Last night the show, 60 Minutes did a piece on PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and Propranolol. I found the report very interesting. I thought I would share information I know about Propranolol; so, if you are approached by your doctor you can make an informed decision.
A severe case of PTSD is one of the most uncomfortable anxiety disorders. Most people would jump at the chance to get rid of flashbacks, intrusive thoughts of the incident, nightmares, the feeling of hopelessness, social withdraw, despair, anger, hostility, the loss of previously sustained beliefs, and the feeling of constantly feeling threatened. A pill that will get rid of all of that sounds pretty good.
The anchors of the show made the point if this drug dulls or lessens your memory of the event, would that take a part of you away? This is an important point. Your experience is your experience and you own it. It is a very personal issue and the event makes up part of you. Do you really want to forget? Do you want to teach your children and grandchild the history of you?
The drug Propranolol is also called Inderal and is in the drug class of beta-blockers. Propranolol is a non-selective beta-blocker. This means the drug works on other parts of your body, not just in the heart. Beta-blockers are also called Beta-adrenergic, Beta-adrenergic antagonists, and Beta-antagonists. This drug is used for angina pectoris (chest pain due to not enough oxygen to your heart), hypertension, heart rhythm irregularities, to prevent a second heart attack, prevention for migraine headaches, to stop tremors, to reduce pain, narcotic withdraw, glaucoma, phobias, and to decrease side effects to anti-psychotic medication. To date the FDA has not approved Propranolol for anxiety which includes PTSD. The researcher said they need two more years for studying the benefits to this drug for the reduction of memory of traumatic events. Now please note doctors give this medication out for anxiety currently. The doctors give it out for stage fright.
Another pearl of wisdom concerning this medication is that you do not abruptly stop taking it unless you have a serious allergic reaction to it. You must wean off this medication.
Propranolol comes in 40mg and 80mg tablets. The long acting Propranolol (Inderal LA) comes in 60mg and 120mg capsules. It can be injected and it comes in liquid form too for those who can not swallow pills. If you choose to take this medication your doctor will want to monitor lab work, specifically, liver and kidney function. Your doctor will choose how often you need these labs drawn. At age 60 your doctor will adjust the dose. Propranolol does not clear through the kidneys and liver as fast as younger adults. This is true for most medications given to the older adult. If one should overdose on this medication the patient will be confused, have a very slow heart rate, increased respiration’s (for a little while), lips and nail beds turn blue, loss of consciousness, seizures, heart failure, and death. During my clinical practice I did see a lot of people being helped by this drug. I can see the potential of this medication helping people affected with PTSD. I would caution you to wait until it is approved by the FDA for use of anxiety, however. That’s my rant for today. I hope this day is a good day for you. For the sake of knowledge, Julie