Adrenaline and SA

tma1 · Newbie User Joined: Sep 16, 2007 Posts: 3

I recently tried beta blockers (metoprolol) and was amazed at how good it helped my SA.

Over the years I have done some extensive CBT and used SSRI medication but the use of the beta blockers realy showed me how adrenaline is the worst aspect of SA.

Maybe its not the same for everyone but for me the CBT corrected my negative thoughts but the adrenaline was always there ready to slap me in the face at just the slightest hint of a social situation.
When I took the beta blockers and they stoped the adrenaline, I didn't get any negative thoughts because of all the CBT I have done.

I had always thought it was mainly the negative thoughts that was the worst culprit of SA but this experience has really shown me how adrenaline is what fuels the negative thoughts to keep cycling back again again despite using all I have learned with CBT. It seems to me I would never have had these negative thoughts in the first place if the adrenaline wasn't there to amplify it as an unpleasant experience.

Problem is that I carn't keep using the beta blockers because it lowers my blood preasure and causes to much fatigue. low blood preasure can be dangerous.

Beta blockers apparently work by blocking adrenaline from the heart. Perhaps if they find another medication that reduces the adrenal gland from producing to much adrenaline it whould be less dangerous for some people ?

I wonder if they could surgically remove some of the adrenal gland to reduce the production of adrenaline? or better still some thing like an electrical pacemaker on the adrenal gland to inhibit its production of adrenaline?

What are other peoples thoughts about this ???

iamalone · Newbie User Joined: Jul 29, 2008 Posts: 33

I believe in 20- 30 years time nanotechnology will fix all kind of disease. They will fully understand nerve system and will be able to stop those blushing, panicking, sweating etc. So you will just need more CBT stuff.

tma1 · Newbie User Joined: Sep 16, 2007 Posts: 3

KurtG85 · Newbie User Joined: Sep 21, 2008 Posts: 58

Look into clonidine and guanfacine as well as meds which increase gaba such as neurontin. Both, and im sure many more which you can find if you do a little research, decrease epinephrene (adrenaline) which can help in social anxiety sufferers.