[Cathy V]

Hi Coni, Doesn't surprise me about the cough as ive heard that it can also effect people who have asthma and make their symptoms worse. not sure if thats all betablockers or just the older ones.

I'm off to have a chat with the doc at lunchtime anyway and see what he thinks i can do about these meds:lac:

Regards
Cathy x

[xLJx]

well ive been back to the docs today and been told to keep on them but take one every 2 days now. i spose their just weening me off them.

i was really jumpy and off tho all day yest without one. i hope ihavent come to rely on them :(

xxxxx

[Grotts]

Hello chick,
I was given 10mg propanalol (the Dr's wouldn't give me a higher dose cos of low blood pressure) I found they made me more anxious. If I didn't take one I paniced and I felt rubbish when I did because they reminded me about all the health issues I thought I had! In the end I was naughty and stopped without telling the Doc when I told them they didn't seem to think it was a problem. It sounds like you have done really well in the last few months to have your dose dropped, try not to worry and get your prescription as soon as you can if you need it.:)
Strangly enough though I take antihistamines every day as I think it helps my breathing and if I don't take it I get in a right state so I know where you are coming from!!:roflmao: :roflmao:

[Cathy V]

Hiya, so you have to stick with it for now? actually though, taking one every other day makes sense and i often thought it might have been better for me too in this way, but the doc has never suggested it. In fact after our chat today he has taken me off the propranolol and given me another betablocker called Bisoprolol...hope someone has heard of it :shrug: Each pill is only 5mg and he told me to only take half every morning for the first 3 days then a whole one after that. Considering i was on 80mg of propranolol every day i'm hoping it'll be enough:huh:

He said it was a different kind of betablocker that targeted the heart more than the other, so he hopes it will ease my ectopics. Strangely enough, would you believe that i have had a really good afternoon and evening with no anx or ectopics? I went to the city of Osnabrück with my daughter who is over here visiting from england, and even though i felt really grotty this morning and really didn't want to go, we went straight from the docs and it was fine, and i'm still feeling good tonight so far, and thats after taking the propranolol this morning (don't start the new ones til tomorrow).

But i know that the propranolol isn't ideal for me long term, so i really hope they suit me ok...wish me luck, I'll keep you posted:)

Cathy xx

[Cathy V]

Hi Grotts, about the antihistamine...ive often wondered if some of the anx symptoms come around with the hayfever season. I have noticed that the ectopics seem to come on much worse at this time of the year and again in august or september. I don't get hayfever as badly as some people, but i do sneeze alot and have itchy eyes and scratchy throat.

I did once ask the doc if i could take antihistamine alongside the betablockers and he said yes, but i never have. I think i was a bit worried because they can both make you drowsy and thought both together would zonk me out completely:wacko:

Cathy x

[xLJx]

wow cathy :D let me know how you get on!! i hope they help you :D and im so glad you felt fine the day your daughter visited, its so nice to have a good day!! :)
keep me updated about the new pills.
looks like im stuck on the props for a good couple more months yet :d but i spose you shud walk before you can run.. or whatever the saying is.

good luck lovely xx

[Cathy V]

Thanks for your best wishes LJ, and am really glad to report that in the few days since starting the new meds i feel like a different person...actually ran up the stairs today hahaha! and the ectopics have all but disappeared...can't believe that a change of meds can make such a big difference. Now all i need is for the weight to drop off....yeah right :emot-nod: !!

Take care
Cathy v xx