I have mentioned once or twice about a relatively new approach to victims of PTSD in which a Beta-blocker was prescribed. However, the times I mentioned it, I wasn't fully aware of what was behind it. I was thinking it had to do with hypertension and the fight-or-flight response.

It does, but not in the manner in which I had originally thought. The recent bumping of the "Managing Memories" thread prompted me to do some digging on memory, and what eventually popped up is using Beta-Blockers in PTSD - or for painful/fearful memories.

The cardiovascular response isn't what the Beta-Blocker is used for (though it does effect the Cardiovascular system) - it is the effect that the drug has on memory.

The Beta-blocker used is very specific, and the results of the studies are rather interesting.

http://www.newsweek.com/2009/04/18/to-pluck-a-rooted-sorrow.html

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