Propranolol

Propranolol is used for hypertension, situational anxiety and migraine prevention.

What is Propranolol?

Propranolol can be used to treat several conditions, including hypertension (high blood pressure), anxiety, and recurring migraine attacks.

Propranolol acts on the heart and blood circulation. It slows the heart rate and relaxes the muscle walls of the blood vessels, widening the vessels and increasing the blood flow.

Can I buy Propranolol online?

The Online Clinic can prescribe Propranolol after a consultation with a GP online. Click on the Free Consultation button below.

How to use Propranolol

Propranolol is supplied as film-coated tablets, sustained-release capsules, and as an oral solution. Your doctor will let you know how much propranolol to take, when to take it, and how often to take it. Please note that The Online Clinic does not supply the oral solution preparation.

Propranolol tablets and capsules should be swallowed with a glass of water. Dosage will be advised by one of our doctors.

Only in cases of migraine prevention can the tablets and solution be used by children, but their dosage will be based on their age or body weight. The capsules cannot be taken by children and older people may need to take lower doses regardless of condition. You should not drink alcohol while taking propranolol. Please note that The Online Clinic does not prescribe for children.

Propranolol should be stopped only when your doctor tells you and/or after talking to your doctor because you may need to stop it gradually by lowering the daily dose.

If you take too much propranolol, then contact a doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency department immediately, and take the remaining propranolol, the label and the packet or container with you. If you forget to take this medicine, then take it when you remember or skip that dose (if too near the time of the next dose); take the next dose at the usual dose and at the usual time.

Who can use Propranolol?

Propranolol is for the treatment of adults. Children may be able to take the tablets or the solution for migraine prevention.

Many medical conditions can prevent you from using propranolol so, even if you think that you know all the medical conditions that you have, it is important to talk to your doctor before taking this medicine.

Propranolol must not be taken if you are allergic to propranolol hydrochloride, other beta-blocker medicines, or any of the other ingredients of the preparation you are taking. Additionally, it should not be taken if you have: a heart condition (heart failure, heart block, very slow/irregular heart rate, very low blood pressure, chest pain known as Prinzmetal angina); breathing difficulties, wheezing or asthma; severe blood circulation problems (Raynaud’s syndrome, intermittent claudication); hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) when not eating for a long time or fasting; metabolic acidosis (high blood acid levels); phaeochromocytoma (an untreated adrenal gland tumour).

Contact your doctor or pharmacist before taking propranolol if you have any other heart problems (including unstable angina, difficulty pumping blood, slow heart rate while resting, irregular heartbeat, swollen ankles); any blood circulation problems (including ischaemic heart disease); are sometimes breathless or have severe allergic reactions to anything that can cause breathing difficulties or dizziness; have diabetes or have problems with blood sugar levels; and liver (including cirrhosis) or kidney problems.

Inform all healthcare providers that you are taking propranolol if you are having a blood test as it can affect the results, and if you are having anaesthesia (e.g., for surgery or a procedure) as it can cause side effects.

Similarly, let your doctor or pharmacist know all medicines (including those you access yourself) that you take, might take or have recently taken; they may alter the way propranolol works or propranolol may alter the way they work.

The way propranolol works may be affected by cimetidine (for indigestion, stomach ulcers), fluvoxamine (for depression), and hydralazine (for high blood pressure).

Your dose of propranolol may need to change if you take: calcium channel blockers (for high blood pressure/chest pain, e.g., isradipine, lacidipine, nicardipine, nisoldipine), propafenone (for irregular heartbeat), rifampicin (an antibiotic), theophylline (for asthma), thioridazine (for mental health disorders), thyroxine (for thyroid disorders), and warfarin (a blood thinner).

Care is needed if you take the following medicines: clonidine (for high blood pressure and migraine; your doctor may tell you to stop using clonidine), antidiabetic medications (e.g., insulin and metformin), tropisetron (for nausea/vomiting), verapamil or diltiazem (for high blood pressure/chest pains), and xamoterol (a heart stimulant).

The following may cause side effects when taken together with propranolol: adrenaline (for emergency allergic reaction/anaphylaxis, heart attack), heart failure treatments (e.g., digoxin, digitoxin), treatments for irregular heartbeat (e.g., disopyramide, quinidine and amiodarone), moxisylyte (for poor circulation), high blood pressure treatments (e.g., nifedipine, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-II antagonists [telmisartan]), migraine treatments (e.g., ergotamine, rizatriptan), prostaglandin inhibitors (e.g., indomethacin, ibuprofen), lidocaine (a local anaesthetic or for an irregular heartbeat), anti-depressants (e.g., mono-amine oxidase inhibitors [moclobemide], tricyclic antidepressants [amitriptyline]), phenothiazine treatments for anxiety, nausea/vomiting, or mental disorders (e.g., chlorpromazine, trifluoperazine), sleeping pills (e.g., amobarbital), muscle relaxants (for multiple sclerosis), pyridostigmine (for myasthenia gravis), aldesleukin (for cancer), alprostadil (for sexual problems), contraceptive pill, and corticosteroids (for hormone replacement).

Propranolol Side Effects

Medical advice must be sought in cases of allergic reactions (with swelling of face, tongue, and/or throat) or with breathing difficulties (more likely in people with asthma). Common side effects reported include: feeling weak and/or tired, cold hands and feet, poor blood circulation (Raynaud's syndrome), slow heart rate, and difficulty (insomnia) or disturbed (nightmares) sleep. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are uncommon.

Rarely there are reports of dizziness; postural hypotension (feeling light-headed, faint or dizzy when standing up); heart block (abnormal heart beat with dizziness, fainting or fatigue); worsening of breathing problems in those with asthma or a past history of asthma, blood circulation in those with poor circulation, pain and/or cramping in the lower leg (intermittent claudication), and breathlessness and ankle swelling in those with heart failure; dry eyes, visual disturbances, tingling/numbness in hands or feet, confusion, memory loss, mood changes, seeing or hearing things that do not exist (hallucinations or psychosis), skin rash, purpura, psoriasis, and/or hair loss. Very rarely, myasthenia gravis or worsening of the condition, and changes in the blood (found by blood tests) occur.

Headaches, erection problems, and low blood sugar levels in people of all ages with or without diabetes, people on haemodialysis, those taking antidiabetic medicines, and those who are fasting, recently fasted, or have long-term liver disease.