Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Sep 3;23(17):10099.
doi: 10.3390/ijms231710099.

Propranolol versus Other Selected Drugs in the Treatment of Various Types of Anxiety or Stress, with Particular Reference to Stage Fright and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Łukasz Szeleszczuk  1 , Dawid Frączkowski  1
Affiliations
Review

Propranolol versus Other Selected Drugs in the Treatment of Various Types of Anxiety or Stress, with Particular Reference to Stage Fright and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Łukasz Szeleszczuk et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Propranolol, a non-cardioselective β1,2 blocker, is most commonly recognised for its application in the therapy of various cardiovascular conditions, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and tachyarrhythmias. However, due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and affinity towards multiple macromolecules, not only adrenoreceptors, it has also found application in other fields. For example, it is one of the very few medications successfully applied in the treatment of stage fright. This review focuses on the application of propranolol in the treatment of various types of anxiety and stress, with particular reference to stage fright and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both mechanisms of action as well as comparison with other therapies are presented. As those indications for propranolol are, in most countries, considered off-label, this review aims to gather information that can be useful while making a decision about the choice of propranolol as a drug in the treatment of those mental conditions.

Keywords: PTSD; anxiety; post-traumatic stress disorder; propranolol; stage fright.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structure of propranolol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Complex of β2-adrenergic receptor with propranolol, structure from RCSB PDB, ref. code 6PS5.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Flowchart based on the PRISMA statement.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Srinivasan A.V. Propranolol: A 50-Year Historical Perspective. Ann. Ind. Acad. Neurol. 2019;22:21–26. doi: 10.4103/aian.AIAN_201_18. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Steenen S.A., van Wijk A.J., van der Heijden G.J.M.G., van Westrhenen R., de Lange J., de Jongh A. Propranolol for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Psychopharmacol. 2016;30:128–139. doi: 10.1177/0269881115612236. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Young R., Glennon R.A. S(-)Propranolol as a discriminative stimulus and its comparison to the stimulus effects of cocaine in rats. Psychopharmacology. 2009;203:369–382. doi: 10.1007/s00213-008-1317-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Turner P., Granville-Grossman K.L. Effect of adrenergic receptor blockade of the tachycardia of thyrotoxicosis and anxiety state. Lancet. 1965;2:1316–1318. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(65)92340-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. WHO Collaborating Center for Drug Statistics Methodology at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. [(accessed on 17 July 2022)]. Available online: http://www.whocc.no.

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.