I've read a lot of posts on the topic of panic disorder here. I never see a drug called Inderal (generic is propranolol) mentioned - maybe it's just been around so long that doctors have forgotten about it. It is a beta blocker (I'll let you do your own googling). A very low dose, 20 mg usually, will stop the onset of a panic attack for four hours. Incidentally, it will also stop migraines. In higher, time-released doses, it is used in the treatment of high blood pressure.
I read an article forever ago, in some doctor's office magazine, that called Inderal the "Stage Fright Cure" because so many big artists suffer crippling stage fright; and they would take Inderal to keep it at bay while they did their show.
Another draw is that the generic form, propranolol, costs so little. In my case, it was the solution to the devastating panic attacks that suddenly came out of nowhere to ruin my life. I urge anyone who's been through all the organic and cardiac tests with no results, to talk to their internist or cardio about Inderal. When I asked my pdoc for a script because I get migraines, he grinned and said "I forgot all about that stuff. That's the baking soda of drugs!" (I guess he meant it has dozens of uses.)
Reading here, I see a lot of doctors are steering their panic attack patients toward SSRI's, and they do work very well. But not everybody wants to make the committment to take an antidepressant, and Inderal offers a different solution. Worth looking into....
Patsy Catsy
Inderal and Panic Disorder
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