Propranolol

You will get the effect of propranolol quickly - usually within a few hours.

There is no evidence that propranolol affects your weight.

You may want to let your family and friends know you are taking propranolol so they can support you and help you look out for side effects.

For guidance on this, check out our page on getting support with your medication.

Alcohol

You can continue to drink alcohol while taking propranolol, but having the two together might make you a little sleepier and unsteady on your feet.

During the first few days, it might be best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine affects you or until the side effects pass.

If you want to drink alcohol, remember that it may make you sleepier than usual. Make sure you can get home safely.

Drinking alcohol every day, or in large amounts, can make your symptoms worse and the propranolol will not get the best chance to act.

Smoking

Cigarette smoke affects the amount of propranolol in your body.

If you smoke, you may need a higher dose of propranolol than someone who does not smoke.

Tell your doctor if you smoke to make sure you get the right dose for you.

If you stop smoking, the level of propranolol in the body rises, and you might need to reduce your dose of propranolol slowly over one week.

If you (re)start smoking, you will probably need to increase it again.

Go to your doctor for advice if you stop or start smoking.

Propranolol does not mix well with some other medicines and drugs.

Before you take propranolol, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other drugs.

Tell the pharmacist you are taking propranolol if you buy medicines over the counter (including things you put on your skin) for common illnesses.

If you have food allergies and carry an adrenaline injection (epi-pen), let your doctor know as propranolol could reduce the effectiveness of this.

Propranolol tablets may not be suitable for you if you have problems eating some sugars or dairy (milk-based) foods, as they contain lactose.

Some propranolol tablets may contain colours that can cause an allergic reaction.

The capsules contain gelatin and sucrose.

Talk to your pharmacist or doctor if you are allergic to any food additives.

Propranolol long-acting capsules contain gelatin, and this may be a problem if you don't eat meat.

The liquid may contain methyl and propyl parahydroxybenzoates and the food additive colour sunset yellow (E110) which may cause an allergic reaction in some people.

The liquid may also contain maltitol (a type of sugar related to fructose). If your doctor has told you that you cannot eat some sugars, check with your doctor before taking it.

Let your pharmacist know if you have any food allergies or intolerances, and always check with them if you’re concerned about any of the ingredients in your medication.

Taking propranolol may affect your eyesight, and make you feel tired, dizzy or faint when you start taking it.

This could affect you if you drive a car, ride a bike, or do anything else that needs a lot of focus. It might be best to stop doing these things for the first few days, until you know how it affects you.

Some people are given propranolol to help them relax and stop any shaking for their driving test, but they should test how they feel on propranolol a few days before they take the test.

Do not worry - most people drive as normal while taking propranolol.

Pregnancy

When deciding whether to take propranolol during pregnancy, it is important to weigh up how necessary propranolol is to your health against the possible risks to you or your baby, some of which will depend on how many weeks pregnant you are.

Most studies with propranolol have looked at mums who take propranolol as part of treatment for their high blood pressure. High blood pressure itself is not good for a developing baby and so when things haven’t gone well it may be due to the high blood pressure itself.

There may be a link with propranolol taken early in pregnancy and spine problems or malformations of the mouth, but again it is not clear if this is really the case.

Remaining well is particularly important during pregnancy and while caring for a baby. For some women, treatment with propranolol in pregnancy may be the best option for both mother and baby.

Post-natal

Taking propranolol near to delivery may mean that your baby is born with a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, some breathing difficulties and a low blood sugar. All these will be checked at birth and can readily be dealt with.

Breastfeeding

Propranolol can be passed to the baby in the breastmilk, but the levels are very low and so the risk of side effects in the baby is also low.

It is generally thought that it is alright to breastfeed while taking propranolol, but as everyone is different it is important to seek advice from your doctor or midwife first.

Remember that it is important for you to remain well while you are bonding with and looking after your baby. For this reason, it may be best to take medicine for your mental health when breastfeeding.

Make sure that your doctor, nurse, or health visitor checks your baby for any side effects.

If your baby was premature or has health problems, then you will need to be extra careful about taking medicines while breastfeeding. It may be best not to breastfeed if this is the case, but you should discuss this with your doctor or midwife.

Propranolol can have side effects that might affect your sex life, though these are rare.

If you have a penis, you may find it more difficult to get and keep an erection.

This and any other effects should pass after the first couple of weeks. If they do not, and this is a problem for you, go back to the doctor and see what else you could try.

Propranolol is a banned substance in some sports.

For most of them, it is only banned while playing competitively.

These sports are:

• archery (WA) (also prohibited out-of-competition) 
• automobile (car sports) (FIA)
• billiards (all disciplines) (WCBS) 
• darts (WDF) 
• golf (IGF) 
• shooting (ISSF, IPC) (also prohibited out-of-competition) 
• skiing/snowboarding (FIS) in ski jumping, freestyle aerials/halfpipe and snowboard halfpipe/big air
• underwater sports (CMAS) in constant-weight apnoea with or without fins, dynamic apnoea with and without fins, free immersion apnoea, Jump Blue apnoea, spearfishing, static apnoea, target shooting and variable weight apnoea

When you start taking propranolol, it may make you feel tired, dizzy, faint or confused, and could make your eyesight blurred, so do not do any sports that need a lot of focus just after you start taking propranolol.

Do not worry - most people play sports as normal while taking propranolol.

Try not to take propranolol for the first time just before your exams.

You may feel dizzy, faint or confused when you start taking propranolol, and it can make your eyesight blurred.

You should talk to your doctor about any future exams if you are starting propranolol.

You might decide together to delay starting it until you have done them. 

If they are more than a week away, however, you might find that it is better to start propranolol to improve any shaking or sweating that you get.

Do not worry - most people take exams as normal while taking propranolol.