Propanolol and Diazepam for public speaking..

[bigdog123]

I know this may sound bizarre to put this Q in here but I saw a lot of guys have anxiety issues and take Xanax from a proevious post by someone.

I am starting a new job in a few days and hate, really hate public speaking and even introducing myself... I am taking propanolol for general anxiety at 160mg per day (in the morning) but also thinking of taking maybe 2mg of diazepam prior to the start of the day to relax me - has anyone else had this fear/used this approach to help?

 

[dc1]

diazepam

I too suffer from fear of public speaking. The morning of the day I have to speak, I take 10 mg diazepam or I take 1mg xanax 30 minutes prior to speaking and they both relax me to the point to where my anxiety is non-existant.

 

[bigdog123]

I too suffer from fear of public speaking. The morning of the day I have to speak, I take 10 mg diazepam or I take 1mg xanax 30 minutes prior to speaking and they both relax me to the point to where my anxiety is non-existant.

Does 10mg make you too dopey though? I was thinking of 4mg - I have not used it for a few years so not sure of my tolerance

 

[Creed428]

I usually take 2mg of Xanax before giving presentations in my college classes and it helps a great deal... valium woulld knock me out

 

[Arcus]

Just know what dose you can tolerate is, because I take xanax too before speaking in front of large groups and if you go too high you can start slurring without noticing it yourself, but people can tell.

 

[triathloncoach]

my 2 cents

I'd be very careful about taking a benzo as people have said. You are correct tho' with taking an extremely low dose if you must. And try out the drug and the dose before you are in front of people professionally. Slurring won't be the impression you want.

I would stick with the Beta Blocker myself. But like anything else public speaking takes practice. Force yourself to do it. Even if you are in a small meeting, try to stand up when you speak, go to the board and write something. Before you know it you'll be like me and wont give a flying fuck about what your audience thinks. And here is the secret - your audience doesn't care what you have to say 9 times out of 10. They don't want to be there either. They're thinking about sex.

 

[ballennonstop]

At one point in my life my tolerance was high, but now if I know I am going to be in high anxiety situation, I'll take .25 mg of Xanax or (preferabbly) 3-5mg of Valium. The Valium doesn't whack me out like the XAnax does. Plus, it doesn't impact my memory as much. Also, I find if I wait to take it until 10 min or so prior Im still on point just relaxed. After an hour or so I begin to turn into a zombie!

 

[JD]

Does Zanex knock you out?

 

[hotnuts]

Go get hypnotized or practice! To drug yourself with Xanax just sounds a little out there unless the real reason you take them is to vet high. What do you think people did before all of these drugs were developed? I will tell ya, they grew a sack, sucked it up and just did that shit bro! Drugs are way over used nowadays especially if you are trying to live a some what healthy life which I take it you do or you would not be on this site. The reason I am saying this is because Xanax and bezoz are highly addictive. You take it and when you stop taking you really get anxiety that is 10 x's worse! I know because I was addicted to them. I'm just grilling because if I can stop one person from taking that shit I can keep them from possibly ruining a good portion of your life and your body. No disrespect!

 

[UGAthlete]

I don't know a thing about these substances but I'll offer my experience in public speaking:

I started a job about a year ago where all I do is talk in front of younger (high school aged) audiences (tough crowd!).. anywhere from 10-1000. Bottom line.. if you are prepared for what you are going to say, have thought through it, practiced it, etc you will feel soooo much more comfortable. After that, it's just a matter of time before you're comfortable standing up in front of people. I used to just worry so much about how I looked, spoke, moved; everything had to be perfect. I'm from a different part of the country, so I have a slight accent, etc. Now that I'm fairly comfortable (I still get anxious every morning, and maybe the first few minutes - almost quit the job countless times but kept pushing) I can actually think while I'm speaking and take in what's going on in the room while still talking - just takes experience man; like pretty much everything in life.

If you live with somebody and feel weird if they hear you practicing, do it somewhere else. I do it in my car while I'm driving to work. It's much harder to present in front of people you know (family, friends, coworkers) so if you can make yourself do that, presenting in front of people you don't know will be a joke. For that very reason, my boss arranges a few days per year where we all just present for him and other people of the same position - talk about pressure!

Just stick with it and eventually you probably won't need any meds. Hope that helped a bit.

 

[dc1]

Does 10mg make you too dopey though? I was thinking of 4mg - I have not used it for a few years so not sure of my tolerance

No, I was prescribed 5mg for awhile, then upped to 10. So 10mg is the norm for me. I guess it would be different if I never took a benzo, then took 10mg diazepam - I'd probably fall asleep at the podium

 

[Steve123]

I actually find it easier to speak to a larger audience than a smaller one. I guess I just feel more annonymous or something.

 

[mrbuff1]

what does anybody think about modafinil?

Ive heard it makes you think clearer .College students are using it to cram for test .Its used to treat ADHD.And its not an amphetamine like adderall is.Is there any bad feedback on it?