Had dinner with a psychologist friend last night who made the assertion that long-term usage of beta blockers is associated with onset of depression. While she said “beta blockers,” she was referring to my Inderal (propranolol) prescription.
Needless to say, having been taking propranolol for years now, and being very happy with what it’s done for me, I was not at all pleased to hear this. Also, I’ll note, after said several years, I’m not the least bit depressed.
She’s a mental health Ph.D., and I’m not. So I was able only to listen, and assume she knew of which she spoke.
So, how about it, TM? Is there any evidence to indicate that propranolol usage can induce a depressive state?
If so, is there a special set of conditions with which this is associated? I ask this because, although she wasn’t clear about this (i.e., she made the blanket statement about beta blockers several times without qualification), she did at one point seem to indicate that she might be referring specifically to pre-menopausal women.