Morning after first Propanolol
So last night around 1am, I took propanolol (40mg) for the first time and having one of the worst days with panic attacks and insomnia I've had in months. A lovely nurse from my crisis team stayed on the phone until the medicine kicked in since she knew I was worried about side effects. Can't thank her enough.
So I finally got some sleep after taking it and amanged about 4/5 hours which is amazing after only an hour of sleep each day before. When I woke up at 8am though I noticed I was very dizzy and out of it and had no physical energy like even just lifting my cup from the table seemed like an almighty task. Is this normal for propanolol? I'm thinking of only taking it when needed.
Re: Morning after first Propanolol
Propranolol lowers your blood pressure, so I'd think that would be a normal side effect.
Just a warning: it may be best to take it in the morning, these things affect everybody differently but I've had huge problems with propranolol exacerbating my own insomnia. I've needed to take it since then, and I've always requested slow release tablets that I can take first thing.
Re: Morning after first Propanolol
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GingerFish
When I woke up at 8am though I noticed I was very dizzy and out of it and had no physical energy like even just lifting my cup from the table seemed like an almighty task. Is this normal for propanolol? I'm thinking of only taking it when needed.
Propranolol isn't really an anti anxiety med. It works by blocking adrenaline from activating adrenaline beta receptors. This diminishes/prevents the adrenaline mediated symptoms of the flight-or-fight response such as racing heart rate, sweating and breathlessness. This can be enough to make a significant difference for some with mild to moderate anxiety/panic, but is often ineffective for severe disorders. The downside is that adrenaline enhances some bodily functions and beta-blockers may adversely impact them. Tiredness is common, especially when first taking them, so can be orthostatic/postural hypotension, a momentary drop in BP when standing up which may also produce short-term dizziness. These side-effects may ease over time.
Are you taking anything else for GAD, OCD, PD, PTSD, or undergoing therapy?
Quote:
What you call a panic attack is merely a few normal chemicals that are temporarily out of place in my brain.
This is a common myth propagated by the drug companies and many doctors as it is an easy concept for patients to grasp than what is really happening in their brains. Anxiety disorders and depression are not the result of not enough of a particular neurotransmitter, nor do ADs work by increasing brain levels of them. In fact after a few weeks they actually lower levels by up to 50% below baseline is some brain areas associated with these disorders. See my: Serotonin - The 'chemical imbalance' myth
Antidepressants actually work by stimulating the growth of new brain cells (neurogenesis) to replace cells killed, or prevented from growing by high brain stress hormone levels. The therapeutic response is produced by these new cells and the stronger interconnections they forge, not the meds directly, and they take time to bud, grow and mature. For a more detailed explanations see: Depression and the Birth and Death of Brain Cells (PDF) and How antidepressant drugs act.