Propanalol Withdrawal?
Posted , 19 users are following.
I am a 27 year old male who was originally given propranolol 40MG back in January for some minor anxiety.
Since starting (about a month later) I have been going to A&E every single week/ 2 times per week complaining of extreme weakness and pure terror, ice cold but sweaty and numb hands and legs and arms and thinking I am certainly going to die.
I was never ever like this before going on propranolol so I have reduced from 40MG to 20MG, I am on day 3 and have never ever felt so petrified and scared I am going to die, I cannot stop shaking inside my body (you can’t see me shake but it feels like my whole body is tingling/vibrating)
I am also extremely dizzy, light headed, faint and completely and utterly exhausted and have never ever felt so scared in my whole life. I am literately stuck to my bed just crying and crying thinking it is never ever going to end.
Every time I have been to A&E my ECG is clear as well as all blood markers, they say nothing is wrong with me.
To clarify I am on day 3 of a reduction of 20MG from 40 which I have been on for about 5 months.
I beg you with all my heart that can you please assure me this will pass or is normal? I am almost dropping my phone now with how weak I feel
0 likes, 71 replies
pew ben87351
Posted
i am so sorry u r struggling - i was exactly the same shaking terrible although u couldnt see it. it did pass for me as did the terrible feeling of anxiety constantly it did take about two weeks but honestly i feel fine now. i wish u well and feel for u. i was on it for two years at 120mg a day and with medical supervision reducing it to zero now. if i can keep helping u please keep messaging me - best wishes
ben87351 pew
Posted
Thank you so much that has gave me so much hope honestly. I am just finding it too hard to get through the days, every day I am waking up so early straight into a panic attack and just waiting for the day to end praying I will be better the next day.
I have had anxiety in the past but this currently is off the scale, I have no idea how I am even alive, it just feels that I am going to drop any second.
I cant even play a video game that I love doing, anything is just making me panic more, I dont understand it.
I will have like a few minutes where I think I finally have got through and then it comes on again, I just do not seem to be getting the slightest bit better.
I get very scared everytime I do go and stand up that I am going to collapse, I am ok if I keep walking but to stand still seems the worse, just a terrible feeling of fear that I am going to collapse.
Seriously I know what I wrote 19 months ago will look the same as this but I promise you it is not, I was doing so great, exercising every day, completely stopped my alcohol, I have tried everything.
It is 100% since going on propanalol that my visits to A&E have been at least 2 times per week, and it has taken me up until now to just think that it is propanalol making me feel the way I have been all those times at A&E.
Since I have reduced from 40MG to 20 I dont even have the strength to go to A&E now, it feels as if I cant do a single thing. I cant even feel to type here on my phone but obviously I am it is so hard to explain.
Have had what has to be about 50 ECG now, even a 24 hour one and all bloods have been clear every single time, I am also not diabetic.
I just cant believe it, it is a constant panic attack and I am petrified something is wrong with me. Also have never been able to sleep whilst on propanalol, it takes me like 5 hours even tho I am beyond exhausted and wake up feeling like I have drank 30 cans of beer with my heart racing so fast.
Surprisingly my heart rate is ok at the moment, it was higher the first 2 days but it is the mornings and bedtime that I notice it the worst, the only thing that helps is throwing litres of water down me to bring it down.
I promise you, I am so greatful for your reply and I will be for absoloutely anything more you tell me, honestly the biggest thing that will help is if you could just perhaps type a rough quick list of all the feelings you had on this.
I am absoloutely terrified, have never felt so ill in my whole life, just cannot stop this internal shaking, weak floaty feeling and weak legs and tingling etc.
Absoloutely horrible and it has put me off ever taking any drug again in my whole life now.
Thank You so much I promise I appreciate any words and I am immensely so happy you got through this!
kay99593 pew
Posted
please please helo me
ive been up and downing Propranolol fior a month never more than 20 mg a day then I cut to 10mg as i was having bad side effects . its day 5 of cutting to 10 mg . I have felt very dizzy and my hear keeos racing .. i am shaky high anxiety . my neurologist says to just stop now . Ive stopped now . but woken feelung so bad shsking breathless dizzy heart pounding 90's . i am terrified . can uou please tell ne this will all stop as iI have never been so scared in my life . will this awful feeling stop i fear i am osing my mind .
please please help me to know this will go soon
ashley82186 ben87351
Posted
i am going through this now but no one believes it the propanalol but i know it is. I don't know what to do because I've been taking now for 2 month's and my heart races to 150 beats per minute now when i try and reduce myself off it. I have been to accident and emergency 10 times since starting this medication and have never had heart issue's before. My CT angiogram has come back with only minor plaque calcification and a small amount of plaque in my LAD artery. I need help getting off this, is there another drug i can take to help my heart re-stabilise?
ailapls ben87351
Edited
Hey Ben, I promise you, it will pass. I had the exact same problem. I went down from 80mg and it was living hell for weeks.. heart palpitations doing normal things, extreme dizziness, weakness, confusion.. the list goes on. After about two months, I was back to normal. Stay strong, it will pass.
yazmin92487 ailapls
Posted
how long did it take for heart racing to go away?
moon53540 ben87351
Posted
What symptoms did you have before you started taking propranolol? Have they improved at all?
Your are dizzy and feeling lightheaded probably because your blood pressure has got quite low. Propranolol lowers your blood pressure and if you didn't have high blood pressure to begin with, it can make you feel sick, dizzy and faint.
If they aren't helping your anxiety why don't you just stop taking them? It sounds like you are more anxious on them if you only had mild anxiety to start.
nancy_shady ben87351
Posted
Hi Ben: When I began to reduce my Propanalol, i was told to reduce at 5mg - nothing higher than that. Every 2 weeks I cut it down 5mg and I had virtually no withdrawals. However, if you are not doing well on the drug, I can see how you would want to reduce it more quickly. Propanalol was a great help to me when I was having anxiety, however I had vivid nightmares that would actually continue after I woke up. That was nasty!
I pray you can hang in there, possibly talk to the dr about a temporary tranqualizer if that might get you through the withdrawal. I suspect your blood pressure is dropping, which makes one feel just awful. Try to eat proteins and don't stand up too fast from sitting.
Wish I had more to tell you. However, I know you will get through this knowing it is temporary. So sorry it is so awful right now.
wendy94366 ben87351
Posted
hi ben you are not alone in this i'm on 40mg for anxiety as i cannot tolerate antidepressants i feel exactly like you weak arms off balance i've been on them since august last yr i've tried to cut down but get the withdrawal and end up going back to 40mg the doctor told me if your mind is telling you they are not working they wont and if your cutting down and your mind tells you your haveing withdrawal symptoms you feel worse you will come through this
ben87351
Posted
Thank you all with all my heart for all your replies, I ended up in the emergency room yesterday. I had the most extreme anxiety of my whole life and have no idea how I am still alive.
They done all the usual tests and everything is clear, the nurses at reception were horrified how pale I was.
I feel slightly better today, still highly anxious but not extremely, honestly since cutting my dose of this drug I have been shaking and crying for 4 whole days, it really is the worst thing I have ever been through.
I literately cried to the doctors and seriously thought I was going to die.
Today is day 5 and it is not as bad but still bad, I will keep going and just pray this sometime ends.
I promise I will try to directly reply to each of your messages soon, the anxiety is still so bad to even type on an iphone keyboard!
kay99593 ben87351
Posted
how are you now ? i am the same as you were and am terrified really terrified ..please pkease tell ne uou got through
chris2020 kay99593
Posted
How are you doing now? The docs tell me there's no way it's propranolol withdrawal but my anxiety is through the roof if I miss the tiniest dose
yazmin92487 ben87351
Posted
have you recovered?
yazmin92487 kay99593
Posted
how are you now?
char16181 kay99593
Posted
how long was your recovery from propananol i am going thru horrible symtoms now 11 days ago I stopped
yazmin92487 char16181
Posted
it can take up to 2months