• Hypertension:
    • Adults: 40-80mg BD [increased as required to 160mg-320mg
    • Children: 1mg per kg BW daily in divided doses increased as required to 2-5mg per kg daily in divided doses.
  • Pheochromocytoma:
    • Adults: 60mg daily given on 3 pre-operative days
    • Children: 250-500 micrograms/kg TDS/QID.
  • Angina:
    • 40mg initially given 2-3 times daily and increased as required to 120-240mg daily 
  • MI:
    • 40mg given QID for 2-3 days followed by 80mg BD daily administered within 5-21 days after infarction. 
  • Cardiac arrhythmias:
    • 10-40mg TDS or QID
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:
    • 10-40mg TDS or QID 
  • Hyperthyroidism:
    • Adults: 10-40mg TDS or QID
    • Children: 250-500 micrograms/kg TDS or QID 
  • Anxiety, migraine, essential tremor:
    • 40mg daily; can be increased to 40mg BD or TDS 
  • Anxiety tachycardia :
    • 10-40mg TDS or QID

Tablet: 10mg, 40mg

  • It should be given during or right after a meal.

Non-selective beta blocker. Class 2 antiarrhythmic.

It inhibits response to adrenergic stimuli by competitively blocking beta adrenergic receptors within the myocardium and within the bronchial and vascular smooth muscle. Through its myocardial beta-adrenergic blocking action, propranolol reduces heart rate, decreases myocardial contractility, decreases cardiac output, increases systolic ejection time, and increases cardiac volume.

Not suitable for emergency treatment of hypertension.

  • Bradycardia
  • Hypotension
  • Heart block
  • Bronchospasms
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Dry eyes
  • Skin rashes
  • Peripheral vasoconstriction
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Sexual impotence
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Skeletal muscle weakness
  • Asthma
  • COPD
  • Bronchitis
  • Raynaud’s disease
  • Bradycardia
  • Uncompensated congestive heart failure
  • Phaeochromocytoma unless used with alpha blockers
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Metabolic acidosis

Drugs that enhance hypotensive effects:

  • Alcohol
  • Anaesthetics
  • Antihypertensives
  • Anxiolytics
  • Hypnotics
  • Diuretics
  • Cimetidine

Drugs that reduce hypotensive effect:

  • NSAIDs
  • Rifampicin
  • Thyroxine
  • Corticosteroids

                                   Drug Status

Availability Prescription only
Pregnancy Category C; Contraindicated
Breastfeeding Present in low levels; use with caution
Schedule Not controlled
BRAND NAME STRENGTH FORMULATION PACK SIZE MANUFACTURER DISTRIBUTOR
Bedranol 40mg Tablet 60’s Lagap SA Lagap SA
Bedranol 10mg Tablet 60’s Lagap SA Lagap SA
Carderal 40mg Tablet 100’s Pharma Life Science Pharma Life Science
Hipertol 40mg Tablet 100’s Laboratory & Allied Laboratory & Allied
Propranolol 40mg Tablet 100’s Cosmos Ltd Cosmos Ltd