Your article (I’m taking beta blockers for my anxiety – and so are many of my friends. Is that a problem?, 20 May) highlights the increasing use of beta blockers, especially to manage situational anxiety. These medicines are the subject of a healthcare safety investigation report in 2020, specifically the toxicity of propranolol in overdose. In October 2024, the General Pharmaceutical Council published advice for pharmacy professionals also highlighting the risk of toxicity.
GPs must exercise extreme caution when prescribing these medicines for anxiety, which is not recommended in national evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of anxiety and is associated with significant adverse outcomes.
Christopher Sullivan
Pharmacist, Newton Abbot, Devon
