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Stopping propranolol 10 mg

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sylwia30346
sylwia30346

Hi there, does anyone have any experience with coming off proranolol 10mg? I take 1 10 mg tablet in the morning for the last 3 months. I would like to come off them. I asked my GP how to stop it and he said that I can stop anytime without reducing the dosage.

I find it a bit strange since there is a warning on the pack to not to stop it just like that but to reduce first. I don't trust my GP 100% cause there were cases before he advised me opposite to what other doctor and the pharmacist said so just wondering if anyone can share their experience. Thanks!

1 like, 35 replies

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  • Jelley93
    Jelley93 sylwia30346

    Edited

    I want too come off this as well. I got told the same thing however Im not sure whether to taper off or just stop
    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 Jelley93

      Edited

      So there is the 2 of us smile I hope some had been through this already and will be able to share their experience. I started initially at 10mg twice a day. After about a month I cut it myself down to early dosage only as I had trouble with sleep at a time and I notice propranolol was adding to my insomnia. No issues when cut the dosage. I was thinking of stopping it altogether now but dur to health anxiety I am being extra caution with anything I take wink

      I forgot to take my tablet yesterday morning and just copped on this morning and was feeling fine all day yesterday! Of course when I realised this morning that I forgot it yesterday I started thinking that I will prob feel bad or God forbit have a heart attack! Eh. I still didn't take today's dose as I am thinking maybe it's a good time not to take it and just stop altogether. That would be 2 days down!

      My GP said that I should be able to stop anytime I want because I started taking it for anxiety and a bit risen blood pressure - due to anxiety. So it's not a heart condition or anyhting, plus that I am taking the smallest dosage possible. I still am worried to stop tho ha ha

      What was your dr's explanation?

    • Jelley93
      Jelley93 sylwia30346

      Edited

      When She gave me them she said if they don't suit you then just stop taking them. At the height of my anxiety I took them every other day before deciding to stick with them. Now been on them 3 months plus. 

    • Jelley93
      Jelley93

      Edited

      Also try magnesium for a good nights sleep.
    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 Jelley93

      Edited

      I am taking magnesium and vit B complex alright and it helps a lot.

      I just thought that I don't need the propranolol anymore so about timr to stop... but I don't think going cold turkey will be an option... I will try to reduce it I think as say today I am not feeling well since I realised that I didn't take my tablet. I know it could be anxiety as of course I am worried now that there will be something wrong. And the more I worry the worse I feel! Sure I know how anxiety works! So I took my tablet there now... I read somewhere to take it every other day for a couple of weeks, maybe then I can reduce to 5mg...

      I feel like my head is very heavy and face is just tight - not sure is it anxiety or the fact I missed 2 tablets. But whichever it is I can feel it so I will try to reduce the dosage..

  • Sway
    Sway sylwia30346

    Edited

    Talk to your pharmacist they know more. I had to stop metoprolol for breathing issues but it just maybe anxiety causeing the breathing issues but anyway he said to just stop it.
    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 Sway

      Edited

      Thanks Samantha. I may do that actually, good idea. At the end of the day they are experts on the meds...
  • kandice8383
    kandice8383 sylwia30346

    Edited

    Hey all, 

                    I was on proponal for 11 months and around the the 9 month mark I had a weird thing happen I was awake but my brain wasn’t and I couldn’t remember my daughters name. After that it happened again it was throwing me in a panic attack so I called my doctor and said I could stop it I was only on 5 mg a night. After I stopped it I could breathe better and the memory problem stopped. I’ve been off it for 7 days now and I feel like myself again. No memory loss anymore. 

    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 kandice8383

      Edited

      Hi Kandice! Thank you for your input! Glad to hear you are feeling much better now since you came off it, it must have been really scary how you felt sad It's amazing now as when I read your post I realised that this happens to me a lot too where I can't remember names of basic things... How did you come off it? Did you just stop taking it overnight or tamper off?

    • kandice8383
      kandice8383 sylwia30346

      Edited

      I was only taking 5mg a night and asked my doctor and he said it was safe. So I just stopped it and used my Valium as needed. I do believe the proponal has helped and fixed the heart racing over the 11 months. I think it was a way of my body telling me I didn’t need it anymore. 
    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 kandice8383

      Edited

      That's great, thank you for the reply. I will speak to the pharmacist tomorrow and see whether to maybe reduce it to 5mg or take 10mg every odd day. Thank you again x

  • sylwia30346
    sylwia30346

    Edited

    Hi! Just to give an update for anyone who might have this problem. I spoke to the pharmacist and also spoke to my doctor yeaterday and they are both saying I can stop taking 10mg anytime and that there should be no withdrawal symptoms. I am on it for the last 3 months.

    I suggested that maybe I will half the tablets and take 5mg a day for a week and then mayne take it for 2 days and not for one for another week and then take every 3rd day and not dor 2 days, I dont thinknit is necessary to have it that way for my body but I defo need this reassurance for my mind! So for the last 3 days I am just taking 5mg in the morning. I can feel I am more anxious than normally because I am afraid of withdrawal but I will stick to this plan. I also have some tightness in my chest because of constant thinking about this, but I really want to give them up. If I don't manage this time, I will go back on full 10mg again and will try at a later time. I don't want to reverse the results of therapy etc over this now. I have acupuncture tonight so I am hoping it will calm my anxiety a bit. Will keep you posted!

  • matt57085
    matt57085 sylwia30346

    Edited

    Yes you can just stop at 10mg as it's a very small dose. I just stopped 80mg after taking it for 3 years. Hope this helps.

    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 matt57085

      Edited

      Thank you Matt! That's very reassuring!!! How did you stop? Did you wean off it?

    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 matt57085

      Edited

      Oh wow, fair play to ya!!! And here I am with my lousy 10mg afraid to drop it!!! Ha ha shame on me ;-)

      No withdrawal?? No heart palpitations or anything? Were you taking it for anxiety?

    • matt57085
      matt57085 sylwia30346

      Edited

      Yes i was taking it for anxiety. Nope no withdrawal with no extra palpitations than my anxiety causes anyway. Honestly if you stop 10mg you will be fine.
    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 matt57085

      Edited

      Thanks a mill, I really appreciate the time you took to reply x

      Tell me please, did you get your gallbadder checked out eventually? Any answeres? I am struggling with pain in my gallbladder area for the last 3 years and because my scan came back clear they are saying I am fine. But I still have pain/discomfort there... and I suffer from anxiety only for the last 4 months so it isn't anxiety but as you know yourself doctors won't listen sad

    • matt57085
      matt57085 sylwia30346

      Edited

      No problem.

      Nope my gallbladder problems are still going on and i'm finding my GP and the NHS totally awful! I've got every gallbladder symptom going and they are just not listening. My ultrasound, CT and bloods have all been normal but they are not 100% reliable.

      My advise to you would be to get on to your GP to  get some CBT asap and get your anxiety nipped in the bud. My GP was also useless with this and didn't refer me for CBT until i had already been suffering from anxiety for 7 years and even the therapist said it was to late and my GP was far to late.

      Also i'm on a forum called nomorepanic that has many good people who may be able to help you but it can also be a bit triggering.

      Do you have any other symptoms with your gallbladder?

    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 matt57085

      Edited

      Sorry, just back from acupuncture wink

      Thanks for the concern, I will have a look into the forum you mentioned. I had done CBT, I am going to counselar at the moment and I came a long way already from having panick attacks to have none, I just still have a lot of physical symptoms but seems like I have been an anxious person all my life which I didn't realise.. I also asked my GP to refer me to CBT and he nearly has shown me middle finger!! What is wrong with them! I am slowly getting control over the anxiety, I learnt a LOT about it over the last few months and I am relatively ok on a daily basis. Just in muscular pain but hopefully that will go away too in time...

      I'm so sorry to hear that you cannot get help from anyone sad It's just heart breaking how they don't care about people sad What would be the next step for you? Ideally?

      Well, for the last 3 years I have pinching kind of pain where the ribs end on the right side. 3 years ago I was examined by GP and she was thinking of gallstones. Had bloods and abdomen scan done, all clear. The same this year but came back that my liver is enlarged, prob from painkillers over the years (I suffer from migraines since I am 7 yo). Then in tge summer I started having a lot more of a pain tight under rib cage, diarrohea, green stool, pain was radiating to my back and shoulder blade and back rib cage. No stones on the scan. I was sent for CT scan but I have to wait for a year at least do prob better off going private! I have constant nagging pain in there. Yesterday GP said she thinks it is wind trapped!!! Is she for real?? Oh and told me not to bother with CT scan (I was referred by A&E doctor). Are your symptoms similar now? Is it as bad as when it started or worse for you?

    • matt57085
      matt57085 sylwia30346

      Edited

      No worries. I'm glad you got CBT early on although your doctor having an attitude about it. I can't stand GP's they do nothing but moan and get paid vast sums of money, give it to paramedics and nurses as they are the true heroes within the NHS!  

      I feel worse than when all this started and in 8 months all i've had is an ultrasound and CT scan. The gastro that i saw was a totally ignorant little man and i've told him about my constant flank pain that is made worse by eating plus all my other classic gallbladder symptoms but he does not seem to care. These people are probably on £150000+ before any private work and they can't even speak to people properly.

      It sounds like your working your way through anxiety which is great! Try and manage without meds if you can.

    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 matt57085

      Edited

      Yes, I couldn't agree more when it comes to GP's, I find them absolutely useless!!! It's awful that people get ignored when they need help sad

      Ah that's desperate that you still have no answeres and that you weren't referred for gastroscopy! That should be one of the first things to be checked! What did the dr say when you saw him so? That it isn't any gastro problem? So what does he think it is??

      I tried sertraline but got bad side effects from it so I decided not to take it after 1 tablet. Just as well as I never wanted to take antidepressants! My GP thought it was a good idea tho, while CBT wasn't... seriously....

    • matt57085
      matt57085 sylwia30346

      Edited

      Good on you if you can manage without antidepressants. The NHS has without question gone down the route of medication to mask symptoms whatever medical condition you have as it's far cheaper than finding the actual cause.

      Yes endoscopy should have been one of the first things but i've also asked time and time again why i've not had a urine or stool test but get looked at like i'm an idiot.

      GP's don't give a t#ss all they can think about is when they are playing golf, sailing  or flying next! 

    • sylwia30346
      sylwia30346 matt57085

      Edited

      Since the beginning as I was very stubborn on not taking any meds. I felt like I need to chanhe myself rather than take meds and become dependant... I work in pharma industry myself and I know it is a great thing when you can help ppl with medication but I try to avoid if I can!

      Oh yes, it could have been so easy if urine and stool were tested first, you can find out a lot from it!! What did your dr say when you asked? Sometimes I wonder would it be just worth going to a different dr... normally i would go to Poland for stuff like this myself because at least access to those things is much easier than in Ireland sad What is your plan now? I so wish you would find out what is the issue as that helps so much, just knowing what is wrong with us, so we can tackle it properly!

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