Weird Propranolol Side Effects

[niki]

I recently started taking Propranolol and have experienced some rather strange side effects such as being disoriented, confused, and periods where I sit motionless, expressionless, and without moving almost as if I simple don't exist. Once it wears off I'm completely fine. I'm trying my hardest to hang in there to see if the side effects will go away, so that I'm not berated by my doctor if the medication doesn't work, seeing that it somehow means that I either don't know how to deal with my chronic illness in fact illnesses or I need to have a psychological evaluation. Ugh! ***! Has anyone experience anything like this? Did it go away?

[maggee]

hi niki,

don't know your dose or symptoms, but i have been on it for quite awhile.

but---i can only tolerate 5 mg doses...3-4 times per day.

so--small increment doses---works ok for me.

is the only betablocker i can tolerate

perhaps this may help...???

good luck , niki....! UGH!--HUH???

feel better soon--HOPE!!

-maggee-

[MightyMouse]

Beta blockers make me feel drunk and sleepy.

[niki]

Thanks for replying Maggee! I'm taking 20 mg at a time as needed. I can take it up to 3x a day, but so far I'm only taking it once a day to get use to it. I think I will try your advice and see how that works, it has to be better than being disoriented and out of it, but then again I'm always kind of out of it. Life with autonomic issues is rather interesting isn't it! One minute your like next next hehe Good Times!

Btw.... ugh is basically used to describe disgust or boredom.....Thanks again!

[maggee]

niki,

too cute---your emoticon's -- describing US LOL!

BUT- so ughh-ly -- and 'tis the truth for the 'day in the life ' of a dysautonomic!

am in & out of UGH'IN every day, and thankfully--some days less than others :0)

i especially UGH over doc's

hate to go to any anymore.

don't know which is the worst===the physical part of this syndrome to endure??...or the emotional beating we take from doc's and from people due to our inability to plan anything in life..???????

hey!

don't ask me to that wedding in April--k????????

i don't know if i can take a bath TODAY...or if i can stand in the next hour---let alone, wtheck i will be like on April something, 2010...!

don't want to reply yes...and possibly waste your money on that wedding dinner

just being respectful of ya---and only WISH I COULD JUST CHECK 'YES' on that RSVP....!

if ya only knew how blissful that would be for me..............

if, only......

pssstttttt!-->>>inadequacy that is misunderstood..reallyyyyy hurts , huh?

UGH--YESSSSSSSSSSSS!

KK..am done a'rantin'.....lol!

let me know if the smaller doses help, niki!

sure do hope so

i going to try to have an "UN-UGH" day--and go for the bath and the grocery store.. !!!

wishing you the same, today, Niki

-ugh||unugh'in Maggee-

[momdi]

My son took only 10 mg/dose. If you're having side effects, definitely consider trying 5 or 10 to start. When he was taking 20 twice a day plus mestinon he was having all kinds of slow/stopped pulse issues.

Good luck.

[valliali]

I was first prescribed the slow-release 60mg form of propranolol. It made me feel as you describe. Very dizzy, disoriented, as if I was just not even existing. I was truly in another dimension. It also caused migraines, which is not something I have ever experienced before or after. I was planning to give up on the propranolol, until I tried a 10mg dose, and boy, what a difference! Now, I take 5mg doses, and propranolol is the only thing that has helped me... and it has helped a lot. I do believe if I were to take 20mg, I would feel similarly. I'd suggest cutting your dose to 5mg before ruling it out. Most of my doctors have told me that 5, even 10mg, is not nearly enough to help my symptoms, as most people can tolerate much higher doses. Many of us are super sensitive though, so smaller doses do in fact work for us in the same way a larger dose works for a "normal" person.

[erik]

This study found an interesting thing. Note the subtitle: "Less is more" referring to the lower dose giving better results for most. I assume folks still need to experiment with a doc & find their personal working dose (and this will also vary depending on the goal such as migraine prevention), but don't be surprised if a low dose does the trick for POTS. Also 5mg sounds tiny compared to the high dose used for lowering BP, but not so crazy compared to 20mg in POTS and with a personal sensitivity.

Propranolol Decreases Tachycardia and Improves Symptoms in the Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

(Less is more)

Circulation. 2009;120:725-734

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/120/9/725

Also, if you can't work around a negative response there is always the chance of different BB's being used, especially one that is cardioselective so it doesn't have CNS effects.

[2drummatt]

I have had similar experiences to that on beta blockers (I am on propranolol right now too). I get that weird "stoned" type of feeling as the dose seems to wear off. For me, the effect does seem to fade the longer I've been taking it, and my body has picked up a rhythm where I can't really tell. And I second the small doses...those seem to help me...atleast in terms of feeling dizzy from the drug itself.

hope that helps!