Going off Propranolol Very Scared

[lucyluu]

So I started this med a few weeks ago because of symptoms I was having.  After being on this med a few days I discovered that the side effects are terrible.  I asked my Cardiologist if I could take only 1 pill a day and he said yes.  Yesterday my hair started falling out and Im finding that Im really depressed so I want to go off of it.  When I dropped down to one pill a day from 2 my heart rate instantly spiked again only when I move.  Im more anxious and depressed and I know its because of the med.  Im afraid to just stop because who knows what will happen next but I just dont know what to do.

Is my heart rate going to continue to go up?  How depressed am I going to get here?  How long will this last.  My dose wasnt very large 10mg 2x a day but Im learning that my body hates medicine and Im sensitive to everything.

Im very upset.........

[Toni1707]

Hi I've just been diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks I've been presscibed propraolol 10mg took my 1st tablet this morning although I felt ill I was more dizzy than usual, headache nd sooooo tired which wS hard with a bored 4 year old, I dunno wether I made my self worse because I was panicking about takin it in the 1st place as I'm really bad with pills (1paracetamol sends me tired) I wanna get better and no I should take these so would it be better if maybe I halfed a tablet????

[upbeat633]

I sometimes have terrible anxiety attacks too, which came first the pvcs or the anxiety. It doesn't matter.

What I found helped the best was xanax.

But I am a very bad pill taker.

The thing is though, just having xanax around helps to lessen the vicious cycle of anxiety. Whether I take it or not, I have the option, which means I have some control. That makes me feel better. There is no harm in having the prescription on hand.

[lucyluu]

Well its comforting to know that if I have to go back on the BB that I can be on it a long time and there are no ill effects.  I have now been off 48hours.  The PVC's have picked up but I am also still exhausted from the week of weaning.  I cant wait to see how this goes when Im not tired.  Baby is now sleeping all night too so this could be a wonderful October:)  I met someone else who took Atenolol and they liked it also.  If I have to go back I will ask about it.  

I think anxiety is natural and I wanted to wean off this med without having to take another one.  They prescribed me anxiety pills and I have not taken one yet.  Its hard not to get worked up when you are going through all these weird withdrawal symptoms.

[RNRita]

Different beta blockers work differently in different people!  I was put on Inderal initially many years ago.  I had a terrible time on it.  However, when they put me on atenolol, I thought I died and went to heaven.  Have your doc try you on a different one!  If I had side effects, I didn't care and don't remember.  I am a baby when it comes to drugs because am sensitive to everything and will suffer a lot before I take anything.  I've got horror stories.  But, really, CHANGE BBs!  You might have a pleasant surprise and, yes, take fish oil.  I take about 2000 units a day and I feel a world of difference.  If I forget to take mine, I will start getting PVCs.  Funny, huh?

[jimgreg]

I WAS ON THIS FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE WHEN I 1ST GOT IT AT 19  NOW IM 45..BUT I THINK UR GETTING URSELF ALL WORKED UP..I DONT WANT THIS TO SOUND MEAN,CUZ ITS NOT INTENDE TO BE!!  I KNOW THAT UR VERY WORRIED BUT ANXIETYS WILL MAKE YOU REALLY HYPER..I KNOW IM ON XANAX FOR PANTIC..ITS UNDER CONTROL..AND YOU WILL BE FINE..THERES ALL KINDS OF BETTER MEDS THAN THAT INDERAL  so just  stay calm..good luck to you..

[lucyluu]

I still have not slept well in a few nights.  Last night I was up off and on all night and finally fell asleep at 5am.  I am exhausted and am so happy that my husband is coming home to relieve me of the kids....I have not had a pill since midnight last night which actually that last pill made me feel sick so I am trying hard not to take any today.  I cant wait to see how I feel once I am rested and Ive only had a few PVC's since the tapering. Lets hope things look up for a long time.

Once this is out of my system I hope I am blessed with your sleeping ability:)  My acupuncturist gave me some herbs to help me sleep tonight so Im sure that will help.

[upbeat633]

Did you sleep well? I'm hoping you did, you must have had the thoughts and prayers of so many people here.

I found that after struggling with my own heart issues for so long, when I lay my head on that pillow at night, snorrrrrrrrrrre, I am so exhausted. People ask how I can sleep so easily......well, after using up so much energy during the day to keep a lid on the pvcs, I look forward to going to bed to fall asleep. BUT, please know that if you are apprehensive and anxious about whether or not you will get any sleep,,,,,you will lie there and wonder about it.

I hope that the meds are causing some of this too, because once you are off them, shortly, you might sleep like a baby.

[lucyluu]

Its funny that you talk about God not giving you more than you can handle.  Last night was my second night in a row of going to bed at 4am because of going off this med.  I kept waking up with my heart flip flopping in my chest and some pain.  I finally called the doc at 2am and he said that even with the small dose I was having withdrawals and needed to take a pill so it will stop.  I took one and then felt even worse.  I wanted to put my fist through the wall so I decided to meditate so I could talk with God and you know I finally was able to fall asleep after that.

Its funny too because I never heard a doc use the word homeopathic level until this morning.  Then you posted it.  That is what the Cardiologist said to me that the level of my med was homeopathic and should not be bothering me.  I love how everything is text book until there is an error and then they use words like practice.  

Please say a prayer for me that I sleep tonight.  Im soooo tired:)  

[upbeat633]

Hang in there, I've come to realize God, or the universe, or whatever you believe in, only gives you what you are capable of handling. Yes, somedays it seems like it is too much, but each day you survive, you should realize you DO become stronger as a result.

I have been taking acebutolol for pvcs, and like you, being sensitive to most meds I've been taking only half the lowest prescribed dose. Therefore I patiently open the 200mg capsule and try to measure out as best I can, half the contents into another capsule. My doctor jokes this is like a homeopathic level, but hey, I believe in homeopathic amounts giving great benefit.

I have however noticed my heart is now extremely reactive to activity, or movement of any kind. Still fewer pvcs, but it can go from 65 resting to 90 just walking around the house. While that's not very high, I can feel the difference and it's uncomfortable.

So I know how you are feeling when you walk up those stairs and it's over 100bpm.

I liken it to a bird in a cage waiting to fly away. So I have to make sure the door remains shut. HOW? Getting plenty of sleep, plenty of water, deep breathing to relieve some stress, and saying NO to things I don't want to do but previously felt I should.  

I have also begun to take the acebutolol an hour or two later than I did the day before (I take it once a day). I'm wondering if extending the time between doses might be of benefit to you also if you want to slowly come off of propanolol?

[manny777]

Hi there! when I started taking fish oil it took less than 10 days fot it to start working in me, now I could feel 1 or 2 skips a day and none some days.
got to go to work!

[lucyluu]

thanks I am going to talk to the doc sometime and I wont go all the way off without letting him know.  I know that could be suicide.  I just cant even remember what is normal anymore.  I had Bradycardia right after the birth hr 45 and didnt recover fully for a month or so.  Now that my heart is running at 85 resting it seems like its beating so fast but then I think wait this was normal at one time I think.  Its hard when you throw 9 months of pregnancy in there too.  The 85 doesnt scare me its the 105-110 walking or 117 walking up the stairs this is not normal for me and it seems to make no difference if I take the pill or not so Im just confused.

I cant believe you had that done to your heart.  I would have had a heart attack going into a procedure like that.  Your day to day must be so uncomfortable and here I am complaining about this simple stuff.  Sorry:)

[lagoya]

.Sometimes, the electrical flow gets blocked or travels the same pathways repeatedly creating something of a “short circuit” that disturbs normal heart rhythms so after being on anti-arrhythmias drugs {flecnide etc and i could not tolerate them i was given an ablation ,,this is where they insert wires into the heart to map it{ep study} and locate where the extra cells are misfiring Once the damaged site is confirmed, energy is used to destroy a small amount of tissue, ending the disturbance of electrical flow through the heart and restoring a healthy heart rhythm or simply burn them to stop this ..it is very successful for svt ,afib ,vt and for some in here pvcs ,,,it is micro surgery and while there are risks they are small,,most who do this can come off meds and continue back to a normal lifestyle in a very short space of time......nerve damage i beleive can cause problems with the heart as in the vagus nerve which runs right through the stomach to the colon and links to the heart and thats why most who u might read in here might get heart issues when eating ,,,drinking etc cause this get irriated and send singals etc
i would probably discuss with your doc before stopping the bb all together just to be sure and they have an alternative to the inderal for now ,,,,,,i know i have been on beta blockers that have thrown my hr down to the low 40's but found propranolol to be ok not great but ok

best wishes

[lucyluu]

So you get the spiking heart rate also.  I cant help but wonder if I have nerve damage from the birth 4 months ago.  My heart just keeps getting worse as each month goes by.  I read an article this morning on how nerve damage can effect the heart rate.  If my blood work is fine and my echo was fine and I have had a CT then I dont know what else it could be.  I was getting Neuropathy a few months ago and it went away with Acupuncture.  I wonder if I am just still having issues with my heart.  Question is how do you fix nerve damage?

What is an ablation?  I see that a lot on this site.

I spoke with the Cardiologist last week and he agreed that I could drop to one pill a day and take 1200mg of Omega 3 Fish Oil.  I just dont know how long it will take for the fish oil to make any changes in my body with the PVC's.  My heart is definately not skipping as much since the start of the Fish Oil though.  I will discuss my new findings with the doc and the Acupuncturist and see what they say.

[lagoya]

ok that is difficult for u ---inderal/propranolol is used in anxiety situitions as well -like public speaking -things like that --i dropped to 10 once a day for 2 mths than a half of 10 for about 3 weeks and then just stopped ,,i was on it for a good lenth of time cause i had problems with the anit-arrhythmias drugs ,,i too am very sestivite to meds ,,and it is difficult to find a balance ,,,my hr goes up all the time now most morning it 110-120 but dips down after a while ,i have an another area in my atria firing off ,but it does not hit as hard as before i had the ablation,,,and does not last as long .i didn't know it could do that to a persons hair ,but i know i used to get cold easily on it ,and tired,in fact since i stopped my heart feels better but that is cause it is probably allowed to go up and down naturally.....sleep is very important for all functions in the body and lack of it will cause symptoms down the line,,,have u tried a low dose anxiety med ...one that is well tolerated and not on a everyday basis ,just on the days u feel flagged ......i would feel inderal has no use for pvcs ,but it may help some ,,drinking more water,trying the fish oils ,cq10 30mg a day is also good ,and some good exercise something u enjoy and make u feel good are all helpfull
i hope u feel better soon and have a good day tomorrow
have u discussed this with your doc

[lucyluu]

I know this is small but over the years every med I take is a childrens dose and I react to it for some reason.  There are very few meds that I can take successfully.  I always try with an open mind and end up regretting it big time.  

So how long did you take 10 1 a day?  How long did your heart rate stay up?  Did you have any bubbling sensations near your heart?

The hair issues is right in the side effect list that came with the bottle.  At first it was a little and now its just daily handfuls that come out in the shower.  I just grew my hair back from an episode with another med.  I dont want to go through that again.

I have had all blood work done under the sun and all is ok.  They have no idea why I am having my PVC's which is fine.  At the ER my heart rate was high because I was dehydrated and had anxiety but the doc still wanted me on this med.  He made me feel like I was going to die if I didnt take it but that is how I feel right now.  Im scared and trying to make it till morning.  Tomorrow is going to suck because both my little ones are home and I just cant stay asleep.

[lagoya]

10mg is a small amount i was 20mg twice a day for 16mts and while they do make u tired i found it to be ok, in fact it was the only bb that suited me in the end ,this was before my ablation and for a while after i went down to 10 1 a day and now i dont take it at all for a couple of weeks my hr went up a bit but i have to say i feel better off it now but can take it every now and then if my hr jumps to an uncomfortable place ....i am not sure about the hair falling out ...have u had your thyroid checked
if u need a beta blocker there are others more selective
have u tried just taking a half ,at a go