Propranolol

[nimkekaa]

That being said, prazosin is *not* a beta-blocker. It's awesome and gets an "alpha" for excellence! Bad pun, sorry... it is, however, an "alpha-blocker."

ooppss sorry! It's a new med for me but I should check my facts before I say things.

 

[matthios]

Hey- no worries. I'd never even heard of an alpha-blocker before researching the drug after I'd been put on it... lord knows doctors don't bother telling you! haha

I'd be really interested to trying a beta-blocker and an alpha-blocker side by side.

Anybody been on both prazosin AND propanolol? compare and contrast please :)

 

[Gamereign555]

Prazosin blocks adrenaline from reaching your heart thus preventing the anxiety and panic during sleep. This is what is given to us to prevent the constant nightmares. I have taken it during the day before, and it does have a calming effect that might get you to sit down and stay calm.. but it is a pretty limited effect during the day. Also, in my experience if you take the Prazosin during the day and then take it later before bed, it will seem to not work well for sleep that night. I can't speak for Propanolol, I haven't taken it. Though I have read plenty about it.

 

[Hashi]

kittiekittie, please go back to your doctor and talk about your concerns if you're not sure about taking them. Your doc knows much more about your situation than we do, and has prescribed them for a reason, but you can always go back and talk more about it. We can share our own experiences but I don't think that's enough for you to base any decisions on.

For what it's worth, I took propanolol 40mg a day (one dose) for 2 weeks during a period of very bad anxiety. it was enough to give me some relief for a couple of hours, which meant I could then do exercises to help me manage the anxiety - without it I could hardly breathe, let alone try the deep breathing exercises I needed to do.

I'm in the UK and quite a few doctors here (like mine) take the approach of fairly low level, short-term medication to allow you to establish other coping methods. At the time I didn't appreciate that, but I do now.

I was afraid because the info with the tablets said one possible effect was hallucinations, which I tended to get already and dreaded. I never had them, though. I didn't have any bad effects for the two weeks I took them. They got me through a really bad time, but I wouldn't have liked to rely on them alone for longer. Visualisation and deep breathing (for more than 10 minutes, timed with a clock) have done much more for me, without any risks. But I needed the propanolol in order to get to a place where I could start doing those other things.

 

[kittiekittie]

Actually I was the one who asked my doctor for the prescription. I've read up on it and spoke in depth with a friend who is pursuing his masters in biochemistry who is extremely well versed in his chemicals and medications. There isn't much else my doctor can tell me at this point that I am not already aware of, or that I haven't discussed with him initially. I found that 20mg twice daily was way too much for me.

 

[End DV]

Propranolol did not work at all for me. Not in the least. My psychologist told me she used to take it before exams and that is what got her through University. Not helping my PTSD at all!!

 

[Delta62]

I am on 120 mg ER of Propranolol because it helps with migraines and my anxiety. I rarely have panic attacks....

 

[Maggiemay]

It worked really well for me and decreased hyperarousal and panic attacks were a lot less frequent until...

It koncked out on me :'( Ended up being admitted to hospital as pulse racing so high and they couldn't believe I was on beta blockers! I moved over to atenolol which is helping, but heart still not settling. Just increased dose so let's see. GP wouldn't before as although pulse was racing, blood pressure was low, causing me to pass out :( All very complicated.

But, I did notice a difference straight away when I was first on it :) xxx

 

[embarr]

I take propranolol. I think it has helped, but I almost want to start taking something else as well. I used to even have hard time eve eating out with family and friends when my hypearousal symptoms were so bad.

My doc told me to wikipedia propranolol because it would have info that is written by non-profit seeking people. Some pharmaceuticals are for-profit apparently. They often give it to performers like muscians who have performance anxiety. However I feel I might need something more as a sufferer of ptsd for several years.

I have a meeting with my psychiatrist is the next few days. I wouldn't feel worried about taking this drug. I feel it's relatively mild compared to maybe habit-forming drugs and from what I understand don't have too many side affects compared to other drugs.

 

[Petchen]

I took propran for awhile. Helped mainly with the f-in nightmares. Only ever took it before bed. Short acting. It lowered my BP too much so I switched to Intuniv or Guanfacine at night.

That the Intuniv, has helped with the nightmares more than anything. Probably one of the best things I've done for myself and PTSD. Gotta sleep especially without the nightmares. I've taken the propran still a few times before exams that were stressing me out and it helped a lot.

 

[Finding Shawna]

Propranolol did not work at all for me. Not in the least.

Same here

 

[Addy]

Just started taking Propanolol this week. I do notice a calmness that I haven't felt in quite some time. My heart rate is slower, which in my case is a good thing (anxiety and flashbacks caused my heart to race too much). It's early in my treatment, but so far so good, with no side effects thusfar to name.