Klarinet Archive - Posting 000769.txt from 1997/07

From: reedman@-----.com
Subj: Using Inderal
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 14:39:45 -0400

Well now, here is an interesting subject and one that most professional musicians won't talk
about!

I use Inderal when I have an audition or an extremely important performance. I know many, many
musicians in San Francisco that use it on a more regular basis than I do. I think that the use
in major Symphony orchestras is much higher than you might expect. I don't think that it should
be just taken indescriminately and ABSOLUTELY contact a doctor (preferably a psychiatrist) and
discuss dosage and side effects. Please don't ever take someone else's prescription medicine!

It was interesting to read the comments by Diane Karius who presumably has her degree in
physiology and understands how beta blockers work. There are some side effects as she mentioned,
but the dosage that most people would take is much lower than someone who is taking it for high
blood pressure. I find that 5-10 mg two hours before performance is plenty. I have never noticed
any side effects other than a general calming.

My experience is that in small doses I just feel more focused and relaxed and thus really play
the way I know I can play. In the past when I was nervous I would notice that my eyes would jump
around the page and sometimes I would skip a line. Just THINKING about the possibility of this
type of error kept me from focusing on making music.

Nervousness is a part of performance for most people. You can learn to control it and focus it
over time and with experience. But to categorically dismiss beta blockeres as a "crutch" or
"cheating" is closing a door to a resource that could very positively change the course of a
young performer's career.

Clark W Fobes