Propranolol 2021-01-16 Person 4 5 0

I was prescribed propranolol because I was experiencing seemingly random panic attacks, as well as for generalized anxiety coupled with being mildly tachycardic (110bpm resting). All three of these have been completely quashed by the drug. The anxiolytic effect is from it suppressing your adrenergic system, which all but eliminates the "fight or flight" fear response. This also makes it very useful for public speaking engagements. Unlike benzodiazepines, it won't address the mental aspect of the anxiety but rather the physical, allowing me to rationalize my way out of it. So let's talk side-effects. In the short term, I experienced an unusual loquaciousness -- a strange urge to vocalize ALL of my thoughts, even when no-one else was present. This passed with time. I also experienced restless legs for a good while. Long term, I feel like it has affected my memory. Time feels like it's going way too fast and I have some trouble recalling memories. I'm told this is reversible and indeed, when I took a little break from the daily pills my memory did return much more clearly. I've also been experiencing shortness of breath from even slight amounts of physical activity, as it artificially lowers your heart rate/blood pressure meaning that your heart can't quite keep up with your body's demand for oxygen under strain. My anxiety was quite crippling so I feel that to be rid of it is more than worth the side effects. I couldn't speak to people, couldn't get a job, and I was an alcoholic from trying to self-medicate. It's solved these problems for me at minimal "cost" so I'm quite satisfied with the results. Yours may vary of course.