[Social anxiety and propranolol abuse: a case study].
A patient with severe social anxiety disorder has taken unprescribed propranolol for six years (up to 320 mg/day). In addition to the psychoanalytic treatment that had been instituted and after the diagnosis and prescription of tranilcipromine, both the social anxiety symptoms and propranolol abuse have improved; after the prescription of paroxetine she underwent a better controlled use of the betablocker. Despite the informal self-prescription for several years, the generalized social anxiety symptoms persisted. This case exemplifies the special difficulty of social phobic patients to seek for treatment. The author formulates a hypothesis that there may be an increasing informal prescription of betablockers among persons with social anxiety disorder and performance anxiety, a problem whose public health importance is still unknown.
Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínico-Qualitativas, Departamento de Psicologia Médica e Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil. bruno.fontanella@uol.com.br
Bruno José Barcellos
BJ
Fontanella
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D011433:Propranolol / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012651:Self Medication / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D017374:Paroxetine; D011433:Propranolol