Nervous no more: Beta blockers quell anxiety
Sarah Billian
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Features
On Aug. 15, 2008, North Korean Olympic sport shooter Kim Jong-Su was stripped of his three Olympic medals. His crime? Kim had failed a drug test, but not for the steroids that cost Marion Jones and other Olympians their prizes and, in most cases, their careers. Kim had instead tested positive for propranolol, a drug that is commonly prescribed for high blood pressure. Why would an athlete, much less one without high blood pressure, take such a drug? The answer is somewhat complex.
Propranolol belongs to a class of pharmaceuticals known as beta blockers, drugs that lower blood pressure by blocking specific receptors in the sympathetic nervous system. These same receptors are activated in times of anxiety and fear, making them an ideal remedy for musicians, actors and others who struggle with performance anxiety.
Beta blockers can quell trembling hands, a pounding heart and the beads of sweat that may accompany a stressful situation. They do not prevent anxiety, but rather mask the physical manifestations of anxiety; thus, they cannot prevent a concert pianist from being nervous, but they can prevent her from appearing nervous.
Beta blockers have been used to treat high blood pressure since the 1960s, but it was only in the mid 1970s that their efficacy in concealing performance anxiety was explored. A British study tested the effects of these drugs on the performances of master string musicians by having them perform in as stressful a situation as possible - booking them in a prestigious concert hall, inviting the press to attend and recording all sessions.
The musicians performed four times each, twice on a placebo pill and twice on beta blockers. The results were astounding - the musicians not only exhibited less outward anxiety, but they also performed better. The improvement for the majority of the study's subjects was minor, but for some it was striking.
Therein lies the complexity of beta blockers - while some insist that the drugs level the playing field for otherwise talented individuals who suffer from often-crippling anxiety, others argue that permitting their use will inspire an "arms race" of sorts, in which competitors feel pressured to use the drugs when they would prefer not to, if only to remain competitive. When we examine the varying effects of beta blockers, however, this argument loses credibility; since beta blockers seem to produce a noticeable effect only in the most anxious, sharpshooters and violinists who do not experience performance anxiety have no incentive to take them.
Propranolol belongs to a class of pharmaceuticals known as beta blockers, drugs that lower blood pressure by blocking specific receptors in the sympathetic nervous system. These same receptors are activated in times of anxiety and fear, making them an ideal remedy for musicians, actors and others who struggle with performance anxiety.
Beta blockers can quell trembling hands, a pounding heart and the beads of sweat that may accompany a stressful situation. They do not prevent anxiety, but rather mask the physical manifestations of anxiety; thus, they cannot prevent a concert pianist from being nervous, but they can prevent her from appearing nervous.
Beta blockers have been used to treat high blood pressure since the 1960s, but it was only in the mid 1970s that their efficacy in concealing performance anxiety was explored. A British study tested the effects of these drugs on the performances of master string musicians by having them perform in as stressful a situation as possible - booking them in a prestigious concert hall, inviting the press to attend and recording all sessions.
The musicians performed four times each, twice on a placebo pill and twice on beta blockers. The results were astounding - the musicians not only exhibited less outward anxiety, but they also performed better. The improvement for the majority of the study's subjects was minor, but for some it was striking.
Therein lies the complexity of beta blockers - while some insist that the drugs level the playing field for otherwise talented individuals who suffer from often-crippling anxiety, others argue that permitting their use will inspire an "arms race" of sorts, in which competitors feel pressured to use the drugs when they would prefer not to, if only to remain competitive. When we examine the varying effects of beta blockers, however, this argument loses credibility; since beta blockers seem to produce a noticeable effect only in the most anxious, sharpshooters and violinists who do not experience performance anxiety have no incentive to take them.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
seifai
posted 4/04/10 @ 3:18 PM EST
I have read all your article. They good.
wesley @ treatment of anxiety disorders
posted 7/20/10 @ 11:35 PM EST
Thanks for the great post. I'm looking forward to reading more of your site in the future.
LiveSmart 360
posted 8/07/10 @ 3:52 PM EST
I was on Tenormin for a couple years when I was suffering from symptoms of anxiety. I agree that it did nothing to ease my anxiety but it did stop my heart from racing etc. (Continued…)
Post a Comment