Propranolol advise please.

Hiya normbo. Thankyou for taking the time to respond to me.. I certainly have read nothing but praise for this medicine. Migraines anxiety and now TICS. The hardest part of all of this for me is trying to get my head around that I need medication in order to sort out what is in effect a mental problem. I'm not a fan of any meds but ones that mess with your heart?? It's has been so difficult to get myself to swallow them. And I'm only managing 1 x 10mg a day. I'm on day three. I have definitely felt real benefits and as I have no choice but to get better this is what I'm left with. I'm a school teacher, secondary school, and a mum of four sons. Xxx

The problem with anxiety is that it raises your adrenaline levels (the "fight or flight" syndrome). So that's an immediate physical effect. More adrenaline raises your heart rate (and a number of other symptoms; tingling skin is one, hyperventilating another, feeling dizzy and unreal) and even if it's only subconscious, you are aware your heart rate is high. That makes you more anxious, there's a sort of bio-feedback mechanism going on there. So if you take a drug that lowers your adrenaline and restores your heart rate to normal, which is all it does (it's not "messing with your heart" as such), you feel calmer. I think propanolol is wonderful. I take one 10 mg when I need it. It takes just over an hour to work, for me, and I know myself well enough to be able to anticipate when I'm going to be stressed. 

Thanks Sue, I find your words very reassuring. The fact you have explained a little bit about how the drug works is really good for me. I asked the doctor twice but they didn't have the ability to not use doctor speak. Something that has been playing in my mind though is if you take it, and you have an already steady heart rate does the medicine slow you down even more?? Or does it just work on an elevated heart rate? I'm asking as people who are continuing to take this twice a day to elevate symptoms, as I'm considering doing, how do they know they still need to take it?? People may be taking this and not need to. ?? Causing problems by taking mens to slow down a normal heart rate? I hope you understand my train of thought as this is the kind of stuff I worry about. Also I've had a banging head ache all day. Woke up with it this morning. I have no idea if this is just my anxiety levels causing this or the tablets??

No, propanolol doesn't slow your heart down more than normal; that's the point – it restores your heart rate to normal. Don't worry about what other people do! Just take it for now and see how you go. If one day you find you're feeling much calmer you can then think about whether to stop. The consultant who suggested it for me was emphatic that it's a very safe drug. I do know people who take much bigger doses for heart arrhythmias, and say it makes them feel exhausted, but the dose you're on shouldn't affect you. 

The dose you're on won't slow your heart rate too much. If you're worried about if just take your pulse about an hour after a pill. You'll find that your heart rate will be just fine.

This medicine is prescribed to people who have to give speeches. Perfectly healthy people who just need to calm their nerves for public speaking. If they were in danger of a slow heart rate they would not be prescribed prop.

Morgan

Sue: tingling skin?  Wow...I get the same sensation with my tourettes tics, and this is interesting because this drug workes for my tourettes.  This is interesting because from what I've heard, it does not work for every tourettes sufferer.   I guess when we have problems that medical science is not handling very well, we turn outselves into our own doctors.   (lol).  

I have another question. How are these tablets on an empty stomach? I'm waking at 6.30am taking a tablet and getting up an hour later and feeling sick all morning. I am eating breakfast at about 8am,this is normal time. I am getting no relief from the morning tablet just sickness. This is day two of taking 10mg at 6.30am, one at 2.30 ish and one at bed time. So 30mg a day. I'm seeming to have much much better afternoons and evenings. But cannot function in the mornings with the sickness. Is this side effects of the medicine or my anxiety not being controlled?? Please help I'm not coping very well with this.

I've never heard of propanolol causing nausea and it certainly doesn't affect me that way – I get no side effects at all. But I wonder why you take it so early in the morning? You're then "wasting" some of its good effect. If I were you I'd take the first one after breakfast, not on an empty stomach. That might sort out the nausea effect which may be down to anxiety anyway! And then the good effect will kick in by 9.00ish and last till 1.00.

Hi Alison, Sorry, I've never had nausea with propranolol. Could very well be the anxiety, but go ahead and eat something before you take it just to see what happens.

I have taken it so early because I'm waking feeling really sick. So I thought if I take it an hour before I'm up it would have kicked in by the time I have to be up and getying kids ready etc. This has not worked. I'm so sick in the mornings. The second tablet I'm having at dinner time makes me feel so much better. Do you think I should take 20mg when I wake up? I've been taking 10mg three times a day now but as I said... I cannot function in the mornings because if the sickness? You think I need a bigger dose? Any idea what is the average?? I need to sort my routine out its taking over my life. Any advice on dosages and times etc??

So it's not the propanolol causing your feelings of sickness, but your anxiety. I dn't think you can expect the propanolol to help with that, it's not an anti-anxiety drug as such, it just reduces your adrenaline and therefore your heart rate. I expect you feel better at dinner time because you have settled into the day, and got over that dreadful morning apprehension feeling that anxious people have (I speak from experience!), not because of the propanolol. I think you should follow your GP's instructions re dose.

Oh, I beg to differ! My only reason I was put on this med was for anxiety. This med has a variety of uses, one being high anxiety issues. Her anxiety may be causin stomach upset, but this drug saved me from horrendous anxiety.

I have a job interview on Thursday. I really need these tablets to settle so I can attend.. I'm debating taking 20mg in the morning as I'm really nauseous in the mornings. The 10mg I have been taking so far are not helping in the mornings but are ok after dinner when I've taken my second one.???