Patient was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking Propranolol as follows:
- Be aware of signs and symptoms of bradycardia and hypotension, to avoid any episodes of altered levels of consciousness and accidental falls. One should stay away from activities, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery, until they are used to the side effects caused by Propranolol.
- Propranolol can be combined with a diuretic, which helps with fluid volume loss and prevent exacerbation of symptoms of heart failure.
- Propranolol can also be used in combination with ACE inhibitors, which bring on vasodilation and help reduce the blood pressure. Reduction in blood pressure also reduces workload on the heart and prevent exacerbation of symptoms of heart failure.
- Try changing the positions very slowly, as sudden change of positions can make the hypotensive episodes even worse and precipitate accidents and falls.
- Avoid using Propranolol along with any other medications that can cause slowdown of heart rate, such as, calcium channel blockers. Using them together can result in extreme slowdown of heart rate and can present an emergency.
