# Best Medication(s) for a Speech?



## Anxietyprob (Oct 13, 2010)

I have SAD and I have to give a 4-5 minute informative collage speech next Tuesday (in about a week) :no , I've thought of either dropping the class or taking some pretty strong medication. 

No matter what, if someone ask me a question, talks about me, or just says hello and I say hello back, my face turns completely red and I turn to try and hide the redness. I look and feel like a complete fool. Makes me just want to hide in a corner for good. Giving speeches in high school, I would never look up, I read straight from the report, and I would speed talk as my hot red blush face got worse, and I would get lost and almost dizzy like and would be very surreal. (No reports in collage, we will only have a outline, but the only good thing is we can have a power point).

I could probably count how many words I've said throughout high school and collage so far. I think People would either think I was funny or weird for not talking. There were very few nice people that talked to me like I was normal.

This class is a complete nightmare, but I have to have it for a degree. I get more depressed the closer the time comes (I've been worrying about it for over a year, since I knew I had to take it). I can't stand to picture myself talking up there in front of everybody, it gives me very horrible feeling.

I've been through long chemotherapy treatments last year for a bit of cancer (made me fell like complete trash during it, lots of needles everyday and poison medicine) but I'm cured now. If I could rewind time, and somebody gave me the choice to pick between the chemo or the speech class, I would take the chemo in a heart beat. I know a man who went through the same chemo treatment and he said if he had to do that again, he would rather die. The chemo was nothing compared to my anxiety over the years. That can show how bad it is to me.


Does anybody know what the best medication for a speech would be. I don't want to look drunk or think fuzzy, but I would like something to stop the blushing and to help numb the anxiety.

Thanks.


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## xboxfreak (Jul 22, 2008)

Beta blocker (propranolol, atenolo, etc.)
Benzodiazepine (Xanax, Klonopin, etc.)

I'd recommend a Benzodiazepine if you can get a doctor to prescribe one. They are much more likely to hand out beta blockers as those are not scheduled drugs.


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## MBL (Oct 5, 2010)

HI!

Doctors prescribe *INDERAL* (beta blocker) for stuff like that.

Personally I would mix Inderall plus sublingual *Ativan* for your speech, because your case sounds worse than just "stage fright". Only 1 mg of Ativan though is mixing it. 2mg if on its own maybe.You might want to get a dose of them first to test and see if its strong enough, or too strong, etc...

Sublingual Ativan is awesome for that use because it'll kick in fast and is short acting, plus it mixes well.

Another one to mix with Ativan could be *Haldol* or *Nozinan* (small doses as these can be sedating).

One time I had a single dose of Haldol and Ativan 1mg. I didn't feel "high" or sedated at all, but I felt very relaxed about things and stress was reduced greatly....

[I've studied psychopharmacology in my past, but I'm not a doctor. perhaps you might want to take these suggestions to a doctor though :yes. Good luck.]

*-MBL*


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## Anxietyprob (Oct 13, 2010)

Thanks both, I think I'm going to the doctor within the next few days to try and get Inderal, and maybe something else to go with it also.


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## MBL (Oct 5, 2010)

Let us know how it turns out?


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## robtyl (Sep 2, 2010)

Alcohol.


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## MBL (Oct 5, 2010)

*Benzos to consider...*

As far as benzos go my favorites are:


Bromazepam (Lectopam/Lexotan)
Oxazepam (serax)
Clonazepam (Rivotril/Klonopin)
And sublingual Ativan has it's uses. :yes


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## No Limit (Dec 6, 2005)

My heart always races and blood pressure would go up just thinking about doing presentations when I was in school. A beta blocker along with Ativan got me through class presentations/speeches.


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## Anxietyprob (Oct 13, 2010)

I went to the doctor and they gave me Atenolol 25mg tablet form. The doctor said to maybe try 1/2 tablet tonight in practicing. My speech is tomorrow. Is Atenolol good just like INDERAL or not? I'm worried.


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## No Limit (Dec 6, 2005)

Anxietyprob said:


> I went to the doctor and they gave me Atenolol 25mg tablet form. The doctor said to maybe try 1/2 tablet tonight in practicing. My speech is tomorrow. Is Atenolol good just like INDERAL or not? I'm worried.


Atenolol is what I took. I noticed when I took it, I couldn't get my heart rate past a certain number when I was running at the gym. It works and is good.


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## Bacon (Jul 4, 2010)

Xanax Or any benzo. Klonopin, Valium, Or the weaker less powerful ativan. Xanax is probably the best in my opinion.


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## Anxietyprob (Oct 13, 2010)

Thanks everybody for the replies.

Well I did my speech tonight. I took two 500mg Valerian root pills a couple of hours before the speech which did nothing, nada. 
I didn't take the Atenolol because of possible bad side effects, and I did not get to test it out to see how I react, plus many say it's not very good because it's a very selective beta blocker.

The teacher loved my powerpoint, but I think I did horrible with my speech, I personally think it was a complete disaster. The teacher gave me a Ok grade, (but I think she did that just for feeling sorry for me) My voice was very shaky through the entire speech. And I did not look up once. I kept tripping up reading things (I know I sounded like a 100% fool), My throat and mouth dried out, so I was about to choke. I had to keep moving around from all the nerves (hitting the metal podium in the process, etc. etc.) Surprisingly I believe I blushed little to none (But my face was close to turning full red, I could feel the heat). While reading I tried to image it was silly I kept messing up over and over, so that would cause me to put on a little grin (only in complete madness from the severe anxiety).

In the middle of the speech i thought to myself: "it can't get any worse than this" (because I was messing up left and right, looking like a fool) So i continued on to finish the nightmare. It really was just like a surreal nightmare. Half of me felt like somewhere else because my anxiety was so high. A few minutes after sitting down I seriously had to fight to hold some tears back.

Probably the worst thing is hearing myself talk and being the center of attention, I have very poor social skills, so a speech is very horrible to me, sort of like a hard death. 

Right now I'm pretty down and very stressed, for getting little sleep, for looking stupid in speech, and because I'm only half way. I've got a persuasive speech coming up in a few weeks (probably at least 3 times harder I would imagine).
If I do pass the class, I really never want to see anybody in this speech class again (I think people probably felt sorry, or will be sure to try and stay totally clear of me for thinking I'm very weird and depressed looking) :roll. Sorry, Had to vent a little, very stressful day.


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## MBL (Oct 5, 2010)

I hate Valerian. Sometimes I found it had the reverse effect desired, making things worse.

Oh yeah and "any benzo" wouldn`t work for me. Some people, even doctors say that all benzos are really the same thing, having a very similar effect. This is NOT TRUE AT ALL for me and some people I know. I can take 10 xanax and get a bigger effect from 2 bromazepam or clonazepam. 

So "àny benzo" will not do for some of us.:|


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## Positive (Jun 29, 2009)

Propanolol 20MG 1-2 hours before and ATIVAn 30 MIN before shoudl be good.


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## bobbytouche (Sep 10, 2011)

*I need to give a speech*

I have 1mg Ativan and Proponoral (Inderal) coming in the mail hopefully on Monday. The speech is Tuesday and Friday. I am 5' 8" and 210lbs. What should be my dosage? Do you recommend taking half an Ativan with 60mg Inderal an hour before the speech?

Any advice would be great. Thanks!


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## Baked (Oct 25, 2011)

*Congrats*

Hey Anxietyprob- thank you for sharing your story. I am a bit downcast bc of a presentation I did today that was really painful. I have been struggling with presentation anxiety for YEARS. It's so strange that I cannot predict how bad the anxiety will be during a speech. I gave a 40 min presentation that went pretty smooth but this 3 min talk was HELL!!! I have had some smooth speeches and then I have had some real nightmares. The inconsistency is hard to deal with. I am thinking of taking xanax next time I present. And for some reason it is a comfort to know I am not alone in this battle. But battle I will bc I have been housebound with anxiety in my early years and I would rather fall flat on my face and pass out in front of a crowd before I will go back to living in fear of my shadow and not leaving my house. I hope you keep battling too!!!!


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## brown324 (Oct 1, 2011)

anxiety prob, I feel your pain all to well. yes I think your plan is a good combo. good luck man, just believe you can achieve a good outcome.


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