Performance Anxiety - Some info for musicians on Beta Blockers drugs:

[chopinsetude]

The topic has come up several times and i just found this info at:

https://www.larrykrantz.com/perfanx.htm

Here is some info on the drugs:

What are beta blockers (such as Inderal (Propranolol))?

Beta blockers have been called "the musicians underground drug."  Beta blockers block the receptors for the physical effects of a person's natural fight or flight response. They are not sedatives, and they can't help anxiety of a purely psychological nature.  Beta receptors are found in a number of places in the body: heart, lung, arteries, brain and uterus, to name a few. Like a key in a lock, beta blockers chemically fit into beta receptors and prevent norepinephrine (adrenaline) from binding to the receptors that cause the symptoms of the fight-or-flight response.

Will beta blockers help my performance?

The answer varies greatly among individuals. Beta blockers don't make you play better by themselves; they just relieve physical problems resulting from the fight or flight response. On the other hand, some musicians feel that adrenalin helps their performing, giving them an edge that adds intensity to the performance.  Beta blockers have not been shown to directly improve a musician's emotional state, except to the extent that some musicians feel better when their physical problems are relieved. If your performance anxiety shows itself mainly in psychological ways (e.g. negative inner voices), beta blockers will not help you.

Do beta blockers cause addiction?

Beta blockers do not cause addiction -- which means physical and psychological dependence on a substance that is beyond the user's control. But beta blockers, when used on a regular basis, can cause physical dependence.

How many musicians use beta blockers?

A study reported in 1986 of 2,122 musicians in major U.S. symphony orchestras showed that 27% reported taking beta blockers. Of that 27%, 19% took them daily under a doctors prescription for heart conditions, etc., 11% had a prescription for occasional use (concerts, auditions, etc.) and the remaining 70% reported occasional use, but without a doctors prescription. (Again, these percentages are of the 27% who reported taking beta blockers, not of the whole population.)

When the musicians who took beta blockers for medical reasons are factored out, slightly under 22% of musicians in this study reported using beta blockers occasionally, with or without a prescription.  Among those who reported occasional use, with or without a prescription, the events they said they used them for were: Auditions, 72% ; solo recitals, 52%; difficult orchestral performances, 50%; concerto performances, 42%; before every performance, 4%.

[jmanpno]

This post might seem like an antique, but I would encourage EVERYONE to read it and even repost it perhaps!  This issue is as prevelant in this our day of pharmophelia as in the past. 

Sad to see that earlier epochs dealt with this too.

Mark my words:  MAY CAUSE PHYSICAL DEPENDANCE = ADDICTION!