Propranolol overdoses rise as patients with anxiety turn to beta blockers
GP Dr Cathy Andronis says younger patients are increasingly requesting beta blockers as an alternative to SSRIs.
More patients using beta blockers for non-cardiovascular indications could explain increasing rates of propranolol overdose, experts suggest.
Propranolol-related calls to the NSW Poisons Information Centre have increased by 18% over the past two years, reaching 441 in 2024, with 78% of calls related to patients aged 20-74.
The centre, which receives about half of Australia’s poisoning helpline calls, could not provide data on intentional versus accidental overdoses or patient outcomes.
But researchers wrote in the Medical Journal of Australia in April that many patients and GPs were unaware of propranolol’s lethal potential.
