Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:03 pm
I haven't seen any topics on beta-blockers, so i thought I'd make a few comments.
For those of you who don't know, beta-blockers nullify the body's production of adrenaline. So if you're in a situation that usually produces anxiety, like a racing heart or shallow breathing, a beta-blocker will stop that from happening.
The best example I can give is the one about walking in the woods and a sabretooth tiger appears. If you're on a beta-blocker and the tiger appears, you'd have no physical reaction. You might think, "Oh, damn it" and want to run, but the pounding heart and the rest just wouldn't happen. In this scenario the tiger would probably kill you, but most of them are in zoos nowawadays.
I bring this up because they're not mentioned on any of the tapes, and because I haven't seen them mentioned here. You don't take them daily, you take them as the situation dictates. Musicians use them for recitals and auditions. Archers and sharpshooters used them in the Olympics, but they were banned as a performance-enhancing drug.
My doctor prescribed me one called suppressor, and I've only had to use it a few times. The first time I used it was at a rock concert, because in the past I'd get anxious and want to leave. But with the beta-blocker, there were no body symptoms, and so I wasn't afraid.
If you take a beta-blocker before you go into a situation that usually makes you anxious, your body won't react and instead of focusing on how terrible you feel and the need to run, you can see the situation for what it truly is: chances are there's no need to escape (except in the case of the tiger).
I can't underestimate how powerful this drug has been for me cognitively. Instead of freaking out, your body physically can't freak out, and so you break the link in your mind between the situation and the body symptoms.
I recently joined a jazz band. I took a beta-blocker for the audition and the first few rehearsals, but now that I'm comfortable with the situation, I haven't taken one since, and that was back in September.
Anyway, I thought this might be useful information for people. As usual, talk to your doctor, etc.
-d-
For those of you who don't know, beta-blockers nullify the body's production of adrenaline. So if you're in a situation that usually produces anxiety, like a racing heart or shallow breathing, a beta-blocker will stop that from happening.
The best example I can give is the one about walking in the woods and a sabretooth tiger appears. If you're on a beta-blocker and the tiger appears, you'd have no physical reaction. You might think, "Oh, damn it" and want to run, but the pounding heart and the rest just wouldn't happen. In this scenario the tiger would probably kill you, but most of them are in zoos nowawadays.
I bring this up because they're not mentioned on any of the tapes, and because I haven't seen them mentioned here. You don't take them daily, you take them as the situation dictates. Musicians use them for recitals and auditions. Archers and sharpshooters used them in the Olympics, but they were banned as a performance-enhancing drug.
My doctor prescribed me one called suppressor, and I've only had to use it a few times. The first time I used it was at a rock concert, because in the past I'd get anxious and want to leave. But with the beta-blocker, there were no body symptoms, and so I wasn't afraid.
If you take a beta-blocker before you go into a situation that usually makes you anxious, your body won't react and instead of focusing on how terrible you feel and the need to run, you can see the situation for what it truly is: chances are there's no need to escape (except in the case of the tiger).
I can't underestimate how powerful this drug has been for me cognitively. Instead of freaking out, your body physically can't freak out, and so you break the link in your mind between the situation and the body symptoms.
I recently joined a jazz band. I took a beta-blocker for the audition and the first few rehearsals, but now that I'm comfortable with the situation, I haven't taken one since, and that was back in September.
Anyway, I thought this might be useful information for people. As usual, talk to your doctor, etc.
-d-