“Propranolol concerns?”
A brief history, I had a head injury resulting in seizures, I did not respond to normal anti seizure meds, so unfortunately for me I was put on Klonopin for a few years.
The good news is my brain injury has healed and my spect is clear. But...years of Klonopin use led to a very deep dependency, my neurologist told me certain receptors in my brain need time to heal and grow back so he switched me to another medication in the same class called Librium. He said it's a good drug for tapering with compared to Klonopin.
He has given me a very long slow taper schedule (18 months) because we still don't know if there could be seizure activity even though the spect is clean. He also said this class of drug needs to be tapered slowly in anyone who takes it daily for more than a month even among people who take it short term for anxiety, could potentially have a seizure upon quitting without taper. Which is scary...
I'm down to 8 months left on this Librium taper, and it sucks. The symptom that has been most alarming is the non stop irregular heart rates, heart beats, and pounding heart.
I've had a cardiologist run pretty much every test, had my thyroid checked, cortisol levels, blood work, you name it, I've been tested for it.
My Primary care, neurologist, and cardiologist all agree this is related to the librium taper, and since holding at a dose never resolves the issue, it's just something i have to push through.
I was put on Propranolol 2 weeks ago and it made a huge difference . 10mg twice a day (total 20mg daily)
After what I've been through with the klonopin and Librium I am so scared of prescription drugs.
I will be on propranolol until I finish my Librium taper and the withdrawal has settled down.
So realistically I will be on propranolol for another 8 to 12 months.
I am very concerned about long term use of this drug, building tolerance to it, and having to endure another taper and more withdrawal symptoms down the road. Will these things happen with this drug?
Is there another medication that does not cross the blood brain barrier but can maintain and keep my heart rate normal that I could talk to my doctor about switching to?
The good news is my brain injury has healed and my spect is clear. But...years of Klonopin use led to a very deep dependency, my neurologist told me certain receptors in my brain need time to heal and grow back so he switched me to another medication in the same class called Librium. He said it's a good drug for tapering with compared to Klonopin.
He has given me a very long slow taper schedule (18 months) because we still don't know if there could be seizure activity even though the spect is clean. He also said this class of drug needs to be tapered slowly in anyone who takes it daily for more than a month even among people who take it short term for anxiety, could potentially have a seizure upon quitting without taper. Which is scary...
I'm down to 8 months left on this Librium taper, and it sucks. The symptom that has been most alarming is the non stop irregular heart rates, heart beats, and pounding heart.
I've had a cardiologist run pretty much every test, had my thyroid checked, cortisol levels, blood work, you name it, I've been tested for it.
My Primary care, neurologist, and cardiologist all agree this is related to the librium taper, and since holding at a dose never resolves the issue, it's just something i have to push through.
I was put on Propranolol 2 weeks ago and it made a huge difference . 10mg twice a day (total 20mg daily)
After what I've been through with the klonopin and Librium I am so scared of prescription drugs.
I will be on propranolol until I finish my Librium taper and the withdrawal has settled down.
So realistically I will be on propranolol for another 8 to 12 months.
I am very concerned about long term use of this drug, building tolerance to it, and having to endure another taper and more withdrawal symptoms down the road. Will these things happen with this drug?
Is there another medication that does not cross the blood brain barrier but can maintain and keep my heart rate normal that I could talk to my doctor about switching to?
Male | 46 years old
Complaint duration: 10 months
Medications: Librium and Propranolol
Conditions: Hereditary hemacromatosis
2 Answers
The dose of propranolol you are taking, 10 mg twice a day, is very low compared to the doses that were used for blood pressure or angina (160 mg or more per day), so the weaning off period would only be 1-2 months. I'm not completely convinced that your irregular heart rhythm is entirely related to clonazepam withdrawal so it could turn out to be a longer term issue and you may need to stay on a beta blocker or other rhythm-stabilizing medication long-term. There is a beta blocker that hardly crosses the blood-brain barrier called NADOLOL and you could find this, at a low dose, better than the propranolol which can cause fatigue and depression (though quite unlikely at that small dose).
Propranolol has been used for years in patients with heart disease with excellent results. It's a safe drug. The bottom line is that you should not have any problems taking this medication. However, this medication taken with Librium can cause some dizziness due to low blood pressure. The dose of propranolol may have to be reduced if this happens. You also need to stay well hydrated in order to prevent a drop in blood pressure. You should also stay away from alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine, to avoid blood pressure and heart rate changes.
