Propranolol initial side effects - will they pass?

[tbs152]

Hi all

I've been on 10mg propranolol for about a week and a half at this point.

I've been getting some odd side effects, the biggest of which is very dry eyes which aren't painful but feel 'irritated'. I also have a bit of a 'foggy' head and feel a bit dizzy.

I take the 10mg in the morning and have felt much better with regards to anxiety. My mood sometimes takes a dip in the evening though which is odd.

Does anyone know if these side effects will pass if I stick with the meds, or should I speak to my doctor?

Thanks in advance!

[Hazel B]

Hi, I have 40mg x 3 times daily and the only thing I've noticed is feeling more tired and a rush to the head when I stand up. My anxiety is very much reduced.
10mg a day seems really low to give you such side-effects but do tell your GP if it continues.

[gypsywomen]

i have been taking them long time,, yes it will go

[lonely]

with most meds they say it takes an initial 3-4weeks to see any benefits, although when i tired this medication it wasn't for me, it made me feel very dizzy and unsteady and sometimes i had double vision, i think i tried them for a month and then asked to come off them

maybe if your worried id defo tell your gp what side effects you have been getting

[paulst]

I found they made my eyes dry too, I only took 10mg 3 times a day, they reduced my panicky feelings slightly. Hope the side effects soon settle down.

[blueangel]

I've taken propranolol for a number of years now, but I take them for migraine prophylaxis. However, I find they work well on anxiety too (I'm on 80mg a day) as they relieve a lot of the unpleasant physical symptoms.

When I first started taking them, I did find that they made me quite tired (which was actually great as I'm a crap sleeper :)) and I'll get head rushes if I try and do anything really energetic from a standing or lying position (what they term postural hypotension). The other side effect I used to get from them was a period of really, really mad dreams. I've always been a vivid dreamer, but for about 6 months I got loads of completely nutty ones, which made going to sleep quite entertaining for a while!

[tbs152]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I spoke to my GP and he has upped my dose to 2 x 10mg per day. I find the med works well for GAD but does give me a lot of dizziness / lightheadedness - I'm not sure how long I can put up with it.

Can anyone confirm that this lightheaded dizzy feeling passes as the body adjusts?

[Gemini74]

I had side effects when I started on only 10mg too (though my doctor refused to believe that was possible!). The 'foggy head' feeling passed after about a week-10 days. I'm also a vivid dreamer under normal circumstances, but in the first couple of weeks I was on Propranolol I had some really disturbing ones! That seems to have settled down too.

I still have slightly dry eyes some days and if I walk briskly up the stairs to the loo after sitting at my desk for a while, my leg muscles feel a little achey, but other than that I feel fine.

To the OP I'd say, if you're just taking 10mg in the morning then it will wear off by the evening so maybe this is why your mood is taking a dip.