beta blockers, i.e. propanolol for anxiety in dating

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i've been thinking lately about this study:

Heart Drug Propanolol Makes People Less Racist

basically, people taking the drug have been found to exhibit lesser degrees of racism, because the drug lowers anxiety (beta blockers are often used for stage fright, for example. the drugs force your heart rate to stay steady). it got me wondering about the drug in a dating context...

do you think... could this drug help people to interact with the opposite sex with less anxiety? and perhaps to even see the opposite sex with a little less negativity? this assumes the sexism comes from the same root as racism in some cases, though.

i suppose that taking a medicine like this might be a little extreme, and i am not recommending it - just curious what other people think. if anyone has taken the drugs i'd appreciate hearing their responses. i have taken them before but i tend to be pretty bold with or without beta blockers.

I'd probably do the opposite and take stimulants.

2 glasses of wine and a can of red bull (to offset the wine a little) does the job for me. The trick is to remember to count the 2 glasses you had at home because if you have too much alcohol it's harder to control your Aspieness.

I've had pretty decent results with about 6 shots of quality vodka

I've taken the drug. It might have helped with nervousness and shakiness. I don't think that it changes opinions.

I don't think that taking it before a date would be "extreme", so long as you have a prescription for it and are anticipating the jitters.

What's your opinion of taking it for agoraphobia?

Alphas = the ultimate beta blockers. they block them at every given chance!

Other than jokes, I have no idea what the drug is or how it works... I hope the benefits outweigh the dangers! I hate throwing drugs at something you can fix by working at the problem instead.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYodDH4qZQo[/youtube]

Last edited by BlueMax on 09 Jan 2013, 1:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

IMO thats not the question to be asking!

You should be asking is it ethical to use Propanolol as a "moral enhancer". Its just one of its behavioral side effects, I remember hearing about Propanolol's use for PSTD on a radio lecture by Julian Savulescu.

Here have a listen to that lecture
BBC Radio 3, Free Thinking Festival 2011: Julian Savulescu - The Moral Obligation to Improve

^^^i can't imagine anybody would be taking the drug without consent.

to Hermes9 and Rooster1968... good point about the alcohol. really, i wonder at the similarity. some things about it seem on par, like they help a person to be less anxious, but on the other hand propanolol does not cause cognitive or physical impairment.

1000Knives, do you find you are too chillaxed?

BlueMax, i agree. i think drugs should always be the last option when there is any other possibility. i am also fascinated by the health effects of pharmaceuticals, i guess you could say. and at the same time i wondered if there could possibly be any link between sexism on both sides and overall anxiety levels in dating (and whether it could be effectively treated). but it's not based on anything truly factual.

ArrantPariah, i have to say that i didn't notice any difference either, in terms of my beliefs. but it definitely made me feel less panicky.

I wasn't talking about unconsentually use, if you listened to Savulescu's talk then you will understand the phrase "moral enhancer"

Now did you listen to all of that radio program in the space of 20 minutes? The lecture is 45 minutes long, I listen (again, first time when it was aired on Radio 3) to all of it before making my first post.

Am off for a pint in my local, I'll be back in about hour hopefully to read your comments about that radio program.

No, stimulants allow me to think faster. A lot of my anxiety is because I feel like I can't think fast enough to keep up with the world around me. Especially things like driving. Now I'm taking a Chinese medicine and cutting my caffeine intake down, but before I just ran on caffeine. Caffeine and stimulants tend to get me more talkative and outgoing, too. Ritalin however didn't work for me, though. Maybe amphetamines would be better, but longterm stimulant use isn't good as it shoots your adrenal glands to hell.

So my Chinese medicine is hawthorn berries and eucommia bark and a little Astragalus made into a tea. Traditional Chinese Medicine has eucommia bark being good for replenishing kidney jing (basically adrenal hormones) and Western science shows Eucommia Bark is a SARM, selective androgen receptor modulator, basically somewhat like a steroid without the side effects. The hawthorn berries are good for the heart, and in Chinese medicine it's quite interesting, as it's like old love songs and whatnot, where the heart is the center of emotions and whatnot. So, it has really good like, anti-anxiety and anti-depressive effects for me. Astragalus is a ki-booster, and it's also good to throw into a formula to harmonize the other herbs. I use raw herbs and make tea. Some people might say this sorta thing is hokey, but, if it works, it works, and it seems to be working better. I've had much better luck with herbal medicine than pharmaceutical drugs. For example, Rhodiola Rosea is a stimulant/SNRI, and I felt WAY better on that stuff than on Ritalin. Light years better. So take all that for what you want.

Great info, knives TCM can be wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

no, not going to listen to a radio program about that, as i am not really interested in forcing anyone to change. this drug would be used willingly by people (as it already is). so i am not going to get into an argument about the ethics of changing morality and so on. thanks for the link - maybe someone else will comment on that.

****

that makes sense, 1000Knives - improved focus is definitely a bonus.

I'm not at all qualified to offer an opinion. But, I think it is recommended primarily to help you with the jitters.

The drug also isn't going to make a man want to get up and perform 50% of the housework. It might put him in the mood for a good nap. Then, while he is asleep, you could go ahead and do the housework without him getting in your way.