[Wings]

i found this on a website and i thought it was helpful:

"Sorry for the long post (I am actually putting it in a couple
of forums that I had read), but wanted to give some detail
on my experience with propranolol.

I am a 47 year old executive and had a fear of public
speaking that really started in college. One or two bad
experiences ***8211; couldn***8217;t catch my breath, turning red,
shaking, etc. However, I was more or less able to work
through it on my own. I did the typical things (practice,
relaxation, etc.) and got to be OK in certain situations, but
there were others that I could never quite handle.

I was getting to the point where I wasn***8217;t as worried about
it and then about five years ago had a very bad experience
presenting in front of a large group of peers. Never saw it
coming ***8211; and since then have not been the same. I have
tried therapy, toastmasters, on-line self help remedies,
etc but it has been very debilitating. To the point where I
was making up excuses not to attend meetings or making
career choices to avoid speaking.

Well recently I took a new job, and was promoted very
quickly. And of course, one of the first things I had to do
(which I found out a month ago) was a couple of
presentations to a large group during our annual meeting.
I almost had a panic attack when I heard.

I started with the research again, and on these boards
heard about propranolol. At that point it was my only
hope as I know without it would be utter humiliation. I
scheduled an appointment as quickly as I could (also
ordered some online from one of those Indian pharmacies
just to be safe) and got a prescription.

I tried it several times before and while I practiced.
Sometimes I didn***8217;t notice anything, sometimes I did
notice a calming affect when I practiced. I also tried it in
a couple of client meetings before hand (I wasn***8217;t nervous
for those, just wanted to know what it felt like), but again
didn***8217;t notice much.

The big week came ***8211; I had to present on Wednesday and
Friday ***8211; and I was a wreck leading up to Wednesday with
extreme anxiety. I even tried some propranolol on
Tuesday to try to calm down, but it really doesn***8217;t help
with the psychological part of anxiety. The morning of my
presentation I took 40mg to start the day, 40mg later in
the morning, and 40mg about 45 minutes before I was on.
It was strange ***8211; I was very nervous walking to the front of
the room, but nothing on me shook and when I started to
speak, my voice came out. I was able to concentrate
better when I realized my body wasn***8217;t reacting. It wasn***8217;t
the best presentation (for other reasons ***8211; my boss
changed up a bunch of slides just before I started), but I
can live with that very easily ***8211; I didn***8217;t embarrass myself.

Thursday I was much less anxious, and on Friday I took
40mg and then 40mg and it went great.

I have to say I am a big believer in this. I have more
presentations coming up as a part of my job and almost
looking forward to them (they are still a pain to do, but I
am not anxious ***8211; I will probably be a bit right before, but
I suspect not nearly as bad). The knowledge that even if a
presentation goes bad it***8217;s a bad presentation and not me
embarrassing myself is huge. It has taken a ton off my
shoulders and made me much more comfortable in my
job. A couple of points:

- I really don***8217;t think I needed all of the propranolol I
took. Initially I took too much because I was so nervous. I
did feel a little light headed at one point, but I am very
healthy ***8211; I do NOT recommend that much to anyone else.
I really think one dose of 20mg to 40mg would be plenty
- As I continue to do this I plan to continue to wean
down how much I take
- I am still active in toastmasters and do those without
any help. I don***8217;t care if I embarrass myself there (and
haven***8217;t yet ***8211; but probably because I don***8217;t care)
- For really big presentations I may consider something
like loranzepram before hand instead of trying to take
propranolol, although worried about affecting my thinking
when I am up front.
(Mon Jan 31 22:20 2011)"

i'm totally relying on it now, propranolol. i know it works but lets hope it works just as well this time