Posted on 10/18/2004 5:02:31 AM PDT by Born Conservative
RUTH ANN McCLAIN, a flutist from Memphis, used to suffer from debilitating onstage jitters.
"My hands were so cold and wet, I thought I'd drop my flute," Ms. McClain said recently, remembering a performance at the National Flute Convention in the late 1980's. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, she added; her mind would not focus, and her head felt as if it were on fire. She tried to hide her nervousness, but her quivering lips kept her from performing with sensitivity and nuance.
However much she tried to relax before a concert, the nerves always stayed with her. But in 1995, her doctor provided a cure, a prescription medication called propranolol. "After the first time I tried it," she said, "I never looked back. It's fabulous to feel normal for a performance."
Ms. McClain, a grandmother who was then teaching flute at Rhodes College in Memphis, started recommending beta-blocking drugs like propranolol to adult students afflicted with performance anxiety. And last year she lost her job for doing so.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ping
Imagine the performances Pauly Shore could come up with if only he were heavily medicated.
I started on a mild dose of Toprol 2-1/2 years ago for borderline high blood pressure and PVC's due to stress. It is amazing how much better I feel. Toprol combined with losing 25lbs and becoming a runner has made a huge difference.
I really noticed a difference in flying. I can sleep the night before a flight and actually relax (to some degree)on a plane now.
I am not a big advocate of medicating away problems, but stress can be a killer and very hard to control.
Beta-blockers have been used for years by nervous medicine residents who have to present grand rounds. They are also likely used by many PGA golfers, particularly on the last day of a tournament.
In simple terms, these drugs are an anti-adrenaline.
I think the crucial distinction about whether or not this teacher should lose her job is in this paragraph:
"College officials, who declined to comment for this article, said at the time that recommending drugs fell outside the student-instructor relationship and charged that Ms. McClain asked a doctor for medication for her students. Ms. McClain, who taught at Rhodes for 11 years, says she merely recommended that they consult a physician about obtaining a prescription."
As an aside, don't ever do cocaine and beta blockers at the same time, it can cause your heart to stop. Just so you know. I know there are a lot of closet freeper-cokers out there! J/K.
Quote Belushi "Never mix heroin and cocaine, those speedballs are a real killer, Duh"
I am trying to figure out what you mean by that. Do you suggest that humanity not use pharmaceuticals?
I disagree. Stage fright is a physiologic phenomenon based on the primitive "fight or flight" response. For some, it is very difficult to control.
Just another excuse to pop a pill.
If we were talking about Valium or other benzo's, I might be able to see your point. However, beta blockers don't even REMOTELY produce a buzz, so other than the desired therapeutic effect, there would be no compelling reason for someone to "pop" a beta blocker.
I suggest about 4 oz of Gatorade about 15 mins before performance. (The dosage may vary with individual sweatiness.) I found that stage fright often causes a drop in blood pressure and that sipping a little Gatorade (or eating a small melon slice) does wonders. (Don't drink so much that the bladder becomes a problem.)
Other tricks (psychological) are to imagine that the audience is dressed in their underwear or that they are just cantelopes or sheep. I like to think that the audience is there to hear me and thus I'll give them something worthwhile (a big ego helps.)
In extreme cases of stage fright, this wouldn't work (Gatorade). Also, there is an INCREASE in blood pressure with the Fight or Flight response (i.e. stage fright), not a decrease. The mental imagery trick would be beneficial in a person with a more mild case of stage fright.
Furthermore, how do you propose attacking the "root cause"(s), if not by pharmaceuticals if they're the appropriate treatment?
I'm in a band. The surefire way to kill stagefright is lots of practice, 2 or 3 vodka and tonics about 15 minutes before you hit the stage, and a flask full of whiskey. I've also heard that smoking a big fat joint with your bandmates helps, but that's illegal and of course I would never engage in such activities.
:-O
Your mileage may vary!
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