Safe to take Inderal?

My doctor prescribed 20mg of Inderal daily for a public speaking phobia and anxiety.  When I take it, I find that it's slightly more difficult to breathe and that I have an itchy feeling in my chest w/ a minor dry cough.  I have always had mild asthma, though for the last several years, it has been extremely well controlled.  I have only used albuterol once in the past 3-4 years.  I've never visited a hospital for an asthma attack.  I'm wondering if it's safe for me to take Inderal given its propensity to exacerbate asthma and whether my asthma would worsen while taking it?  I don't want to give it up b/c it's so effective in treating the previously mentioned conditions.  We had a plan for me to take it temporarily until I could engage in some exposure therapy to overcome my fears.  What to do??  My doc said to keep taking it, that my symptoms were probably just anxiety, but I assured her that I really thought it was the medicine, so she said to stop taking it for peace of mind.  Problem is that without it, I have no peace of mind.  

[National Jewish Health]

Yes, Inderal and similar drugs (beta blockers) can worsen asthma, at least to the extent of causing acute worsening of breathing, for a few hours after the drug is taken.  However, I know of no evidence that using this drug in this fashion has any effect on the long-term (months-years) course of asthma.  I assume that you are taking the short-acting form of the drug and, in that instance, the symptoms you describe should subside in several hours.  Another possibility would be to attempt to counter-act the untoward effects of Inderal by also taking a couple puffs of albuterol, but you would want to check this out with your doctor, before giving that a try.

I have had some experience with patients who opted to take Inderal for performance anxiety and got relief.  I mention this because, in those instances, we found that a surprisingly small dose, of 5-10 mg of the drug, would provide the desired effect, and not cause any respiratory problems.  You might want to discuss this with your doctor.

Good luck