Looking for a little advice or guidance

[CAK70]

lena_33

one more question about the propranolol...how long did it take before you were feeling the effects of it?

[lena_33]

I felt the effects 2 hours after I took the first one, then it went away, then it took 3 days to feel the effects again. I take a very low dose however, 10 mg 2x a day (which I might up to 3x a day, it seems to wear off a bit after 7 hours which goes into my anxious hour lol)

I also, for when I get very very anxious about something or worry about something, take Ativan which is a tranquillizer. I cannot comment on that however because I haven't taken it yet, I was just perscribed it.

I ended up taking time off school because I did a lot of sports, and when the racing heart came I would get wiped out and feel really sick. It got so bad I couldn't get off the couch.

The beta blockers are not addictive. The ativan, I have heard, however, is. You do not need to take it though. I have a little bit of a high bp also because of anxiety so it's done nothing but help! It was more the racing heart that got me nervous. For the first time in a year, I'm going back to physical activity! I can do stairs like a normal person! Haha.

With a low dose, especially 10 mg (which you should start off on and raise it if needed) there is a low chance of side effects so don't worry about it. Any side effects, such as cold hand/feet, tiredness, or dizziness (the main 3) will go away in a couple of weeks. Nor are they bothersome or serious. I got NO side effects.

[CAK70]

Thanks so much...this is definitely something I want to bring up to my doctor because my most prominent symptom is the rapid/racing heartbeat as well as the pounding of just my regular heartbeat. My blood pressure concerns me a bit but did not seem to concern my other primary care doctor or the ER doctor.

As for physical activity...I use to be a walker...walked 4-6 miles a day and now I am lucky if I can walk from the car to the house...I would be scared to death walking with the way I feel right now.

I had two really good days this past weekend and it was a relief but was full-force again yesterday so I can only imagine how you are feeling right now being symptom free :-)

I have my finals this week and I am completely done with this quarter as of Sunday night so I hoping my stress level will decrease as well...one can only hope.

[Jennsie]

Hi there!

I may be able to answer questions, because I take a beta blocker, Zoloft, AND Xanax! I sound like a junkie

My whole panic/anxiety thing started as feeling my heart race/thud all the time. I was put on a cardiac event monitor for 30 days and had a couple rough episodes, one of which convinced me to walk myself to the ER. My monitor actually caught something legitimate but harmless. After this, I had a stress test and echocardiogram at a cardiologists (both came out fine). I was put on a beta blocker, Metoprolol, 25mg twice a day. With the beta blocker, my heart rate is usually around 70 (was 90+ before). What they do is block the effect of adrenaline on your heart. After seeing an electrophysiologist, I finally found out I have an electrical misfire in the upper chambers of my heart that can cause it to randomly race. I also feel flutters in my chest pretty frequently, which I know are harmless, but I hate.

After all this, my heart problems went away but anxiety remained. Lightheadedness, disconnectedness, feelings of panic and fear, sweating, trembling, nausea...it was pretty awful. I went to se my doc and was put on Zoloft and Xanax to help while the Zoloft kicked in. I was prescribed Xanax at 3x a day as needed and am now down to about 1 a day (I break my .25 in half sometimes). I am still on 25mg zoloft and have been for about six weeks. I tried to go up to 50mg but my body was not having it (I had only been on Zoloft for a week at that time). I was feeling GREAT for awhile, but now my anxiety is creeping back unfortunately, and I am going to try for the increase to 50mg and see what happens. My doc is pretty much the perfect "Xanax Doctor" ...she requires me to get in touch with her EVERY time I run out and tell her how I am feeling. She will refill as long as I am not abusing it and it is helping me function.

SO, to make a long story short (if it isn't too late for that), YES you can take Zoloft, Xanax, AND beta blockers. Beta blockers are not habit forming...the only thing you need to remember about them is they can not be abruptly stopped because that can cause major problems with your heart. It is not harmful to take Xanax in moderation and only when you need it and you should get a doctor that does what needs to be done for you to feel better. Good luck with Zoloft as well...it is kind of nasty to get through at the beginning, but for the brief time I had where it kicked in I felt wonderful. Sorry for the long-winded answer

[CAK70]

Jennsie

Thank you so much for your "long-winded answer " because it has a lot of useful information in it. My new primary care doctor seems to be fine prescribing Xanax because last year my mom called him and told him she had to fly but was nervous, he called in a script for her for 10 Xanax :-) While I am not looking for a quick fix, I do know that if I have to go on something like Zoloft, I want something to help me while it kicks in. My mother is on Zoloft for depression and my friends son is on Zoloft for anxiety and OCD and both seem to do fine on it. But I am definitely interested in the beta blocker because like I said in a previous post, my most prominant symptom is a pounding heart at a normal rate and also the rapid heartbeat. I have been laying on my bed for the past half hour or so watching tv and feeling my heart pound at a normal rate...blood pressure was around 129/76 with a pulse of 85 which is a lot better then yesterday at 137/93 and pulse at 82...I don't know what to make of the blood pressure because up until my ER visit, I was always at 120/70? And my decision to go to the ER was based on my pulse of 118...scared the heck out of me. So, I am feeling a little more at ease knowing I am going to the doctor soon...I just need to get through my finals this week without too much anxiety and hope the pounding heart goes away before I need to go to sleep tonight.