Propranolol and Fatigue: What Users Say (Page 2)

• ms ...
• February 19, 2014

For Arrhythmia "Tried other meds for arrhythmia, but all had side effects I couldn't deal with. This one was most tolerable, although it causes some fatigue and dizziness at times, which are issues I already deal with-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I try to take it at night or at a time when I can rest after taking it if I need to."

• XJA...
• July 11, 2016

For Anxiety "I ended up having frequent urination, muscle pain, twitching, and major fatigue. Pressure headaches and pain in my left leg and stomach cramps. I stopped 3 days ago and am already feeling better, this has been the worst thing I have ever taken."

• Fiz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 20, 2019

For Migraine Prevention "This really helps my migraines, but I'd like to give it up because of the side effects. Fatigued and low energy. I would describe it as constantly feeling 'apathetic'. I'd like an alternative, but it seems that if a drug has a side effect of 'fatigue', I will experience it."

• Fiz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 20, 2019

For Migraine Prevention "This really helps my migraines, but I'd like to give it up because of the side effects. Fatigued and low energy. I would describe it as constantly feeling 'apathetic'. I'd like an alternative, but it seems that if a drug has a side effect of 'fatigue', I will experience it."

• Hap...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 2, 2024

For Performance Anxiety "This drug has saved my life and career. I was bullied a lot in school and experienced severe trauma with presenting in school, which followed on to uni, work, and life. At one stage in my life, I avoided presenting for years, calling in sick at work or doing all other parts of uni assignments instead of presenting. But you reach a point where you understand that presenting is the only thing holding you back. Long story short, I discovered this drug last year through Google (lol) and it's honestly been a lifesaver... reading other comments, I seem to take a higher dosage than others. 20 mg 90 mins before presenting, 40 mg 60 mins before, and anywhere from 20-40 mg 30 mins before. I sometimes experience a bad night's sleep on the days I do take Propranolol and sometimes feel a bit fatigued 3-4 hours into the drug (but that could be because of my higher dosage). I hope to one day take less and less of the drug to alleviate some of the side effects, but for now, I'm happy with everything."

• Sed...
• November 30, 2015

For Migraine Prevention "This drug has been wonderful! I had a feeling of being off-balance (not true vertigo, though) with my almost daily migraines. I started this medication about 9 months ago and have had only 5 migraines, and they were very mild and easily managed. The only negative is it does give you some fatigue. I also suffer from anxiety, and this drug has helped tremendously on that front since I often ended up with tachycardia during a panic attack, and this drug lowers your heart rate and stops that 'fight or flight' response."

• Kla...
• January 14, 2018

Propranolol for Migraine Prevention "Using Inderal LA 80 mg since Nov. 7th, 2017. The side effects were quite strong (heart rate low (45-50), fatigue, etc.), so I take now a 60 mg dose (since Nov. 22nd). In 2 months, I had only 5 mild migraines. More interestingly, since Dec. 16th, no migraine at all. I used to have 8 to 10 migraines per month on average! The only problem is the side effects that are still there, though less. When I do exercise, even light ones like walking, I feel tired and weak. I feel like my heart cannot fully give me the power to cope with its need. Before that, I tried 2 types of antidepressants, to no avail. I cannot take hormones for other medical reasons. Inderal is working, and I am happy. But..."

• Cur...
• May 7, 2016

For Performance Anxiety "As other users have stated, I have had severe stage fright anxiety since I was in high school. I dread presentations, I would avoid them at all costs! But it has come to a time in my life when I could avoid them no more, so I did some Googling, and this wonderful drug came up. I went to my doc, he said it was safe to use. I took 20 mg 1.5 hrs before my speech, I was skeptical, though! But when it was my turn, I got up and felt nothing. It was amazing! My usual fight-or-flight response was gone! No rapid pounding heart, no sweats, no shakes, no nervous voice, NOTHING! I was cool and calm, it was unbelievable! I would recommend it to anyone suffering from severe performance anxiety. But also note it does make you feel a little sluggish. Good luck!"

• Nat...
• January 11, 2013

For Migraine Prevention "I have read most of the posts. I am so glad this medicine has helped so many, but unfortunately, I am one of the few that it did the opposite. I have been on Topamax, a bit effective, but I created a fast resistance to it, and the constant 'idiot' mode, fatigue, tingling, and memory loss made me decide to ask him to change me to something else. Since you can't be taken off Topamax cold turkey, I was advised to take 50 mg and one 60 mg of propranolol. The first 5 minutes, it felt like I had taken a good 5 shots of tequila without the gagging. After that, I felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice water on me and then a nasty migraine... 4 hours later, I'm without a breath, barely feeling my legs."

• ZZA...
• November 17, 2016

For Benign Essential Tremor "For a year, I had been taking one (40 mg) once a day, and it definitely helped my tremors. However, it did cause a lack of energy, weight gain, as well as too large a drop in blood pressure levels, causing dizziness. Now, I only take one if I'm having a bad day of tremors. It helps but takes a long time to kick in."

• Che...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 9, 2020

For Anxiety "I have had symptoms of anxiety from a small age that has just progressed into adolescence, where it morphed into panic attacks and physical illness due to stressful or anxious situations. As an active teenager, I take part in a lot of social and competitive situations, such as sports and leadership roles in cadets. The physical manifestation of anxiety-cold sweats, shaking, sickness, lightheadedness, tiredness, chest pain, etc.-is painful and stressful, especially since I manage it mentally very well and can't seem to stop my body's automated response. I was prescribed 60mg of propranolol, which has absolutely no effect. I get side effects such as cold hands and feet and fatigue. Other than that, all anxiety symptoms continue to persist. I have been taking the medication for over half a year, and it has been no different in that time. However, everyone is different, and my cousin had a very bad reaction on 10mg, which made her very ill. So I can't say much for it. Sorry."

• Ber...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 28, 2016

For Migraine Prevention "Had migraines for 7 years. Took Fioricet for pain, which works well, but I wanted to try prevention. My doctor had already tried Gabapentin and Sumatriptan, both of which did nothing for migraines and had side effects. Then Propranolol. The side effects were: feeling sluggish and tired all the time. I have a regular diet and exercise routine that I follow, and it did not affect my eating habits, but it did make me not want to exercise because of how sluggish I felt. I forced myself to anyway, which is why I didn't gain weight on the drug, but gaining weight would have been easy. At night, my heartbeat felt like it was chugging on a milkshake, which made me anxious. It did nothing for my migraines, so I stopped after a couple of months."

• OLI...
• April 9, 2012

Propranolol for Migraine Prevention "This was great for a preventative, I really love this medication, but I'm always so incredibly tired and fatigued. I recently started a morning boot camp at work and am unable to finish a few minutes' worth of exercise without muscles cramping up or my endurance just plummeting, and I'm wiped out for the rest of the day. After some research, I switched over to a cocktail of feverfew, magnesium, and riboflavin, and will see how this works out. I've been off of the Inderal for 5 days and have a bad headache today, but I'm not tired for the first time in months!"

• iha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2016

For Anxiety "This didn't do much of anything for my anxiety. It took away some of the physical symptoms, but I was still anxious, and I still had panic attacks. It also made my blood pressure lower than it already was, so I was pretty sluggish. I can see how it would work well for someone who only has performance anxiety, but I don't recommend it for people like me."

• MDP...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 16, 2019

For Mitral Valve Prolapse "I was suffering from short breath and a very high heart rate and chest pain during exercise and could never keep up with my friends at the gym. Now I take 40 mg thrice a day, and after a set of heavy weight lifting, I'm not even breathing fast, and now I have to wait for my friends to catch a breath to keep up with me. I'm totally fine as long as I keep taking the pills, but they do not cure fatigue, I'm still always tired."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 26, 2023

For Panic Disorder "I physically cannot have a panic attack when I take regular propranolol. It's honestly a miracle drug. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop the worrying thoughts, but it does block the physical symptoms of anxiety and panic, which can give you some relief and allow you to try to work on the mental side of things. I take 120 mg a day, which is a high dose, and I do feel side effects like being extremely sluggish, weak, and cold extremities."

• Ami...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 3, 2020

For Benign Essential Tremor "Used propranolol only when public speaking. Once I finished college, I didn't need it. Was diagnosed with familial essential tremors, my head specifically at night as I was trying to sleep. The neurologist started me on 10 mg; eventually, I was using 60 mg ER during the day and 10 mg at night. Alleviated my tremors; however, I began to experience extreme fatigue, breathlessness, profuse sweating with exertion, and inability to get out of bed. In addition to gaining 38 lbs, excess belly fat and hip fat. Saw oncologist to rule out anemia, reoccurrence of thyroid cancer. All bloodwork was fine, so I stopped the propranolol. It took a month to get it out of my system, but the adverse side effects ceased. Atenolol was prescribed, and I've refused it."

• mrh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 20, 2016

Propranolol for Migraine Prevention "I'm a 61-year-old man. I took Inderal LA 60 mg for a year. For about 8 months, it worked well, migraines would start and then go away after 5 to 10 minutes. It caused me to gain 15 pounds even with dieting and exercise. It also causes ED, but I was able to fix that with 5 mg Cialis. In the last 2 months, it has stopped preventing the migraines and causes problems with fatigue and, at times, shortness of breath, and the Cialis is no longer working (a big problem as far as I am concerned and my girlfriend too). It never stopped migraines caused by food triggers, of which I have many."

• Sun...
• July 23, 2018

For Performance Anxiety "Definitely recommend trying this. I’m a small female and took 20 mg. I found that taking it more than 2 hours before my presentation was ideal, that way, it helped me stay calmer during the wait for my turn to go up on stage. It’s true that this doesn’t affect the feeling of dread before your event, but when you get on stage, can look at 75 of your colleagues and your heart isn’t about to explode, you’ll be amazed! You’ll hold that mic with no tremors, your muscles won’t tense up. As far as side effects, I’m pretty sure this pill makes me sweat more/feel hot, which is so weird (felt this way even when testing in a non-stressful environment). It also took a few tests to get comfortable with the small amount of drowsiness/sluggishness. Chances are you won’t feel drowsy or sluggish during your presentation because you’ll be amped up!"

• Bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 21, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "I’ve been on this for close to three weeks. I’m on a low dosage, like the 10 mg twice a day. I also have hypothyroidism, which I’ve had for close to seven years. Apparently, I’ve developed high blood pressure and went to the doctor for a squeezing pain in my left arm, and when I did cardio, my legs felt like they were unthawing from frostbite, so he put me on this medication. I honestly don’t know how to feel about it, other than I’m so tired all the time and have zero energy, but keep in mind my thyroid is also messed up. I can feel a huge difference in how tired I am. When I tried to wean myself off it, it’s making it worse. Don’t know if it’s truly helping or if I should change my medicine. I’m 29 years old, have a personal trainer, and I’m very active, so I’m praying that I can get off this medicine soon."

• Pet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 4, 2021

Propranolol for Migraine Prevention "It's helping me a lot, no more headaches. Even my stress and anxiety are numbed. I always wondered what drug people were on who always seemed to remain unnaturally calm, and now I know! I think it makes you more fatigued though and causes nightmares, which the antihistamine I'm taking already does, so together they cause severe nightmares, but the good effects outweigh the bad effects for me."

• Bun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 8, 2019

For Anxiety "Took 10 mg once. May have reduced my heart rate slightly. Side effects: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, red and warm face, fatigue, and weakness (although I'm pretty tired from the panic anyway). Won't use it again."

• Bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2018

For Migraine Prevention "Was on this medication for 3 weeks, and it was the worst 3 weeks ever. Had diarrhea, night sweats, fatigue, and terrible palpitations and anxiety."

• Son...
• July 19, 2021

For Benign Essential Tremor "No effects in tremors. Side effects: fatigue, less of consciousness, erectile dysfunction, low testosterone, decreased libido, headache, blurred vision."