Beta-blockers to help with anxiety

Has anyone ever used beta-blockers to help with performance anxiety? I don’t mean sexual performance but performance in general. I tend to obsess over shit and after hearing about it beat-blockers on Bigger, Strong, Faster I’m curious to see if anyone has ever used it before.

Yes. Works well. I entertain musically in front of large groups and they take do help me get the job done when, for whatever reason, I am feeling the pressure. I got the trick from another performer (Barbara Streisand) See your provider.

Beta blockers are a fairly radical way to shut off anxiety. Yes, they work and I can see the appeal, especially in a performance situation. Some people use drink or cannabis for a similar purpose. One way of looking at these methods is that they save the pain for later (maybe a breakdown).

Long term, you probably need to deal with your anxiety, rather than mask it. Mindfulness meditation is a useful method but it can take many years to retrain your mind successfully.

You’re taking advice about drugs to ease your anxiety from the movie “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”? Ok??? That’s a movie about steroid users. Not the most forward thinking people in regards to mental health.

It sounds to me like you need to talk to your doctor about these obsessive thoughts and see what he/she has to say. You could very well have a mental disorder that will not get any better with self medication. Maybe even seek out a psychologist to talk about social phobias and the like.

TheGreatDivider, I’m not taking advice from the movie. I’m asking a question I have about something that the documentary discussed and about which I have no idea. Yes, I see a therapist and I go about dealing with anxiety/obsessiveness and ADHD in a way that doesn’t require medication. It’s called neurofeedback. I’m not into taking drugs like Adderall or Ambien anymore but, I have gotten into taking non-chemical supplements called nootropics. I know nothing about beta-blockers and I will ask my doctor the next time I see him. In the meantime, since this is a forum I figured I could get some information about a question I have.

Mem, you’re right. I used to mediate more often and it helped. I haven’t had time lately because I’ve been on the road. I was looking for something to help me with the occasional bad day. Not something to take on a regular basis.

Crankshaft, thanks for the input.

Getting space for meditation can be hard. I’m facing the same problem myself at the moment. If you recognise the connection already though between your health and meditation, maybe you already have some of the answers you were looking for.

Beta-blockers have some nasty side-effects that include ED.

I just had a heart attack and asked my doctor to switch me to ACE inhibitors instead for that reason.

By the way, I teach phobia/anxiety cure methods, if you are interested.