# Beta Blocker question



## Sailing (Oct 23, 2009)

Hi All,
is it safe to take beta blockers when suffering from DP?


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2009)

Sailing said:


> Hi All,
> is it safe to take beta blockers when suffering from DP?


I was prescribed a beta blocker in the 1980s, Inderal sp? as it is supposed to help with anxiety. As far as I could tell, it did nothing but make my heart beat slowly. I didn't feel less anxious and I didn't feel less DP. However, I have heard of folks on here whose anxiety seems to have been somewhat alleviated by that med.

Scariest thing for me with that drug was I was in a car accident on it, and I had that adrenaline rush after it was all over. My heart WANTED to pump faster but the med kept it from doing so -- it was developed for irregular heart beats (my mother had the stuff for a prolapsed mitral valve). Anyway, that was an AWFUL feeling. My heart felt like it was exploding.

My personal experience only however. The logic of the beta blocker was lost on me as all it did was change my heart rhythm, so it seemed to attempt to treat a symptom of anxiety, not the anxiety itself -- i.e. a racing heart if you're anxious. Don't know. That was some years back.

Also, important to know why you're taking the med and if you are taking other meds with it. Side effects and such.

We are all unique.
D


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## backagain (Aug 8, 2009)

beta blockers only control your nervous reaction (trembling, heartbeat, sweaty palms etc )

they are kinda pointless in treating dp or anxiety


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## Sailing (Oct 23, 2009)

Hi there Dreamer and backagain,
thank you replying to my post.
I am going through the scariest time of my life.

I used to have episodes of dp as a teen and developed mild persistent DP in 02' along with some vision problems. The dp has remained usually at a level where I do not notice it, especially when I am keeping busy. It will increase from time to time and decrease again.

The vision problem however has gradually worsened over the past 7 years, in 05' it dramatically worsened over a period of a few weeks, along with the dp. While the dp improved, the vision symptoms did not.

Last week my dp increased considerably and earlier this week my vision flared up again, over the past 4 days it has become so bad, like nothing it had been previously.
As in 05', I am waking up very early in the morning with a pounding rapid pulse and shivering mostly at jaw and chest, not temperature related, something els is causing it. The shivering usually subsided upon rising, since yesterday it is present during the day as well.

Sorry if this post is confusing, it's 6am here and I have not been able to sleep, I drift off for a few seconds and am woken up again by a strange fuzzy sensation in my head. I dont know what's happening to me.

I saw a doctor, she said I should try beta blockers for the pounding pulse and that it might help.

The beta blockers will be the first medicine I have taken for this.


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## backagain (Aug 8, 2009)

Well are you anxious and panicky ? Do you have a lot of fearful thoughts in your mind ? Is your dp part of a panic disorder?

If it is then the beta blockers will only block the nervous symptoms but not what's causing them at the source


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## Sailing (Oct 23, 2009)

I think my dp is part of a panic disorder, I also have OCD so am always anxious by default.
I have been extremely anxious and panicky this week, more so than any other time in my life, because of what is happening to my sight.

Has anybody here experienced unexplained shivering and/or rapid pulse upon waking? might this be a part of a dp symptom?


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## Sailing (Oct 23, 2009)

I am worried about taking anti anxiety meds, I have noticed that what helps for one person might not work for another person or could even make things worse.


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## backagain (Aug 8, 2009)

Sailing said:


> I think my dp is part of a panic disorder, I also have OCD so am always anxious by default.
> I have been extremely anxious and panicky this week, more so than any other time in my life, because of what is happening to my sight.
> 
> Has anybody here experienced unexplained shivering and/or rapid pulse upon waking? might this be a part of a dp symptom?


Has more to do with the sympathetic nervous system's fight or flight response then any of the psychological symptoms of DP/Dr. When you look in the mirror are your pupils dilated ?

You have an excess of adrenal function producing more and more norepeniphrine because your ocd fear based thoughts are leading you to believe that you are going to die or go crazy or have a heart attack or whatever irrational fear it's throwing at you. So your body is responding to this fear by preparing it from some sort of external threat. When in actuality there is no external threat... it's all internal threats and internal responses to internal threats so the body is fukn up bigtime.

Here's what I recommend you do... First you need to control the epinephrine and norepeniphrine. Gaba is an inhibitor, you need gaba...

If you don't have a precription to anti-anxiety meds I suggest you do. If you can't then try going to the health food store. Get yourself something called THEANINE and a GABA Supplement. Take the theanine first then take the gaba 30 minutes later. They work together to increase the overall levels of Gaba in the brain which will calm you down.

Here's something else I think is important... I believe that during these intense states of panic and rush we are losing POTASSIUM in the blood and raising SODIUM levels. Are you thirsty a lot or dehydrated during a panic attack ?
Find yourself urinating constantly ?

Go get a magnesium supplement and a potassium supplement and see if it helps.



Sailing said:


> I am worried about taking anti anxiety meds, I have noticed that what helps for one person might not work for another person or could even make things worse.


I'm not gonna say it will work for sure but unless you try you will never know.

Also in your case I'm leaning to it being an effective means of controlling your fear symptoms.

That OCD is a pest


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## rob35235 (Feb 21, 2009)

beta blockers do nothing other than lower your blood pressure and heart rate...they will do nothing for DP...nothing at all. Plus, they cause alot of people to feel depressed and lethargic, and cause bad dreams. You don't need em


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

Sailing said:


> is it safe to take beta blockers when suffering from DP?


From personal experience, and from what the prescribing physician told me, the beta-blocker I tried (propranolol) was definitely safe. Unfortunately I didn't find it effective.


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