New to this....

[HunniBee]

Hey All,

So my doc increased my dosage of Venaflaxine due to me having a bout of high anxiety and obviously I understand that any med or increase in med can make your anxiety worse for a while before it kicks in so the doc has prescribed me propranlol to get over the anxiety whilst they kick in plus I'm having a real bad time with my anxiety as I've got it in my head that I need to run away from anything that's good for me so new job, getting praise in my 2nd week, getting told that I could possibly get the team leader job which yes is all great news, I should be bouncing off the walls but it just makes me want to run in the opposite direction....

But anyway, I've taken my first propranlol and I feel, well, calm and just well I can only describe it as a stoned like feeling. The anxiety is still there but not as bad as it has been....is this the kinda thing I should get used too?

HB xx

[Svojski85]

Hi. You are describing feeling of being 'stoned' as in slowed-paced, correct? That is rather normal because propranolol controls (decreases) heart beat down, therefore slowing your whole body down. The likely assumption by your doctor is that anxiety involves a physical bodily response to stress, including anxiety, namely sweating, heart palpitations, shaky hands, even irritation. What you are describing though sounds more of emotional anxiety which is not involving any physical symptoms. You may wish to try saying more about how you were feeling before the propranolol and afterwards in regards to any physical well-being, so this could be checked for any relevance.

Not always is it the case that propranolol would help with anxiety, especially if it is being prescribed as a secondary medicine. There is a whole range of so-called 'diagnoses' which relate to what seems to my best guess as avoidance of well-being and success. In each case of such future appraisal as you are describing it (worry about getting promoted etc.), this involves the ability of one to be socially accepted by others, hence there appears to be some social anxiety in you. Have you tried a private psychologist who could perhaps assist you with uncovering where those social anxieties are likely coming from?

For example, some people (including myself, I have found out recently) are avoiding social contact for they had learning problems since childhood. They were bullied for they were unable to live up to the "standards" of their "better" peers, and they brought the trauma of being bullied in this way over into their adulthood. I can only guess if this is the case (or not), but in each case there is some psychology involved and it usually helps to be open to discuss this if you wish to minimize it or get rid of the worry, eventually. Others may have been traumatized by either absent or even violent parenting of their elders with responsibility, some other ones by not being well accepted at secondary education, former workplaces, former violent partner in life or business, the list goes on, I regret to say... Forums are great entry route to this, but an experienced and dedicated private psychologist can be much better.

Propranolol works for anxiety where there is a strong bodily manifestation of anxiety (tremor, shaky hands, surge in heartbeat, sweating), and less for those whose anxieties are more deeper, i.e. occupying the root of their personality which could have gotten traumatized either by earlier experiences of physical violence or by strong emotional wrongdoings, which are in each case called traumas. Modern antidepressant venlafaxine is a good starting point where the root trauma is coming up way too often in one person, because antidepressants tend to blunt the emotionality which is always involved, thereby allowing that person to live a "normalized" practical life, so to say.

As far the psychology of our traumatized souls (oh my God, we all are, I regret to say...), it comes up stronger (thereby having stronger negative effect on our well-being) if we are unable to put the ealier damaging experience/experiences into the correct old and current context (why did it happen?, who caused it?, did I do something to cause this?, was it mere violence on me? can I now avoid it? what do I need to do now to keep avoiding it for the future? etc.). Therefore, I regret to say that many people, including myself, can dwell for hours each day thinking about it, which can then start ruining their life. A good way out of this could be at understanding what happened in the first place, why it did it likely happen and what will I do now to keep avoiding it PLUS what will I do now to start learning new experiences from the similar environment or settings which will be rich, positive and rewarding, thereby overriding the former negative emotionality with the new and positive. This is a process, sometimes taking months or even years, so it requires a regular assistance of another dedicated person which forums can't provide.