Take a chill pill! Well, for a lot of people that pill is Propranolol. Why so? Well, it's the new celebrity anxiety reducer! But is taking a pill that is a beta blocker to reduce your anxiety really healthy? Here's what experts say!
Various Hollywood celebrities such as Robert Downey Jr., Khloe Kardashian and Kristen Bell have shared using Propranolol to reduce the anxiety that tags along with being in the public eye, on and off the camera. While Downey stated that taking one before the Golden Globes made the show "a breeze", Kardashian admitted raiding her mom's cupboard for them to manage the paparazzi stress and Bell, well she joked there wasn't one that could handle her needs.
What is Propranolol and why has a drug aimed at improving cardiovascular health transformed into an anxiety pill? Should you follow the lead? Find out below!
What is Propranolol?
In its true essence, Propranolol is a beta-blocker, specifically a blood pressure medicine. While typically SSRIs (short for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are prescribed for anxiety and stress, beta blockers like propranolol also do the work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain.
How does Propranolol work?
According to Dr Joseph Squitieri, division director for adult ambulatory psychiatry at Northwell Zucker Hillside Hospital, the pill crosses the blood-brain barrier a bit more than other beta blockers, so it does have a positive effect on anxiety, he said to PEOPLE. “It works by decreasing the sympathetic nervous system response.”
Particularly, it blocks the beta receptors in the heart, slows the heart rate, and reduces the force of heart contractions, thus lowering blood pressure and inhibiting the fight or flight response.
It reduces symptoms that can be uncomfortable such as a racing heart, sweating, flushing of the skin, tingling or numbness in your hands.
With celeb mentions and dedicated marketing, it's topping the market demand.
Should you take Propranolol?
While the pill may be helpful in "limited situations" rather than healing the anxiety, it is just pushing its symptoms away.
Maybe “the fear of public speaking might be deeply rooted in childhood or maybe some trauma from the past,” said Squitieri, adding that those causes of anxiety “can be better addressed, usually, by therapy.”
Additionally, beta blockers can be harmful for people on other medications such as asthmatics and can "precipitate asthma attacks."
While Propranolol might be helpful in reducing your public speaking anxiety in "specific situations" it's not the best treatment for anxiety long-term or chronically. If anxiety is something that is deeply impacting your life, then consulting a professional is the best course.
Various Hollywood celebrities such as Robert Downey Jr., Khloe Kardashian and Kristen Bell have shared using Propranolol to reduce the anxiety that tags along with being in the public eye, on and off the camera. While Downey stated that taking one before the Golden Globes made the show "a breeze", Kardashian admitted raiding her mom's cupboard for them to manage the paparazzi stress and Bell, well she joked there wasn't one that could handle her needs.
What is Propranolol and why has a drug aimed at improving cardiovascular health transformed into an anxiety pill? Should you follow the lead? Find out below!
What is Propranolol?
In its true essence, Propranolol is a beta-blocker, specifically a blood pressure medicine. While typically SSRIs (short for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are prescribed for anxiety and stress, beta blockers like propranolol also do the work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain.
How does Propranolol work?
According to Dr Joseph Squitieri, division director for adult ambulatory psychiatry at Northwell Zucker Hillside Hospital, the pill crosses the blood-brain barrier a bit more than other beta blockers, so it does have a positive effect on anxiety, he said to PEOPLE. “It works by decreasing the sympathetic nervous system response.”
Particularly, it blocks the beta receptors in the heart, slows the heart rate, and reduces the force of heart contractions, thus lowering blood pressure and inhibiting the fight or flight response.
It reduces symptoms that can be uncomfortable such as a racing heart, sweating, flushing of the skin, tingling or numbness in your hands.
With celeb mentions and dedicated marketing, it's topping the market demand.
Should you take Propranolol?
While the pill may be helpful in "limited situations" rather than healing the anxiety, it is just pushing its symptoms away.
Maybe “the fear of public speaking might be deeply rooted in childhood or maybe some trauma from the past,” said Squitieri, adding that those causes of anxiety “can be better addressed, usually, by therapy.”
Additionally, beta blockers can be harmful for people on other medications such as asthmatics and can "precipitate asthma attacks."
While Propranolol might be helpful in reducing your public speaking anxiety in "specific situations" it's not the best treatment for anxiety long-term or chronically. If anxiety is something that is deeply impacting your life, then consulting a professional is the best course.
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