The side effects of medication are worrying.

After two years on propranolol though, I’d be tempted to discuss a withdrawal plan with your GP. If they give you grief over wanting to come off them, remember this is your choice at the end of the day, and they need to respect that.

Me too. I think, like every profession in life, some are good, some are not so good. I was told I needed to start taking statins recently, when my cholesterol was slightly raised. It seemed that the default was just take these tablets, no discussion. Whereas to me it seemed the more sensible approach would be for me to take more care over my diet, which I opted for.

Like you, I spent a lot of time researching the effects of both beta blockers and SSRIs, a while after I’d been taking them. The doctors who prescribed these never discussed them with me beforehand. When I raised the side effects I’d been experiencing they just shrugged and said, “oh yeah, that’s to be expected”.

I also worry that some of these side effects may be irreversible, and that GPs know this but just ignore it for what they deem to be the greater good. I understand this, but it would be nice to have a discussion about this upfront.