Propranolol withdrawal in 2 months is possible

I am a 42-year-old male who recently made a full recovery from propranolol withdrawal, after having been on a total of 60 mg three times a day for 8.5 years. While I was in withdrawal, I found the posts on this site very reassuring and had similar symptoms, so I wanted to add my experience so that others might benefit. The summary of my experience was it took me about two months to recover from the severe withdrawal symptoms, such as angina and elevated heart rate during even mild physical activity. One of the things that appeared to help the most was taking Vitamin C and CalMagZinc, which reduce the excess adrenaline that leads to tachycardia, and that arises after stopping propranolol. In the end, it has been 3.5 months since I discontinued propranolol, and I am completely back to normal, exercising six days a week at the gym just like I used to without any heart issues.

The following provides more detail about what I went through during withdrawal:

--starting four months before discontinuation, I tapered from 60 mg/day, and I did not experience any withdrawal symptoms. I thought since it had a short half-life, maybe I would not have withdrawal. However, I was wrong: the day after I discontinued it completely, I felt woozy and unable to handle much stress without becoming tired. The next morning, I tried lifting weights like I usually did, but my heart began beating so fast, I had to stop after only a few minutes, for fear my body could not handle it. In general, I felt as if I was about to pass out, very worn down and unable to handle stimulation.

--during the first week without propranolol, my heart rate shot up to 120-140 bpm whenever I did even minimal physical activity, such as walking up stairs or to the mailbox. My resting heart rate took longer than usual to come back down after it became elevated. I experienced pins and needles in my hands and feet and some tremor in my hands. I spent most of my days in bed, exhausted, wanting to give my heart rest.

--during the second week, in addition to high heart rate with activity, I also began to feel angina, a pain in my heart, as if a needle was poking it. I felt tension and strain in my heart area.

--during weeks three and four, I tried to reintroduce mild physical exercise, but while sometimes I could manage a few jumping jacks and a couple minutes of weightlifting, I also experienced a very high heart rate when I tried to run once for just five minutes. My heart rate went up to 160 bpm and remained elevated throughout the rest of the day, making me feel uncomfortable.

--like many people on this site, I felt better after 7-8 weeks. It might have been the combination of the time period with the fact that I started taking Vitamin C and CalMagZinc around this time. I noticed the supplements considerably brought down my heart rate, and I started feeling like I could take on more stress and physical activity. It has now been 3.5 months, and for the past month I have been running 5K’s every Sunday, running 1-2 miles two other days per week, and working out at the gym for 40 minutes three days a week. I am able to perform all activities as before propranolol, and all the withdrawal symptoms are gone.

So the moral of my story is do not give up hope—even when you have the worst withdrawal symptoms, know they will most likely get better in about 2 months. Additionally, this month, I had a full cardiological workup done just to make sure I did not have any lingering heart issues. A stress test, echocardiogram, Zio patch heart monitor, and blood work all showed no problems, my cardiologist said my heart is functioning normally. The best part is not only do I feel normal physically, but also I no longer have the extreme fatigue and emotional dulling that the propranolol caused while I was taking it. I would not advise most people should go on propranolol, given the considerable drag it places on your body physically and mentally, the fatigue, and the severe withdrawal upon discontinuation. But, if you have been on it and want to get off, know that recovery is possible, just be patient.

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