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Thread: Propranolol?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
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    Canada
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    Default Propranolol?

    So, I read an article that said taking a dose of propranolol during memory reactivation when faced with the subject of a phobia was very effective in "erasing" the memory of fear, and allowed the participants to effectively "cure" their phobia after one treatment (effective for at least one year). Now, I'm curious, have any of you investigated this treatment? tried it? Heard of it? Do you take propranolol for anxiety on a regular basis? I talked to my therapist and she was open to the idea of us trying that (though she doesn't have experience with it, she's willing to contact colleagues who might want to try it) but I need to get it approved by a doctor.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    Texas
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    Default Re: Propranolol?

    I am not familiar with the treatment you are talking about but I had been taking propanolol daily for a long time for anxiety. It helped for a while but recently it hasn't made a difference at all. When it did work it mostly just calmed me down to the point where I could relax and let the anxiety attack pass. I don't know why it stopped working for me, my theory is that with starting college the stress and anxiety got to be too much for it to help. I now have to take klonopin or something like that.

    anyway, I would look more into it and talk to your doctor about it. it sounds like something that could work from the little that I know about propanolol.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Propranolol?

    I've never heard of that treatment, but I have taken Propanolol, it's a beta-blocker, so it slows your heart rate down which also helps with anxiety as it prevents your heart racing. I'm not sure how it could work with the memory reactivation but I think alot of drugs have other coincidental effects on the body other than those they are licensed for so it could be true.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Propranolol?

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/op...fear.html?_r=1

    This is the news article that referred to it. There's also a peer reviewed journal article, if you want to look it up.

    Good to know that propanolol can work nicely to prevent anxiety attacks, too. I might have to take it for migraines (if I get the all-clear from the cardiologist first) so if it helps with anxiety and the phobia too, all the better. My therapist is quite willing to use me as a guinea pig, and I have an appointment in October with my GP so I can try and get her on board too.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Propranolol?

    So, I got the prescription for propranolol for phobia treatment (a few small doses to take upon exposure to the trigger). Now, considering the nature of the phobia, the "how and when" to use it is a bit problematic. I talked with my doctor and suggested I use it when someone gets ill near me or when I am freaking out because I think I will be ill (e.g. when my stomach starts to play games on me). Best case scenario would be if someone gets ill "near" me but not near enough to contaminate me (e.g. like the kid who was sick during the whole flight home a few weeks back). I will have to discuss this further with my therapist to see how to best approach it, but it's not like I can expose myself on demand (let's say if someone took ipecac just to throw up to trigger me, I wouldn't be worried because I'd know it's staged and not contagious, so it wouldn't work).

    I'll let you know what happens with that. Hopefully I can figure out a way to use it that lessens the fear.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Propranolol?

    Hi, hmm yes thatrs a tricky one on when to take it, emet is a bit of a weird phobia because it can make us anxious even when we haven't been exposed or feel sick ourselves, frightening thoughts can pop in to our heads and set us off in a panic for no apparent reason as opposed to for example someone with a phobia of spiders, where it would be quite clear cut when to take the pill. Maybe if you came up with half a dozen scenarios and wrote them down then go through them one by one with the doctor asking their opinion on pill or no pill i.e. waking up at 4am feeling hot and then worrying you might be sick or eating a piece of chicken then it looking bit pink near the bone or a work colleague comes in saying they've been up all night throwing up etc etc. then you should get a clearer idea of when to take them. Good luck and I hope this works for you.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Propranolol?

    Hello! I’ve been reading up on this therapy as well and am wondering if you have any updates on it. If it’s helped, when you took it, etc. it would be amazing if this could help “cure” this horrible phobia. I definitely want to try it but would love some more info from someone with emetophobia and how they used it. Thanks and I hope you’re doing well!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    17

    Default Re: Propranolol?

    Hello. I haven't tried the therapy you are describing but I do take propranolol 3 times a day - it helps keep my adrenaline down which really helps stop panic attacks before they start (most of them any ways).

 

 

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