beta blockers

Hi,

 

Whats your guys take on beta blockers in order to stop days and days on end of panic?

 

I've been having days and days of panic, where I can't eat, sleep, this went on for two weeks and I broke down and took klonopin last night. But I don't want to go back on it. What's your thoughts on this?

 

I tapered slowly at the end, but my system just seems so sensitive to adrenaline, one of my siblings has a heart sensitivity to adrenaline and was on beta blockers for years for a tachycardia. Said it really helped his anxiety too.

 

Does anyone have experience with using beta blockers?

 

I just feel that I need something to get past the initial stage of this, not like a long term thing.

 

Thanks,

Ashley

Hi Ashley

 

You poor thing. That is awful.

 

I took inderal (deralyn) for about 3or4 days, and it did not rev the symptoms. But it gave me a ghastly lethargy, on top of the existing fatigue, so I stopped.

 

When I stopped, it gave me a fresh "mini-withdrawal" for a couple of days. I can't recall what those new things were, but it definitely included fresh anxiety symptoms. It is addictive, so it needs to be tapered.

 

I am very sensitive though. I have read where others have used it and we're glad they did.

 

Seems to be a suck it and see. I put anti-depressants in (suffered through the awful 2weeks of getting them in), and have so far had very little anxiety at all. Not sure if it is the anti-dep or what.....

 

Hope you can work something out!

 

Viking

Hi,

 

Whats your guys take on beta blockers in order to stop days and days on end of panic?

 

I've been having days and days of panic, where I can't eat, sleep, this went on for two weeks and I broke down and took klonopin last night. But I don't want to go back on it. What's your thoughts on this?

 

I tapered slowly at the end, but my system just seems so sensitive to adrenaline, one of my siblings has a heart sensitivity to adrenaline and was on beta blockers for years for a tachycardia. Said it really helped his anxiety too.

 

Does anyone have experience with using beta blockers?

 

I just feel that I need something to get past the initial stage of this, not like a long term thing.

 

Thanks,

Ashley

 

Yes, before I was prescribed Xanax I'd occasionally take propranolol and it did work for my anxiety symptoms, but left me feeling slightly depressed.  Fast forward to years later and I'm now taking atenolol for hypertension, and it has helped me with withdrawal also, mainly by slowing my heart rate, which is naturally fast and preventing palpitations.

 

If your anxiety/panic is debilitating it might be worth a try for you--you'd be put on a very low dose, much lower than what I'm on now, but the lower the dose the easier it would be to come off of later. 

 

Megan

I take a beta blocker anyhow for cardiac issues and when it had to be increased I noticed a definite decrease in my anxiety. Maybe something to think about. Of course if you don't have a cardiac issue and don't have to stay on the bb after you're done with benzos, then you would need to taper slowly off the beta blocker. Talk to your doctor. It may be an option for you.

Hi Ashley,

 

I was taking a beta-blocker as needed (1/4 of the lowest dose) during my first 2 months off,i still take it sometimes when things get bad.It helps for palpitations,shaking and sweating ( anxiety,panic attack) but it helps only with physical staff and not with emotional.Anyway it helped me a lot.Keep in mind that it lowers both heart rate and Blood Pressure.

 

I am using Propranolol for Akathisia  due to a side effect from another ant-psychotic medication. After I came off the beta blocker and Ant-psychotic I still had the restlessness and anxiety . I asked my Doctor to put me back on it and it has helped not only my anxiety but also my withdraw symptoms . The VA uses Propranolol for Anxiety and PTSD for veterans  . I am on a small amount .5 mg twice a day. It works for me . MM

Just wanted to update you guys, I went to my doc, and she decided to put me on Bisoprolol Fumarate (Zebeta). She has me on a small dose to start with, 1.25 mg, then I'm allowed to up it to 2.5 mg tomorrow. Although I accidentally took the 2.5 mg the first day, and it helped some, this 1.25 mgs is doing almost nothing.

 

It definitely helps with the heart adrenaline feeling and tightness some, but doesn't seem to last, it wears off. I guess it's a trial and error sort of thing.

 

I know it only works on the physical, that's what I was going for, I've been through enough psychoactive drugs in my lifetime. It's not just withdrawal, I've had crippling social anxiety for years, that adrenaline feeling in my heart has been there my entire life, but withdrawal has made it all so much worse. I'm glad my doctor is on board with trying this approach. I wonder if other ones would have worked better for my situation, I guess it's too early to tell. Just curious cause none of you have mentioned Bisoprolol Fumarate (Zebeta) for anxiety.

 

Ashley

My beta blocker is carvedilol. I don't have a medical background but I imagine they all work in roughly the same way -- reduce bp, which reduces palpitations. I know that they are sometimes prescribed off label for anxiety.

 

My doctor once prescribed vistaril for me for anxiety (you can google it). It's an antihistamine that is prescribed for its sedative and anti-anxiety properties. It didn't work well for me -- it was too sedating -- but you can read about it, and maybe some other buddies will chime in and share their experiences with it if they've tried it.

 

Hope you find something that works for you. Good luck.

Hi-

I really am "pro" betablockers if you do not have the tired, exhausted feeling I have heard others state they have encountered. I have not had such, propranolol has been a great help to me.  I am on  an extremely high dose, but most are started out on a relatively low dose. My baseline is 80 mg propranolol QAM.  I have had to incorporate an extra 1/2 tab (40 mg) in the eveings.  To most this dose would be mind blowing, but I am dealing with a significant benzo intake. The propranolol does exactly what a betablocker is supposed to do; for me (I am lucky there).  Will see how my propranolol intake goes as I start my taper. 

Good luck.

Beta blockers made a world of difference to me in the beginning when my resting heart-rate was 180 and I had severe rebound anxiety (I had to go cold turkey). They allowed me to function relatively normally - for example, I had to go to a couple of work meetings, and they got me through the meetings even though I felt like absolute hell. At least they steadied my hands and made me less susceptible to every single noise - all noises sounded unbearably loud at that point. I am a huge fan of beta blockers and still take the odd one if I'm going through a bad wave and have to attend a meeting.

Atenolol helped with my palps. I don't need it any longer.

I have been curious about adding a beta blocker on a PRN basis to my Remeron & Klonopin regimen that I take daily. I just started the Clonazepam yesterday at 0.25 mg taken twice daily, and I've noticed that it seems to increase my heart rate a bit. I'm not sure if that's a side effect that will go away with time on the medication, but one of my chief triggers of anxiety is my physiological state (I take my pulse more often than I probably should), so I'd definitely prefer the Kpin to lower my HR and thus alleviate a source of my anxiety.

 

I may ask for a low dose of propranolol at my next pdoc appt.