Propranolol Dosage

People with high blood pressure are often prescribed a starting dose of propranolol 40 mg twice daily. To improve survival following a heart attack, the dose typically ranges from 180 mg to 240 mg a day. The usual dosage for people with pheochromocytoma is 30 mg daily. Do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.

Propranolol Hydrochloride

An Introduction to Dosing With Propranolol

The dose of propranolol hydrochloride (Inderal^®) that your healthcare provider prescribes will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:

Your age
The medical condition you are being treated for
Other medical conditions you may have
Other medications you may be currently taking
How you respond to propranolol.

As always, do not adjust your propranolol dosage unless your healthcare provider specifically tells you to do so.

Dosage for High Blood Pressure

The recommended starting dosage of propranolol for people with

high blood pressure (hypertension) is 40 mg twice a day. After a couple of weeks, based on the blood pressure response and/or propranolol side effects, the dosing may be increased or decreased. Your healthcare provider may also add a diuretic (a "water pill") or another blood pressure medication if your blood pressure is not sufficiently controlled by propranolol alone.

Some people may need to take up to 640 mg a day (320 mg twice a day) in order to lower blood pressure enough. However, the usual dose for most people is somewhere between 120 mg and 240 mg a day, taken as two smaller doses (60 mg to 120 mg twice a day).

While twice-a-day dosing is adequate for most people, the effects of the medication may wear off too soon in some individuals (causing high blood pressure at the end of the dosing interval). In such situations, your healthcare provider may recommend that you take it three times a day.

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