Propranolol belongs to a group of medicines called beta blockers. It's used to treat heart problems, help with anxiety and prevent migraines. If you have a heart problem, you can take propranolol to: treat high blood pressure.
There are several classes of medications used to treat anxiety that are safe for use in people who have high blood pressure. These include: Beta blockers such as propranolol (Inderal) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as escitalopram (Lexapro)
Sometimes, a person with anxiety will develop hypertension, especially if they regularly experience intense anxiety. Other people may develop anxiety as a result of having high blood pressure. Treatment for one condition can often improve the other.
When you experience anxiety your heart rate increases – presumably to pump blood to areas of your body that need it if you were fighting or fleeing. But that increase in cardiac output causes an increase in pressure that raises your systolic pressure.
Long-term stress may increase cortisol production, which can raise both your blood pressure and body weight, two factors that influence a person's risk of heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, chronic stress can also cause chronic anxiety and depression.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac (fluoxetine) and Lexapro (escitalopram) may raise blood pressure, though these drugs are less likely to do so than other classes of antidepressants. And some antidepressants are more likely to have this affect than others.
For the majority of people with undiagnosed or untreated anxiety disorder, there are many negative consequences, for both the individual and society. These include disability, reduced ability to work leading to loss of productivity, and a high risk of suicide.
Anxiolytic medications like Valium are proven to assist in the management of acute blood pressure elevation in those without target organ damage. One dose of a medication like Valium during blood pressure elevations is proven to help avoid unnecessary visits to the emergency room.
Xanax, or alprazolam, is a benzodiazepine, which means that it increases the effect of GABA in the brain. GABA is responsible for inhibiting activity in the brain cells, which means your responses to things are slowed down and your blood pressure drops.
Alprazolam is as effective as captopril in lowering BP in ED patients with an initial SBP > 160 mmHg.
First-line drugs are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Benzodiazepines are not recommended for routine use. Other treatment options include pregabalin, tricyclic antidepressants, buspirone, moclobemide, and others.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are characterized by limited effects on autonomic system activity and a lower impact on blood pressure. Thus, they represent the safest class—particularly among elderly and cardiovascular patients.
Examples of antidepressants that can raise blood pressure include: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Tricyclic antidepressants. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Comparing the users and nonusers did not show any significant differences in SBP, DBP, and mean BP; even, when outcomes were adjusted for risk factors and antihypertensive drugs. In fact, in our investigation, antidepressants usage did not have any association in lowering BP levels in depressed patients.
Most patients are already worried about what brought them to the clinic in the first place, and right away they have the additional mental task of trying to correctly answer questions. The resulting anxiety can elevate blood pressure 10 points or more.”
One possible explanation for this link is that hypertension can cause changes in the brain that affect your body's stress response. In addition, people with hypertension may experience symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and dizziness, which can further contribute to feelings of anxiety.
Usually, blood pressure starts to rise a few hours before a person wakes up. It continues to rise during the day, peaking in midday. Blood pressure typically drops in the late afternoon and evening. Blood pressure is usually lower at night while sleeping.
Unfortunately, high blood pressure can happen without feeling any abnormal symptoms. Moderate or severe headaches, anxiety, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, palpitations, or feeling of pulsations in the neck are some signs of high blood pressure.
High blood pressure symptoms in women can be subtle
Headaches. Fatigue. Shortness of breath. Chest discomfort.
Because high blood pressure is associated with stress, most people assume that low blood pressure must be a symptom of something else - something more dangerous. But low blood pressure is also a fairly common anxiety symptom, especially in those that suffer from panic and anxiety attacks.