Prazosin and Anxiety: What Users Say

• jwq...
• May 6, 2014

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I started by getting sick after eating, then nightmares, sleeplessness, panic attacks, agoraphobia, high anxiety, and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I was put on different medicines by different doctors and nothing worked. The different meds made me gain 40 lbs, gave me diabetes, dyskinesia, and SSRI's have horrible withdrawal symptoms when you run out of medicines. A new VA doctor recently prescribed Prazosin. After three days, I no longer felt like I was constantly shaking inside me. I don't feel like a speaker reverberating through me when I hear a loud or sudden noise. I went from sleeping 4-5 hours per night to double that. I don't have nightmares anymore, and I stopped getting sick from anxiety. Prazosin is a miracle to me."

• jwq...
• May 6, 2014

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I started by getting sick after eating, then nightmares, sleeplessness, panic attacks, agoraphobia, high anxiety, and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I was put on different medicines by different doctors and nothing worked. The different meds made me gain 40 lbs, gave me diabetes, dyskinesia, and SSRI's have horrible withdrawal symptoms when you run out of medicines. A new VA doctor recently prescribed Prazosin. After three days, I no longer felt like I was constantly shaking inside me. I don't feel like a speaker reverberating through me when I hear a loud or sudden noise. I went from sleeping 4-5 hours per night to double that. I don't have nightmares anymore, and I stopped getting sick from anxiety. Prazosin is a miracle to me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 18, 2015

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "So I have been taking prazosin for over two years now. I started off in hospitals with a big breakdown and my anxiety shot through the roof. I had three awful experiences in a three-year time span, not to mention things that were added on during childhood. After going through countless medicines and finally telling my doctor what happened to me, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I started prazosin and went from having to relive my experiences vividly and in a continuous loop all day, feeling everything that happened, constantly wanting to tear off my skin, couldn't talk to the opposite sex, depression, and anxiety attacks, in my nightmares to a nightmare every two weeks, flashbacks on only days close to the events, and rarely any anxiety. A miracle!"

• Bla...
• March 31, 2016

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "A combination of PTSD... also suspect too many years standing watch in the Navy. It has all resulted in YEARS of a nightmare surrounding sleep. It featured high anxiety, which began about 5 PM... inability to go to sleep once I got into bed, and waking up during the night and early AM awakening... I was lucky to get 4 hours... sometimes so wired no sleep at all during the night. Prazosin shuts off my mind, so I can not only go to sleep but stay asleep... and the result of my days are better... less focus on negativity. I am unable to verbalize how much it has helped... so entirely thankful to my physician who listened and Rxd... He works with other vets too who apparently have also remarkable stories of success."

• Wil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2019

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Took prazosin for PTSD, 1 mg. First night, I actually had a restful sleep, ZERO dreams, super strange. But I woke up not knowing what day it was. Anxiety kicked in pretty hard, and my heart has been beating like a drum. Not the most comfortable feeling, as I have had issues with my heart racing in the past, which required surgery. I suffer from GAD, panic disorder, illness anxiety, PTSD, OCPD, mild depression, and some physical illnesses. So, I am hoping these feelings pass. I'd like to continue sleeping comfortably and wake up knowing what day it is. Hahaha. Will update once I've been on this longer. Take good care, everyone!"

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 12, 2022

For Anxiety and Stress "I was prescribed this medication for hypertension, and it works out quite well. What is even better, though, is I'm finally getting some good nights of sleep. I have really bad anxiety, this has helped out tremendously. I know it's given for the PTSD nightmares. And yes, I do believe I have PTSD myself, I will not go into details about why, though. What's odd is when I do dream, at least they're very pleasant dreams. No more dreams of always walking around, always being lost, never finding my way. As far as the dosage goes, I'm still playing around with it due to my condition. I have to do this myself. My doctors are well aware of my situation. Not only do I have hypertension, but I also have hypotension."

• Stp...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2021

For Anxiety and Stress "Prescribed by my psychiatrist for anxiety and anxiety-related hypertension. Over the first month, 1 mg at night worked well, but blood pressure during the day was still high. Changed to 1 mg morning and night. Worked well for about 2 months. At this stage in PTSD therapy, my anxiety is increasing, changed up to 2 mg morning and night as I feel the anxiety increasing and my BP started to climb from around 120 to over 130."

• meo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 12, 2022

For Anxiety and Stress "The first dose made me feel pins and needles all over, heart pounding, lightheaded mess, etc. I started taking it because I was only sleeping a few hours a night on and off, nightmares, etc., and I was tired all the time. It helped, and if I forget to take it now, I get severe anxiety and can’t sleep."

• NoO...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 10, 2016

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "After 30 years of night terrors, among other life traumas, and almost a year of doctors saying, 'You have MDD,' attempting suicide, cutting, and other anger, anxiety, and social issues. I learned yesterday that I have PTSD, social anxiety, depression, etc. I was taken off two propranolol and hydroxyzine, and they were replaced with prazosin and risperidone. Although last night was only my first night taking prazosin, and I was told to take it alone. Well, I did that around 9 PM, stayed up for about two hours after taking it, finally getting sleepy around 11 PM or close to it. I got up off the couch to go to bed a little off balance. Abruptly awoke at 1:30 AM, more off balance, and cannot go back to sleep. Not sure if I had a nightmare, but anxiety is high."

• R J...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 24, 2022

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Excitedly reading positive reviews, I felt sure prazosin was just the thing for my chronic PTSD - nightmares making me dread sleep, anxiety, depression, paranoia - and it would improve my BPH and hypertension! “Silver bullet” (as someone wrote) for ailments ruining my life! But I was badly mistaken - for me, more a “wrecking ball”! Took 1 mg prazosin before bed for a week, and every time, an hour or so after dozing off, I'd wake up gasping for breath, hot prickling all over my body, loud tinnitus, heart pounding out of my chest, with nausea and blurred vision. Blood pressure would then be around 160/100, HR 75 (before prazosin, only about 135/85, HR 55). Couldn’t go back to sleep until I took lots of acetaminophen, amlodipine, and Xanax (really trying to taper off, but prazosin ruined it). I'd get up in the morning with bad swelling in calves and ankles (much worse than usual, only amlodipine). Truly happy for people for whom prazosin is a great help, but it’s definitely not for some of us!"

• Tom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2023

For Anxiety and Stress "My new doctor just prescribed me 1 mg prazosin for my anxiety. I've been taking it for about 3 days, and I'm just staying lightheaded and feeling like it's giving me anxiety. So, for now, I would say it's not helping."

• PRE...
• April 12, 2014

Prazosin for High Blood Pressure "This medication acts fast, causes me to be jittery, my blood pressure is low and then settles down after a few hours, then my blood pressure rises again. I take 2 a day."

• KAL...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 18, 2022

For Anxiety and Stress "This caused me depression, it continues to cause me anxiety. Literature is available that suggests this should never be used as an anxiolytic."