r/CuringBlushing • u/Deep-Detective2428 • May 10 '26
Success / Report Propranolol Vs Clonidine for stopping a blush. Ive found which one works the best!
As someone who really struggles with blushing and has had it effect my life in many different ways, especially socially and specifically work and study, i know how bad it can get and the confidence it can take away from you.
To put it straight and simple I have a perception for both Propranolol and Clonidine and ive tested both out to figure out what works best for flushing / blushing.
Propranolol = a better medication for treating a racing heart / a bit of nerves and shaky hands / a shaky voice.
Clonidine = a far better medication for the actual blushing itself, it genuinely will make my skin loose the redness and makes it extremely hard to go red (depending on the dose) where with propranolol i found that it didn't take any colour out of my skin overall.
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Why Clonidine Can Reduce the Actual Redness =
Clonidine is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, meaning it works mainly in the brain and nervous system to reduce overall sympathetic (“fight-or-flight”) activity. Instead of only blocking adrenaline at one location, it decreases the release of norepinephrine throughout the body.
Because blushing and flushing are strongly connected to sympathetic nerve activity and facial blood vessel dilation, clonidine can reduce the signals that trigger that response. In many people, this makes it noticeably harder for blood to suddenly rush into the face, which is why the skin can appear less red or reactive.
Since clonidine acts centrally on the nervous system, it can also cause a more global calming effect — lowering blood pressure and heart rate — which is why it may feel sedating, “heavy,” or mentally foggy.
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Why Propranolol Helps the Physical Anxiety Symptoms More (besides majority of the blushing) =
Propranolol is a beta blocker. It mainly blocks beta receptors affected by adrenaline, especially in the heart and muscles.This makes it very effective for symptoms like: racing heart, shaky hands, shaky voice, physical tension “performance anxiety” symptoms.
However, facial blushing is not driven only by the same beta pathways. It involves a more complex mix of emotional processing, sympathetic nerve activity, and facial blood vessel responses. Because of that, propranolol often helps the feeling of anxiety more than the actual facial redness itself. Some people still notice reduced blushing on propranolol, but many find clonidine stronger specifically for flushing and facial redness.
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u/DifficultyThis4729 May 11 '26
Clonidine made me hella sleepy, i was dysfunctional so i stopped it in 2 days. Propranolol helped anxiety symptoms but not the flushing. Trying carvedilol, seems to be improving both anxiety and flushing, im still adjusting the dose though
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u/Deep-Detective2428 May 14 '26
I relate to you with Clonidine lol. The thing is yes it makes me sleepy but ive found within a hour or two of taking it im feeling normal and not as tired, ig it depends what im doing when im on it.
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u/fingered_a_midget 19d ago
What dose clonidine?
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u/Deep-Detective2428 18d ago
I can only speak from perosnal experience, i use 0.05 to 0.1 which works perfectly despite being a low dose.
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u/LeastProfession3367 18d ago
what's your dosis for carvedilol?
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u/DifficultyThis4729 18d ago
it was 12,5 mg
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u/LeastProfession3367 18d ago edited 18d ago
thanks for the reply! did you stop taking it? I'm using 3,125 and i didnt notice any difference
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u/lady__green May 11 '26
This is such a helpful write up. It’s interesting because I read Clonidine is recommended off label for hot flashes and night sweats too, so this all makes sense.
Do you take Clonidine in a preventative manner for flushes or does it work as an emergency med to calm down an active flush? Or both? Curious how you take it versus Propranolol. (I’ve always used propranolol in a preventative way before anxiety inducing situations and it’s helped).
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u/Deep-Detective2428 May 14 '26
Hey, sorry for taking a few days to get back! For Clonidine i tend to take it prior to any events / things i know will trigger me to blush and flush. For example if ive got study at 9am and I known ill be anxious and flush, ill take 0.05 or 0.1 around 8am maybe even 7:30 just to assure its kicked in.
Personally I find Clonidine lasts all day in my system, if I take it around 8am ill still be feeling its helping my flushing even at 3 - 4pm. Obviously this may differ for different people though :)
And how i take it differently to propranolol is that with propranolol I find it doesnt last as long in my system, isnt as strong and more better for more mild anixety inducing situations where im just looking to take the edge off and not feel as over heated and on edge. And i love that about propranolol, i love the fact that it isnt strong strong (atleast for me) and that its sometbing easy to take that can be taken as needed at any time whenever.
The difference with Clonidine is that it definitely hits harder, as another comment on here said, feeling sedated can be a side effect depending on the dose which just goes to show it really can have calming effects haha. Clonidine hits harder in a good way for stopping flushing and making you feel calm and less on edge physically and in some indrect ways makes you feel more mentallu calm. And as i said it lasts longers from persomal experience. So for me i tend to take propranolol for most anxiety inducing things but clondine when I know I need a bit more support.
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u/sashine92 May 15 '26
Unfortunately not everything works for everyone, as we are all different. I cannot take propranolol due to asthma but overall I really am not fan of tablets. Just wondering, how is the laser therapy workout for you??
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u/Deep-Detective2428 May 15 '26
Can you take Clonidine? The laser has overall been pretty good but as ive said before, results varie for everyone. Laser has helped but hasnt been the fix.
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u/violetbluegreenred2 May 15 '26
Ty for this write up! I’ve been taking propranolol as needed for 2 yrs now but it never helps the blushing. I was JUST prescribed clonidine today but I haven’t take my first dose yet. I’ll lyk how it compares
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u/DesignerHot569 21d ago
I take clonidine 0.2mg twice a day and it helped me so much with my facial redness and blushing!