Using Ativan/anti-anxiety drugs for tests

[dressurpferd01]

I hope I didn’t come off as an ass in my first post, didn’t mean to if I did.

Having said that, I would not want to be in a warm up ring with anyone under the influence of benzos. What if something sets off your horse and you’re half a second too late to respond? You could injure yourself or someone else.

Horse showing is supposed to be fun. I do it because A) it’s my job, and B) it’s fun. If you’re that debilitated by nerves before a ride, well, you’re not having fun. If you’re not having fun, don’t do it.

Good post samigator, bravo.

[quietann]

I’ve been on a low dose of Buspar, a non-addictive, non-benzo anti-anxiety medication, for years, and have my doctor’s permission to take an extra pill “as needed.” Show nerves usually kept me from sleeping the night before, so I would take an extra one then. For showing, if my tests were in the morning, I wouldn’t take anything as the usual morning dose of Buspar was there, and I’d learned that two pills would make me pretty loopy. The last couple of shows I rode in, before maresy went lame, I didn’t take anything extra that day, just the night-before dose.

(Said maresy is sensitive, and can be a bit hot, and at the point early in our dressage training where I was really afraid of riding her, I usually took an extra Buspar just before lessons. Yes, it was a bad match at that time, but is a much better match now.)

So … look into Buspar as an alternative. And if you end up using it, absolutely don’t add the “swig from a flask” at the same time, because the alcohol and the Buspar potentiate each other.

[Quibbler]

I totally agree with what Samigator said. I’ve dealt with horse show nerves before - still do, actually, and I think it’s something you will be better off confronting and working through on your own, without the use of drugs. I get very tense when riding in the show-ring, but I’ve been trying to work through it by going to a lot of shows so eventually it’s not a big deal when I’m in my class. I’ve also got a playlist that I start listening too as I’m driving out to the show and all throughout the morning. I try to get some time where I just sit down in a chair and concentrate on relaxing my whole body, thinking about where I’ve got tension and trying to release it.

I haven’t tried it, but studies back up the idea that humming or singing from performing can prevent you from overthinking a situation, so instead you rely on your muscle memory. I don’t know how it would translate to equestrian sports, but it might be worth a try (as long as you don’t forget your test!).

Seriously, best of luck. I hope you don’t have to rely on drugs to relax you… everyone else is right, horses are supposed to be a fun hobby. (But I’m a perfectionist, so I worry about messing up. Funny thing is, if I screw something up early in my test, everything else vastly improves because I feel like the pressure is off!)

[Linda]

I have had a lot of show nerves before dressage shows.
So after some sleepless nights, I took up jumping and found that’s’ a lot more challenging (for me anyway).

Now I sleep through the night before a dressage show, haul in, warm up and show with no issues. My show nerves have moved to jumping instead.

Find something else that challenges you and see if dressage - in comparison - becomes less stressful.

[Beentheredonethat]

I’ve been showing a long time and am pretty mellow–I have a really hard time staying relaxed and almost always ride much worse in front of people. It’s not getting better with age. And I have a really hot, super-sensitive mare that picks up on everything. Not fun.

I usually ride MUCH better when I’m sick because I’m too tired to get tense or scared. I ride much better when it’s over 100 degrees because I’m too hot to care. I’ve ridden while on muscle relaxants because I was having back spasms, and it actually helped because it makes you just not care. That said, I wouldn’t take major drugs, but you might try something like valarian to help change the attitude, or St. John’s Wort. It may not help, but just the idea that it may help might help. Or, alcohol, which I don’t like.

I wouldn’t do major medication, but I don’t see anything wrong with a natural relaxer to help retrain your mind and body. Oooh–maybe cough syrup? That’s so disgusting you won’t be able to focus on getting nervous.

[NorCalDressage]

[QUOTE=flaxenmane;5503326]
Anyone ever use a pharmaceutical prior to a dressage test with effective results? I’ve always heard of the “take a swig” approach, but I wonder if you lose a spark or if it gives the rider that relaxation they need for swing and confidence.

I know that musicians often use beta blockers for performance anxiety.

Thoughts? Experiences?[/QUOTE]

Are you asking because you feel you have a real problem with anxiety - or because you wonder if it will just give you an extra edge?

Hard to tell from your OP

I think it’s going to be a touchy issue - a bit like depression is. Some people who don’t have it, think people who do just need to “get over it” so to speak. Some people just think it’s a choice and can be worked out of, if that person just works on it/themself enough.

I do take daily meds for Generalized Anxiety though, and have a script for Xanax for particularly bad times/days.

I would feel fine to show on one or both of those.

[Hampton_Bay]

[QUOTE=Beentheredonethat;5503801]
… I wouldn’t take major drugs, but you might try something like valarian to help change the attitude, or St. John’s Wort. It may not help, but just the idea that it may help might help. …[/QUOTE]

Herbals are not “safer” than prescriptions. In fact, since there is no regulation, they can be less safe. Valerian in particular is thought to act similarly, and on the same receptors, as benzos. I would feel more comfortable with something that is regulated and tested (prescription) than an herbal where you have no way of knowing what’s really in the pill and what the concentration is.

[cu.at.x]

[QUOTE=Hampton Bay;5503812]
Herbals are not “safer” than prescriptions. In fact, since there is no regulation, they can be less safe. Valerian in particular is thought to act similarly, and on the same receptors, as benzos. I would feel more comfortable with something that is regulated and tested (prescription) than an herbal where you have no way of knowing what’s really in the pill and what the concentration is.[/QUOTE]

I have taken both Valerian and a benzo. The biggest difference is strength. One .5-mg Xanax will often put me to sleep in the middle of the day (and I rarely take naps.) Valerian in excess of 1.5 grams barely takes the edge off, let alone knocks me out. If your anxiety (OP) is mild to moderate I would suggest Valerian first because it is less likely to cause drowsiness/impairment…but if you’re talking about full-blown panic attacks, forget it. You need a benzo.

[cu.at.x]

[QUOTE=allison finch;5503632]
Sad to have to take drugs to be an effective rider. Just saying…

Flame away![/QUOTE]

This just illustrates perfectly the bias against mental illness in society. Would you say that to someone on insulin? Anti-seizure medication? You probably think people taking antidepressants are poor riders too. I’d like you to experience anxiety for ONE day and then come back and tell us how you feel.

[Jocko]

The herbal supplement Theanine works well for anxiety. It is the active calming ingrediant in green tea. It will not get you out of a full on panic attack but can increase calmness without the side effects of benzos. Plus it is not addicting.

I did not read the entire thread. But I have dealt with anxiety issues my entire life. Sometimes you need a little chemical help.

[PaddyUK]

[QUOTE=cu.at.x;5503861]
This just illustrates perfectly the bias against mental illness in society. Would you say that to someone on insulin? Anti-seizure medication? You probably think people taking antidepressants are poor riders too. I’d like you to experience anxiety for ONE day and then come back and tell us how you feel.[/QUOTE]

I take amongst other things 30mg of valium a day, 300mg of Gabapentin(muscle relaxant used for Epileptics) and 30mg of Baclofen - also a muscle relaxer for MS. on top of this I have all my pain killers and 350mg Effexor.

Enough basically to knock out the judges, stewards and readers as well.

Guess what, I still get some jitters. But as long as I know and have practiced my test, I use deep breathing and CBT techniques.

Once I am in the arena, everything else goes away. It is like tunnel vision.

Paddy

[Napoles]

http://www.feicleansport.org/FEI_Prohibited_Substances_List_2011.pdf

[cu.at.x]

[QUOTE=Napoles;5503885]
http://www.feicleansport.org/FEI_Prohibited_Substances_List_2011.pdf[/QUOTE]

That pretty much encompasses every drug on the market…

[AllWeatherGal]

When I was first prescribed Ativan for acute* moments of anxiety (when my daily cocktail is overwhelmed by events), the psychiatrist strongly warned against using it around horses at all. She considered the alertness one needs around horses to be at least equal to that which we require while driving motor vehicles.

While she is/was very conservative, granted, as the many of the previous posts illustrate, the degree of “calming” is variable! And part of that involves slower and duller reaction to all inputs. You can’t really “test it out” at home unless you can put yourself in emergency situations and prove that you can react quickly enough (and there are a fair number of riders who can’t do that without medication!).

It’s not about “toughing it out” or the moral superiority of developing relaxation techniques, it’s about your ability to respond to your horse with the immediacy sometimes required in tense moments. As another poster noted, I wouldn’t want to be in a warm-up with someone whose physical responses were “quieted.” Would you drive your rig loaded with horses like that? If not, I don’t think it’s wise to ride him/her, either.

Talk to a psychiatrist about all of this. One who knows you (or gets to know you through conversation) can provide the most accurate advice for your specific needs.

[kdow]

Honestly, I think it’s between you and your doctor to decide if your anxiety is enough that you need medication to assist you in developing more effective techniques to cope with it during shows. (And for folks who just ‘take a swig’ - alcohol used in such a fashion is essentially medicating the anxiety, also. It’s just that drinking tends to be more socially acceptable than taking a pill, even though the dosage of the pill can be much more carefully regulated. How much actual alcohol is in a ‘swig’ depends tremendously on what your idea of swig is, and what your drink of choice is. )

That said, I suspect that unless you do have a proper generalized anxiety condition which is causing problems in multiple areas of your life which calls for a different sort of medication, the best approach to the problem would be to couple the anti-anxiety medication with some form of therapy with the goal being to get you to a point where the medication was no longer necessary.

So I would be uncomfortable with a doctor who just wrote a script and sent you on your way. This IS supposed to be something we do for fun/enjoyment, and while occasional bumps can turn up in the road from negative experiences or anxiety in other areas of life spilling over, if you have to drug yourself to the gills each and every time to get through it, maybe you’re not doing the right thing. (I mean, if someone had a horse that was a total basket case every time it went to a show, people would suggest different things to get him used to it, but at some point you just have to say ‘this isn’t his thing.’ Same with people. Nothing wrong with deciding that something just isn’t what YOU want to do with horses, even if it was what you wanted to do at a different point in time. People change, situations change, etc.)

All of that said - if you are doing ANYTHING that is supposed to help with your nerves (alcohol, supplements, medications) I would never ever dream of trying it for the first time in a show environment. Test it out at home first - preferably not actually on or around a horse to start with. You should know how what you’re taking is going to influence you LONG before you take it in a show environment where you’re endangering yourself, your horse, and anyone else around if something goes wrong.

(And take it with someone else observing you - YOU might feel fine, but not be, if the medication is messing with your perception. How many drunk drivers swear they’re perfectly okay to drive when they clearly aren’t?)

[kdow]

[QUOTE=Napoles;5503885]
http://www.feicleansport.org/FEI_Prohibited_Substances_List_2011.pdf[/QUOTE]

Is that the list for people, or horses? Because going by that, you couldn’t take a Tylenol for a headache, or most blood pressure medications, or the systemic medication I take for my autoimmune arthritis…

[Napoles]

[QUOTE=kdow;5503915]
Is that the list for people, or horses? Because going by that, you couldn’t take a Tylenol for a headache, or most blood pressure medications, or the systemic medication I take for my autoimmune arthritis…[/QUOTE]

It’s the list for people. You can see that some of them are prohibited and some are controlled.

ETA: Actually no, sorry, I’m wrong - clicked on the wrong link - here is the one for humans…
http://www.wada-ama.org/en/World-Anti-Doping-Program/Sports-and-Anti-Doping-Organizations/International-Standards/Prohibited-List/The-2011-Prohibited-List/

More here re athletes…
http://www.feicleansport.org/faqs.html

[SonnysMom]

A friend of mine used to drink water with Rescue Remedy to watch her kids jump in hunter shows. It was just enough to take away the anxiety.

One of the adult re-riders started to drink it too. She felt that it helped as much as the little white pill prescribed by the doctor for her show nerves.

[SillyHorse]

@dressurpferd01;5503728

I hope I didn’t come off as an ass in my first post, didn’t mean to if I did.

Having said that, I would not want to be in a warm up ring with anyone under the influence of benzos. What if something sets off your horse and you’re half a second too late to respond? You could injure yourself or someone else.

Horse showing is supposed to be fun. I do it because A) it’s my job, and B) it’s fun. If you’re that debilitated by nerves before a ride, well, you’re not having fun. If you’re not having fun, don’t do it.

Well, this is more of the same, so why did you bother to apologize for the first one?

[Kyzteke]

@flaxenmane;5503326

I know that musicians often use beta blockers for performance anxiety.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Having grown up in the late 60’s & early 70’s (hell, I was even at Woodstock!), and having known many, many musicians, I can pretty much guarantee that they aren’t using beta blockers…

Unless those “beta blockers” are green, herb-like and can be rolled into a joint:D.