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Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

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Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#101

Post by debatem1 »

tomc1985 wrote: post #96
JulianMorrison wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That worry feels like a stretch, because right now, the many oppressive governments of the world are not in the least suffering logistical difficulties due to their stormtroopers getting PTSD. There are I think 2 main reasons why not: - Stormtroopers are people who have non functioning empathy, by nature or nurture, they don't experience killing in cold blood as horrific. - Stormtroopers are a cheap commodity. The op…

Isis grunts were regularly given stimulants to keep them awake and alert. The future he/she describes isn't that far off

This goes back much further. In the Vietnam war the US issued amphetamines to soldiers, and the British used it by the truckload during WWII.

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#102

Post by taurath »

I've used it about once every other week to chill myself out in the morning when I am too worried about other things to focus on what I need to. Side effect of nausea though can hit me like 1 in 4 times, so I am really selective about when I take it. Its helpful as an adjunct (for me), but not curative, and not something I feel like I could take every day long term.

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#103

Post by taurath »

mchannon wrote: post #56

Living with someone with crippling PTSD and anxiety disorders, I'm thrilled to hear about this study. As someone who's dealt with an oppressive government (which is where the PTSD and anxiety came from), I wonder if this therapy can be weaponized by the powerful to oppress the powerless. The rise of the warrior cop is bad enough, but what about a crack squad that has been chemically desensitized to killing in cold bl…

I'm sorry you're living in a world where the first thing you think of when hearing about something that will help anxiety is that it will be used to turn police into remorseless killers.

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#104

Post by dmitryminkovsky »

petercooper wrote: post #18

As someone who has used propranolol on and off over the past few years, the thing that intrigues me here is that propranolol works well in this instance due to crossing the blood/brain barrier as opposed to other beta blockers that do not. The use of beta blockers in anxiety is commonly associated with reducing the effects of stress on heart rate and blood pressure, not necessarily on affecting the brain directly whi…

> if you suffer from unusual levels of physical response to certain stimuli while intellectually remaining calm or indifferent

Like what kind of response?

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#105

Post by dfischer »

ransom1538 wrote: post #28
petercooper wrote: post #18

As someone who has used propranolol on and off over the past few years, the thing that intrigues me here is that propranolol works well in this instance due to crossing the blood/brain barrier as opposed to other beta blockers that do not. The use of beta blockers in anxiety is commonly associated with reducing the effects of stress on heart rate and blood pressure, not necessarily on affecting the brain directly whi…

If you are out there and suffer daily 'stage fright' or serious social anxiety - propranolol is the drug for you. That weird fear that sweeps over you before a conversation - just doesn't happen. Need to talk in front of 50 people in 25 minutes? No problem. If you are crippled by social anxiety - this pill will turn you into Bradley Cooper in Limitless.

To me it felt like being drunk without the nauseous parts. I was prescribed it for stage fright.

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#106

Post by noelsusman »

dmitryminkovsky wrote: post #104
petercooper wrote: post #18

As someone who has used propranolol on and off over the past few years, the thing that intrigues me here is that propranolol works well in this instance due to crossing the blood/brain barrier as opposed to other beta blockers that do not. The use of beta blockers in anxiety is commonly associated with reducing the effects of stress on heart rate and blood pressure, not necessarily on affecting the brain directly whi…

> if you suffer from unusual levels of physical response to certain stimuli while intellectually remaining calm or indifferent Like what kind of response?

Typically the fight or flight response. Racing heart, constricted blood vessels, shaking hands, shaky voice. Beta blockers will prevent adrenaline from taking effect. It's commonly prescribed off label for people who suffer from acute anxiety attacks with a known stimulus, like public speaking.

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#107

Post by sizzle »

wycy wrote: post #100
whatshisface wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think that eliminating the extreme fear -> everything is fine sequence would prevent you from learning to naturally handle public speaking?

Honestly, there is a chance I’m dependent on it now. But I’m still okay with that being a trade off. So long as I always have at least 40 minutes notice before having to do public speaking, I should be fine.

What if you have poor speaking mannerisms or public speaking/story telling mechanics (e.g. applying emphasis to words, voice inflection, intonation, etc.) to engage a crowd or simply lack social awareness from being on the spectrum, will the drug make you confidently make a fool of yourself in front of a crowd if you haven't practiced the art of public speaking?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#108

Post by noelsusman »

whatshisface wrote: post #91
wycy wrote: post #85

Propranolol massively improved my quality of life. I used to get panicked at the prospect of public speaking, but with propranolol I feel like I could give a nationally televised State of the Union address with no problem. I take it only before public speaking, not regularly. The only downside is it leaves me with dry eyes and exhaustion at the end of the day, but it’s a small price to pay for the huge QoL improvemen…

Do you think that eliminating the extreme fear -> everything is fine sequence would prevent you from learning to naturally handle public speaking?

That works if you can ever get to the "everything is fine" point. I was always able to get through speaking, but it was never fine. It was always a battle to keep the anxiety at bay, and occasionally I would lose that battle.

Beta blockers were the only thing that let me experience public speaking where everything was actually fine. Now I don't need them anymore, but I never would have gotten past it without them.

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#109

Post by dmitryminkovsky »

noelsusman wrote: post #106
dmitryminkovsky wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if you suffer from unusual levels of physical response to certain stimuli while intellectually remaining calm or indifferent Like what kind of response?

Typically the fight or flight response. Racing heart, constricted blood vessels, shaking hands, shaky voice. Beta blockers will prevent adrenaline from taking effect. It's commonly prescribed off label for people who suffer from acute anxiety attacks with a known stimulus, like public speaking.

I wonder how this would affect stuttering. Appears it’s been investigated but I can’t access it: https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1176/ajp.143...

Re: Single-dose propranolol tied to ‘selective erasure’ of anxiety disorders

#110

Post by wycy »

sizzle wrote: post #107
wycy wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, there is a chance I’m dependent on it now. But I’m still okay with that being a trade off. So long as I always have at least 40 minutes notice before having to do public speaking, I should be fine.

What if you have poor speaking mannerisms or public speaking/story telling mechanics (e.g. applying emphasis to words, voice inflection, intonation, etc.) to engage a crowd or simply lack social awareness from being on the spectrum, will the drug make you confidently make a fool of yourself in front of a crowd if you haven't practiced the art of public speaking? Thanks for sharing your experience!

Exactly, it’d just let you confidently make a fool of yourself, it won’t automatically make you a skilled orator.

The ideal approach would be to take propranolol, then use that confidence to take public speaking classes.

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