Back to Homepage
Before a baby is put on propranolol, it’s important, however, to make sure your baby’s healthy enough for the medication. Your pediatrician or pediatric dermatologist may decide to work with the pediatric cardiologist to get an EKG and heart exam, which assesses how well the heart is functioning. It’s unusual for side effects to occur with propranolol, but occasionally a baby will have a slowed heart rate called bradycardia or low blood pressure called hypotension or low blood sugar called hypoglycemia. If a baby’s blood sugar gets low enough, can be serious and cause seizures. It’s important to give your baby the medication right after eating and to monitor for signs of hypoglycemia, which, like adults, can include sweating, jitteriness and irritability. Other side effects can include sleep disturbance, cold hands and feet, diarrhea, constipation and bronchospasm, which is coughing and wheezing. It’s important to talk with your baby’s doctor about any side effects. You should also speak with them before changing or withholding the medication.
