# medication for presentations



## Kathy11 (Jul 20, 2008)

I have to do 2 presentations this term at college and the longest one is 25minutes!!! So I'm terribly nervous even though they're both not until November. Whenever I did presentations at school, I would shake, sweat, and feel like I was going to pass out. Also I stutter and slur and completely blank no matter how well I know the material. Has anyone here had a good expereince taking propranolol or something before your presentation? What were the side effects? I really like these classes and I need them for my major, so I can't drop them. I'd appreciate any presentation experiences you guys can share with me. Thanks. :thanks


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## bezoomny (Feb 10, 2007)

I take atenolol daily (but I take a much smaller amount than the earlier poster, 25 mg). That plus a benzo should make you be fine, especially if you have a fear of public speaking.


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## Kathy11 (Jul 20, 2008)

Thanks chic_canadian_gurl and bezoomny for responding. Do you take benzo daily or just before the presentation? I don't want to take SA meds daily, I'd rather just take something before my presentations but I'm concerned about what the side effects will be as the SA meds start to wear off. I'm going to see a psychologist or psychiatrist at my college for the first time and I want to be able to suggest things. Is it usually difficult to get them to perscribe you meds? Keep in mind I only want to use them on the day of my presentation, so no more than a few times/semester. Maybe I should have posted this in the medication section, oh well. Thanks


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## bezoomny (Feb 10, 2007)

Kathy11 said:


> Thanks chic_canadian_gurl and bezoomny for responding. Do you take benzo daily or just before the presentation? I don't want to take SA meds daily, I'd rather just take something before my presentations but I'm concerned about what the side effects will be as the SA meds start to wear off. I'm going to see a psychologist or psychiatrist at my college for the first time and I want to be able to suggest things. Is it usually difficult to get them to perscribe you meds? Keep in mind I only want to use them on the day of my presentation, so no more than a few times/semester. Maybe I should have posted this in the medication section, oh well. Thanks


No, I mine is very short acting so I take it about fifteen minutes before things that I know will make me nervous, or when I start to feel panicked. I use xanax maybe four times a week. I was on various SSRIs/SNRIs for five years before switching to a beta blocker and a benzo. Over here, the school psychiatrists "don't believe in benzos," and tried to push another SSRI on me. So I still use my Atlanta psychiatrist, she mails me prescriptions that I get filled here in Mississippi.

Even if they do believe in benzos, it's really chancey whether they'll give you a script for one if you've never seen them before. I'd definitely give it a try, though.

For what you want, I'd try a benzo first. Beta blockers mess with your heartbeat, so you've got to get all these heart-rate tests done.


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## IllusionOfHappiness (Sep 6, 2007)

Propranolol seems to keep my heart from beating out of my chest, although I've never done a presentation on it [out of school]. And klonopin calms my nerves so I'm not fidgety/shaky.


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## IllusionOfHappiness (Sep 6, 2007)

bezoomny said:


> Beta blockers mess with your heartbeat, so you've got to get all these heart-rate tests done.


Yeah my doc wants me to get my thyroid checked - for a THIRD time! And this time not just blood work, I need to go for a freakin throat ultrasound. Woo :roll


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## michellejl (Aug 20, 2006)

I was prescribed clonazepam for presentations. It made me feel calmer, but it also affected my ability to think clearly, which isn't great. And I didn't seem to be able to talk with feeling. I feel like a robot or something. It's hard to describe. It's the only medication I've tried though. My doctor doesn't even really want to try anything else it seems. Like it's not that big a deal. The attitude that mostpeople hate public speaking. Suck it up.Sigh.


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## asdf (Jan 19, 2008)

Kathy11 said:


> I'm going to see a psychologist or psychiatrist at my college for the first time and I want to be able to suggest things. Is it usually difficult to get them to perscribe you meds?


I'm too, and i'd like to know too.


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## naturalgeek (Aug 12, 2004)

I could not have gotten through college without propranalol. I owe my life to this drug. Seriously, every presentation I did was possible because I took this pill beforehand. I never needed anything else. It controlled my shaky voice/hands, sweating, heart racing etc. 
(I didn't find it worked for depression but as far as anxiety, it was a miracle drug.)


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