Propranolol for Anxiety

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jen0623

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Cystic Fibrosis Diabetes
Evening everyone, today I went to the GP to speak about my continuing Diabetes Burnout and my anxiety from it.
Shes given me Propranolol, 40mg once a day. I can go up to 2 tablets but I wanted to know if anyone else has been on this, what it was like and if it did effect insulin.

I’m currently looking up ’the warnings’ of this tablet and it’s made me apprehensive. I’ve now seen the box warning of ‘do not stop taking this medicine unless your doctor tells you to stop’… so even if I want to stop I can’t? Think I’ll be on these for 3 weeks.
 
@Jen0623 - lots of medications have the warning ‘do not stop taking this medicine unless your doctor tells you to stop’.

I am working my way through various medications to treat neuropathy, and they all seem to have the same warning. I was advised that the warning was there because there is a small risk that you can develop a dependency on them and to guard against this you should not stop them suddenly. If it is decided that they are of no value then they should be stopped gradually, guided by the GP.

For me thats fair enough. A small penalty to pay if, for me, a med is found that actually does something about the worsening sensory problems I have in my face. As I have often said, everything has its upsides and its downsides. To continue with the medication, the upsides have just got to beat the downsides.
 
I have been on this drug for years for anxiety including while in remission and the only hiccup is dizzy spells if I forget a dose so now I am on a slow release version, my stopping conversation with the dr who prescribed it for me was around my blood pressure as it can cause lows, I used to take a lower dose on as as needed basis of 10mg so you could ask for that and seek your Drs advise re use and timings.
 
Thats interesting as i used to have short spells on propranolol in my twenties for anxiety. I found that i naturally weaned myself off it ad i was forgetting to take it on the days i wad feeling better. Then stopped it altogether. My anxiety is horrendous at the moment and with the chance of a phsycologist at least 3 months awsy i could do with something like this until then but thought my Dr wont go for it. Ive got diazepem instead that i just take a very small dose every now an then.
 
I used to be on propranolol for restless legs and palpitations not anxiety, even tho I do get anxiety, I weaned myself off them with after about 12 months on them without any problems just do it over time then one every other day for about 2 weeks.
 
Jen0623 said:
Evening everyone, today I went to the GP to speak about my continuing Diabetes Burnout and my anxiety from it.
Shes given me Propranolol, 40mg once a day. I can go up to 2 tablets but I wanted to know if anyone else has been on this, what it was like and if it did effect insulin.

I’m currently looking up ’the warnings’ of this tablet and it’s made me apprehensive. I’ve now seen the box warning of ‘do not stop taking this medicine unless your doctor tells you to stop’… so even if I want to stop I can’t? Think I’ll be on these for 3 weeks.
Click to expand...
Hi Jen,
I've been on Propranolol now for over a year, they've been a god send as i felt off and started getting panic attacks. I haven't got the warning on mine about not stopping unless advised. I take them as and when i need them (leaving the house or visitors popping over)
The only thing i would say is, they really do stop the shakey feeling you get if you have a hypo, my reasoning to taking them was to stop that adrenaline shake you get when you have a panic attack and i can 100% say they do work. You still get the other hypo symptoms though but if you've got a CGM then you won't have much to worry about. Think its fair to say it doesn't affect insulin either or sugar levels.
I hope that helps and the Propranolol also makes you feel better.
All the best
 
Purrpleness said:
Hi Jen,
I've been on Propranolol now for over a year, they've been a god send as i felt off and started getting panic attacks. I haven't got the warning on mine about not stopping unless advised. I take them as and when i need them (leaving the house or visitors popping over)
The only thing i would say is, they really do stop the shakey feeling you get if you have a hypo, my reasoning to taking them was to stop that adrenaline shake you get when you have a panic attack and i can 100% say they do work. You still get the other hypo symptoms though but if you've got a CGM then you won't have much to worry about. Think its fair to say it doesn't affect insulin either or sugar levels.
I hope that helps and the Propranolol also makes you feel better.
All the best
Click to expand...
Thanks Purrpleness, I’m currently still on the 1x40mg tablet and it has helped. i did check with my other doctors, in case it effected anything on my medical list, I have liver and kidney transplants, but they all gave the OK!

Still deciding if I should take another one for the afternoon but at the moment they’ve really helped me so I can’t complain
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top