Propranolol for cancer induced anxiety

[WoodyB]

Does anyone take propranolol to help with anxiety? Does it help and what dose do you take?

Suzanne gets really anxious before speaking to her oncologist. She has the faulty BRCA2 gene and has been on olaparib for 2 1/2 years now. She had 4 weekly blood tests for the first 2 years, but is now down to every 8 weeks.

Her Feb blood tests were done 2 weeks early (to fit in with our holiday to Portugal!), so she went 10 weeks before her April bloods last week. Because it was such a long time, she got really anxious before her (telephone) appointment with the oncologist last week.

Her results were great (CA125 of 8) but she was so so anxious before she knew, even though she felt very well physically, that I am wondering if she should take something for the anxiety. Needless to say, she never discusses her anxiety with the oncologist.

[Maxjor]

HI Woody--I was prescribed propranolol by my oncologist for heart palpitations, which I get from time to time while on my current treatment. My oncologist is not worried by them, but said I can take the propranolol "as needed". I also see a doctor who prescribes me an anti-anxiety med (different from propranolol) but she also said I could use propranolol for anxiety. All this depends on what a doctor tells you of course but I do find it lowers anxiety --they say it works by stopping the physical "feelings" of anxiety, therefore tricking the brain into thinking you aren't anxious (no heart palpitations, no sweaty palms, no feeling of the heart jumping into the throat!, etc.). This is my personal experience and again, you should pass it by a doctor, if not the oncologist directly. If your wife is not one to mention it to her oncologist, would she get angry with you if you reached out to ask?

As far as dosage, again I think the oncologist should tell you---dosages can relate to size (height, weight) so it really should be discussed with a physician. I take 10mg for the palpitations but for high anxiety, I was told I could take up to 30mg. I am normal weight for my height. Someone I know who is heavier was prescribed a higher dosage. Good luck and congratulations on the ca125 and continued success with olaparib! ooxxo

[WoodyB in reply to Maxjor]

Thank you very much for this info, Judy. I hope you are doing OK yourself x

[dexta2005]

Hi, at the beginning of my treatment, my GP prescribed Sertraline 50 mg which has helped no end. I'm still taking them now (after4 months) and they have made a lot of difference. Plus, they are mean't to be non-addictive. Jan. x.

[WoodyB in reply to dexta2005]

Thank you Jan. Hope you are doing OK yourself x

[sticky3006]

Hello Woody, beta blockers (including Propanolol) are used a lot for anxiety. They can have some mild side effects and some people also just take them at times of increased stress and not on a regular basis. I can easily relate to your wife as prior to my first blood test this week after a month on Olaparib I got myself in a bit of a state too. Somebody advised me to try guided meditation each day which I’ve been doing but it’s still not easy to keep your mind focused and not let it go down the road of ‘worse case scenario’. I suppose beta blockers don’t solve the problem so your wife may also want to think about CBT or seeing a counsellor who is tied to your hospitals oncology department. They may help her to manage her anxiety in other ways without the need for medication. If she does need propranolol and it works for her then great. Anything which helps us is a bonus I think. I’ve had chronic insomnia for years which made me so miserable at times. I now take Mirtazapine 3.75mgs every night and sleep like a baby with no side effects at all. It’s wonderful and I wish I’d got them years ago! Take care, sticky3006 x

[WoodyB in reply to sticky3006]

Thank you very much Sticky. Pleased to hear that the Mirtazapine is helping you sleep. Do you think it is habit forming? Hope you are doing OK yourself x

[sticky3006 in reply to WoodyB]

Well the starting dose for depression is 15mgs so I'm actually taking a quarter of that which my GP said was helpful for insomnia. I've had so many years of poor sleep that I felt I'd rather have a low dose of a drug which gave me a good nights sleep and I'd risk the fact that I may become dependent on it. I feel a good nights sleep is so important that this outweighs any worries of dependence. I've also forgotten to take it a couple of times and have then slept well so as its such a tiny dose it could have a psychological effect too! Take care, sticky3006

[andyfay]

I used to get so worked up before I had to go to the cancer center. Blood pressure everything went up. Pretty normal for what we go through. God Bless you

[Hidden]

Hi WoodyB, I was prescribed propranolol, not so much for anxiety, but for the hot flushes that occur after surgery (menopausal). I took it daily in a low dosage for four weeks. I found it awful. I had no feelings whatsoever while on it - no happiness, no sadness, no ups or downs - just a steady unfeeling ease. It wasn't so bad until I went to the funeral of a friend and couldn't cry (so not like me). They weren't helping so I stopped taking them. This is why I'm responding.....when I stopped taking them, I went into a massive tailspin. I was more than moody, had no patience, had feelings of rage and for an entire week I was on the verge of something really awful. I separated myself from my husband for three days (just spent time in a room) until the feelings passed. When I called the Dr. (eventually) to talk about what I was going through she told me that one is "never" to quit propranolol cold turkey. One is supposed to ease off of them.

I don't recommend this drug - even for anxiety. There are other options that are not as damaging to one's emotions/way of moving through life. Certainly if she takes it one pill at a time and only when anxious she won't have these issues - but I also know that many times people begin with "once in awhile" and migrate to "more often" - and it's the more often that gets one in a bind.

Happiness that your wife's results were good. Best wishes.

[bluepeterella]

Anxiety before speaking to the oncologist is completely normal in my eyes. An appointment could go well but also could mark the end of the world as we know it. I got very cross with my CNS who mentioned my 'anxiety' about my CA125 numbers - I told her it wasn't anxiety but a perfectly normal anticipatory response! Having said that, propanolol has been shown in some studies to have a beneficial effect on some cancers. I don't have it prescribed but take ashwagandha as a herbal alternative.