Propranolol and Dizziness: What Users Say (Page 3)

• F C...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 21, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "52-year-old female; BP 139 for almost 2 years. Then suddenly I have ringing in my ear, vertigo (Ménière’s disease), vision problems, and severe back pain all came at once. Tested in the doctor’s office and systolic was 150; immediately put on Inderal (10 mg b.i.d.). It instantly cured my above symptoms but started to have chest tightness, very tight, always gasping for air... and a bit of a headache after 3 weeks or so. As well as very unstable and fluctuating heartbeat... sometimes 101 and resting 55 bpm. Very uncomfortable, will discuss with the doc this Sat. and see what he thinks."

• Gra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 2, 2018

For Performance Anxiety "I've never written a review like this before, but the others on here helped me, so... Performance anxiety had plagued me for years. I wouldn't sleep for weeks leading up to a presentation and would think about it constantly. I found ways to avoid public speaking in the past but got a new job that required me to present regularly. I actually ended up having a full-blown attack in front of my boss and others. Dizzy, couldn't find my words, shaking, etc. Had to walk out of the room humiliated. Propranolol was a miracle for me. Completely took away the panic symptoms. You will go up there anticipating that feeling to hit, and it simply never will. You'll feel calm. No racing heart or shaking voice. You'll be focused and confident. Try it!"

• Ghg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2017

For Anxiety "My anxiety is out of control. I will panic over anything. Hate taking medication. Was on sertraline but felt very sleepy and out of it. Now Doc gave me propranolol. Have taken one a few days ago and felt better but afraid to take another. My heartbeat is going crazy, and I have high blood pressure, also a hernia and lots of stomach pains. Also, I get these weird dizzy feelings in my head, although I have never fainted. Had a few heart tests but been told anxiety. It's hard to believe as I feel dreadful and I don't sleep much."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 5, 2012

Propranolol for Migraine Prevention "I'm 15 and have been getting bad migraines for about a year. I have been taking Inderal for a few weeks. I have felt carsick for almost the entire time I've been on this medication, I have been really emotional and have not had an appetite, and I have been very dizzy and am still getting headaches."

• Mem...
• June 12, 2019

For Performance Anxiety "I told myself I would post a review once I tried this medication when I knew I would be presenting. So the day of, I took 10 mg in the morning, 10 mg an hour before the presentation, and another 10 mg 20 mins before. I am 5'0 and weigh about 108 lbs. It did make me a bit dizzy, slightly, but not enough to let me lose my train of thought. My eyes felt a little heavy too. It may be that the dosage was too much for me, but I was so worried it would not work if I did not take enough. Anyway, when it comes my turn to speak, I felt I was nervous, but I did not have any of my usual tremors, shaky voice, thwarting eye movement, or fight or flight response. It was manageable, and I was able to speak through what I had to say. I did not give a perfect presentation, but my physiology not attacking me was more than enough to make me feel that I did!!! I was not humiliated as I would normally feel. I did have insomnia after and am not sure if it is the drug or I was so excited that I got through that ordeal."

• ADa...
• December 31, 2019

Propranolol "I began taking Inderal LA 60 mg about a week ago to slow my HR due to having massive panic attacks. Although the medicine has worked miracles in keeping my HR down, the side effects are pretty bad. I feel very tired all the time and occasionally dizzy and lightheaded."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 20, 2022

For Anxiety "I use Propranolol 40 mg - 3 times a day for anxiety and panic attack when needed. It’s fantastic medicine, feel like a new person, wow. Side effects are very low in the first few weeks - (dizziness) for some."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 30, 2021

For Migraine Prevention "Amazing! I was on three other medications for migraines before this, and they all made them worse. I was ready to give up, and I thought I would have to live with these migraines forever since they were an everyday thing. I say maybe two weeks in I hadn’t even noticed, but the migraines were almost gone. The first week, of course, is the worst! I had the dizziness and was lightheaded and would need to lay down, but now, oh man, I forgot how life felt without a migraine!"

• Loo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 20, 2019

For Anxiety "My doc put me on propranolol at a small dose of 2.5 mg for situational anxiety. The main plus with this med is it is the only one that is not addictive. It does, however, play up with your heart rhythm, slows you right down, and makes you sweat a lot. It makes you incredibly dizzy too. I would not recommend taking propranolol in hot weather because it will raise your heart rate and sweating. The only thing that made me cease this medication quickly was that I am asthmatic. I would not recommend propranolol if you are an asthmatic. It is contraindicated in asthma, so you should not be prescribed propranolol as it will make your asthma worse! It would feel like a hand was grabbing at my throat every night, and it took 3 weeks to withdraw from this med after 6 days of use. Not for everyone, but it is the safest anti-anxiety med. Better than Valium."

• Sma...
• June 2, 2016

For Migraine Prevention "I used this drug for 7 years for my headaches as well as panic attacks. Just since about 4 months ago, I started feeling really dizzy and lightheaded. My doctor is saying that she thinks it is being caused by this med. So I had to go through a 6-week detox to get off of it. Not at all fun, I was very sick the whole time. I loved the drug when it worked, but now I am left feeling awful because I have nothing to take its place."

• Ste...
• February 12, 2018

For Performance Anxiety "I am very outgoing and gregarious, however, when I have to public speak, my anxiety goes into overdrive. So I was terrified when I found out I had to MC a wedding with hundreds of people a few weeks before, so I went to my doctor, who recommended 10 mg of propranolol at 2 hours and another 10 mg 1 hour before. All I can say is that it saved me unlike any medication ever has. My heartbeat was steady, my face unflushed, and my voice calm and confident. I actually was able to enjoy the experience!! I now take it for interviews and presentations in law school and have found similar success. I also have no side effects to report other than I felt dizzy when I combined it with alcohol, but that is obvious, and I should have been more careful. Great medication!"

• Alf...
• November 22, 2019

For Performance Anxiety "This propranolol medicine is good. I am a musician, a singer. I don't have much problem when performing on stage for a song or playing my musical instrument, but if I have to make a presentation at work, I will be terrified and will think about it for days because of bad experiences with panic attacks and extreme anxiety, palpitations, dizziness, etc. Make sure you know the right dosage for you and don't take it with other hypertension meds because it will lower your blood pressure. I took 20 mg 1.5 hours before my presentation, another 20 mg 1 hour before, and 10 mg 15 minutes before. It didn't really calm me down, I still felt a bit of anxiety during my presentation, but I was scared to take more because of the aftereffects of lower pulse, blood pressure, dizziness, tiredness, and a little wheezing throughout the day, which I experienced before."

• Pau...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2022

For Anxiety "I smoked cannabis for 6 years straight, every day, right up until two months ago when I noticed having spliffs was bringing on palpitations and I felt generally weird. I worked every day but never high, even though these feelings of anxiety would carry over till the morning. So I stopped smoking. This brought on a whole load of stress and more anxiety to the point I now have generalized anxiety disorder. The only catch is I'm a high-functioning anxiety, so I can still socialize, go to work, do tasks like everyone else, but inside I have racing thoughts. I feel as if I'm dying or living with an illness. I can go dizzy or feel like I'm falling. Yes, when the doctor put me on propranolol, you do feel back on planet Earth, but you can build a tolerance fast, so just monitor yourself. Well, it's not like you ain't anyway. After taking my two 10 mg doses of propranolol, I'm currently having flutters (it sucks). My anxiety causes me to feel like I'm falling, heart races, my vision has trails, and hot flushes, etc."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2021

For Anxiety "I've been experiencing work-related stress, and it's become so bad that I started experiencing dizziness, chest pressure (like something constantly weighing on my chest), and exhaustion (my ex, with whom I live, referred to me as a zombie!). I contacted my GP today, and she had prescribed 40 mg Propranolol, which I started taking tonight. I have to be careful as I'm asthmatic, but I seem okay so far. The medication started working within the hour. (Psychosomatic?) I definitely felt calmer and happier!! But now it's 1 am, I'm hyper, can't sleep, and my anxiety has returned tenfold. Does the medication tend to work for longer as you build up the dose? Or does it always wear off after a few hours?"

• Car...
• November 17, 2021

For Anxiety "Had really severe panic attacks 5 times a day, doctor prescribed me propranolol and I was desperate to try anything. It definitely stopped my panic attacks physically, but I still had anxious thoughts and had horrible side effects. I was extremely lightheaded, dizzy, felt weird pins and needles in certain places, just didn’t agree with my body and made me feel like a zombie. This ended up increasing my anxiety. Might be good to take as needed but definitely bad for long-term use in my opinion. I was also on such a low dose of 10 mg 2x daily so I was surprised it reacted with me this way. I stopped this medication 3 days ago and am still feeling effects but it’s definitely better, just want to feel normal again."

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 20, 2021

For Migraine Prevention "Have been using this for about two months, in addition to usual topiramate. Has had an immediate good effect - from 15 headache days per month now down to 6 days per month. Had some side effects in the first two weeks with dizziness when heart rate dipped too much. But reducing the dose helped with that and have gradually increased the dose again since then."

• hie...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 15, 2024

For Anxiety "I took one pill of propranolol hydrochloride extended release 25 hr 60 mg for the first time. I was on propranolol hydrochloride 10 mg for about 2 weeks and felt fine. This first time 60 mg dose, in addition to losartan HCTZ 50/12.5 mg for some reason causes my blood pressure to be at 160/111 and heart rate at 102 BPM. Additionally, I had diarrhea and dizziness associated. These effects seemed to be short (about 2 - 3 hours). I asked my doctor a question about the interaction between propranolol and losartan and see if I need to reduce the dosage from either or both down to build better tolerance. The question required an appointment. I really like propranolol 10 mg. I am hoping the 60 mg long-acting version will not cause me any adverse effects."

• med...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 10, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "Propranolol 10 mg three times a day does good in lowering your blood pressure, slowing your heart rate, and helping to decrease anxiety. Might give you dry mouth or dizziness, though."

• Dei...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 18, 2021

For Anxiety "Helps with physical anxiety symptoms, but sometimes feels dizzy and very lightheaded."

• Anonymous
• November 10, 2011

For High Blood Pressure "It was to help me with my headaches. It did at first, then I started with headaches every day again and made my legs ache. So I stopped taking it. Also, made me dizzy."

• PTS...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 13, 2014

For Panic Disorder "Propranolol does help a bit with panic attacks, but not all that much. It does not have too many discernible side effects besides some dizziness."