Propranolol for Anxiety

Anxiety disorder is a disease that a large number of people around the world experience. Many people sometimes experience strong anxiety, which lasts for a while and then ends. People may feel anxiety for many reasons related to various life situations. In comparison with ordinary feeling of anxiety, anxiety disorders can last for a long period of time, and with time they can get worse and be harmful for a human’s health.

The nature of mental disorders is not fully discovered and it’s very difficult to determine the cause of anxiety disorders. The factors such as the environment, stress levels and human’s genetics are thought to affect the predisposition to mental disorders.

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Anxiety disorders can be of different types and each type of the disorder has its own specific symptoms. There are general symptoms that can help to determine that a person has some kind of mental disorders. Typically, these common symptoms are: numbness and tingling in the hands or feet, sleeping problems, rapid heartbeat, increased fear and anxiety, nausea, trembling, dizziness. If you observe any of the symptoms and they do not pass for a long time, then this is a reason to consult a doctor, as these conditions can cause great harm to your health.

Usually, if you have been diagnosed with any kind of a mental disorder, then medication treatment and psychotherapy may be prescribed. You should tell your doctor everything about all the symptoms you are experiencing so that your doctor could correctly recognize the type of the mental disorder you have and prescribe the correct treatment. The treatment of mental disorders is a long process that takes time and patience, but modern medical treatment of the disease will allow the patient to lead a habitual way of life.

One of the medications that can be prescribed to the patients suffering from mental disorders may be the medication Propranolol. This drug is a beta-blocker and it may be useful for the treatment of physical symptoms of social anxiety. This medicine is used to briefly relieve a strong feeling of anxiety. Also, the drug Propranolol can alleviate such symptoms of anxiety as tachycardia and sweating, as well as symptoms of the fear of the public. One of the advantages of the drug Propranolol is a small number of possible side effects, so this medication is safe for the majority of the patients.

However, the drug has some disadvantages and the patients should know about them. If the symptoms of social anxiety are very strong, then beta-blockers sometimes cannot provide a patient with a sufficient relief. If a patient has low blood pressure or heart diseases, then this drug will not be suitable. It is not recommended to take Propranolol within patients suffering with asthma and other respiratory diseases. You should consult your doctor before taking this drug if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Do not take this medication if you have asthma, chronic lung disease, diabetes, or some heart diseases. You should also not take Propranolol if you suffer from severe depression.

Propranolol has almost no side effects, but in some cases, patients experience the following side effects: slow pulse, drowsiness, light dizziness, short term memory loss, insomnia, lethargy, diarrhea, numbness or tingling of the fingers and toes, cold arms and legs.

Propranolol is usually taken in a dosage of 20-40 mg per hour before a stressful situation. The drug can be prescribed in combination with Alprazolam and Imipramine.