Beta Blockers for Anxiety

Fatloss08

my doctor prescribed these to me for anxiety for a month to see how they go , he says there good for anxiety symtoms and good for reducing blood pressure etc

anyway im not sure about these , any others on them or what have you heard about em

ChocolateSauce

Beta blockers do exactly what they say on the tin- they are beta-receptor antagonists. This means the drug molecule latches on to the beta receptors in your brain and does not activate them, thus depriving the site of molecules that do activate it.

Molecules that activate beta receptors include adrenaline and noradrenaline, ie. flight or fight responses. These responses include clammy hands, nervousness, sweating, pounding heart, etc. So by taking drugs that stop these responses, the physiological effects of anxiety can be reduced.

Mods, This is a factual pharmacological statement. Fatloss08, for medical advice you should consult a doctor or pharmacist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_blocker

Bottle_of_Smoke

Even if they're not physically addictive they could be psychologically addictive. I think all drugs to treat mental illness should be avoided if possible. Maybe try couselling/physical exercise might make you feel better all round & reduce the anxiety as I'm sure like most drugs they'll have side effects

Fatloss08

Mods, This is a factual pharmacological statement. Fatloss08, for medical advice you should consult a doctor or pharmacist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_blocker[/quote]

didnt you read

my doctor put me on them

seanybiker

i was on them a while back. Personally i didnt find them any good

ChocolateSauce

Fatloss08 wrote: »

Mods, This is a factual pharmacological statement. Fatloss08, for medical advice you should consult a doctor or pharmacist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_blocker

didnt you read

my doctor put me on them[/quote]

I did read that, and you wouldn't have them without a doctor's order. I assumed you were looking for more advice and was covering my ass with that statement, as you're not supposed to recommend drugs to anyone (I've been warned before for that one). I also thought you were asking how they worked.

bottle of smoke wrote:

Even if they're not physically addictive they could be psychologically addictive. I think all drugs to treat mental illness should be avoided if possible. Maybe try couselling/physical exercise might make you feel better all round & reduce the anxiety as I'm sure like most drugs they'll have side effects

Firstly, this is NOT mental illness, it is physical illness. The drugs treat physical symptoms, and if it were mental illness, drugs should never be "avoided" if they would be useful, because mental illness is serious enough that it might be dangerous to weather it without drugs.

Fatloss08

the symptoms are mental , just sensations

if i was to think positive all the time i wouldnt be were i am

when im having a panic attack , if i can change my thinking it goes away so its not physical , i mean of course u feel bad , tight throat , rapid heart beat , sweats etc but thats because ur body senses fear , which ur mind is sending mixed signals

ie , i can do most things early in the morning , ie go more places , becaus eim still asleep mentally , but as the days goes on my sub concious gets worried or aggitated and puts negativity into my thinking

so the feelings are physical but caused by ur mental attitude FACT

seanybiker

we all know thats a fact but for many it is hard to change their thinking when having a panic attack.

Fatloss08

seanybiker wrote: »

we all know thats a fact but for many it is hard to change their thinking when having a panic attack.

your telling me

its a learnt behaviour , so we werent born anxious so it can be unlearned but very hard

ChocolateSauce

Fatloss08 wrote: »

the symptoms are mental , just sensations

if i was to think positive all the time i wouldnt be were i am

when im having a panic attack , if i can change my thinking it goes away so its not physical , i mean of course u feel bad , tight throat , rapid heart beat , sweats etc but thats because ur body senses fear , which ur mind is sending mixed signals

ie , i can do most things early in the morning , ie go more places , becaus eim still asleep mentally , but as the days goes on my sub concious gets worried or aggitated and puts negativity into my thinking

so the feelings are physical but caused by ur mental attitude FACT

Sorry, but you've got it wrong. The mental attitude is caused by physical feelings. This is in the same vein as depression, which is a physical illness. Another example of matter over mind is a bad trip on LSD. I suspect you'll put it down to negative thinking, but this doesn't explain it. I've known some people who think so negatively that merely being around them makes me depressed, but they don't have panic attacks. Everyone thinks negatively from time to time, but panic attacks are not the norm. Conversely, I know some people who are very positive, but they have panic attacks for no good reasons.

Fatloss08

why do u think they have panic attacks if they think good ????

if they have them its because there subconcious is warning them of fear or over protection , they have no control over it , were they born with panic attacks ?????? no so can be unlearned

example : if your in a car and you crash ( bad crash ) you will **** a brick at the thought of getting back in the car incase you crash again , so ur mind has associated cars with crashes or accident so to stay away from panic attacks u dont drive , and the longer you leave it the harder it is drive without being anxious , its a known fact

it then beds itself into ur head and becomes habit

my dad suffered with sever depression , having to force himself out of bed everyday as he had 3 jobs to pay for house 4 kids and jis own business he started up , never took medication , and still to this day he puts it down to positive thinking and changing how he assessed things

ChocolateSauce

Fatloss08 wrote: »

why do u think they have panic attacks if they think good ????

if they have them its because there subconcious is warning them of fear or over protection , they have no control over it , were they born with panic attacks ?????? no so can be unlearned

example : if your in a car and you crash ( bad crash ) you will **** a brick at the thought of getting back in the car incase you crash again , so ur mind has associated cars with crashes or accident so to stay away from panic attacks u dont drive , and the longer you leave it the harder it is drive without being anxious , its a known fact

it then beds itself into ur head and becomes habit

my dad suffered with sever depression , having to force himself out of bed everyday as he had 3 jobs to pay for house 4 kids and jis own business he started up , never took medication , and still to this day he puts it down to positive thinking and changing how he assessed things

Don't mistake panicing for panic attacks. Also, while your father may no longer be depressed, that doesn't mean it wasn't a physical illness.

Bottle_of_Smoke

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

Firstly, this is NOT mental illness, it is physical illness. The drugs treat physical symptoms, .

Anyone I know who claims to have anxiety has descibed it as a mental thing as the OP since has

and if it were mental illness, drugs should never be "avoided" if they would be useful, because mental illness is serious enough that it might be dangerous to weather it without drugs

Thats why I said if possible. For manic depression I'd nearly always say medication shouldn't be avoided, severe schizophrenia being another. Though for normal depression/panic attacks/this kind of anxiety they should generally be avoided imo. The level of success is about 15% above placebos & they're commonly addictive with bad side effects.

LadyJ

This is not a medical forum so please don't ask these questions here. Consult a doctor but medical advice will not be dispensed here. Better to ask a pro. Thread locked. I don't like where it's going.