Faintinggoat Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 I have been kind of MIA off and on this past week or so. I was put on coreg, and I saw some really promising effects of it at first, but after that it just went down hill. I've been more dizzy, more tired and sleeping all the time. So my doctor decided to switch me to propranolol. I know there have been other posts about it in the past, but can anyone chim in on if they have taken propranolol and what it was like for them. Fainting Goat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 I have mcas but before we knew that I was put on 1/2 of the smallest dose possible. It was like night of the living dead....I was a complete zombie for 5 days. Then I realized it was the med and stopped it and returned to my normal brand of bad. I don't know if it's because I have mcas that I had such a strong adverse reaction but my immunologist said that what happened with me can happen from this med but normally it takes much higher doses before he sees this reaction. I have other obscure med reactions too, so my experience is not necessarily the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 I took it for a couple years and it was very helpful. I was told by my doc that it was short acting so eventually my POTS doc changed me to nadalol to get better coverage in symptoms. Propanalol was one of the most helpful meds I have taken for my POTS. Just goes to show how we are all so different.Good luck with your trial of the med. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faintinggoat Posted November 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 Thanks for the responses. The reaction you had to propranolol, Katybug, is pretty much the reaction that I had to coreg. I had some more tolerance to stairs and walking (e.g., It didn't always feel like my heart was going to pound right out of my chest), but I definitely have been a zombie since about a week after I started it. Sleeping all the time, zombieish when I am awake, and I was on the lowest dose twice a day. Chaos, I will keep nadalol in mind if I have a similar response, and keep it in my pocket to bring up with my doctor. I hope that I have some more success on this med. As I mentioned above, I was having some good responses to the Coreg, but it just wasn't enough to justify the bad side effects I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 Good thing about propanalol is it's short acting (assuming you don't have the LA form) so hopefully it won't take you a long time to recover if you react badly to it. Hopefully your doc is also starting you on a really low dose. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faintinggoat Posted November 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 yup we're starting at 20mg/3X daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 I took metoprolol before propanolol and I didn't have the "zombie" effect from that. I did have a stronger feeling of chest compression and shortness of breath but we know now that this was because I have mcas and beta blockers are contraindicated for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E Soskis Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 I take 40mg of propranolol every 4 hours - even in the middle of the night. I have taken it for at least 7 years and have had no problems. My problems occur when I miss a dose - I am so used to waking up at night that I don't even have to set the clock anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigskyfam Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 I took it for one day. Discontinued after loss of vision, given rx for nadalol. Haven't started. Working on lifestyle changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigskyfam Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 Esoskis.....Do you have any symptoms? How high does your hr spike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faintinggoat Posted November 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 bigskyfam, that's right! I knew I read a post about it recently, but for the l couldn't for the life of me remember who posted or what the post was about. Keep us updated on how things are going for you! I hope that you can find something that works for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaddico Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 I was on it when I was pregnant in my 3rd trimester with sinus tachycardia ( resting heart rate over 140's) . I felt awful before I started and it helped me a lot. I was on bedrest and could not tolerate much of anything due to the sinus tachycardia and shortness of breath. Morning sickness until delivery didn't help matters either but propranolol was a life saver.I restarted immediately after my C-section because my heart rate was still in the 130's resting . I was on it for few weeks after delivery since its not advisable to stopped it abruptly, I gradually cut back and finally stopped the medicine in some few weeks with the help of my cardiologist. I normally have heart rate in high 90's to less than 110 resting. I hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KareBear Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Faintinggoat, it took me over a month to adjust to propranolol but my doc encouraged me to stick with it and not skip a single dose despite how horrible it made me feel and I have to say it is the one med that has helped me the most! I take 40mg 3xday. The first 4-6 weeks are so were tough, it made my symptoms worse and couldn't barely get up, but then suddenly it was like a switch flipped on and and my body adjusted to it and it has helped more than anything else. Helps the heart rates stay consistent, no more chest pains, and my bp doesn't even drop as low as it used to anymore. Of course I still feel horrible and unable to function like a normal person but it made a big difference. I feel like my cardiac symptoms have leveled out and are more normal. I hope it helps you too. It's the first beta blocker that has helped and I tried many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castronovo112587 Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Propranolol was not a good drug for me. I could not breathe on it I kept getting coughing attacks and waking up in the middle of the night short of breath with my heart racing as my pulmonologist said beta blockers are known to contract the vessels in your lungs. It made me more out of breath and all my symptoms worse and gave me this constant burning feeling in my chest. It is also a pain to ween off of I was on it for about 2months and took me 6 weeks to wean off as it has to be done slow as your bp and heart rate can sky rocket (my bp did to 160/110 and heart rate wacky. Glad it helps some people but it was nothing but misery for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castronovo112587 Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 And just to add I do not have asthma or any lung problem so that's not why propranolol was having me these symptoms I only ever seen a pulmonologist while on this med. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E Soskis Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Bigskyfam: I take propranolol for the paradoxical effects - my heart rate actually is too low but, the beta-blocker strengthens my heart beat and makes it more effective and strangely enough, does not lower the rate any further - I should mention I have a pacemaker. My intrinsic rate is 20-40 beats/minute, the pacemaker keeps it in the 70's-80's - too high rate for me is 100. I don't think I have been over 100 in at least 7 years. This is why I cannot exercise - I can't place any extra demands upon my heart muscle - it can't compensate by increasing the rate - so, the rate just drops out and I have long pauses with no heart beat, hence, the pacemaker insertion..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faintinggoat Posted November 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Thank you all for your responses. I know knew that there have been lots of people who have had a lot of success and a lot of failures with Propranolol. I am still keeping my fingers crossed! Rosey, one of the reasons we started with Coreg is because apparently it has less of an affect on the lungs. I have persistent asthma, so that has been a big worry with beta blockers. I will be sure to keep an eye on my lungs. I just took my last dose of the day, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnie22 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Just to add to the mix. I was on propanalol as my first drug, and although it probably contributed to my exhaustion, it was hard to tell. Then I was put on Coreg 40 mg and it had really weird effects on me, never felt right, couldn't keep my bp high enough so eventually I switched back to the short acting propanalol, 20 mg twice a day. After quite a while, it began to affect my bp much more, and so I had to lower the dosage to 10mg in the AM and 10 mg 6 hours later, but then the later dose began to bottom out my bp so now I only take it once a day, in the AM. I don't know why it became so potent for me, and I will probably be switching to a low dose of atenalol which I never have tried. I don't know if anyone else has found propanalol to become so much more powerful on bp, but that's my story. As far as HR, it's been good, although 10 mg just keeps it below 100 standing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faintinggoat Posted November 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Lynnie, that is exactly what was happening to me on Coreg. I was having very weird symptoms, I was EXTREMELY exhausted/sleeping all the time, and my blood pressure was down to 90/50 (generally my BP is actually quite normal). I hope that if you switch to atenalol that it is helpful for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnie22 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 Weird how that is. Good luck on propanalol, Faintinggoat. I think in truth ALL betablockers make people tired, it's just how much each one affects us. Since I've been on all these betablockers, my bp has become very abnormal, although it took a couple of years -- extreme lows in the evening on propanalol, extreme highs without it some evenings. Perhaps some of our autonomic nervous systems as crazy as they are become even more affected by certain drugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigskyfam Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 I wish I could be monitored while trying these meds... I know I freak out about little things and on the flipside shrug off things that may be a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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