There is no ‘magic pill’ to fix young women’s anxiety. I should know – I once took propranolol myself | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Prescriptions for these beta blockers are soaring among England’s teenage girls. But they deserve more than this sticking-plaster approach</p><p></p><p></p><p>The first time I had a panic attack, I genuinely thought I was dying. Unless you have experienced one, it is hard to understand just how physical the symptoms can be – the pounding heart, the shortness of breath, the dizziness, the chest pain, the nausea. When they became frequent, I would often have to go to bed to sleep them off, my body utterly spent from the strain of sheer, corporeal terror. A panic attack is not a physical state that I would wish on anyone. It is pure fight or flight.</p><p>Like many others, I was prescribed a drug called propranolol to help with my anxiety symptoms. Propranolol is a beta blocker <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/propranolol/about-propranolol/">used in cardiac patients</a> to lower the heart rate, but it is <a href="https://bjgp.org/content/74/748/516">increasingly prescribed</a> to those with <a href="https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/conditions/anxiety-disorders/what-is-anxiety/">anxiety disorders</a> because it has some calming effects, and can soothe symptoms such as sweating and shaking.</p><p>Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist</p><p>In the UK, the charity <a href="https://www.mind.org.uk/">Mind</a> is available on 0300 123 3393 and <a href="https://www.childline.org.uk/">Childline</a> on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text <a href="https://www.mhanational.org/">Mental Health America</a> at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support is available at <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/">Beyond Blue</a> on 1300 22 4636, <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/">Lifeline</a> on 13 11 14, and at <a href="https://mensline.org.au/">MensLine</a> on 1300 789 978</p><p><em><strong>Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters"> letters</a> section, please <a href="mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.">click here</a>.</strong></em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/08/magic-pill-young-women-anxiety-propranolol-beta-blockers-girls">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Prescriptions for these beta blockers are soaring among England’s teenage girls. But they deserve more than this sticking-plaster approachThe first time I had a panic attack, I genuinely thought I was dying. Unless you have experienced one, it is hard to understand just how physical the symptoms can be – the pounding heart, the shortness of breath, the dizziness, the chest pain, the nausea. When they became frequent, I would often have to go to bed to sleep them off, my body utterly spent from the strain of sheer, corporeal terror. A panic attack is not a physical state that I would wish on anyone. It is pure fight or flight.Like many others, I was prescribed a drug called propranolol to help with my anxiety symptoms. Propranolol is a beta blocker used in cardiac patients to lower the heart rate, but it is increasingly prescribed to those with anxiety disorders because it has some calming effects, and can soothe symptoms such as sweating and shaking.Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnistIn the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
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