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Propranolol withdrawal - scared of heart attack

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jessica84080
jessica84080

Hi everyone,

A month ago my Dr prescribed me 10mg propranolol tablets for my anxiety to take as required. I was taking one each morning and that was working well, however in the last week or two i have been extra stressed and have been taking one each morning and night so 20mg all up each day. 2 days ago i was extremely anxious and took 4 over the course of the day and now im terrified im going to have withdrawals and have a heart attack. Since taking 4 i have only taken 2 about 12 hours apart and im hoping to cut back to 1 a day as i think more than 1 has affected me negatively. The last week i have woken up with a racing heart each night and the same thing in the morning and it terrifies me. The doctor said its due to the stress and said i have nothing wrong with me that is of concern. The last couple of days i have felt my heart beat very strongly in my chest and it makes me very anxious. Anyway, has anyone experienced anything similar? Im so scared im going to have a heart attack because i took 4 in one day and that my heart is under stress because of the fluctuations in dosage. My dr said that i can take up to 4 in a day if needed but the pharmacist said to try and keep it regular and the same dosage. Will I be ok cutting back to 1 a day after taking 4 a couple of days ago??

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4 Replies

  • tricia10630
    tricia10630 jessica84080

    Edited

    how are you doing now? did you reduce the dose? i think what you're describing is actually pretty typical. it may not be anxiety. it may be symptoms from the drug wearing off. i had similar experiences when the med wore off during the day. i finally stopped it and am getting worse rebound symptoms since, but i was taking 20mg once or twice per day-usually twice per day- so a higher dose than you and i stopped it cold.i think you will be perfectly okay, you just need to get through reducing and then stopping it. you may have symptoms for a few weeks after stopping it. drink a lot of water.

    • yazmin92487
      yazmin92487 tricia10630

      Edited

      Hey Tricia, what symptoms did you experience? Did you have a high heart rate upon minimal exertion (standing/walking/exercising)? I stopped 10mg propranolol a few days ago and I'm still experiencing this as well as other symptoms (head buzzing, muscle spasms, pins and needles, internal tremors etc). I took propranolol as and when needed up to three times a day for about a month and I just stopped cold turkey because the side effects were unbearable. How long did it take for your withdrawal symptoms to go away? Thanks, Yazmin.

    • tricia10630
      tricia10630 yazmin92487

      Posted

      yes, it was crazy, especially at first. every time I stood up and tried to do anything, it would happen- pounding, racing heart. its been almost 3 weeks off it now and unfortunately i'm still having symptoms, but i've improved a lot. it really does get better. drinking fluids- water and electrolytes helps. let me know if you have other questions. i know how bad it is.

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