Has anyone used an anxiolytic during the boards?

[Thruster]

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benzo or something to keep you from having anxiety?

 

[CatFactorial]

The possibility of backfiring is a huge deterrent.

 

[1badvette]

Don't do it , i was having a hard time falling asleep a while ago , a friend of mine gave me a benzo to help me fall asleep .... it worked , i had 8 hrs of sleep that night before a my path exam , i got up feeling fresh but when i sat down to take that exam , it hurt me really bad .. It slowed me down, it felt like my brain was on chill mode.. I would sit there and read question really slow and some time rereading them more than once just to register what they question was asking .

Maybe taking something like a B-blocker that wont cross the BBB and cause sedation would help … I think Atenolol is the only water soluble B-blocker , it would help control the anxiety effect , like increase in heart rate …

 

[Thruster]

i wasnt able to sleep before the mcats, and am having a lot of trouble sleeping right now during crunch mode for boards. So I can only imagine the night before and during the exam. I have lorazepam but it definetly leaves me groggy the next day.

 

[Lily05]

tried zolpidem? makes u fall asleep quickly...as far as anxiety is concerned...I would say learn to get through it. I had my share of it too but with time you learn how to discipline yourself. I know it's easily said than done..

 

[Elbowstoopointy]

benzo or something to keep you from having anxiety?

I have a propranolol script for performance anxiety. It helps tremendously for people who have panic attacks..

Benzos? Wouldn't mess with those for a test

 

[Elbowstoopointy]

Don’t do it , i was having a hard time falling asleep a while ago , a friend of mine gave me a benzo to help me fall asleep .... it worked , i had 8 hrs of sleep that night before a my path exam , i got up feeling fresh but when i sat down to take that exam , it hurt me really bad .. It slowed me down, it felt like my brain was on chill mode.. I would sit there and read question really slow and some time rereading them more than once just to register what they question was asking .

Maybe taking something like a B-blocker that wont cross the BBB and cause sedation would help … I think Atenolol is the only water soluble B-blocker , it would help control the anxiety effect , like increase in heart rate …

Atenolol is nowhere near as good for anxiety as propranolol is

 

[1badvette]

To fall asleep take zolpidem or Zaleplon ... both have a short half life , i think zolpidem is 3hrs and Zaleplon is somthing like 1hr .. what ever you do , make sure you try it before the night of the Exam .. Good luck

 

[1badvette]

Atenolol is nowhere near as good for anxiety as propranolol is

i agree it's the DOC from all the B-blockers , but i think it comes with the risk of sadation ...

 

[alternatego]

I'm definitely taking some zolpidems the night before my exam

 

[quique2]

I seriously thought about this as well, because even though my anxiety wasn't as bad as other people's I just am not used to ever feeling like I did the days preceding my Step 1. I thought of taking some alprazolam (easily and legally obtainable where I live), but I was scared it would hurt my performance. I had never taken it before, who knows how long it would take to wear off COMPLETELY.

So what I did:
- review a bit and do questions at my usual pace the days before my exam
- two days before, started avoiding trying to cram last-minute details that I had always had trouble with
- two days before (and also the day before the exam), played video games till my eyes hurt. It helped pass the time, kept me entertained and helped keep my mind off things
- the day before: reviewed a bit, did 1-2 blocks of marked questions, had a nice dinner and had a glass of wine (which I don't even like) to help me sleep. Got about 7 hours of surprisingly good sleep although I woke up earlier than expected.

If you're going to try something like propranolol, a benzo or any other sleeping aids (benzos/zolpidem/melatonin, anything) make sure you don't try it for the first time right before your test! If I had decided to use one of those, I would have used it months before, just to check whether I felt any differently or whether or not it affected my performance in the slightest...

 

[Elbowstoopointy]

i agree it's the DOC from all the B-blockers , but i think it comes with the risk of sadation ...

It effects everyone differently...obviously you'd try it out numerous times before you use it for something important. It was actually my docs idea when I told him about my anxiety

 

[dAnthony1918]

.

 

[nitemagi]

Never do anything on the day of the exam different than you did on days you prepared for exam (like mock tests).

You usually WANT a beta blocker with high lipid solubility (can pass through the BBB) to be beneficial for anxiety. Hence why propranolol is helpful, atenolol isn't.

 

[reedsposer22]

I used ethanol....1000ml of 40% russian ethanol...helped alot...cooled me down