PDA

View Full Version : I don't know if I want to start



fuggamoose
10-03-09, 13:55
Hi guys,
I'm new to the forum and I'm looking for some advice. I suffer from anxiety and mild agoraphobia along with emetephobia. Recently it's becoming worse so I went to my doc who prescribed me 10mg of Propanolol twice a day. I've not started taking them yet....I don't know if I want to.
I've been on Venlafaxine 75mg a day and coming on and off them was evil, it was really awful and I don't want to go through anything like that again.
I've heard that Propanolol makes you dizzy and faint, I'm really worried about that now. I don't want to take something which is just going to add to my worries.
Does anybody have any experience or words of encouragement?
I am so glad to have found this forum, it really is useful for me and gives me support which I so desperately need!

Charlotte x

nanny
10-03-09, 14:23
Hi Charlotte

I have been on propranolol for years i take 160mg per day and i have never felt faint or giddy, i also take other meds along with them, they have helped.

I would give them a try if i were you, honestly they are nothing to worry about especially if your doc has prescribed them.:)

sazz_1984
11-03-09, 01:07
Hi,

I am also in the same boat!

I was prescribed 80mg once a day last summer. I made the mistake of reading the side effects!

I have never dared to take these tablets once and my anxiety is now worse than ever.

I am considering trying them, although I feel that 80mg is a bit much to start off on, so I may go back to the docs and see if they can recommend splitting the dose somehow.

I'm sure I am just being paranoid about the whole thing.

Having read most of the posts, a lot of people seem to get on fine with them and only a few have reported quite minor side effects.

I am yet to read a post about someone fainting due to it!

I hope we can both pluck up the courage to try these out!

Sarah x

fuggamoose
11-03-09, 12:34
Thank you for the replies. I still haven't taken one yet but I feel better to perhaps take one soon.

Sarah - it is hard when doctors prescribe you meds which could in theory make you feel worse. I'm always so scared of taking new meds I had quite a bad experience with Effexor so I'm especially worried. They gave me Effexor when I was 15 and had never tried any other anti-depressant so it was quite a shock to my body. 80mg of Propanolol does sound a lot, I'm sure you can split it, but it seems like there are many others who are taking higher doses.

Can I ask what your family/partner thinks of meds? My mums been pushing me for a little while to get back onto something. I finally came off the Effexor about 6 months ago and was doing ok, but have had a little set back and any sign of slight weakness my mum's pushing me for the pills. My partner's different he was happy I was off them. I hate being pulled in different directions. I know it's my choice, and at the moment I don't want to be on them which causes arguments with my mum. How ridiculous. I'm 22 and still fighting with my mum!

Is it just me or do you sometimes just want to curl into a ball and stay there forever?

nettles
11-03-09, 15:58
I'm glad I found your post! My doctor prescribed Effexor to me this week as my emetophobia (with resulting anxiety and depression) have been getting worse. I've had bad experiences with prozac and seroxat so he said this was a different antidepressant. I've read lots of bad things about it on the internet, and it says nausea is a very common side effect - no much good for an emetophobe! Can I ask whether it helped you at all?

Nettles

fuggamoose
11-03-09, 16:51
Hi Nettles,

It did help me to start with....when I was first prescribed it when I was young it took a couple of weeks to get used to it but in the end it did help. I'm afraid to say it but I did feel nausous when I first started taking them and also when coming off them. I booked two weeks holiday from work when I went on and off them so that I could do it slowly and if I felt like crap then I'd be home safe. I was never actually sick with it, but felt it. Not to the point that I thought I'd be sick though.

Everybody is different though so you might not feel as bad as I did. What dosage have you been put on? I've been on Effexor twice. The first time definitely helped me, the second time did for a bit but after about 8 or 10 months I felt exhausted all the time and the GP said to up my dosage from 37.5mg to 75mg which actually just made me feel worse, so I ended up coming off them totally.

Hope this helped you. x

daniela
11-03-09, 17:04
Hi Charlotte, i'm in your same situation. I'm presently on paxil, 2 months ago doctor prescribed propranolol 10 mg 2x a day for my anxiety. Read the side effect and got scared. I tell myself I should start taking them but I never do. What I was thinking of doing is maybe start by splitting the 10 in half and take 2 x 5mg for the first times.

Daniela xox

fuggamoose
11-03-09, 17:09
That's not a bad idea Daniela. Perhaps I'll think about doing that too. It's funny how we constantly worry about stuff but our help e.g. the meds, make us worry more. Ironic. If you're starting soon Daniela good luck! I'm going to give it a couple of weeks just to see how I do without them.

x

summer82
11-03-09, 19:01
Hi,

I am also in the same boat!

I was prescribed 80mg once a day last summer. I made the mistake of reading the side effects!

I have never dared to take these tablets once and my anxiety is now worse than ever.

I am considering trying them, although I feel that 80mg is a bit much to start off on, so I may go back to the docs and see if they can recommend splitting the dose somehow.

I'm sure I am just being paranoid about the whole thing.

Having read most of the posts, a lot of people seem to get on fine with them and only a few have reported quite minor side effects.

I am yet to read a post about someone fainting due to it!

I hope we can both pluck up the courage to try these out!

Sarah x

im also in this boat lol I have 80mg tablets sitting next to me now and I have been searching for information on them (it's how I stumbled on this site incidentally) I think I'm going to start them tonight. this is mostly to do with the positive feedback they seem to be getting on here. shall we all just go for it? lol and see how it goes?

nikkinik
15-03-09, 18:19
Hi,

My Gp prescribed me these back in Nov or Dec I think.. theyve been sat in my drawer ever since!

When I took my prescription to the chemist the pharmasist asked me if I had low blood pressure, I said I did, and he said it might be best talking it over again with my GP.. as I believe they lower your blood pressure a bit.. so the last thing I want is to be feeling faint on top of the other 101 symptoms!

Im worried about it making me faint, sick or mess with my tummy..

Just swallowing tablets brings on a panic attack for me!

fuggamoose
15-03-09, 18:31
yes they do lower your blood pressure so it might not be great to take them if you've got low blood pressure. i'm scared that they will make me feel faint and dizzy too, not that i think i've got low blod pressure, the doc's never said i have. so far i'm doing alright without them!

sMINT
17-03-09, 13:27
Ive just been prescrived these, pretty much against my will. I told my doctor I DONT WANT tablets.

Really dont want to take them. I always read the side effects for some stupid reason and most of the side effects even though they are really rare are the symptoms Im meant to be taking them for so I dont see the point lol.

I mean if their gonna make me depressed, anxious, sick, nausea etc etc Thats what Im meant to be taking them for ha.

I make such a big deal when it comes to taking a paracetemol for a head ache let alone anything like these

I dont know what to do :(

fuggamoose
19-03-09, 09:24
oh i totally agree, i never wanted on tablets again but that's all the doctors do! for worriers like us there's no point in taking something which is going to make us worry more!

zaffordbeeblebox
31-05-09, 14:03
Hi,
I,m exactly in the same boat..i,ve been prescribed 10 mg...3rice a day but not sure when to start..in fact the whole idea is making me feel even more anxious..how did it go with you? i,ve heard it works for a lot of people and they have had no side effects..hope it works the same for u..and for me..have u started taking them? do u take them regularly or only occasionally..i intend to take them occasionally because i dont feel anxious all the time..only in certain situations..

all the best..

zaffordbeeblebox
31-05-09, 14:10
Hi..have u stared taking your propanolol? how did it go?
any side effects?
i,m plannin to start today soon..but i dont wanna have them on a regular basis..only occassionally when i,m facing a anxiety triggering situations..? is that ok?
please let us know of yr feedback from propanolol





im also in this boat lol I have 80mg tablets sitting next to me now and I have been searching for information on them (it's how I stumbled on this site incidentally) I think I'm going to start them tonight. this is mostly to do with the positive feedback they seem to be getting on here. shall we all just go for it? lol and see how it goes?

willz88
10-07-09, 16:41
hey ive been prescribed propranolol 40mg 2 a day, i got them wednesday and i like alot of u was stupid enough to read the side affects (i wish i never) i took on this morning n i was so scared i got a bit anxious(sp?) but i was fine i have only had 1 tho i plan on having 1 more at 6'ish pm. so thats 1 at 8am n 1 at 6pm is that okay or is that too close? dont wanna worry my self about overdosing!
can i drink beer whilst on these?

summer82
11-09-09, 00:38
hey :) haven't been on here for a while but I thought I'd post an update for anyone new looking for info. I started taking the propranolol (80mg) and I'm happy to report that I had no side effects from it and I'm the person who always suffers from the side effects lol. it has helped me so so much! one of the nastiest things about a panic attack is the feeling that your heart is about to bust out from your chest cause its beating so hard and fast, which in turn, at least with me, caused me to shake from all the adrenaline. these pills literally stop this in it's tracks. one of the worse things for me has always been bedtime. I couldn't get off to sleep at night because my heart was always racing. I'd start to panic and would often find myself doing my breathing excersises at 1am, trying to calm myself down ect...you know the drill people lol
I took the first pill at about 7pm and went to bed at about 12am and it was already working. I started to feel a panic attack coming on but all of a sudden my heart rate just slowed down to a nice comfortable pace. I now have hardly any trouble getting off to sleep on a night and my panic attacks are more manageable. I really do recommend propranolol. don't be afraid to try them if you suffer with anxiety. I can honestly say they were a godsend for me and nearly everyone I've spoken to on here and on other forums like this suffered no untoward side effects.

andrea g
12-09-09, 18:13
hi, i'm on propranolol 40mg twice a day. I've had slight side effects eg nausea and tiredness. But thats all. If in any doubt as to whether you should take them i would contact your GP.

Hope this helps. xx