Just started taking and wondering if it works

[23BART]

I just started taking Propranolol yesterday and they started me on 10mg per day as needed. I am not sure if this is going to help me I have PTSD and take Venlafaxine for that. My doc says that I am experiencing Anxiety during stressfull situations at work. I feel that I am high strung all the time. Any clue if this medication is going to help me? Also yesterday I took the whole 10mg and was tired all day and in a fog. Today I cut it in half and took half in AM at like 8am and the other half like 20 minutes ago 12:20 pm it gives me a massive headache as soon as I take it. Can someone please let me know if this is going to work for me.

[Svojski85]

Hi Bart, it can be hard to say if it is going to work... There are some success stories, but they do not happen overnight.... Although I was on a much higher dosage (160mg-320mg/day) for 3 years, I noticed the improvements in the anxiety only after 6 months or so.... It is a slow process of learning and tricking the brain into realizing that actually the physical symptoms of anxiety (as well as PTSD) will go away on propranolol... Have you already worked out how the propranolol actually works in the body?

Propranolol is a modified molecule which resembles the adrenaline molecule which is normally produced by adrenal glands which sit on top of your kidneys... Whenever you are in danger (or fear something), your brain sends a split-second command to your adrenal glands which then start immediately pouring adrenaline into your blood stream... When this gets through the circulating bloodstream inside your heart and around your lungs, then the heart starts beating much faster and the lungs start contracting much faster.... This is the so-called adrenalin-based fight-flight response which any person experiences under stress, pressure and fear.

However, since propranolol is a modified equivalent of adrenaline, then when this propranolol reaches your heart and the lungs (usually takes 2 hours), it locks into the heart and lungs tissue, and it literally blocks the adrenaline which your body would normally start creating when you are under fear. When this propranolol gets there and locks into the tissue cells, the human adrenaline then has got no chance to start interacting with your heart or lungs much.... Moreover, since propranolol is a modified adrenaline molecule, it is capable of not allowing the heart and lung tissue to start contracting... Therefore, on propranolol you will stop experiencing heart palipations, fast hearbeat, or fast breathing. Instead, you should be experiencing a slower heart beat, slower breathing and hopefully become a bit cooler.... Not bad, init?

On top of this property of propranolol, propranolol (among other drugs ending on -lol which are called adrenergic drugs, e.g. atenolol, oxprenolol etc) is solluble in lipids (fats). Many other -lol classed drugs do not have this. Why is it that much important though? For a drug to get to your brain (not only across the body, but actually to the Central Nervous System), it needs to cross the so-called Blood Brain Barrier which is like an entry gate just before you enter the brain. In human medicine, only drugs which are lipid soluble (they call this lipophillic) are also capable of entering the brain. Therefore, propranolol can enter the brain and have a slight sedative effect there... That is probably why you had the headache... The brain did not like it since it was something totally new to him... Hence, the adverse reaction. But you can get used to it, you'll get over it in a week or two.

Then, the only thing is to work out the dosage... As I said, the acceptable max is 320mg a day... With PTSD, it helped me to be on 160mg for the whole day (you need to ask for the so-called long acting or also called modified-release capsules; in the US Innopran XL or Inderal LA - these two last for over 24 hours, the rest are tablets which last 4-6 hours at max). Try getting these and I guarantee you that you will be feeling much much better.

Especially with physical tension, with hypervigilance, with too many worries and worrying thoughts... That is exactly what propranolol can control. Thanks God

Let us know how you do in time