4 ms·
I'm a hobbyist musician with IBS-D, which is often triggered by general anxiety. I've been asked to play with the pros several times, and every time I have to
by McPhale 3y ago
I'm a hobbyist musician with IBS-D, which is often triggered by general anxiety. I've been asked to play with the pros several times, and every time I have to say 'no' several hours beforehand b/c I'm chained to the toilet. Do you think that propranolol would negate those issues? I have also tried CBT with a therapist and it was only marginally helpful
- thepasswordis 3y agoI think the drug is often prescribed for this exact scenario (stage fright, essentially).
- epcoa 3y agoThis is not medical advice. However propranolol is prescribed off label for “performance anxiety” so it may be worth discussing with your PCP. It is not an anxiety medication per se, it is a non selective beta blocker, it blocks some of the effects of (nor)adrenaline. How this can help isn’t entirely understood but part of performance anxiety is a positive feedback cycle where your physical feelings of anxiety provoke more anxiety. The good thing about propranolol is that since it does not have meaningful addiction or tolerance potential it’s reasonable to take long term. It’s relatively safe in otherwise healthy people, so it’s overall low risk, with depressed heart rate and BP leading to syncope the main one. It historically was a blood pressure medication, but oral beta blockers are poor first line BP meds. Few PCPs have qualms prescribing it if there are no contraindications.