Taking Beta blockers and competing?!?

lastminutepanic

lastminutepanic

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So I bumped into this guy when I was out shooting a little today. I've played him a few times, just for fun. He has no business gambling with anyone, and I never ask if he wants to, i'd rather just have someone eager to play me when I show up...

Anyways, he was telling me how propananol (a beta blocker he was prescribed for some health problem he's having) has been banned by the olympics, or at least SOME events in the olympics, (target shooting i guess?), and how it would enhance performance shooting pool. I just laughed, because I've had some experience with recreational chemicals over the years, and I'll tell you, for what inner confidence they may give you, they affect you at least as much negatively in concentration and focus. Anyways, he said he wanted to prove he was right, and he actually did shoot a little better than usual, he was finishing off 4 and 5 ball outs that he usually dogs. Maybe it's psychosomatic, maybe not...

Any of you ever heard of people taking beta blockers when they're playing in tournaments or gambling? I understand what beta blockers do, and they just made me feel lazy and foggy, I couldn't imagine actually playing better on them... Not that I'm going to go get prescribed them even if they let me cut a ball 110 degrees, I just thought it was something new to me and worth sharing.
 
I have been taking beta blockers for about 6 years to treat hyper-tension. about 3 years ago I complained to the Dr that i was feeling sluggish so she switched me to a different med, I couldnt stand it, i was nervous, twitchy, couldnt focus on anything. went back on the original med and symptoms went away. 2 years ago BP started going up so Dr upped the dosage, started feeling tired and sluggish again. Dr has now added an ace inhibitors and reduced the beta back down to a very low dose and it is perfect. when i am playing in a tense match or must win game i am very focused but also very relaxed. no sweaty palms, racy heart or nervous shakes at all.

i have since learned that beta blockers regulate your heart rate and i guess that is why my nerves are under control. i would not recommend experimenting without Dr's supervision tho.

Mike
 
The topic of taking beta blockers has been a quiet issue for a long time. I'm a medical doctor and at the same time a pool enthusiast for the past 12 years. I regularly prescribe beta blockers to my patients and I am very familiar with its usefulness and side effects. I don't agree in taking any drugs to enhance performance in pool. If a player can't control his nerves then I believe he has to deal with it without use of any drug, otherwise if a drug enhances his performance then that player is simply cheating himself. What are beta blockers? These are drugs that block the sympathetic nervous system particularly affecting the heart rate and force of contractility. It slows down the heart and reduces cardiac output, thus lowering blood pressure. It also has a sedating effect making a person less excitable and active. For patients with specific heart conditions these drugs are integral in their management, however, just like any other drug if its used improperly and abused it can be detrimental to one's health, and in the case of pool it may be disastrous to your game.
I take coffee 2 hours before a game. Makes me AWAKE and ALERT. Makes my heart go a little faster too, but I find that more helpful to my game.:thumbup:(is caffeine a drug? I don't care, I love my coffee)
 
I'm on a beta blocker (Bystolic) also to help control my heart rate. I wish I didn't have to take any kind of meds. Altho I use to drink and smoke pot to help relax when shooting. Now days because of health reasons I do neither. I sure wouldn't even think of doing some of the drugs I did in my younger days. Live and learn I guess. As far as the Propananol my wife takes it for tremmors. But I know of one guy that was put on it and he went straight in to permanent AFIB now he's really screwed.
 
Take heart medication to improve your pool game? Stupid!!

I had a heart attack and heart surgery several years ago. I take beta blockers and ace inhibitors (and many others...20 pills a day, and no "good" ones). They definitely keep my blood pressure down and slow the heart rate...to the point that they have a detrimental (if any) effect on my game.

My focus level is very poor, and varying...I could probably blame part of that on the meds. I CAN shoot well, but I often don't...very inconsistant. I guess part of that also is just the old age. I am still an APA S/L 7 in 8-ball, but only an average one, at best. I just can't get "up" for a game that often (insert appropriate Viagra comment here).

On a bad day, my blood pressure gets real low...it has been 90/50 before...and I almost fall asleep even walking around the table. I am a competitive person by nature, but taking the meds really slows me down. Now, I don't get very excited during a match, but that is not necessarily a good thing.

Beta blockers have been known to slow your heart rate down REALLY slow....like in STOPPED. Anyone who would take that medication, especially without any medical exam, etc, might give the "slip-stroke" new meaning.

Joe
 
Last edited:
Speakers take beta blockers to overcome their stage fright. Pro golfers have also been known to use them. So I can understand pool players thinking a calm-pill is the answer.

Naturally, it doesn't work, at least in the long term. Pool is hard. No pill is going to cut the nine down the rail for you.
 
Isn't bad nerves when playing pool a form of performance anxiety?
So wouldn't the drug Atavan (sp?) that is used to treat anxiety and panic attacks help?
 
depends

Former beloved Canadian World Snooker great Bill Werberniuk (RIP) used to take them for his tremors, it was either that or copious amounts of beer.

i don't think there's a problem taking them if you have a legitimate medical condition which requires you to do so. it's unfortunate for people whom have talent for something, only to have a disability as well which prevents them from exceeding at something they love to do no matter what it is.

that being said it's also stupid for someone in perfect health to take something which could prove to be detrimental to their health to make up for a lack of talent.
 
beta blockers

First, there is some question if the beta blockers are needed or effective for blood pressure control. I recommend some searches if a doctor has you on them for blood pressure. If he has you on them to regulate your heart that is a totally different story. One word of warning for those that will play with taking or not taking beta blockers, getting on them with a largish dose all at once or not tapering off of them may kill you.

I was on beta blockers for years to control my blood pressure. Like most people taking beta blockers for blood pressure I was originally prescribed them in conjunction with other medications. After reading a study questioning their effectiveness to aid in the control of blood pressure I quit taking them, tapering off gradually. No change in my blood pressure. Everyone's results may vary and the only medical advice I am giving is to do your own homework then talk to your doctor.

Now, on to competition. Beta blockers did terrible things to me trying to compete. I don't have a problem with overexciteability when competing when I am not on drugs. I get slightly "up", elevated focus and attention. This is where I need to be to perform my best. On beta blockers I stayed flat footed and dull. Didn't have the heightened alertness needed to compete at my best.

There are very real dangers to taking beta blockers, especially if not starting at low doses and raising the dosage gradually then tapering off gradually. Not the medication to use for performance enhancement even if you suffer from getting too tense competing. For most people I suspect any gain is mostly "the magic feather" at work. Aspirin is a mild tranquilizer. I don't know how it functions in the body but I'd consider taking it if you get too excited trying to compete. A friend has taken half an aspirin before competing for many many years. I suspect that half an aspirin has negligible effect on his body but he thinks it helps so it does. Two or three aspirins probably have a genuine effect but do some homework and talk to your doctor before even using aspirin off label. I have often heard it said that if aspirin were discovered today it would never be an over the counter medication.

Far better to work on your mental game than to take any drug as a crutch to compete in my opinion because taking any drug is likely to have unintended consequences.

Hu
 
Kurida said:
The topic of taking beta blockers has been a quiet issue for a long time. I'm a medical doctor and at the same time a pool enthusiast for the past 12 years. I regularly prescribe beta blockers to my patients and I am very familiar with its usefulness and side effects. I don't agree in taking any drugs to enhance performance in pool. If a player can't control his nerves then I believe he has to deal with it without use of any drug, otherwise if a drug enhances his performance then that player is simply cheating himself. What are beta blockers? These are drugs that block the sympathetic nervous system particularly affecting the heart rate and force of contractility. It slows down the heart and reduces cardiac output, thus lowering blood pressure. It also has a sedating effect making a person less excitable and active. For patients with specific heart conditions these drugs are integral in their management, however, just like any other drug if its used improperly and abused it can be detrimental to one's health, and in the case of pool it may be disastrous to your game.
Click to expand...

I have been taking prescription beta-blockers for over 10 years now for a heart condition. They DO NOT enhance my pool game. They do however keep me alive. As you said, they DO have a sedating effect. Am I cheating myself by taking them before I play league or in a tournament? I don't think so. I have to take them daily anyway (Doctors orders!), so why not before I play pool as opposed to some other time during the day? I need to be sedated to put up with all the crap that I run into in _ _ _ leagues (you know the one ;)) Like I stated, they don't help my game a damn bit, but they do help me to fade the drama I see on some league nights :rolleyes:. I DO NOT use my beta-blockers improperly nor do I abuse them. I simply take them at a certain time of the day to keep me from ripping someone a new a**hole on league night :D!!!

Maniac
 
Last edited:
The BB I take were making me tired so my doc told me to take them at night with my other blood pressure med. It helps me sleep. And you need to watch what pills you take they effect everyone differently. i was having muscle twitches and spasms i thought might have been from bystolic so they swithed me to atenanol i took it one hour before bed and woke up two hours later with my heart in AFIB. SPENT 3 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL FROM THAT.
 
Last edited:
JUSTABANGER 2 said:
The BB I take were making me tired so my doc told me to take them at night with my other blood pressure med. It helps me sleep. And you need to watch what pills you take they effect everyone differently. i was having muscle twitches and spasms i thought might have been from bystolic so they swithed me to atenanol i took it one hour before bed and woke up two hours later with my heart in AFIB. SPENT 3 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL FROM THAT.
Click to expand...

Iam 44 and been on motopolof(spelling) for 2 years now, one nite i was readdy for bed and my heart started skipping beats(afibe)usually when it does this its corrects its self after about 5 seconds well this time it didnt so my wife calls the ambulance,i didnt really know what was going on i thought i waS HAVING A HEART ATTACK,SO ANYWAY they the doctors told me they were going to gives me drugs to try an get my heart back in rythem,so after 2 days nothing would work,now they tell me they have to shock my heart back into rythem,you talk about being scared i was,now they r going to stop my heart so it will start back up in rythem which they did and everything went fine,they released me that day,i wasnt home 2days until my heart started skipping again but now after about a couple of seconds it goes back in rythem,it still happens from time to time but since i been on the medicine its been pretty good,but i dont see where this beta blocker helps my pool game at all.
 
Last edited:
lastminutepanic said:
Any of you ever heard of people taking beta blockers when they're playing in tournaments or gambling?
Click to expand...

Short answer, yes.

And it will only become more common if you can just tell your Dr. that you have to do some public speaking for your job and it causes you anxiety, and he just cuts you a script (and I know someone who did exactly that to get a propanolol script).

Aaron
 
I've never tried them, but one very good player I know used to keep a couple in his case for big tourneys if he got twitchy. He called them his "run out pills". He stopped taking them after a month or two but he liked them at first.

I think everyone would be better off getting used to playing with nerves and using the heightened adrenaline to focus, but for some people who get shaky, they may help.Didn't Varner say he played best when his arm was shaking a little bit? Not a lot, which would be distracting to even a champ like him, but he played better with a little nervous shaking than none at all.

Taking them without talking to a doctor is of course stupid and possibly disastrous to your health.
 
I used to do a ton of public speaking and was prescribed propranolol for that (I needed them because I would speak extemporaneously for up to an hour at a time in front of BIG audiences). I accidentally discovered the benefits of taking BB while playing pool.

Talking from years of experience, I can say they have pros and cons. The pros are you'll never dog a shot because you're nervous ever again. If you have a problem of "nerves" before a pool match, gambling or league--- BB will solve that instantly. The negative is you're flat-lined. What I mean by that is SOME nerves are good and beneficial to run out. BB take away that "UMPH" you get --- the adrenaline rush from actual play. That lack of umph can sometimes put you into a "I dont give a shit if I run out or not" mode.

Personally, for me, I'd rather have the advantage of coming out of the gate with ZERO nerves and play my game without the adrenaline.

BB are also super advantageous while playing poker as well.
 
richiebalto said:
one nite i was readdy for bed and my heart started skipping beats(afibe)usually when it does this its corrects its self after about 5 seconds well this time it didnt so my wife calls the ambulance,i didnt really know what was going on i thought i waS HAVING A HEART ATTACK,SO ANYWAY they the doctors told me they were going to gives me drugs to try an get my heart back in rythem,so after 2 days nothing would work,now they tell me they have to shock my heart back into rythem,you talk about being scared i was,now they r going to stop my heart so it will start back up in rythem which they did and everything went fine,they released me that day.
Click to expand...

WOW! You took the words right out of my mouth. This is almost word-for-word what happened to me. Only difference is, when they stopped my heart and re-started it, mine didn't correct itself. I spent the night in the hospital with about 5 different drugs/i.v.'s hooked into my arm. It got right the next day and I finally got to go home. The procedure of stopping my heart was indeed scary. It was kind of like losing your life for a brief second. Now that it's way behind me, I like to describe the sensation of my "lights going out" to others. It was kinda cool, just not at the time! I had one other episode a year or so later and my doctor adjusted my meds. I haven't had an episode now for over 10 years. I like to think it's the meds that are helping me stay healthy.

Maniac
 
These BB are strong meds to take them to try and get an edge for a pool match is nuts. They aren't made to take when you need to calm down they are for keeping you heart in rythem. And if you dont have any heart problems why would you take something that could give you one ?
 
Maniac said:
WOW! You took the words right out of my mouth. This is almost word-for-word what happened to me. Only difference is, when they stopped my heart and re-started it, mine didn't correct itself. I spent the night in the hospital with about 5 different drugs/i.v.'s hooked into my arm. It got right the next day and I finally got to go home. The procedure of stopping my heart was indeed scary. It was kind of like losing your life for a brief second. Now that it's way behind me, I like to describe the sensation of my "lights going out" to others. It was kinda cool, just not at the time! I had one other episode a year or so later and my doctor adjusted my meds. I haven't had an episode now for over 10 years. I like to think it's the meds that are helping me stay healthy.

Maniac
Click to expand...

Your lucky most people that go into Afib keep getting it back. As it is progressive and can become permanant.
 
Last edited:
i was on them for about 3 weeks, i was walking into walls, faling down stairs and my game dropped 3 balls. i'm dead serious, i went off that stuff and switched to a different heart med and it took about 2 weeks for me to get back to normal. i fell down about 3-4 times. i was playing like i was playing left handed on the stall. that stuff messed up my coordination
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top