How do you safely reduce propranolol dosage without getting negative side-effects from it?
Question posted by Leopoldbloom on 27 Nov 2012
Last updated on 7 February 2024 by Microbeast83
Hello, as I stated in the question I am wanting to completely get off of propranolol. I take it for chronic migraines but the side effects are not worth it in my opinion and I'd like to explore some other options for treatment. The reason why I want to stop taking it is because after taking Timolol-Maleate for 4 years I developed an allergy to it and am afraid this will happen again with the propranolol.
I tried several times to get off of Timolol and failed miserably. I attempted to ween myself off of it for about a week. I was only taking a very small dose and it was working well, 10mg 2x per day. I cut that down to 5mg 2x per day over the course of a week but after it being completely removed from taking it for 3 weeks there was something seriously wrong. If I exerted myself physically I would labor to breathe and experienced SEVERE withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms persisted and seemed to get worse the longer I was off of it.
My doctor seems to believe that going off of these beta-blockers are no big deal and you can just ween yourself off for a little while. And perhaps they are but in my case I can't seem to stop taking them without it completely wrecking my body, focus-level and just managing with the withdrawals. My doctor is also insistent that I continue taking a beta-blocker indefinitely even though we are treating migraines and not some serious heart condition. I know that there are other options and quite frankly I don't trust his opinion any longer.
Has anyone had this experience? Did I not give it enough time? Am I reducing the dosage incorrectly?
Some stats: I'm 29, Healthy (other than chronic migraines), average to under-weight, currently taking 20mg of propranolol 2x per day and would like to be off it entirely, safely.
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
31 Answers
MI
Microbeast83
8 Feb 2024
It's literally absolutely impossible for withdrawal symptoms to get worse the further you are from last taking Propranolol. It only takes the receptors 24-36 hours to down regulate. What really is most likely happening is you have anxiety or some kind of mental illness that is causing your perceived withdrawal symptoms. I was taking 160mg of Propranolol daily and manged to wean completely off in 5 weeks. I had no withdrawal symptoms during or after I completely discontinued Propranolol.
Votes: +0
TO
tony1970
30 Jan 2023
Hi to everyone trying to get off Beta Blockers at the age of 50. I have been on them for 20 years and a small dose for my HOCM and i strongly believe that they were not really helping much and last year I decided I want to get off them and finding a natural alternative. They dont give me any side effects I am aware of but I am sure they are interfering in something and we will only know in the long run. So I have been weaning off slowly by going half my dosage and taking Nattokinase instead. Please look it up. I also take CQ10 and garlic and turmeric supplements. I also eat well, drink lots of water, have a banana a day, also look up natural beta blockers and bananas are on top of that list. So far so good but im still not off them completely. If anyone has more advice or wants to chat about it let me know. Thanks
Votes: +0
CH
Cheekyb1
6 April 2023
Hi all. I was put on propranalol 30 mg a day... 10 x 3 for panic disorder and anxiety. At first, they were brilliant for what I was going through. This was in Sept 22. I'm now coming off of them by reducing 5mg every 2 weeks. So 30 to 25 for 2 weeks then 25 to 20 for 2 weeks and so on. Since I've reduced from 15 to 10mg, I'm now on day 5, and I keep getting skipped beats. I'm frightened I am coming off too quickly..I'm on the tablets that I split.
I decided to withdraw from them as I was getting lots of skipped beats per day whilst on the 30mg which have become less and less the more I taper down. However, the skipping has now increased a little, and I'm assuming its the drop from 15 to 10? I am very sensitive to drugs. HELP!!
AN
Anncher
25 Jan 2023
I have been taking propranolol 40 mg. daily since 1987 for a rapid heart rate. No major issues. Right now my resting heart rate has dropped significantly from 70 + to 50. I am seriously thinking that I need to slowly come down off my propranolol. Anyone out there that has had this experience.
Votes: +0
TO
tony1970
30 Jan 2023
Hi, see my comment above.
MB
Mbekenwa
15 Jan 2023
I have been on 20mg of propranolol for sinus tachycardia. I am happy to know that people have been able to come off this medication. It's been a traumatic experience for me.
Votes: +0
FB
fbcoach
18 March 2022
I hope someone can answer my issues with time-released 80mgs propranolol. I am a 62 year old male. I have been a fitness fanatic most of my life. My blood work is good, except for my blood pressure. My doctor put me on losartan 100mgs 2 years ago. Since then, my BP has been good until about 6 weeks ago when I went thru a very traumatic time. Anyway 2 weeks ago my doctor put me on 80mgs propranolol against my better judgement. After 2 days, I began having side effects... sleeping problems, nausea, neck/back pain, cold hands/feet, depression, irritability, etc, etc.). I decided to come off. after 11 days. I was going to go 1 day on 1 day off. I knew enough to titrate off, but I am feeling the withdrawals. Any suggestions?
Votes: +0
WI
WildcatVet
14 Jan 2022
This is a question that should be addressed to your health care provider who is familiar with you and your medical history. Internet advice doesn't apply to everyone and could lead to very serious results.
Votes: +1
RJ
RJCali37
14 Jan 2022
Not liking the side effects on Propranolol ER 60mg after a month, (sleep issues primarily) decided to twist open the capsule and remove a little each day. Every couple days I remove about 5 more of the granules. So far, no major issues. Down between 25 to 30% now. Want to get to 40mg and switch back to Metoprolol Succinate which is what I was on previously, and had no side effects. Afterward, I will consider a slow taper off the Metoprolol. Anyone done something similar?
Votes: +0
CH
Chele718
17 May 2021
I’m weaning off propranolol er 60 mg right now. Been taking for just over a year for headaches. I wish I never started it. Weight gain, sleep issues, low blood pressure and heart beat. Last fall my dr and pharmacist said to take one every other day for a week then I should be ok. I was not! Resting heart rate went to 100. At the time I didn’t know what was happening and dr said it was another med she said to start right away. She told me to switch back to propranolol again so I did. Trying on my own now to wean off. I’m on week 7 of slowly taking less and less but my resting heart rate is still high - around 85 - for the last week. Hoping that comes down soon. Anyone else done this by breaking open the capsules and taking out some of the little round granules? Were you successful?
Votes: +0
ST
Stay86
18 Dec 2020
Hey, I see people are still commenting on here, so thought I'd add my experience of Propranolol. I was first prescribed this back when I was 18 (so 16 years ago) I think it was for something to do with fast heartrate/anxiety.. cant entirely remember. Back then I was taking 10mg up to 6 times a day. I didnt know much about it at the time, took it for around a year then stopped. And i mean just stopped one day
Votes: +0
BL
Blue Wave
24 Sep 2020
I just wanted to add my story here, since people are still looking this up - since age 11 i've had an slight ectopic heartbeat... It runs in the family. When I was in my 20s I went through a very stressful time and it got worse, along with my anxiety. Doctor put me on 40mg of propranolol. Back then I just took it - these days i'd have done my research and refused. However, it seemed to even out my heartbeat and I had no side effects at all so I took it. Eleven years later, I'm trying to come off it, because the heartbeat thing isn't dangerous, and it's never helped with my anxiety, so i'd rather be rid of it. I asked the doctor, who agreed, and so on her advice I halved it to 20mg per day... Ok for a few days then I felt generally awful so went back up to 40mg again until it settled down. Then, I started to take off the tiniest amount from the tablet each day. Every few weeks I would take off a little more.
It took me a whole year to get it down to 20mg and still feeling ok - there were some moments where I felt a bit crappy but I just kept going. That was a year ago - i've now given my body a year to get used to 20mg. Two weeks ago I started to do the same again - chop a little bit off the 20mg. So far, my withdrawal effects are minimal - I'm feeling tired and crappy but then it's been a funny year and there's a lot of stress in my life, but I'm a fit and extremely healthy person otherwise, so I'm going to stick with it and get to 15mg, let it settle down, then try for 10mg in a few months. I expect it to be another year before I'm off the stuff. There's no real reason me being on it... If the original doctor had questioned me properly they'd have discovered my stress was due to my nutcase partner abusing me, which was making my heartbeat worse. Anyway, if you do it a tiny bit at a time the effects are less. Doctors don't know everything, their advice is often wrong (my doc just said half it!!! ) and clearly, reading this forum, some people suffer horribly coming off this.
Votes: +0
RJ
RJCali37
22 Jan 2022
Hi Blue Wave
Were you able to successfully come completely off the propranolol? I am currently in the first stages of a slow taper. My doc wants me to just switch to metoprolol but not sure if that is a better choice. Hope you are doing well.
KE
Keithc2485
4 Sep 2020
I went through horrible problems with this drug period and my way of tapering worked. Get a nail file, each day take the nail file and shave off a minuscule amount of the pill do that everyday until there's very little left do an unnoticeable amount almost so traces of the pill are deducted each day I was successful doing this method also with paxil which is also the devil good luck. Oh FYI I was on a 20 mg pill once a day by the time I was down to a sliver after shaving it don't stop keep shaving it until you're taking a tiny little chip that's the best way to taper and no doctor will give you that information
Votes: +3
KO
Koolguy1472
4 Sep 2020
You can’t stop taking propranolol. I stopped for five months and every day got harder as my heart rhythm got a little faster every day and I started feeling weak in the third month wasn’t sure what it was and then by the end of the five month period I started have angina pain . It was the equivalent of having congestive heart failure. So your stuck taking this once you start. There might be another medicine a doctor can give you in place of it but it would have to probably be another Bata blocker. So don’t start this medicine without doctors approval. I feel fine now since I started taking it again.
Votes: +0
MI
Mikaelaelizabeth
12 Aug 2020
I was prescribed 20mg of propranolol per day by my PCP for anxiety. After being on it for 6 months I decided to quit without tapering off because I didn’t want to rely on this medication forever. A few days after stopping the meds, I woke up In the middle of the night covered in sweat, heart racing, my body was overheating, and I couldn’t see straight or catch my breath. I had my first ever panic attack due to propranolol withdrawal. I couldn’t sleep for the next few nights and decided to get back on propranolol to see if that was the cause and it was was. I recently decided to taper off the medication over a span of two months and as soon as I got down to 5mg per day, I suffered from constant panic attacks and no sleep for three days. It completely destroyed me mentally and physically. I went back up to my 20mg dose again. This process is so extremely hard and I sympathize with all of you who are dealing with these negative symptoms.
Votes: +1
RJ
RJCali37
22 Jan 2022
Sorry to hear you had such a horrible experience during your taper. Did you make it back down a little bit or did you decide to stay at 20mg. My doc is telling me to just switch to metoprolol. Not sure if that is better or doing a micro taper.
BE
beej52
11 May 2020
Ok, I see you updated recently. I do hope this posting finds you doing well.
Votes: +0
AL
Allendermes
16 April 2020
I have been on propranolol for 10 years now. I went from 120mgs x 2 per day down to 60mg x 2 per day in 6 years. I have gained so much weight and have little to no energy. I cut my dose to in half 30mg x 2 a day and have really not felt a major difference. I will cut it down in two weeks to 15mg x 2 per day. I was prescribed propranolol when I had a thyroid storm. All seems well now. Over the last 10 yrs like i said I have gained a lot of weight and now face other issues. I believe the underlying cause is propranolol.
