Xanax for Public Speaking

[hey25]

I made a post on here about a month ago about my experiences with panic attacks/anxiety regarding public speaking and presentations in school. I was advised to ask my doctor for Inderal as a beta blocker that slows the adrenaline rush and cuts the physical symptoms (shaky hands, heart rate etc). Anyway I was at the doctor's today and asked him about it and he seemed to think Inderal was a bad idea because he said that's something that I'd have to take every day (?). Instead he prescribed me a low dosage of Xanax to take as needed (.25 mg). I've heard not so good things about Xanax, benzos etc. that they are very addictive, make you really tired, and wasn't really looking to be on them. I've just wondered what anyone else's experience has been with it especially in regards to taking it as needed for presentations, interviews etc. How far in advance should you take it, what are the major effects... Any advice would be helpful. Also has anyone had experience taking it when you are going to be drinking later? I'm assuming the result is bad?

[db0255]

Originally Posted by hey25

I made a post on here about a month ago about my experiences with panic attacks/anxiety regarding public speaking and presentations in school. I was advised to ask my doctor for Inderal as a beta blocker that slows the adrenaline rush and cuts the physical symptoms (shaky hands, heart rate etc). Anyway I was at the doctor's today and asked him about it and he seemed to think Inderal was a bad idea because he said that's something that I'd have to take every day (?). Instead he prescribed me a low dosage of Xanax to take as needed (.25 mg). I've heard not so good things about Xanax, benzos etc. that they are very addictive, make you really tired, and wasn't really looking to be on them. I've just wondered what anyone else's experience has been with it especially in regards to taking it as needed for presentations, interviews etc. How far in advance should you take it, what are the major effects... Any advice would be helpful. Also has anyone had experience taking it when you are going to be drinking later? I'm assuming the result is bad?

If you're going to do some public speaking/presentations, it's best to take Propranolol about 30 minutes to an hour beforehand with some food. This should take care of all your physical symptoms, at a dose as low as 10 mg, although you can take higher if you want. You only need to take it beforehand once for a performance.

Xanax, although I'm not familiar with this particular benzo takes a short time to start working and has a relatively short half-life (doesn't last long) and works for a few hours. And when a benzo works, it works; it'll take out all your mental anxiety. So I'd say if you take .25mg of Xanax and 10-40mg of Propranolol an hour beforehand, you'll have zero anxiety. I'm talking, you'll WANT to get up there and speak, and you'll be thinking WTF were you worrying about in the first place.

I'm pretty sure if you combine a benzo and drinking you'll have a pretty bad headache, at least that's my experience. They both work on GABA, so it's like you'll have an overload. Taking a benzo is analogous to being drunk in a sense anyway. I'd say with such a small dose of Xanax you'll be A-OK, but be prepared for getting drunk faster and maybe a bad headache.

Also, with respect to your hesitancy about benzos in general, I had the same view years ago before I even took them; now I take them whenever and don't feel at all afraid. Benzos are not addictive in the sense of cocaine, heroin, etc. That is to say, if you were given a Xanax pill every day for a week, and then a placebo pill every day for a week, and then afterwards offered the option of one or the other (placebo or xanax), you'd have no preference. Moderate drinkers however are different and can be prone to dependency and will have more of a "euphoric" effect, if you would even call it that. You would have to take a high dose (2 mg or more) over the course of 2 weeks straight, or a low dose over 6 months or more to build up any type of withdrawal. Taking one pill (.25 mg is a very low dose) will not make you addicted...

[arth67]

both inderal and xanax can be taken as needed and will help a lot for public speaking

[hey25]

Thanks guys. My doctor would not prescribe me Inderal, but I think the Xanax will be fine. I'm just going to take it for presentations and maybe here and there for different situations.

[homer]

Strange. First time I heard of a doctor who wouldn't prescribe inderal. I'm sure xanax will work. It is a more powerful drug, but it might not be the best drug if all you need is inderal. I would talk to another doctor.

Inderal doesn't have to be taken every day and it rarely is for SA. It really just helps for certain types of situations.

[No Limit]

I took Xanax and Atenolol (another beta blocker; helps with the rapid and/or increasing heart rate during performance anxiety with speeches) when I was taking a speech class awhile back. Both really helped when I was up there making a speech. I usually take Atenolol a day or 2 before the time I make my speech just to make sure it's in my system. I can usually feel the effects of Xanax within 1/2 hr to an hour so I just take that just before making the speech.

[LaRibbon]

and he seemed to think Inderal was a bad idea because he said that's something that I'd have to take every day (?)

This is flat out not true. I take inderal on an as needed basis (my Dr recommended, in fact she was reluctant to prescribe xanax because of addictive qualities, and you can build up tolerance over time). I'm really surprised that a Dr would feel more confident prescribing xanax than inderal. For presentations you're better of with inderal anyway so that you can stay mentally alert.

[hey25]

Yeah I was surprised and confused as well. If the Xanax isn't enough I'll go to the campus doctor and ask about beta blockers.

[icedCoffee]

Originally Posted by hey25

Yeah I was surprised and confused as well. If the Xanax isn't enough I'll go to the campus doctor and ask about beta blockers.

Xanax has helped me immensely w/ public speaking altough I still don't feel anxiety free. I would try inderal but I haven't experienced that myself yet. I need to try that also. Xanax helps but there is a point with every person where if you take too much (every person is different) you experience less anxiety but it affects you mentally to the point you have trouble thinking straight. You need to experiment to find what helps but doesn't totally numb your brain. It is a tradeoff.

For me I needed a full 1 mg of xanax to handle my anxiety for public speaking. It did negatively affect my thinking at that level somewhat and I probably could have used a bit less say .75 mg and been more alert. I think I should try some inderal w/ xanax so I can take less xanax and think clearer which is needed for public speaking especially if someone has a question for you at the end of your presentation!

[itsamystery]

I've been taking it for quite some time (years). You do NOT have to take it a couple days before to 'get it in your system.' You need 1 hour tops.
Any doctor who would give you Xanax over Inderal should be fired as your doctor.
Inderal has the added effect of helping your heart (little bit lower blood pressure, less stress from the adrennaline, etc). In fact,it is desgined to be used at much higher doses for people with high blood pressure and heart disease. You don't need more than 10-20 mg and it'll last over 8 hours.

I sometimes take a little Xanax to take the mental fear away in these situations, but you cannot take it every day because you build up a tolerance and have to take more of it to get the calming effect. Xanax lasts only 4 hours. Be careful with benzos, because while they're not as addictive as heroin, they are still addictives and people do overdose on them.

You can take Inderal every day or in certain situations and you'll be fine.


the only reason I'm answering this is I'm a lot older than most of the people on this board (I think--because I see a lot of people in their lower twenties) and I've been dealing with SA before they even had a name for it (I even had a psychologist tell me that I was weird) and I just happened upon a psychiatrist who prescribed Inderal and took it himself for his own social anxiety.

[SH2011]

I am new to this but please bear with me...

I have a severe phobia of giving presentation in class and I was wondering what the best solution would be. I have taken Propranolol in the past but it didn't seem to help me a whole lot since I still couldn't think about what to say during the presentation. I literally can't put sentences together even when I know what I am presenting on if it is in front of a classroom. My 2 presentations this semester aren't for another month and I'm considering going to see someone on campus about it and if there is any way of possibly not having to give the presentations. Do any of you have an experience with this sort of situation and if so, has it worked for you?

Besides the presentation anxiety I have regular anxiety that causes me to worry about a lot of irrelavent things and zaps a lot of my energy. My doctor at home gave me Serenagen to take for anxiety but it hasn't done much for me.

[c0ry]

I was able to speak at my graduation in front of hundreds of people with the help of Xanax. I also used it before a job interview a few weeks ago and was hired on the spot. It's been wonderful to me.