Propranolol

[LaurenRae]

I went to see my doctor yesterday because I've been feeling "jittery" lately and my pulse has seemed a bit fast. He checked my blood pressure and said it was a bit high (I can't remember exactly - something like 12?/90) He gave me a prescription for Propranolol 40 mg twice a day. I am to go back in a week and see if it's made any difference. After reading the literature on this drug from the pharmacist and checking it out on the internet, I have decided not to use it at this time. Has anyone used this drug and if so, any major side effects?

I should give a bit of history here. I am 39 and had a total hysterectomy May 30th of this year. I have been put on estrogen (ogen .625). The day after my surgery my blood pressure and pulse rate jumped dramatically in the evening hours - this happened for 3 nights. The doctors (3 of them in all) I saw about this ran tests, etc. and said everything appeared to be fine. I was told that when I was under for my surgery my blood pressure was perfect, as well as my pulse. They put this evening thing down to "white-coat syndrome". I was discharged and told to keep getting it checked by my regular doctor, which I did. My bp was normal - well, hovering on the high end of normal but my doctor said we would just check it every few months. That doctor has since moved away and it was his replacement I saw yesterday. Not to knock this new doc down or anything but he was the ER doctor I saw in July three separate times before he passed me onto a different doctor because he couldn't figure out what was wrong with me - it ended up being pneumonia.

I have been drinking a lot of coffee lately so I have decided to cut back to one (ok - maybe 2) a day. I quit smoking at the same time I went in for surgery thank goodness! Since the operation I have also lost about 14 pounds.

Guess what I'm wanting to know is do all these symptom, etc. sound like high blood pressure to anyone/everyone? I have been told (by this same doctor) that low estrogen levels can cause high blood pressure and rapid pulse...he said we will eventually check that too. I have upped my estrogen dose and will see how that goes. Thanks to anyone for any info and sorry for the long post!

[SamQKitty]

It would be helpful to know what the exact numbers were when your BP was high. However, propranolol is a good medication for both high blood pressure and a rapid pulse. It's in the category of drugs called beta blockers, which are used both to lower BP and to regulate the pulse.

EVERY medication on the market (and many herbal preparations) have side effects. If you read the data on aspirin, acetominophin, cold medications, etc., you would find a long list of "possible" side effects. On the other hand, high blood pressure itself can cause major problems if not controlled...it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, and more. So, whenever your doctor prescribes a medication, you need to weigh the risks against the benefits.

I did take propranolol for many years. In fact, due to the type of high blood pressure I have, I was on 360 mg a day. I had no side effects whatsoever.

My suggestion would be for you to get a home blood pressure monitor and keep track for a while. If you're consistently getting a systolic (top number) of over 130, or a diastolic (bottom number) of 90 or more, or a combination of both, then it's important to get your BP regulated.

Ruth

[LaurenRae]

Thanks for your reply Ruth. I still haven't taken any of the pills yet - although I am wondering if I should. I'm not feeling much better but that could be because I'm so much more aware of my pulse right now. It hovers around 90 at rest. I still wonder if it's my estrogen dose that's not right because I'm not sleeping good and very jittery, and still getting hot flashes. I did increase my estrogen and will see if that helps at all. I also feel guilty not doing what the doctor says! Am getting worried about what he'll say on Monday when I see him and have to tell him I never tried the medication because I was too scared! I just think that he should run some tests, etc. to make sure it's not some other underlying condition, etc. I had a doctor prescribe me some very large pills (they were huge!) about 11 years ago. She said my pulse was a bit fast and that I would need to be on these pills for the rest of my life (I was not quite 30 then). I took the pills for about 5 days and then on the advice of some friends went to a different doctor for a 2nd opinion. The 2nd doctor asked me if my doctor had done any tests, etc.. When I said no he got quite upset - seems these pills were for people who had very bad hearts and in time they would have damaged my heart. He got on the phone with my doctor and really tied into her and asked her why she would prescribe these without running tests first. Her only comment was that my pulse seemed high. The 2nd doctor threw those pills in the garbage, ran some tests and I was fine. Needless to say, that experience stayed with me and I ended up switching doctors.

Well, I suppose that's enough of my ranting tonight! I'll let you know how things go.

[Tamsin]

Hi!

If the doctor you saw previously was not a cardiologist, I recommend you see one. He or she can perform the tests necessary to diagnosis high BP or any kind of heart abnormality you may have. Your situation does not sound that unusual to me but you are probably adding a few pressure points to your blood pressure and your pulse rate by being in this state of anxiety and agitation. I think it may help to see a cardiologist to, if nothing else, ease your mind about all of this. That's what worked for me!

Good Luck!

[LaurenRae]

Has anyone used Hawthorn to control high blood pressure or other heart problems? I've been doing some reading on it and it is used quite a bit in Europe. I think I will mention this to my doctor tomorrow and see what he thinks. I still haven't taken any of the bp meds he gave me last week - but if my bp is still high and my pulse is still rapid I guess I won't have much of a choice. I have also been reading up on pulse rates - one place will tell you that 60-65 is the norm while another will say 75. I always read that it varies - anywhere between 60 to 90 can be considered normal - depends on the invididual. Makes me feel better anyways!

If anyone has any info on Hawthorn, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.