Inderal (propranolol) [Beta Blocker]

[summer123]

Does anyone know if Inderal helps with blushing during presentations or other high stress social situations?
Thanks!

[jayf122]

Was prescribed propranolol and it worked great but now I've moved and can't find a doctor that won't give me anything but metoprolol or other long acting ones and the initial doctor visits are getting expensive... Was hoping someone could pm me a reputable site to get some propranolol online? thanks very much.

[Andrew459]

Hi people...

i was at my GP yesterday about my social anxiety i wrote out a big list about my feelings such as from walking along the street having paranoid thoughts thats people are watching me to being shaky and sooo anxious in public she perscribed me straight off Propranolol 40mg tablets 20mg fluoxetine and 10mg Amitriptyline which she said in very low doeses is a mood stableliser...

[JessP]

I was given this medication to help with my severe, crippling social anxiety and psychosis... so far, it hasn't helped with either one.

[Arisa1536]

it wont help social anxiety or psychosis, it works on physical symptoms of anxiety such as sweaty palms, sweating and headaches associated with anxiety and it makes u feel tired because it also lowers your blood pressure right down

the best meds for psychosis tend to be antipsychotics but maybe something a little less severe than drugs like zyprexa and haldol, perhaps even mirtazapine or seroquel would help and for SA there are different antidepressants and anti anxiety benzos too

[drue]

My doctor prescribed 10mg Propranolol for the mild stage fright that I experience during public speaking. I usually split the pills and only take 5mg, which still reduces my physiological reactions. I think that Propranolol is very effective for me because I only experience physical symptoms of anxiety, not cognitive (thought) symptoms.

[Cassyd4]

I have just discovered that I have social anxiety and the triggers change with new experiences. I think that xanax and propranolol are great but you don't want to be completely out of it when you give a presentation or are going to be put on the spot. You have to be comfortable that a little anxiousness is what helps you perform....it's a rush of adrenaline.

Xanax makes me slower so I only take propranolol on a day where I have to be in front of people. It keeps me from wanting to run out of the room at the last second...flight/fright...

[Here4you]

Originally Posted by April01

Yes, Propranolol works wonders for the symptoms...its truly amazing how you see your body cool and under control from those horrible and debilitating fight or flight responses. As far as the mindset...well, for me it has help me during meetings and observations at work. I know that I can continue working and not be worried about my symptoms getting in the way of someone walks in on me by surprise to observe. I take between 10-20 mg daily and I am so thankful. I still need help for presentations though...it's a fear and the propranolol only helps the symptoms. I don't know yet if there is anything out there yet that can help.

I agree with you completely that this drug will take away the phyiscal symptoms of anxiety ! About the fear you mentioned , meditation and rational thinking will cure your fear completely in time . It doesnt happen over night but it works, you have to make it a habit . Just like we made fear a habit. You have to be determind to overcome your fear with a rational/courageous mindset ! And keeping that mindset for months is the key with or without medication . Sometimes I take propranolol alone sometimes I take it with a form of benzo. And sometimes I take nothing and I feel wonderful ! There is nothing you cannot overcome , please trust me . Im here for you .

[jaxen]

Originally Posted by Drew

(Copied over from old review system)

Shared by kim00

Social Anxiety Background
severe social anxiety and panic disorder

Treatment Experience
The university clinic gave me this to help me do class presentations. I was so desperate to believe it would help because my grades depended on it. You're supposed to take 10mg one hour before a presentation, and it's supposed to calm you down by regulating your heartbeat and such.

I decided to give it a test run a few days before my presentation, and it's a good thing I did.

I took 10mg and waited...nothing but a few twinges of chest pain

I took 10 more mg (you're allowed to take up to 40mg a day and it usually takes a higher dose for me to feel much) and I waited. I felt absolutely NO decrease in mental anxiety. I just felt physically "slowed down" in an odd and kind of scary way. It's strange not to be able to hear your own heart beating. There were more of the disturbing chest pains

I was so disappointed that this stupid pill wasn't the performance anxiety miracle the clinic had made it out to be.
So, in short, this pill does nothing (I repeat, nothing) for the mental symptoms of anxiety. Don't expect any help in that department. It only works on a few physical symptoms of anxiety (like rapid heartbeat).
Also, it causes constipation, dry mouth and insomnia. And yeah...the chest pains...scary

Same exact experience for me. In fact, if anything, it made social anxiety worse. I had a very hard time being pro-social on this and it eliminated my humor. It was almost impossible for me to smile or laugh. If I had to give a speech it would have been much worse than without this. I think the anti-anxiety effects of this for a lot of people is just a placebo effect. Placebo effects can be very strong without you even realizing it. Especially for performance situations. That's why so many professionals are very superstitious about the things they do before going on stage. You need adrenaline to perform, without it your a zombie. Too much and you just want to run away. So maybe I'm just low to beginning with, I don't know. But signs would show otherwise. Also an important note, blocking adrenaline increases dopamine. This may be a reason for some, if not most of it's anxiolytic/pro social effects. However, high dopamine levels alone can lead to performance anxiety. There's a very fine line with these neurotransmitters.

[jaytee]

I would like to share my experience about inderal (propronalol)..I am a police officer here in the philippines..My only fear is public speaking, not afraid of apprehending criminals. Now i already made every excuses to avoid speeches and any form of public speaking.But If unavoidable, everytime same situation, heartbeat racing, voice tremors, shaking hands and wobbling legs so I finished quickly without the audience understanding what I have said, embarrassing indeed..Last week, my boss called me for a presentation, lecture to non officers, about hundred of them, damn. So I did research and discover beta blockers, esp propranolol, inderal is the brand name, I bought it over the counter at local drug store. I took 10 mg the morning I left home, traveled for two hours then another 10 mg an hour before my presentation..Lo and behold!! normally when somebody is about to introduce me, panic starts attacking, all i heard is my racing heart, everything is blocked out. But it all changed when I took inderal, i felt calm and composed, physical symptoms of panic are all gone.. I kept talking for about more than an hour, cracks some jokes, wtf! After presentation, other officers congratulate me for a job well done. Then when i was in my car going home, I thought of what I have done, wow! I even thought of resigning before, now i have found the cure to my weakness.. thanks to inderal.

[mrvincent1959]

Great story jaytee...thanks!

I have 300 prop pills with me, but have not needed to take any yet. Love hearing these stories.

People need to understand that this drug is NOT for anxiety per se, it is for the physical symptoms of stage fright in addition to its original intended use.

[jaytee]

Originally Posted by mrvincent1959

Great story jaytee...thanks!

I have 300 prop pills with me, but have not needed to take any yet. Love hearing these stories.

People need to understand that this drug is NOT for anxiety per se, it is for the physical symptoms of stage fright in addition to its original intended use.

That's true..tnx.

[moke64916]

The best beta-blocker and the most effective isn't this one. It's Atenolol. Beta-blockers are cut into 3 categories. B1 selective agent beta-blockers are the most effective. Not the non-selective ones or the b2 selective agents. If your Gunnar get put on a beta-blocker, make sure it's a b1 selective agent. Such as atenolol, Betaxelol, bisoprolol, Celiprolol, Metoprolol. And so forth. The most effective one is Atenolol though.

[Weird Fishes]

Hoping these will help with that "I need to get the f*ck out of here" response ... unfortunately I wasn't given many but if they help I might get some more.

[puffins]

all i can say about beta-blockers is....they have handed my life back to me on a silver platter, for me, this was the cure. My life is now amazing!

[Coincidence]

i used to take 10mg , it worked great ..
but last time i took it would kill me , i bought 40mg instead of 10mg , i don't know why i did that , maybe i thought 10 mg worked good , so 40 would be excellent , after minutes from taking it , i started to sweat and couldn't breath at all and i was about to die ..

[DrSam]

Freezing - do you have asthma?

My experience with propranolol: I used to take 10mg before practical exams (I'm a medical student and these involve examining or talking to fake patients or performing procedures with a scary consultant examining you!) and it really helped me with the physical symptoms I used to get - dry mouth, blushing, racing heart, shaking, wobbly voice etc. I was more able to think clearly and not get overwhelmed with the anxiety.

Recently I started having palpitations every day and so I've taken 80mg of the slow release form. I think that this has made it lose its effectiveness during anxiety-provoking situations though I can't stop taking it though because of bad palpitations.

Has anyone else experienced this wearing-off effect after taking it constantly for a while?

It really was my wonder drug and I don't know how I'm going to cope without its positive effects.

[Coincidence]

Originally Posted by DrSam

Freezing - do you have asthma?

No , i don't know how this happened , i thank god i was at home , i ran to my bed quickly cause i was about to fall .. but i admit it worked great for me .., i used to take it 30 minutes before certain situations .. i mean the 10mg ..

[pikachu]

I LOVE PROPRANOLOL. I could kiss the bottle... but I probably won't.
Completely stops my symptoms of shakiness/racing heart/sweating/cold sweat/shaky legs/tight chest "can't breathe" feelings when I have to do public speaking.

And on normal days I don't have to public speak, I feel much less shaky/sweaty/on edge if I take it in the morning.

I went from almost fainting when I had to give a speech or talk in class before... to actually enjoying it and doing it confidently.

[damage]

Originally Posted by jaytee

I would like to share my experience about inderal (propronalol)..I am a police officer here in the philippines..My only fear is public speaking, not afraid of apprehending criminals. Now i already made every excuses to avoid speeches and any form of public speaking.But If unavoidable, everytime same situation, heartbeat racing, voice tremors, shaking hands and wobbling legs so I finished quickly without the audience understanding what I have said, embarrassing indeed..Last week, my boss called me for a presentation, lecture to non officers, about hundred of them, damn. So I did research and discover beta blockers, esp propranolol, inderal is the brand name, I bought it over the counter at local drug store. I took 10 mg the morning I left home, traveled for two hours then another 10 mg an hour before my presentation..Lo and behold!! normally when somebody is about to introduce me, panic starts attacking, all i heard is my racing heart, everything is blocked out. But it all changed when I took inderal, i felt calm and composed, physical symptoms of panic are all gone.. I kept talking for about more than an hour, cracks some jokes, wtf! After presentation, other officers congratulate me for a job well done. Then when i was in my car going home, I thought of what I have done, wow! I even thought of resigning before, now i have found the cure to my weakness.. thanks to inderal.

Love your story. I have suffered with the same problem for the last 20 years without knowing what to do. I have walked away from several good jobs just because I knew I would have to make a presentation.

So glad it worked for you!! I am waiting for a prescription to arrive so I can try it. I feel like I may have finally found the answer after running from this fear for years.

Hope you go on to become the chief of police and make inspiuring speeches to hundreds if not thousands. Good for you!!