I am 8 months since I hit my head on a concrete wall and had a serious concussion. I developed tinnitus, light and sound sensitivity, extreme fatigue even after slightest physical activity. One neuro diagnosed me with PCS and gave me xanax .25 for a month. Yesterday I went to a new neurologist and he told me I have PTSD and gave me propranolol 60mg once a day. He told me that propranolol will help me with the sensitivity to bumps and jolts that I have since I hit my head ( Driving in a car drives me crazy as speed bumps and potholes send the impacts straight to my head) . I am reluctant to take it as I have read that it slows down the heart rate . Is the dose high ? What should I expect after taking it ? How do you think it will help with the sensitivity to bumps and jolts ? Thank you

Do you know what your blood pressure range is ? Propranolol lowers blood pressure, not necessarily heart rate. It also acts sort of like an anti-anxiety med.

I don't know how it will help with bumps except to reduce your anxiety and BP reaction to them.

Do you have lots of speed bumps to deal with ? I would think they have enough visibility to be able to slow down and be ready for them.

Propronolol and Verapamil are used as potentiating decreased pressure in the brain and increasing blood flow...so the theory goes. These two medicine have shown statistically significant improvments in post concussion syndrome headache control...and often migraine control.

now...propranolol itself...really isn't for blood pressure so much as it is to have an effect on heart rate reduction.

you should try it if you want to be well. BUT... do it smartly. Start it at bedtime (it makes some people tired). Take your pulse and your blood pressure before... and periodically check your pressure once or twice daily for the first 1-2 weeks. take those results to your family doctor or specialist for advice to see if he/she is happy with them. Generally speaking, the propranolol dose is smaller for headache support compared to the need for cardiac effects.

hope this helps!

Propranolol (Inderal), was the first beta blocker used in the US for hypertension. Soon its CNS side effects, spurred chemical cousins called cardioselective beta blockers, (Tenormin (atenolol) is one), to be developed.

Propranolol today is used for migraine prophylaxis and some doctors are trying it for PTSD. Some use it for performance anxiety, but atenolol is usually used instead because it is less
sedating. In high doses propranolol can cause forgetfulness and or depressive symptoms.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publi...et/index.shtml

Propranolol is still used but infrequently for cardiac issues (angina) and hypertension. If you remain on this for a while, you may need a taper, to discontinue, with doctor supervision.
The rapid heart beat that occurs during discontinuance should be avoided as much as possible.

This is not a really high dose. You will probably not get much in the way of cardiac side effects at this low dose, unless you have some undiagnosed cardiac issue hiding.

http://www.drugs.com/propranolol.html

I was also prescribed Propranolol for my headaches. It helped me little bit but was causing more dizziness so my doctor replaced it with Verapamil, which has been great in controlling my headaches.