Propranolol Mental Side Affects.

[Mimi1]

Hello,

Recently my anxiety and panic attacks have been at an all time high, I don't take antianxiety medication as it has had a really bad affect on me in the past, caused me to have psychosis etc.

However I am researching the possibility of taking Propranolol to help with some of the physical affects of panic and wanted to know if it can or does have any impact on you mentally, as in will it make my anxiety worse, cause psychosis etc or make me feel worse than I do now mentally?

I am terrified of taking new meds, sometimes I'm even scared of taking nurofen or paracetamol, so I want to be fully informed before I speak to my GP about them.

Thank you in advance for any replies, I really appreciate them.

[BlueIris]

I've never had any mental problems on propranolol, and I've been on it a few times.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I'm on Propranolol currently and no mental side effects. Propranolol is not originally meant to treat anxiety. It's for heart and blood pressure issues. Doctors noticed it can be used for anxiety as it calms your body down. It's been an absolute lifesaver for me!
Keep in mind it will only tame your physical symptoms. It will actually do nothing mentally, your anxious thoughts will still be there. But this certainly won't make them worse.
For me over time it's making them better, because I was left with only being anxious about being anxious. And the fact my body has felt quite calm for 2 months now, is making my anxious thoughts less.

[Catkins]

I've had it before and it did dampen down the physical anxiety symptoms. No adverse effects on my mental health.

[panic_down_under]

I don't take antianxiety medication as it has had a really bad affect on me in the past, caused me to have psychosis etc.

What was the medication, a SSRI?

However I am researching the possibility of taking Propranolol to help with some of the physical affects of panic and wanted to know if it can or does have any impact on you mentally, as in will it make my anxiety worse, cause psychosis etc or make me feel worse than I do now mentally?

It should have little if any impact on the brain. The beta-blockers block adrenaline, aka epinephrine, from binding to beta-adrenergic receptors which diminishes the adrenaline surge of the flight-or-fight response during panic attacks. Unlike antidepressants and the cognitive, behavioural (CBT, REBT, etc) and mindfulness therapies, they have no direct effect on the parts of the brain which manifest anxiety (and also depression).

The most common propranolol side-effects are fatigue and sedation.

I am terrified of taking new meds, sometimes I'm even scared of taking nurofen or paracetamol, so I want to be fully informed before I speak to my GP about them.

Unfortunately, many of us get pill phobia as a freebie with the primary anxiety disorder. Anxious minds can be very adept at producing our worst side-effects nightmares if given half a chance so any side-effects you experience may not necessarily be caused by the med.

[jackieann3]

I was know this for a while and made me feel better but had to come off it as it gave me palpations for some reason I was disappointed because it was really calming me down

[Mimi1]

Thank you all so much for your replies, they are so helpful and very appreciated.

Yes they were SSRIs; I have tried them 3 times and each time they made my anxiety and panic attacks a million times worse. Its a shame as I would love to be able to take some meds just to have a little break for a while. I know they are not a cure more just a plaster, but some peace for a while would be lovely!

[panic_down_under]

Yes they were SSRIs; I have tried them 3 times and each time they made my anxiety and panic attacks a million times worse.

I can't tolerate SSRIs either. They induce mania. However, older TCA antidepressants have controlled my panic disorder for 36 years. The TCA imipramine was the 'gold standard' panic med for decades before the SSRIs became available. SSRIs are not the preferred med these days because they are more effective, but because they are perceived to be safer in overdose. This isn't actually true of all of them. Unlike the SSRIs, TCAs generally don't trigger severe anxiety initially and usually are easier to discontinue too. However, they may cause more ongoing side-effects such as constipation and dry mouth. These can usually be managed.

I think imipramine would be a better long term bet than propranolol. One of the advantages of TCAs is they are available in low dose tablets relative to their therapeutic dose range. The typical starting dose for imipramine is 25mg, 3 times a day, but it is available in 10mg tablets. Starting at 10mg/day and ramping the dose up in 10mg steps at weekly intervals is unlikely to trigger any significant side-effects. The usual therapeutic dose range is 100-200mg/day, but I took up to 350mg/day for many months with no issues.

I know they are not a cure more just a plaster, but some peace for a while would be lovely!

ADs are more than a plaster. Anxiety disorders and depression are the emotional symptoms of atrophy of part of the two hippocampal regions of the brain caused by high stress hormone levels, especially of cortisol, killing hippocampal brain cells and inhibiting the growth of replacements. It is essentially a type of auto-immune reaction which is why these disorders often worsen when our immune system is in overdrive fighting infections. Both antidepressants and therapy turbo charge the growth of new hippocampal cells. It is these cells and the interconnections they form which create the therapeutic response, not the meds, or therapy.

[Piano]

panic_down_under, thank you for the interesting post. My dr prescribed amitryptilin for migraine, but I haven’t dared to try it because I am afraid of startup anxiety. The dose is 10 mg. When I read your post I think I will try it after all.


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[panic_down_under]

You're unlikely to have any significant side-effects from a 10mg dose, plus the TCAs are usually less likely to trigger anxiety at the beginning anyway.