Why Can the Same Drug Treat Heart Attacks and Anxiety?
Drugs that treat heart failure are also prescribed for anxiety? What's up with that? Hosted by: Hank Green ---------- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scish...
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Beta blockers are a class of medications prescribed for a few different reasons — mainly heart conditions and anxiety. But how does a drug that treats heart failure also help with anxiety? Well, when it comes down to it, the symptoms of heart failure and the physical anxiety response aren’t so different. The beta in “beta blockers” refers to beta-adrenergic [add-ren-ER-jick] receptors, part of the sympathetic nervous system that controls the “fight-or-flight” response. When activated, it prepares your body for action: your heart thumps, your pits get all sweaty, and your pupils dilate. You know the feeling – an adrenaline rush! But sometimes the sympathetic nervous system becomes overactive or erratic, leading to high blood pressure, t...
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Beta blockers are a class of medications prescribed for a few different reasons — mainly heart conditions and anxiety. But how does a drug that treats heart failure also help with anxiety? Well, when it comes down to it, the symptoms of heart failure and the physical anxiety response aren’t so different. The beta in “beta blockers” refers to beta-adrenergic [add-ren-ER-jick] receptors, part of the sympathetic nervous system that controls the “fight-or-flight” response. When activated, it prepares your body for action: your heart thumps, your pits get all sweaty, and your pupils dilate. You know the feeling – an adrenaline rush! But sometimes the sympathetic nervous system becomes overactive or erratic, leading to high blood pressure, t...
