Saw a new neuro today, wants me on propranolol, advice?

Medication 💊 Beta-blockers
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Hi everyone,
Ok so I really liked this neurologist I saw, he talked with me for a long time. He spent about 30 minutes alone listening to me, and speaking with me. The thing is, he basically said he has no idea whats going on with me LOL He said its very likely its migraine…even though I told him I have been previously diagnosed, and 2 meds have had some effect on my dizziness. The current one(Depakote) has had better effect on my dizziness than the Nortriptyline, but I still have bad days and my current neuro I’m seeing(not him) has not mentioned going up on the Depakote or anything. This doctor thinks I may have possible migraine, and anxiety. Which I think is true. I have always been an anxious person, but I doubt the anxiousness caused the dizziness, and when Im not on medicine Im bad…I get rocking, spins, nausea, you name it! He hates me on Depakote though, he says being that Im 27, and sexually active it is a very bad drug if I do get pregnant on it. So he wants me to start on propranolol 60mg once a day for about a week then go up to 60mg twice a day, unless Im feeling good on 60mg once a day, but I’m scared…because my dizziness has subsided a lot since being on Depakote, but Im still dizzy to some degree everyday. He said if If I get more dizzy I can stop it and go back to Depakote, but Im sort of afraid to risk it. Especially since I had a bad crash a few weeks ago and once Depakote kicked in(about a week) I was much better. I dont want to reverse, but he said he would like me if possible off the Depakote, it is known to cause severe birth defects if I were to get pregnant but me and my husband are very careful. He wants me to stop the Depakote tonight(dont take my dose) and take the propranolol in the morning. I had asthma when I was younger but nothing recently, but I know it can be bad for asthma. I also work out, and run, will this be a problem? He said if I wheeze, to stop it. Basically Im just scared to get off Depakote and try the propranolol but I want to trust this neurologist, he seemed very nice and went through my history of everything. I told him about my ear stuffiness going away completely almost when on medicine, so thats another reason Im almost positive its migraine. He just doesnt see people who are chronically dizzy who have migraines though. I did like him though and he agreed that if he couldn’t help me he wouldn’t keep seeing me and have me keep paying, he would refer to someone else who he would think could help me. I just wish more neuros knew about chronic dizziness. What would you do? Thank you for any advice in advance.

eta: I also heard propranolol can cause depression, and I have had depression in the past and can still be a crying mess some days when Im really bad, wishing I was better for my children…I dont know if its a good choice for that. I had that side effect when I was on Topamax, it was like an instant depression, like a half hour after taking the pill.

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The propranolol made me quite depressed pretty quickly…but I was really a mess when I tried it. A lot of people tolerate it well. You could always add a low dose antidepressant to the mix if you feel anxious…maybe Celexa?
Kelley

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Of course every person is different, but I’ve now been on the Propranolol for about two weeks, and I haven’t had an issue with depression. In fact the only side effect I’m experiencing is insomnia. I would say to give it a shot if you’re comfortable. But I wonder how much of an issue potential birth defects really are. Obviously this is very personal and depends on your method(s) of birth control, but if you are, say, using oral contraception carefully plus a barrier method, your chances of pregnancy are very, very low. I’m saying this just because I know how much it stinks to have to go off of a drug if it’s working, so I understand your reluctance to switch!

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I tried Propranolol and had no negative side effects. But my Otologist said that in her experience, Verapamil is a much more effective med.

Note: I dont have MAV, I was misdiagnosed with it before finding out that I had an ear problem.

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Thanks everyone, I have decided to stay on Depakote and stick my current neuro for now. I may make an appt with Hain(by phone) by the end of the year or travel to Phoenix to see Dr. Terry Fife who seems to be trained well in MAV and balance disorders. For now though, Depakote has helped some, and it helped way more than the Nortriptyline, so Im going to give it a full trial of atleast 3-4 months before I discuss getting on something else or adding something in. When my neuro mentions weaning me of Depakote in November Im going to let him know I am still dizzy, and would like to stay on it longer. Im sure he would have no problem but I guess he expects to break this migraine cycle and for me to go with life as normal…oh how I wish that too!

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For the record, I was on propranolo at 40mg a day for high blood pressure, then I got this mav crap, so Neuro put the propranolol up to 80mg a day and then I reached 120mg a day.

I didnt experience any side effects. But then it didnt help my headaches or dizziness at all either. There is a chance that it made me slightly more tired and more depressed, but the argument against that is that I have always been chronically fatigued and the whole damn situation made me depressed.

One thing I would say is dont abruptly stop it despite a doc insisting it’s fine. Much better wean yourself down over a little bit of time to avoid palpatations- which is what happened to me!