help my doctor has put my dose up propranolol

[charlish74]

hi i need advice from any one please. i phoned my gp today as im still getting panicky when going out im on 10 mg 3 times a day she wants me to go on 40mg twice a day im a little scared as they make me a bit tired but i said i didnt feel they were working aswell i asked about affects to the heart she said there isnt any thank god. any advice more than welcome xxxx

[Twin Galaxies]

im on 40mg 3 times a day its a fairly standard dose i believe and im only 9 stone so i shouldn't think theres anything to worry about:D

[Cathy V]

Hi there. Maybe i can explain how they work and hope that you feel better about them. Ive been taking propranolol myself for just over a year and im on 80mg daily. Beta blockers don't really have any direct effect on the heart itself, what they do is to stop the adrenaline from reaching it. They 'block' the adrenaline receptors, hence their name.

It only feels like they slow the heart down because by the time you are given them, your anxiety has been making your heart beat faster, or erratically for some time, so when you take beta blockers you feel your heart 'slow down' but what is really happening is these meds are just stopping the adrenaline from reaching your heart, but in fact your heart is actually beating normally again, without any stimulus to affect it.

Ok there are some side effects with beta blockers, such as the tiredness you describe and sometimes they can affect digestion, but they are a safer bet than some of the meds out there for anx. Dont be scared of them.

Take care
Cathy xxx