Alpha Blocker Puns

Can anyone share their experience with Alpha blockers? Specifically, how long it takes to work? I started Alfluzosin 10mg, a few days ago. On the first night, obviously had crazy side effects, tachycardia, dizziness, fatigue, stuffy nose, but at the same time, immediate relief in urinary urgency and hard flaccid; hallelujah! Now on day three, negative side effects have mostly subsided, as have the initial positives unfortunately. Does it take a while to build up in your system after that initial surge or something? Or is it possible i should try a different one?

Over the years there have been stories of people with paruresis getting some relief (or not) by utilizing alpha blockers, along side following a program of exposure therapy and practice. For some it’s seemed to help reduce the time needed to start a stream. I would be curious to take the informal poll here to get some input.

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My Urologist prescribed Doxazosin Alpha-Blockers as a possible treatment against my symptoms of Prostatitis. He told me that there is a chance that it could help, it helped some of his patients, but others had no luck with it.
I wonder now, has anyone of you had success treating Prostatitis (or CPPS) with Alpha Blockers?
After reading through the possible side-effects (doctor also told me that at the beginning of taking it the side-effects can be quite strong), I am very sceptical of taking them. I really want to get rid of this, but to me it just doesn't sound too promising.

Hello there,

I would like to know what would happen if you take a stimulant (Noradrenaline and dopamine inhibitor), Beta blocker and alpha blocker all at the same time? Blocking both a1 and a2 receptors + b1 and b2 receptors. Where would these elevated neurotransmiters go if receptors are blocked? I'm asking because I got prescribed ritalin for adhd and antipsychotics for sleep issues which block a2 and a1 receptors. I also have a hypertension beacause of which my cardiologist wants to prescribe me a beta blocker.

Edit: Will speak to doctor about this for sure just wanna know more toughts on this if possible please. Thx.

I just found a Step 1 AnKing card with the following text:

{{c2::α}}-adrenergic antagonists cause K+ to shift {{c1::into}} cells, causing {{c1::hypokalemia}}

Likewise, there is a card claiming that alpha agonists cause hyperkalemia. Can anyone verify this information? To my knowledge, beta agonists/antagonists have been well documented to cause hypo/hyperkalemia, but I cannot find an outside source that reports the opposite effect with alpha receptors.

Doxazosin

Prazosin

Terazosin

•Tamsulosin(flomax)

And I'm still guy what gives???

I know stimulants aren't good for the heart long term but do they cause any horrible reactions or anything with beta/alpha blockers? I read about one person who OD'd on cocaine and propranolol but people are saying that's just a myth perpetuated by an anecdote.

Am I getting that right ? There was a uworld concept about this I guess but didn’t take notes unfortunately

I’m currently on propanolol and midodrine for my pots. While propanolol has improved my symptoms it has also come with unwanted side effects. I notice at 10mg 2-3 times a day it has caused me insomnia, weight gain, tiredness and some depression. Small reductions in dose just to try to mitigate the affects just result in my tachycardia being uncontrolled. I’ve been wanting to try ivabradine so I was wondering if anyone has experience with this med. if so, has it been more effective than a beta or alpha blocker?

I've been battling more acute symptoms of Prostatitis/maybe BPH for about 6 months now. I've had battles on an off through the years, but nothing that has lasted this long. My urologist prescribed alpha blockers and PT. I have been doing the PT, many yoga, icing and heat sessions, and really trying to take the alpha blockers, but they make me so tired and dizzy it's hard to stay on them. I'm an active early 40's year old male and feel like my blood pressure is dropping pretty significantly from the alfuzosin.

My question is has anyone had relief by taking alpha blockers like flomax or alfuzosin? This med knocks me out more than any I have ever taken, and I wonder how long I may need to be on this and if there are any alternatives out there that would be a little more tolerable?

Thanks!

Here is a good read about anyone who's worried about taking beta blockers with your favourite amphetamines. This also applies to coke as well as mdma, even caffeine since they all stimulate your alpha receptors.

There are studies embedded as the post goes that look further into it and it's genuinely worth a read. Even Alexander Shulgin was promoting use of propranolol at 10-20mg doses before taking mdma as in to reduce the potential side effects of his substance.

Direct link to amphetamine related study for the lazy people

"The use of butyrophenone and later-generation antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and β-blockers is recommended based on existing evidence."

Stay safe

A lot of UTI talk here lately. I kept getting UTIs with my IC, no one knew what was wrong. Randomly looked at the drug sheet and right on the side effects was listed UTIs. They stopped once I stopped taking it. They can cause retention, which causes UTIs.

I'm sick and tired of getting the urge to pee almost instantly after voiding. It's becoming seriously tiring. Do alpha blockers actually work? I was afraid of trying Flomax due to the ejaculation problems that it might have (I'm already suffering from mild ED...) but I'll ask my doctor if it's worth it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_blocker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-1_blocker

This is just me making up theories, but since norepinephrine-increasing drugs seem to work at least for some, these two classes of drugs acting on different norepinephrine receptors might have effects on SCT symptoms (with or without other drugs in combination).

Here's an interesting study that suggests less active beta receptors may increase metacognition (thinking about your thinking). This might relate to SCT (I definitely focus on my thoughts a lot), and the study is done using a beta blocker (propranolol).

EDIT

Bonus question since we're here: Anybody have experience with yohimbine? I've heard it can have nootropic effects, and it should increase NE levels in the brain.

So long story short is that I have some autoimmune health issues that can be treated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) inhibitors or blockers. There are medicines on the market, however they can be very expensive. One example is Enbrel (my brother takes this) which can cost ~$67k a year w/o insurance, and generally required to take for the rest of your life.

Ideally I would like to reduce my own body from attacking itself. Right now my symptoms are still considered "mild" but I would like to keep it it that way. Any suggestions on supplements?

We learn the dogma of no beta blockers for pheo or cocaine toxicity because of the theoretical risk of hypertensive crisis from unopposed alpha stimulation. I understand this issue is being debated, but why hasn’t this dogma been implicated in thyroid disease? What about the pathophys makes beta ok to block in this but not other conditions of increased sympathetic response?

I am posting here because I do want an explanation, but I'd like it said in terms any average student would understand, which I don't think ELI5 would be able to provide this time around.

Edit: Thanks to all who have answered my question so far. I'm a nursing student taking Med-Surg (in my second semester out of four to take my NCLEX), which means for now a lot of the material is introductory, but so far I am understanding the material well decently.

After an acute urinary tract infection/prostatitis I experienced abroad in a poorer country, caused by bacteria, I have been left with chronic symptoms. After many visits to hospitals and numerous tests and samples all showing normal values I have been diagnosed with chronic prostatitis. After my last visit to a doctor in my home country I was prescribed one month of NSAID and three months of Alpha blockers. Since my impression from what I have read online that very few have been cured by medication, I made the decision to not take any of the medication. Now, almost a month late, however, I am starting to ask myself if I should take them after all.

So, to help me in my decision I would be extremely thankful if any one of you who have taken any of these medications as a treatment for prostatitis could share your stories of their effects; good and bad!

Thank you in advance!

I was reading an article by the fugitive psychiatrist, which explained that SSRIs are though to cause sexual dysfunction due to inhibiting nitric oxide and causing vasoconstriction, resulting in reduced blood flow to the penis. Of course the inhibition of dopamine and norepinephrine release by SERT inhibition wouldn’t be helping with desire and the psychological side of things, but my understanding is that the physical problem/dysfunction is largely a result of reduced blood flow? Cause most people can eliminate SSRI induced sexual dysfunction simply by taking Viagra.

Anyway, I’m prescribed Prazosin for anxiety. It’s first use was for blood pressure though, as it’s a selective alpha blocker/alpha antagonist. This action causes the dilation of blood vessels. The vasodilation caused by Prazosin is rather profound, even at 1-2mg. My eyes go blood shoot at 2mg and it looks like I’ve been smoking pot.

Anyway, I did notice that the Prazosin at 1mg to 2mg ameliorated the erectile dysfunction caused by my SSRI. Especially at 2mg, it did a damn good job of getting rid of the problem. I guess the draw back is the side effects like dizziness upon rising, blood shoot stoner eyes and drowsiness.

But I was wondering if all we really need to counteract erectile dysfunction from SSRIs is better blood flow to that area? Which could be achieved by drugs other than Viagra: drugs that cause vasodilation?

Just wondering if anyone knows whether you need a prescription to buy alpha blockers.

I was prescribed propranolol to counter the physical anxiety effects that were causing me to have panic attacks while on dexamphetamine (25-30mg daily in 3 or 4 doses).

It really works wonders... Whenever I have an anxious thought, I am no longer thrown into a spiral of panic by the initial physical reaction to the thought (increased heartrate, blood pressure, shortness of breath) since this physical reaction is completely gone due to the propranolol. I suspect that the reason that this works so well for me is that I had a traumatic event 10 years ago which could have messed up my fight or flight response causing me to have PTSD-like symptoms. I really never noticed clearly how bad those physical reactions still were after all this time until they disappeared a few days ago due to the propranolol.

I understand that propranolol can exacerbate the problem of cold extremities which I already had on the dexamphetamine alone. But oddly enough it seems to be less since I've started taking the propranolol (20mg 2x daily). I was thinking perhaps the cold extremities were initially worsened by emotions (anxiety) and now that those are lowered this side effect is also diminished. Or maybe I'm just less anxious so I mind them less. Could the combo actually be worse for me cardiovascularly but better psychologically? Is there reason to be worried about this even though I seem to perceive less cardiovascular stress?

When looking into the contraindication of beta blockers and amphetamines I came across something called unopposed alpha syndrome, which suggests that taking alpha+beta blockers like clonidine would be a better idea than just beta blockers. My physician for some reason was hesitant to prescribe me clonidine but had no issues with propranolol.

In my search I came across this http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1074248416681644 which seems to suggest that this concept of unopposed alpha syndrome may have been revised ("For the past 3 decades, the phenomenon of unopposed α-stimulation after β-blocker use in cocaine-positive patients has been cited as an absolute contraindication, despite limited and inconsistent clinical evidence. In this review, the authors of the original studies, case reports, and systematic review in which unopposed α-stimulation was believed to be a factor investigate the pathophysiology, pharmacology, and published evidence behind the unopposed α-stimulation phenomenon."), but I don't have access to the full article. Can any

Anybody have any experience with these kind of drugs for anxiety? What makes them different from a beta blocker like, for example, propranolol?

I’m aware of that it’s used as an anti inflammatory medicine but how?