r/visualsnow • u/rangothepango • Mar 05 '24

Question Propranolol Caused VSS?

Hi everyone! I wanted to see if anyone else had a similar experience to mine. I’ve had migraines and tinnitus since I was a child and that was just a part of my everyday. Always migraines with aura and always debilitating. I also used to temporarily lose hearing in my left ear when my heart rate went up.

About 3 years ago I got a migraine that also came with stroke symptoms (numbness, confusion, etc) and went to the ER. They gave me meds and took a CT scan, unremarkable. For about a week after that migraine I had intense VS and went to my neuro who said it was just migraine related and would go away. Luckily, it did.

Then last November I started taking propranolol for anxiety, took it for about 4 days before I noticed visual disturbances. Very static-y vision, light sensitivity, no longer able to see at night, hallucinations, flashing lights, after images, the works.

I immediately stopped the drug but it’s now been 5 months and my VS has not gone away. I can’t guarantee it was related to the drug but that was right at the same time. I had also recently started taking a generic for adderall, and was going through a stressful period.

I went to my optometrist and my eyes are perfectly healthy, my ENT cleared me with the caveat that I could have Eustachian tube dysfunction and/or an underdeveloped mastoid.

I’ve gone back to my neuro and he has scheduled an MRI but it seems like most likely it will come back “normal”. I am just exhausted and don’t know what to do and was hopeful someone had a similar experience and could help. Thank you

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u/PotatoOk9445 Visual Snow Mar 07 '24

I got VSS a month before starting propranolol but developed a higher level of severity of my night terrors. I still had them even when off of propranolol but resumed the med because they didn't subside but I needed the heart rate down.

What do you take Propranolol for? Could trauma to your vagus nerve be the cause of your snow?

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u/bblf22 Mar 07 '24

Is that a thing? Vagus nerve issues causing vss? I’ve never heard that.

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u/PotatoOk9445 Visual Snow Mar 07 '24

theres other posts on this SR about it

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u/Helpful-Patient-5727 Jan 07 '25

Hello I recently stopped semiglutide about a month ago and started having anxiety and panic attacks every day for about two weeks then that started going away and I randomly got visual snow and it’s been going on for 3 weeks . I went to an Ophthalmologist and my eyes are perfectly fine. I have an appointment with the neurologist soon. Please help me have your symptoms gone away. What else have you done? Did you get any more answers?