Your doctor should know
You need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you take propranolol if any of the following apply to you:
- you have asthma or any other breathing difficulties
- you have any heart problems
- you have low blood pressure
- you have diabetes mellitus (symptoms of low blood sugar levels may be hidden by this medicine)
- you have a tight, painful feeling in the chest even when you rest (Prinzmetal’s angina)
- you have untreated high blood pressure due to a tumour near the kidney (phaeochromocytoma)
- you have muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis)
- you have kidney or liver disease
- you have an overactive thyroid (symptoms of hyperthyroidism include increased appetite, weight loss, sweating)
- you have, or have ever had, psoriasis
- you have serious blood circulation problems (which may cause your fingers and toes to tingle or turn pale or blue)
- you have Raynaud’s disease (cold sensations in fingers and toes) or intermittent claudication (narrowing of arteries in the legs causing pain on walking)
- you smoke (propranolol may carry a higher risk of making your breathing more difficult)
- you know that you are going to have surgery soon, as the effects of propranolol on your heart mean a risk of effects on your heartbeat while you are under a general anaesthetic
- you are having any blood or urine tests (propranolol can change the results of some lab tests)
- you have food allergies and carry an adrenaline injection (epi-pen), as propranolol could reduce the effectiveness of this