beta blocker
4 interactions related to beta blocker
alcohol + propranolol
Alcohol and propranolol can produce additive drops in blood pressure with dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting through combined vasodilation and a blunted heart-rate response. Propranolol can also mask the racing-heart and shakiness warning signs of low blood sugar, and alcohol can raise propranolol levels in the body.
caffeine + propranolol
Caffeine is a stimulant that nudges heart rate and blood pressure upward, partially opposing the direction propranolol works in. The effect is usually modest, but heavy or concentrated caffeine can blunt propranolol's benefit and worsen the tremor or anxiety it is often prescribed to control.
dark chocolate + blood pressure medications
Cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate boost nitric-oxide-dependent vasodilation and modestly lower blood pressure. On top of antihypertensive medication the effect is additive and usually helpful, but in sensitive people it can occasionally nudge readings low enough to cause light-headedness.
coffee + propranolol
Caffeine in coffee acutely raises heart rate and blood pressure, which can partly counteract the heart-rate and blood-pressure-lowering effects of propranolol, a non-selective beta-blocker. Propranolol does not fully block this caffeine pressor response. Older claims that propranolol slows caffeine clearance appear to be wrong: a human study found propranolol slightly speeds caffeine elimination rather than slowing it.