Do you find Propanolol effective?

[brit]

Hi, i've been taking Propanolol infrequently (10mg per time) for a few weeks now.
Im suffereing terrible anxiety at the moment, and have been prescribed Citalapram but after spending 7 years on Venlafaxine, and the awful struggle to come off it, im reluctant to start another ssri.

I have taken a propanolol this afternoon and i feel a bit calmer, but i have noticed that i'm on a fairly low dose.

What dose are you guys on and how effective do you find it for anxiety/panic attacks?

Thanks.

[KC26]

Hi Brit,

I have been taking Propranolol for anxiety since early February and basically I find it a massive help.

First, after reading the leaflet, I refused to take it as I was scared about slowing my heart down. I went for a second opinion half expecting to be told I had been given the wrong tablets but that was not the case.

I started on 40mg 3 x a day (8am, 2pm and 8pm) and that lasted for 3 months. This has now cut down to 40mg 2 x a day (8am and 8pm) and I am due to see the doctor in about 3 weeks time to reduce it further I hope and I think I can cope without it eventually.

Only downside I can say was when I first started taking them. Although they calmed me down I found I suffered from seriously interrupted sleep patterns until I got used to them and juggled about with the timing when taking them. I found that if I take them late, sleeping was impossible although I was exhausted. I also went through a slight dizzy period at first but was told it was just until I became used to them.

Overall, they have been a massive help and I do not know how I would have coped without them. I am feeling so much better :yahoo:

PS: The level of my anxiety before Propranolol got to the point where I was curled up shaking from the core with a heart beat racing at 180bpm with an overwhelming fear I was very very close to the end game!

[Hazel B]

I had 40mg x 3 times daily and they helped me break the adrenaline cycle of anxiety. I had a heart arte of 130bpm and was scared all the time, not able to eat or function properly. Propranolol really helped me calm down alongside life changes like stopping smoking, cutting out caffeine, exercise every day and eating well.

[Carrera74]

I'm taking 80mg slow release a day. I can feel they have slowed the adrenaline down a lot. I am very tired after an hour of taking them and my sleep is a bit out but I slept well last night so maybe that is getting better :)

I have to fight the anxiety head on now and hope that because the fight or flight sensations should be under control that I can gain my confidence back and get out and about again x

[benjibin]

I am currently getting used to taking 20mg 3 times a day and have been having very disturbed sleep, but I am going to persist. Its only been a week and I know thats not long enough to gauge if they are working or not. I am determined to geive them a chance :)

[M155anthr0p3]

I found them very effective at masking the physical symptoms but they didn't do much for my non stop mind chatter and negative thoughts

[brit]

Thanks guys. I have realized that the Propanolol just isn't up to the job in my case so i have had to start the Citalapram.