Propanolol drug?

[SxufferingSxoul]

Today my therapist prescribed me the drug called inderal also known as propanolol, since I keep getting fast heart rates, trouble breathing from anxiety and such. I read about it to know that it’s a beta-blocker that slows down the heart rate. This really scared me and I’m worried that if I take it my breathing issue will get worse and that my heart might stop. He told me to take three pills a day. Should I be worried about taking it? Please help, I am already having trouble controlling thoughts about heart diseases.

[Hidden]

What dose are the tablets?

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Hidden]

10 mg tablets

[Hidden in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

I was on 80mg and it gave me side effects but it’s different for everyone, I lowered my dose and found around 10 was useful for palpitations

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Hidden]

Oh woah, 80mg sounds alot to me but the doctor told me to take one every 8 hours because I complained about alot of physical symptoms, some that are in my heart and some that aren’t. Any clue to whether it will make trouble breathing from anxiety worse or not?

[Hidden in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

Yeah it was way too much for me, i did occasionally feel short of breath but I’m unsure if it was the propranolol or the anxiety but I was on a high dose compared to 10mg. And I’m not on it anymore and I still experience breathlessness so it may just be anxiety

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Hidden]

Yeah it might be just anxiety, so it’s preferable to take Inderal with an anti-anxiety drug, an SSRI one to reduce the breathlessness caused by anxiety. Talk to your doctor about it first tho, don’t combine anything without telling him/her. Best wishes to you, hope everything resolves.

[Minnie87]

I’m on propranolol 10mg three times a day and it’s been fantastic.been on and off it for 12 years(off it when I had my children) and I’ve never had any side effects and it really helps with a racing heart.

Oh and trust me,I have the worst heart anxiety ever, just like you.hope this helps xx

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Minnie87]

Yeah me too and I happen to have the worst lung anxiety ever as well, I’m just worried that it might make my trouble breathing worse. He told me to take it even if my heart is not racing, would that be safe? I’m really scared.

[Minnie87 in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

Yep I take it three times a day even when my heart is not racing.honestly hun i am just like you.but it’s so good for the racing and I’ve never had any breathing problems at all.i had a chest x Ray the other day and my heart apparently looks beautiful(words of the doctor)so it doesn’t affect it or anything like that xx

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Minnie87]

Oh okay! Like I said I am mostly awfully worried about it making my trouble breathing worse because it’s the already the scariest symptom for me along with the racing heart. Or worried about my heart beating so slowly that I can’t breathe, but do slow heart rates even trigger breathing issues? Thanks for the info tho hope you are doing better

[Minnie87 in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

I totally get where you are coming from.the thought of taking meds can be frightening especially if you do get anxious with your breathing.im not sure about the slow breathing issues,but I can say that propranolol has never made me short of breath in 12 years x

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Minnie87]

I’m sorry if I’m asking too many questions But did you worry before the first time ever taking them and then realized that they aren’t that bad? And does a racing heart make your breathing a bit hard or is it just me?

[Minnie87 in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

Don’t be silly!ask away!you should see how many questions I ask people!😂

Oh yes!!!i remember the first one I ever took and I was bloody terrified!but my heart was racing so hard and my anxiety was through the roof and I couldn’t cope anymore.so I took one and sat with my mum and after 15-20 minutes my heart was calm.i still felt anxious but my head wasn’t pounding and it was such a big relief.since then I’ve never looked back.and trust me,I’m not a fan of meds either.i won’t even take a paracetamol!

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Minnie87]

Yeah it’s just that I always get the feeling that I’m bothering people with my questions 😂 I’m glad to know that it helped you, I’m still waiting to buy them but man will I be so nervous when it’s time to take one. I’m really scared of medicines because every time I get prescribed ones that I have never seen before I start worrying about them having fatal effects on me. Do you get any other symptoms like dizziness when your heart races? And omg the head feeling, I get it so much!

[Minnie87 in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

Honestly please don’t think that,this site is so good for asking questions.i wouldn’t be without it.feel free to message anytime.

Oh I have lightheadedness/faint feeling/heavy weird head feeling all day every day.and then my heart races every morning without fail,not so much in the day anymore because of the propranolol but every morning at about 5:30.sometimes earlier.

And then just a constant feeling of adrenaline/butterflies/panic in my body.

I’m just the same with medication.i hate taking it.it scares the life out of me.but without propranolol at the moment I wouldn’t be able to cope and would probably be in hospital everyday.im so glad I took it.

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to Minnie87]

Thank you so much this helped me a lot, I have been going to the hospitals a lot due to these symptoms. Today I accompanied my mom as she had an appointment with an anesthesiologist to discuss the anesthesia she needs for her surgery next week and I started feeling lightheaded so I asked the nurse in the room to check my blood pressure. It was 117/84 and my heart rate was 118, I felt embarrassed because the anesthesiologist noticed that I was anxious and started talking to me more than my mom 😅 He would honestly be a good therapist, he gave me his number in case anything happens but I’m still embarrassed now. Thank you once again, I am going to take the medication once I buy it since you really assured me. I don’t know how else to thank you 🙏🏻

[emetophobicgirl]

Hi there,

I have been taking propranolol for 3 years now for anxiety, racing heart etc. and I have always found it quite safe.

I began on 10mg and am now on 40mg.

10mg didn't do much for me and so (with my GP) we increased the dose.

40mg works really well for me, I take it once everyday (but also have the option to take another if required).

The best way I can describe it is... say I'm feeling anxious and my heart is racing and I can feel it pounding in my chest, I will often take a propranolol. 20 minutes later, my heart isn't racing, but at (I guess) normal rate. Even if I'm still feeling anxious.

This really helps me as I often find I begin to feel more anxious when I feel my heart going crazy!

Hope this helps

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to emetophobicgirl]

Thank you for the info but do you have any idea whether it makes anxiety breathing issues worse? It worries me so much.

[emetophobicgirl]

No worries! Do you mean like hyperventilating?

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to emetophobicgirl]

Yeaaahh, when I’m anxious there are these sudden moments when I can hardly breathe so I breathe faster in hope for it to go away. I’m just worried about it making that worse.

[emetophobicgirl]

I know you have probably been told this many times before but learning breathing exercises to use when suffering is really beneficial. When your body goes into fight or flight the adrenaline increases your heart rate and your breathing, the propanolol help calm the heart rate, I don’t think it would interact with your breathing, but perhaps talk to the GP for reassurance? The ‘hardly breathe’ feeling I reckon is all due to anxiety, the throat can tighten, the chest can tighten and you take more shallow breaths, all making you feel as if you cannot breathe. And that makes you panic more. It’s a horrible cycle, but learning coping mechanisms can be so beneficial- really hope this helps, it’s such a horrible thing to deal with x

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to emetophobicgirl]

Yeah I have, but every time I try breathing techniques I start feeling more dizziness and the feeling of suffocation increases way more. These infos did help me tho, thank you! I asked my psychologist since I was worried about it stopping my heart or making my breathing issues worse, he promised that it wouldn’t stop my heart and that it only affects breathing when one has asthma or bronchitis which I don’t have. I’m still worried because google says that shortness of breath is a side effect of Inderal! Should I just get it over with and take the medication?

[painintheneck1 in reply to SxufferingSxoul]

as iv posted i getv100mg slow release tablet one in the morning for 20 years.no bad affects in all that time.relax.ask for the one a day slow release tabs.good luck.safe drug

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to painintheneck1]

I think he gave me the slow release ones because he told me to take it even if my heart isn’t racing. Thank you for the reassurance once again

[emetophobicgirl]

I really understand your worry, but what the psychologist and the fact that you were given them are reassuring that is quite safe and may even help. Don’t listen to Dr.Google, I know it’s difficult but there are so many factors that influence the accuracy of info on the web. 10mg is a low dose so you may not even notice a difference, I’d try it as it sounds like it may help you. If it helps, I get seasonal asthma with hay fever and I’ve never noticed any problems, but of course everyone is different ☺️

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to emetophobicgirl]

That’s true, thank you for reassuring me! x

[vbp123]

Hi,

I also take propranolol as and when but usually 20mg in the morning and it helps me through the day a lot. Once it slows the heart rate, I panic less, therefore less anxiety. In terms of breathing for me it is the opposite. I find it difficult to breath if I am anxious but propranolol reduces the physical sensations and eases tightening the chest and I breath better.

10mg is a small dose.

xx

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to vbp123]

Oh okay that’s great! Because there are times where my chest feels tight but my heart isn’t really racing that much. Do I take one anyways? Because I’m told to take one 10mg pill every 8 hours.

[vbp123]

I would follow the instructions given. See how it feels. You will be better, I am sure.

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to vbp123]

Alright I will do that then, thanks for the reassurance xx

[painintheneck1]

i have personally been on the same medication for 20 years.i get the slow rrekeas tablet to take one each day.it stops my fast heartbeat but will never make my heart stop as long ad i don't take too many.it will NOT stop your heart.take as the doctor said.its a very safe drug.dont worry.iv been on it so long so can tell you it does not have bad side affects.just take them and you will be fine.not to many my dose is 100mg slow release.safe relax

[SxufferingSxoul in reply to painintheneck1]

Okay thank you so much for the reassurance, it helped alot