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its a vicious circle? help :(

Posted , 6 users are following.

lauren12836
lauren12836

I have just been prescribed propranolol 40mg as and when I need it byy doctor to help calm my anxiety issues. When I have an anxiety attack my symptoms are usually loose bowels and servers nausea. I also have a phobia of being sick and have panic attacks when I think being sick is a possibility so I'm hoping these tablets will help? However when I opened the packet the three main side affects were 'nausea, vomiting and loose bowels' (the exact thing the tablet is trying to treat) now I'm anxious to even take the tablets?! Any advice would be great, thanks.

2 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • olivia25317
    olivia25317 lauren12836

    Posted

    Hi Lauren.    The thing is those side effects go away but the best thing to do to reduce the side effects is eat with the tablet!  it really helps have a banana or a snack that you like.  I felt a tiny bit sick on the tablets, had loose bowels and i felt a tiny bit nauseous but honestly these symptoms disappeared and they don't effect everyone!  the best thing you can do is just take the tablet while you are distracted/ going for a walk with your headphones in the first times you take the tablets.  The tablets really helped me.  What are the things that make you anxious or are you like me in the sense that sometimes there is no cause? 
  • margaret50180
    margaret50180 lauren12836

    Posted

    I am on 100mg. When I started it did make my IBS bad I felt sick and lost weight but after 2 weeks it gets better

    I am sleeping ok now and eating well although I still get a few bad heads. 

    Not everyone gets all of the side effects.

    Talk to your doctor if you are scared to take them

  • Mary94063
    Mary94063 lauren12836

    Posted

    The primary purpose of this med is to reduce blood pressure. It works by slowing down your heart rate and another main use is to suppress your thyroid. It is appalling that doctors are prescribing this for anxiety when there are so many meds that are specifically for that purpose. Slowing down your heart won't make the underlying reasons for the anxiety go away.

    I took this for 4 months. It was prescribed for Essential tremor. There is no medicine that is approved for ET. Taking it with food and "getting used to it" doesn't always help. During that time I experienced nausea, dizziness, extreme weight gain, total loss of energy, lack of motivation, legs cramps in the middle of the night (withdrawal symptoms when the drug was wearing off) mental fog to the point that I couldn't focus and didn't care, and more.

    I have found through experimentation, that if I eat cake or sugary foods, that within minutes my heart is racing and I start feeling bad - like an anxiety attack. I especially noticed this after drinking certain brands of cocoa (Swiss Miss) or too many cookies if I was sitting and not moving around to offset the sugar. I cut out the sugar and much of the "anxiety" went away. I also found that cardio helped. As children we're moving all the time, but adults sit too much and the energy just doesn't get burned off. Often there are many external reasons, and I am not patronizing or saying this is not scary or real. I'm saying I had a very BAD experience with this drug. I will not take it again.

    • olivia25317
      olivia25317 Mary94063

      Posted

      To be honest with you this drug won't work for everyone (for me it has worked really well) i have instigated many positive changes in my life i don't drink  alcohol anymore, i dont drink caffeine and i try to avoid simple carbohydrates and eat a healthy balanced diet.  At the end of the day there will always be people with bad experiences but you have to try it to see what works for you.      There are a lot of meds out there for anxiety some which are very strong medications (valium etc) and others that stop working after a 2 week period.    You also need to get some form of therapy CBT can help, physcotherapy or even just complementary therapies e.g hypnosis (it really worked for me).  I have found the longer i have anxiety the better it has got as i know my triggers and I know how to cope with it in my own way but i have my ups and downs as overcoming anxiety is a continuous process
    • Mary94063
      Mary94063 olivia25317

      Posted

      Propranalol is a drug that is supposed to be used for high blood pressure. I notice that those on this forum have mostly been prescribed this drug for off-label uses, anxiety being one.It works by slowing down your heart rate and your metabolism, and it is also used for overactive thyroid, as it suppresses thyroid function

      As far as anxiety meds, I don't need them. In my post i referred to the fact that when I noticed that sugar caused "anxiety" symptoms, so I stopped eating the goodies, and the symptoms went away. High Fructose corn syrup can also cause these symptoms.

      I don't need CBT, as the reason Propranalol was prescribed was because I have Essential Tremor, which is a genetic neurological condition that there is no drug that is effective for or has been approved for. Deep Brain surgery has been shown to be effective, but has only been done a few times.

      Good luck with the Propranalol. Just remember that should you decide to discontinue, you will have to wean off, as it is physically addictive and dangerous to go cold turkey. Just be aware of the side effects. Again - good luck and I hope your anxiety goes away entirely. 

  • nancy_shady
    nancy_shady lauren12836

    Posted

    Hi Lauren,

    I had the same anxiety symptoms that you do - loose bowels, nausea, plus migraines and racing heart. I initally saw a neurologist regarding the migraines and she prescribed 20mg propranolol 2 times daily.  I only take this med at bedtime and have not needed the morning dose.

    I am extremely sensitive to meds, but propranolol never caused me any problems. I did not have a "getting used to it" period and frankly the medication has been miraculous for me.

    An added benefit is that this med also lowered my blood pressure.

    I think it is important to give it a try and keep an open mind. Compared to anti-anxiety meds, many of which are habit forming, this medication is relatively mild, and not habit forming.

    All of my symptoms subsided within one week and have not returned.

    Best of luck.

  • david60784
    david60784 lauren12836

    Posted

    Hi I take 10 mg sometimes I think that is not enough. I am extremely luck my G.P. is fantastic so are ALL his colleagues. As for a lower does
  • vanessa1970
    vanessa1970 lauren12836

    Posted

    Hi,I've been prescribed propranolol 40 mg for anxiety and panic,i really wanted to not try these tablets but after taking kalms for the last 2months I realised I had to try something,the anxiety was interfering with my day to day life,I took half a tablet yesterday and I don't know if I convinced myself it would work,but within an hour I felt chilled,I've taken another half this morning,I do feel tired today and a little anxious but not as bad as I have been,i read all the side effects and panicked that I would be one of the ones who probably gets all the effects,but I need to be well and am totally fed up of anxiety.we will all beat this hopefully!!
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