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quaker
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31 Mar 2015, 3:35 am

I would be very interested to hear peoples experience of beta blockers, and weather this drug has been useful
with respect to reducing meltdowns and being less overwhelmed generally.



Dave_T
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26 Jan 2018, 6:58 am

Old thread but am i want to add my thoughts.

I have been on Propranolol for 2 month, 120gm a day. I started getting some very bad anxiety attacks last year.

Dew to the dosage (which is high) i cant work out like i use to, but i feel way more relaxed and my attacks have stopped.

I have also found i feel my social anxiety has gone down, and my social skills are getting better, am being able to find more things to talk about with people and am wanting to talk to people.


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shortfatbalduglyman
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26 Jan 2018, 9:22 am

How much do beta blockers cost and how hard is it to get them prescribed?



Aristophanes
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26 Jan 2018, 9:31 am

shortfatbalduglyman wrote:
How much do beta blockers cost and how hard is it to get them prescribed?

Both depend on where you're at. Here in the states you can pretty much tell the doctor what you want and they'll prescribe it, but almost any kind of medication will require a 2nd mortgage to purchase.



Trogluddite
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26 Jan 2018, 10:47 am

I have found beta-blockers (propranonolol) very useful. Regular anti-depressants and anxiolytic medications have rarely been effective for me - they cloud my mind too much, which is counter-productive because I need my wits about me so that I can compensate for my autistic traits when I'm out and about. Beta-blockers relieve the physical effects of anxiety - that horrible "adrenaline rush" feeling - but without clouding my mind. With the panicky feeling reduced, I'm more able to rationalise what's happening to me so that I can engage my coping skills better. It helps me to avoid the "fear of meltdown" and frustration at not being able to think straight that only add to the anxiety - and which can make a melt-down a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.


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shortfatbalduglyman
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26 Jan 2018, 11:52 am

Under what circumstances would you say that an autistic person ought to take beta blockers?

On Medi-Cal, in the San Francisco bay area, CA, united States, what is the out of pocket cost?

At this point, I am coping and functioning so slowly and badly, that it might be worth the cost benefit analysis, to out up with side effects. Depends on what the side effects are.

Maybe it will be necessary to panhandle up the cost of beta blockers

Seriously sometimes it appears that, I ain't got no hope, future, prospects

Thank you very much


:mrgreen:



Trogluddite
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26 Jan 2018, 12:54 pm

Personally, I find that taking them as and when I think I need them is enough - for example, I might take a dose half an hour before setting off on a shopping trip, making a phone call, socialising etc. They act in about 1/2 to one hour, and the calming effect seems to last for an hour or two. I don't find the need to take them every day, and there's no waiting around for weeks to see what effect they have, as would be common for anti-depressants.

The only side effects I've noticed are a slightly dry mouth, and some postural hypotension (dizzy spells if I stand up too fast, due to lowered blood pressure.) You should, of course, check with your GP first, as there are certain medical conditions and other medications which could interact badly (for example, if you are already on medication for high blood pressure or have a heart condition.)

As a Brit, I can't advise on the cost, though I do know that the one I take, propranolol, is now out of patent, so there are generic versions which may be cheaper than branded ones.


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Black_Cat
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01 Feb 2018, 7:27 am

I've been taking Propranolol for the last 25 years and they work exceptionally well for anxiety and tremors. No side effects. Recently, they haven't been available where I live and my doctor prescribed Bisoprolol instead. Nowhere near as good so as soon as Propranolol is available I will be changing back to it. Bisoprolol makes me very tired and doesn't stop the tremors as successfully as Propranolol. Also, Bisoprolol has to be taken every day whereas Propranolol can be taken as needed. (If you're going to be in a room full of people and know you will feel anxious. Can still hold a cup of coffee).



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01 Feb 2018, 11:37 pm

I was put on Propranolol because I'm hyperthyroid and it's what gave me my anxiety disorder! I had a paradoxical reaction. Massive, constant, overwhelming anxiety. It felt like I was just waiting for the world to shatter and I could not stop crying. I told the GP I was seeing back then that I thought I was having a really bad reaction to Propranolol and he told me I was being ridiculous. That it's a perfectly safe drug and wouldn't do anything of the sort. When I finally got to the Endocinologist and told him how I was feeling he said 'Oh that's the Propranolol. It does that to some people.' Stopping it helped but the anxiety has never fully gone away. I have GAD and probably will forever. I wish I had never been given the stuff.


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renaeden
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02 Feb 2018, 8:14 am

Psychiatrist suggested propranolol to me but then asked me if I have asthma (which I do) so I can't take it or other beta blockers. Bummer.