Propanalol Withdrawal?

Treatment and medication
1

I am a 27 year old male who was originally given propranolol 40MG back in January for some minor anxiety.

Since starting (about a month later) I have been going to A&E every single week/ 2 times per week complaining of extreme weakness and pure terror, ice cold but sweaty and numb hands and legs and arms and thinking I am certainly going to die.

I was never ever like this before going on propranolol so I have reduced from 40MG to 20MG, I am on day 3 and have never ever felt so petrified and scared I am going to die, I cannot stop shaking inside my body (you can’t see me shake but it feels like my whole body is tingling/vibrating)

I am also extremely dizzy, light headed, faint and completely and utterly exhausted and have never ever felt so scared in my whole life. I am literately stuck to my bed just crying and crying thinking it is never ever going to end.

Every time I have been to A&E my ECG is clear as well as all blood markers, they say nothing is wrong with me.

To clarify I am on day 3 of a reduction of 20MG from 40 which I have been on for about 5 months.

I beg you with all my heart that can you please assure me this will pass or is normal? I am almost dropping my phone now with how weak I feel

2

i am so sorry u r struggling - i was exactly the same shaking terrible although u couldnt see it. it did pass for me as did the terrible feeling of anxiety constantly it did take about two weeks but honestly i feel fine now. i wish u well and feel for u. i was on it for two years at 120mg a day and with medical supervision reducing it to zero now. if i can keep helping u please keep messaging me - best wishes

3

Thank you so much that has gave me so much hope honestly. I am just finding it too hard to get through the days, every day I am waking up so early straight into a panic attack and just waiting for the day to end praying I will be better the next day.

I have had anxiety in the past but this currently is off the scale, I have no idea how I am even alive, it just feels that I am going to drop any second.

I cant even play a video game that I love doing, anything is just making me panic more, I dont understand it.

I will have like a few minutes where I think I finally have got through and then it comes on again, I just do not seem to be getting the slightest bit better.

I get very scared everytime I do go and stand up that I am going to collapse, I am ok if I keep walking but to stand still seems the worse, just a terrible feeling of fear that I am going to collapse.

Seriously I know what I wrote 19 months ago will look the same as this but I promise you it is not, I was doing so great, exercising every day, completely stopped my alcohol, I have tried everything.

It is 100% since going on propanalol that my visits to A&E have been at least 2 times per week, and it has taken me up until now to just think that it is propanalol making me feel the way I have been all those times at A&E.

Since I have reduced from 40MG to 20 I dont even have the strength to go to A&E now, it feels as if I cant do a single thing. I cant even feel to type here on my phone but obviously I am it is so hard to explain.

Have had what has to be about 50 ECG now, even a 24 hour one and all bloods have been clear every single time, I am also not diabetic.

I just cant believe it, it is a constant panic attack and I am petrified something is wrong with me. Also have never been able to sleep whilst on propanalol, it takes me like 5 hours even tho I am beyond exhausted and wake up feeling like I have drank 30 cans of beer with my heart racing so fast.

Surprisingly my heart rate is ok at the moment, it was higher the first 2 days but it is the mornings and bedtime that I notice it the worst, the only thing that helps is throwing litres of water down me to bring it down.

I promise you, I am so greatful for your reply and I will be for absoloutely anything more you tell me, honestly the biggest thing that will help is if you could just perhaps type a rough quick list of all the feelings you had on this.

I am absoloutely terrified, have never felt so ill in my whole life, just cannot stop this internal shaking, weak floaty feeling and weak legs and tingling etc.

Absoloutely horrible and it has put me off ever taking any drug again in my whole life now.

Thank You so much I promise I appreciate any words and I am immensely so happy you got through this!

4

Hey Ben, I promise you, it will pass. I had the exact same problem. I went down from 80mg and it was living hell for weeks.. heart palpitations doing normal things, extreme dizziness, weakness, confusion.. the list goes on. After about two months, I was back to normal. Stay strong, it will pass.

5

What symptoms did you have before you started taking propranolol? Have they improved at all? Your are dizzy and feeling lightheaded probably because your blood pressure has got quite low. Propranolol lowers your blood pressure and if you didn't have high blood pressure to begin with, it can make you feel sick, dizzy and faint. If they aren't helping your anxiety why don't you just stop taking them? It sounds like you are more anxious on them if you only had mild anxiety to start.

6

Hi Ben: When I began to reduce my Propanalol, i was told to reduce at 5mg - nothing higher than that. Every 2 weeks I cut it down 5mg and I had virtually no withdrawals. However, if you are not doing well on the drug, I can see how you would want to reduce it more quickly. Propanalol was a great help to me when I was having anxiety, however I had vivid nightmares that would actually continue after I woke up. That was nasty! I pray you can hang in there, possibly talk to the dr about a temporary tranqualizer if that might get you through the withdrawal. I suspect your blood pressure is dropping, which makes one feel just awful. Try to eat proteins and don't stand up too fast from sitting. Wish I had more to tell you. However, I know you will get through this knowing it is temporary. So sorry it is so awful right now.

7

hi ben you are not alone in this i'm on 40mg for anxiety as i cannot tolerate antidepressants i feel exactly like you weak arms off balance i've been on them since august last yr i've tried to cut down but get the withdrawal and end up going back to 40mg the doctor told me if your mind is telling you they are not working they wont and if your cutting down and your mind tells you your haveing withdrawal symptoms you feel worse you will come through this

8

Thank you all with all my heart for all your replies, I ended up in the emergency room yesterday. I had the most extreme anxiety of my whole life and have no idea how I am still alive.

They done all the usual tests and everything is clear, the nurses at reception were horrified how pale I was.

I feel slightly better today, still highly anxious but not extremely, honestly since cutting my dose of this drug I have been shaking and crying for 4 whole days, it really is the worst thing I have ever been through.

I literately cried to the doctors and seriously thought I was going to die.

Today is day 5 and it is not as bad but still bad, I will keep going and just pray this sometime ends.

I promise I will try to directly reply to each of your messages soon, the anxiety is still so bad to even type on an iphone keyboard!

9

please please helo me ive been up and downing Propranolol fior a month never more than 20 mg a day then I cut to 10mg as i was having bad side effects . its day 5 of cutting to 10 mg . I have felt very dizzy and my hear keeos racing .. i am shaky high anxiety . my neurologist says to just stop now . Ive stopped now . but woken feelung so bad shsking breathless dizzy heart pounding 90's . i am terrified . can uou please tell ne this will all stop as iI have never been so scared in my life . will this awful feeling stop i fear i am osing my mind .

please please help me to know this will go soon

10

how are you now ? i am the same as you were and am terrified really terrified ..please pkease tell ne uou got through

11

How are you doing now? The docs tell me there's no way it's propranolol withdrawal but my anxiety is through the roof if I miss the tiniest dose

12

better now thanks ftom the withdrawal . it was about 3?werks

13

better now thanks ftom the withdrawal . it was about 3?werks

14

Hi Ben, I have just registered so I am a little late with the reply. I hope your feeling much better I had been withdrawing since November 2020. I was on 80ml slow release felt awful but thought it was the new anti depressants I had been put on. All the time the symptoms had been from Propranalol. felt exhausted, no interest in anything, felt as though I had lead in my legs. When I started to withdraw I experienced panic attacks really bad anxiety that I had never had until put on Propranolol. l was originally prescribed Ptopranolol for migraine. I could not eat sleep, couldn't get warm. I reduced right down to a quarter of 10ml pill before stopping. I have been off this stuff for 3 weeks, still have waves of withdrawal symptoms, but better than I was. I am a lady of 67 years old and never dreamed I would be going through this nightmare.

15

Hi Ben,

How are you doing now?

I was prescribed propranolol in Feb 40mg once a day. I took for approx 7 weeks and decided to stop as I realised it was slowing my heart rate too much in that I was out of breath going upstairs. I was completely fine for two weeks and then bang, big anxiety/panic attacks, shaking, thirsty, heart racing, just awful. Bloods and ECG all fine. Reluctant to ask the Docs to try something different but fed up of this coming on every morning and randomly during the day. My doc said it shouldn't be withdrawal after this long but I read loads of threads where people are still struggling after 2/3 weeks. My question is how long did people experience side effects from withdrawal and after 2 weeks could it still be withdrawal?

Thanks

16

May 26th 2021...I too quite 40mg Propranolol about 6 days ago after taking it 10+ years. I have been shaking like an alcoholic does, insomnia etc. Please tell me this goes away and if so how long does it take?

17

I've been withdrawing from this horrible drug for just over 2 weeks after being on it for about 7 months. I wake up with anxiety, I'm exhausted, really breathless, fast heart rate which wakes me up at night, stiff muscles. I've had one reasonable day but the symptoms are awful and continue to be. I hope this passes soon and for anybody suffering the same.

18

have you recovered?

19

ben- how are you now? how long did it take for these symptoms to go away?

20

hi sandra. how are you doing now?