Propanalol for anxiety - update

I started taking 4 x 10mg tablets a week ago today as suggested by my Doctor as I was in a really bad way with severe anxiety that had been building up over about 5 days. I felt that my body was literally going to shut down. Take tablets About 5 hours apart so that the last one is taken just before I go to bed.   Unfortunately a social lunch on the Friday and a social weekend away had to be cancelled as I couldn’t get to them due to the anxiety - I’d only had 2 tablets by the Thursday night so I guess they weren’t enough to change anything.  Things did change dramatically about three days later. I just suddenly felt lighter, more calm and was sleeping so much better. I wasn’t waking up in a sheer panic with heart racing at 2am and if I did wake up to go to the loo, I went back to sleep. No horrible intrusive thoughts or worrying about anything. I have had several instances happen this week which would have ordinarily sent me into an anxiety attack and a complete mess, but which had no effect on me. I have been out for walks, driven to the shops etc and been fine.  I have an appointment this Saturday with a Consultant on an unrelated matter and it will be interesting to see how I am on the day as this is my first booked appointment since taking the tablets.  I noticed it was booked events that I would spend sometimes weeks irrationally worrying about.  As for side effects, I do get a tight head now and then but nothing else. I have been advised to go for CBT, which now I feel that i’ve got a bit of my mojo back, I will arrange. I don’t want to rely on tablets forever but at the moment they are helping me feel better than I have for the last few years.  The GP has left it to me to control the dosage, so I may try to reduce down after Saturday and see how I get on.   I do find that when I wake up in the morning (around 6am) I am not 100% calm and relaxed but am nowhere near as tense and panicky as I was before. I’m assuming it’s because it’s been around 7/8 hours since my last tablet. So, all in all, a huge turnaround to how I was feeling a week ago.

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