Will propranolol stop my healing?

[[Ka...]]

Hi, I am slowly tapering olanzapine and I am having really hard time sleeping, extremely shallow sleep every night because of my dysautonomia. I want to try propranolol nightly for better sleep but im afraid it might sabotage my recovery if i take it long term. Does anyone have experience with this betablocker during benzo withdrawal?

[[pi...]]

Hello and welcome to the forum @[Ka...],

I don't personally have any experience with propranolol, but I've heard it mentioned on the forum quite often. You might put propranolol in the search box and see what comes up. For now, I've found this thread:

I hope others will respond here with their experience.

Again welcome,

pianogirl 

[[Br...]]

Hello @[Ka...] -  Welcome to BenzoBuddies 

I understand you're tapering olanzapine.   As you know BenzoBuddies provides support and guidance to people who are withdrawing or recovering from or interested in tapering off benzodiazepines. You may find some responses here but you may be more likely to find others who have experience with olanzapine on Survivingantidepressants.org.  

Some of our members have found propranolol helpful with withdrawal symptoms during tapering and withdrawal from benzos.  I don't know if this is also applicable to withdrawal from olanzapine.  However, I have read that regular use of propranolol can lead to dependency over time that requires careful tapering.  I say this not to alarm you but so that you approach this with caution.

Are you currently taking a benzo or have you tapered off one?  Please reach out and let us know if we can be helpful to you.

[[Ka...]]

Thank you both for the replies! Ive decided to write on this forum because olanzapine is not only an antipsychotic, but also a benzo.  I will try propranolol for a couple of days to see if it helps 

Do any of you struggle with shallow, non restorative sleep and adrenal exhaustion during tapering or withdrawal and if yes, what helped you?

[[Li...]]

15 hours ago, [[K...] said:

Thank you both for the replies! Ive decided to write on this forum because olanzapine is not only an antipsychotic, but also a benzo.  I will try propranolol for a couple of days to see if it helps.

Welcome to BenzoBuddies, @[Ka...] Can you help us understand why you think olanzapine is a benzodiazpine?  Is it because both words end in ‘ine’?  Or did a medical professional tell you this?

Drug names can definitely be perplexing.  For example, clozapine (which, like olanzapine, is an atypical antipsychotic) is often confused with clonazepam (which is a benzodiazepine).

A quick (albeit imperfect) way to tell if a drug is a benzodiazepine is that many of the names end in ‘am’ as in diazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, midazolam, temazepam, oxazepam, flurazepam (exceptions include chlordiazepoxide/Librium and clorazepate/Tranxene).

 

 

  

[[Ka...]]

@Libertas

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/thienobenzodiazepine

[[gr...]]

Hi Kaiala, I had tried propranolol and it does help with withdrawals but it can also cause insomnia and sleep problems. I had to stop for that reason.

[[Li...]]

5 hours ago, [[K...] said:

@Libertas

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/thienobenzodiazepine

Thank you, @[Ka...].  We always appreciate it when members provide credible information sources. This collection of papers indicate that olanzapine belongs to the thienobenzodiazepine class of drugs, not the benzodiazepine class. Drugs in these two classes have some structural similarities but different primary mechanisms of action.  To learn more:

Mendonça Júnior FJ, Scotti L, Ishiki H, Botelho SP, Da Silva MS, Scotti MT. Benzo- and thienobenzo- diazepines: multi-target drugs for CNS disorders. Mini Rev Med Chem. 2015;15(8):630-47. doi: 10.2174/1389557515666150219125030. PMID: 25694077.