Doses of Propranolol

Treatment and medication
1

I take 40mg Propranolol 3 times a day, my doctor didn't give me set times to take my doses, just as needed.......only problem being is that I'm now waking up at stupid times in the morning, like right now its 4:20am ... I'm being woken up with panic attacks, that's the condition i take them for.......I have had to take 1 dose already but i know for a fact i will need my 3 doses today also....obviously I'm not going to take another 3 doses after I've had 1 already, but i wondered if anyone had any advice that could help as i feel these may not be the tablets for me as i suffer from multiple panic attacks per day, i.e 9+ panic attacks......this may sound stupid but i feel i need to take something as and when needed, not dose required because i always feel i need to take more, no matter how far i try space them apart.

I'm also on venlafaxine 37.5mg x2 per day also for my panic attacks.

Danielle x

2

I am on the same dose of propananol as you but i take mine morning,noon and bedtime i was strict with noon med 12.00 on the dot but found by teatime i'd be paniky so i'd hold of for as long as poss taking my noon med so it worked over teatime....don't know anything about your other med....go bk to your doc tell them how it is and see what they suggest...tell them the panic attacks have eased but you still get them doc's are wary of prescribing quick fixes....i was on 40mg of propananol 4 times a day but the hosp dropped me downand wrote to drs i cound't pee apprantly a side affect of the dose!!! Everyone is diffrent so be in tune with your body start keeping a log so you can show it to your docs....this also helps i find to keep my mind occupied good luck of i can help you i will you can beat this Marie x

3

Hi there, I would ask for the propranolol slow release, I'm on 80mg a day and I take it in the morning and it releases slowly all day and is great. If you need more than this dose you can then take another one that will release throughout the night. I'm on bedranol sr capsules, definitely get them xx

4

Hi . I always take propananol with a meal to make sure it gets fully absorbed at the same time everyday. Also it depends how long you have beem taking it because it takea a few days for your body to get used it. I eould suggest though as an anxiety sufferer myself that you find the root cause of your panic attacks even id you dont think you have one. I didnt think i did till i went to therapy. Try hypnosis also its great! My anxiety has been bad at one point i would get depersonalisation, i wasnt eating because i felt sick and i couldnt sleep barelt only an hour a day. So i do know how bad anxiety can be

Yours

Liv x

5

i agree with you totally you have to learn how to deal with the anxity to keep it under control and not let it control you....i have found there is no magic cure it requires work from yourself...i thought i was alone in coming to that conclusion but it does seem to be the case anyone got any thoughts on this thanks x

6

Thanks for all the advice, i think i will go back to my doctors and ask for an alternative.

I do feel the Propranolol are helping quite a bit, I've been taking them for almost a week now, and I'm not after a quick fix, just a way to get by day by day, i know this isn't going to be easy or quickly dealt with, I'm just tired of always being aware i only have 3 doses, it plays on my mind all the time, can i ask, is it possible to take 4 Propranolol or is it too dangerous?

many thanks

Danielle xxx

7

Hiya Danielle,

it is early day's give your precribed dose a chance...i have in the past took a extra propanol it had no affect and the next day i felt dreadful so much so i'd never do it again

by a quick fix i meant diazapram which calms you right down wears off too quick and your left back to square 1 and it's addictive most dr's won't prescribe it...give the propananol a c hance it really has transformed my life x

8

I already had diazepam lol and yes i know what you mean, best 4 days of my life, if only it wasn't addictive, i could have stayed on it for the rest of my life, really. But doctor says he wont prescribe any more so that's my jolly days over for now. But thanks, i will give them more time.

Danielle

9

Does anyone know if its safe to take Propranolol 10mg x3 , venlafaxine 37.5 x2 but also take a nytol???

I'm just finding it hard to get to sleep on a night and stay asleep which is making me more tired during the day, not to mention making my depression and anxiety levels spike sue to the fact I'm not getting up until the afternoon due to waking up at 3am then managing to get back to sleep by 6am or 7am and oversleeping.

I know Propranolol is supposed to make you tired, and it does, but I'm now waking up with a panic attack, which I've never done before, then I'm having to take 1 of my Propranolol to calm me down leaving me one dose down during the day, I'm then having to take another Propranolol when i wake up again and the last dose early evening.

I just feel i could do with saving a dose for before i go to bed but obviously i cant overdose and take an extra one, but i cant help having to take one very early hours.

If i cant take the nytol then its back to the doctors, obviously I'm not going to put myself at risk taking something that's going to react with my other medication and set me back or hospitalise myself.

Any advice would be much welcomed.

Many thanks

Danielle xxx

10

if you want my honest opinion i would avoid taking the tablets when you are having a panic attack at first- try camomile tea or a walk because honestly this builds up reliance on them if you take them immediately. Ride it out for an hour and if you are still panicking take one xxx

11

Hiya dannielle.

The only advice i can give is go back to your dr if thats not possible as it's nearly the w/end ask your pharmasist esp with venta and nytol...i am on mitazapine 30mg for depression and i could not take calms with them you think it's herbal it will be fine....wrong....

I take my mit and propananol at bedtime and i do sleep mitz in a low dose is known to help sleep on the down side it can increase weight...google it be informed...there are paient forums on it also....good luck M x

12

P.s

c.b.t is good you may find groups run by m.i.n.d helpful with anixitey and sleep and overall well being

don't know if you can self reffer...camomile tea is good so is cutting out caffine after tea to aid sleep...but sometimes i have found no matter what i do sleep just doesn't happen not so much now i think my meds are the right combination...8 weeks ago my dr upped my mitazapine from 22.5mg to 30mg my sleep was disturbed at first then returned x

13

Camomile tea is amazing. Try hypnosis as well! i would say exercise also helps- especially swimming. IT exercises all your muscles too and uses up all the excess cortisol you have in your body! i would also try writing down a diary of all the things you are thinking! you may have surface thoughts that have hidden triggers for example for me i had thoughts for ages like "what if life isn't real!" etc which triggered me to panic. Try find out when your panic attacks actually started happening what lead up to even months before because the thoughts you are probably having now go in a cycle. Another thing is dont fight your panic! embrace it as much as you can because when you fight it makes it worse. Your panic will wear off eventually! finally, always remember that you have the rest of your life to beat anxiety and tomorrow is a different day- put an action plan in place so when you feel panicked thats what you do e.g

mine is lie completely still because even though anxiety makes you feel like you just want to run and i embrace the panic- my stomach drops, my heart races and i cant think straight and every negative thought makes it worse but after the inital peak of anxiety it levels out.

B) make yourself a camomile tea and have as many as you need to calm down

c) call a friend- tell them what happened, why you had that panic attack etc

i think for me the biggest thing was realising my anxiety boiled down to my self esteem and this in combination with my boyfriend, past experiences in high school/ college and starting uni conditioned me to have low self esteem. Your problems come from somwhere you just need to find it and be willing to change your life style and 'grab the bull by the horns' thats what i id anyway. My anxiety was terrible for a 2 week period but I got on top of it straight away! another thing is and i hope this isn't too personal but around the time of my period my hormones make me anxious so i went on the progesterone only pill to balance out my hormones and it has made me feel much better. Surround yourself with positive people and just know that you aren't alone in feeling like this

one last piece of advice

CHALLENGE YOUR THOUGHTS THAT MAKE YOU ANXIOUS! xxxx

14

Ok so tried the whole challenge my thoughts, writing everything down etc......it just made me have a worse panic attack so i had to give up.....im just sick of the sleepless nights now, i know its not doing anything for my anxiety but i cant help it, everytime i close my eyes to go to sleep i have a panic attack and bam!! I'm awake again.....this happens several times a night, i generally don't get to sleep until 3-4am and its killing me because then my anxiety is worsened by the fact that then i don't get up until almost 12 by which point i feel I've wasted half a day.........it all ties in with my panic attacks, trust me............im just sick of it now, its really starting to p**s me off big style, not to mention at times i feel its taking a toll on my relationship.

Just running out of ideas here.

Danielle xxx

15

Hi Danielle,

I'm new to this board and had posted regarding another issue with Propranolol. But I had a good solid year of dealing with panic attacks, so I empathize with you.

My attacks were very similar to yours. I got through the day mostly ok, but at night it would creep up on me and, BOOM! I used many prescription drugs to deal with the attacks and some helped, but were addictive. I ended up with a physician-aided addiction to Xanax. Trust me, the panic attacks are preferable to that type of addiction.

One day I just flushed everything down the toilet and went cold turkey. This is NOT recommended. But I survived, came out stronger, and realized the attacks were caused by a problem that I needed to face and deal with - not medicate away. Once I did that, I never had another attack and the anxiety also quit.

I guess I am trying to let you know that things can get better, and they will if you can wrap your head around when all of this started and what the "demon" in you head is. Trust me, we all have them.

16

Hey Danielle. I'm also on propranolol, in my first week actually. I'm also on some (new ish) anti depressant/anxiety medication. It is tough looking at the bright side when you are still getting all the physical and mental affects of a panic attack but stay open minded and positive, try not to stress and over panic as it's not going to help, you have maybe become a little paranoid over the meds (as I do at times, anything to take the panic attack away) it's also caused me lack of sleep and ability to do activities or even get out bed everyday, but the first few weeks are always the roughest as your body is trying to adjust to the chemicals of the medication and take a while to take action. I was very apprehensive about taking both of my medication because the anxiety and panic that I suffer with badly has made me paranoid. Try your hardest to relax before, during and after your panic attacks they won't last forever, try to sit it out for as long as you can I mean, the very last min till you reach for a tablet, gaining control over your panic attacks will help massively, it's a rough up and down ride but I'm sure you will be ok in the long run, I suggest seeing your doctor or calling whenever you feel something is wrong or you need more meds rather than coming on here as lots of people have different views but we are all here trying to help I'm sure we all understand how horrible it is. Best of luck, regards. - Ell x

17

hello olivia am iam 15 years old i have o problem is well,,last year i was watching tv and  i feel a sharppain in my haeart. when i see that i feeld deezy,and week. second day i go to doctor and that doctor it was a women,she scard me verry much,she said,this: maybe you have diabetis,or hart proablem,when i hard her i nearly folover on the flwor. they make me ekg and blood test,but the result come after one week. on that week i was upset,i didint eat propely,i was verry sad. when i go to the result,they said my heart is fine,my blood test its fine,everything si perfect,gest vitamin d and calcium low. i go home i was happy smile all the time,but after one week again i have that sharppain in my hart,when i see that,i ho back to my country romania. i go to the doctor in ther,he make me ekg and blood test,and all of them was perfect. i was happy again smile all the time. but after 2 weeks still in romania i feelt again sarppain in my hart. when i see that i go the cardiologyst specialst. he make me ekg. and he consult me,and he said i perfetc fine nothing wrong with me,anyway i am to young to have heart problems,only children who born with the problems can have. 

i was again happy. i come back to england,becouse the school starts and the summer holiday finish. now i keep thinking its something wrong with my hart. i go again to the doctor and he said i perfect fine,he said to me: go home and relax,until you 50 years you no comeing to see me ever again.  before 4 weeks i go again to the doctor,and tall him to make me another ekg and blood test,to make sure i am healthy. he make me those things,and he said you are very very healthy,all those thing is in your mind. i told him i am cheking blood presure all the time,becouse i buy a machine and he said: when you go home take the hummer i brokeit,never you take the blood presure in your life.  he give some tablets propranolol 10 mg,when i have a panick atacks to take one,and that tablet it will calm me down. last night i have one panick atack,and i take one of the tablets,but now i am scared becouse i take them,becouse in keep thinking maybe that tablets it will affect my heart and my heart will stop. what are those tablets ? they afect the hart? maybe when i have again one ekg done it will come up bad

please olivia give me a answer,becouse i am verry sad today.

thanck you

18

SOME people get addicted not everyone. Because a few people have gotten addicted its ruined it for people such as myself who are not addicted. Take it no more than once a week or it will stop working anyway! literally stop working - so whats the point? when you have anxiety its horrible to live with it - but to know you have diazepam when you really need helps. Because people have made such a big deal about becoming "addicted" its now going to practically impossible to be prescribed it.  I honestly can not understand why people would take it day after day after day. It should be treated like alchohol. Once a week - when you really need it. You anxiety knows you can beat it then and starts to go away. Its so empowering. Im so tired of hearing people saying its addictive. The anti depressants Im on - they are addictive - I have to take them now even though I dont want to because If I miss a few pills I get awful side effects. Its exactly the same! blessings and hope you beat the anxiety. 

19

Hi Danielle,

I have been taken propranolol for about 8 months for PA. At first my doctor gave me 40 mg when needed up to three times a day. Sometimes it helped other times it made a little anxious as I felt tired and dizzy. I began taking 10 mg/3 times a day religiously 15 days ago. What a difference!!! I feel fantastic no anxiety, tiredness or dizziness. I think the previous dose of 40 was two strong and I have benefited by taking less but having a steady amount of propranolol in my bloodstream.

Large amounts of medication is not always better. Continuity and working with my body's sensitivities has worked for me.

I was so scared to take propranolol regularly in case of side effects or addiction. Bare in mind that it took a few days for the anxiety to disappear completely (about 3-5 days) but in retrospect I wish I had the clarity of mind to realised that continuity was the key. I don't have to worry any longer about the next panic attack and how much med to take. I just feel relax.

I hope this helps

Take care

Alex

20

I tried Nytol years ago. It did nothing for me. I can't see Nytol effecting your medication.

You take 1 in the early hours because they are so mild.

Talk to your doctor about your sleep. I hate being panicky in the night.