What Is Propranolol Used For?

People who have conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels may wonder, "What is propranolol used for?" A few of the licensed uses include controlling high blood pressure, relieving angina symptoms, and treating atrial fibrillation. Propranolol may also be used off-label to relieve alcohol withdrawal symptoms, treat hyperthyroidism, and slow down the progression of aortic dilation in children with Marfan syndrome.

Propranolol Hydrochloride

What Is Propranolol Used For? -- An Overview

Propranolol hydrochloride (Inderal^®) has been licensed to treat a number of conditions. Propranolol is used for:

High blood pressure control
Relief of angina symptoms
Treatment following a heart attack to improve survival
Treatment of atrial fibrillation or other irregular heart rhythms
Migraine prevention
Decreasing the severity of tremors in people with familial or essential tremor
Improving symptoms in people with hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, which is a condition in which the middle part of the heart thickens
Controlling pheochromocytoma symptoms.

High Blood Pressure

A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers (for example, 120/80). The top number is known as the systolic blood pressure, and the bottom number is the diastolic blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is defined as an average blood pressure higher than 140/90.

In clinical studies, propranolol has been shown to significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The higher the dose of propranolol, the greater the drop in blood pressure is expected to be. By lowering blood pressure, propranolol can decrease the risks that occur with long-term high blood pressure (see Effects of High Blood Pressure). Propranolol does not, however, cure high blood pressure.

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