Social media rumblings and high-profile celebrity comments suggest more people than ever are popping beta blockers, a medication traditionally used in cardiac care, when they face something anxiety-provoking.

By targeting the fight-or-flight response that many people experience before a speech, job interview, final exam or even their wedding day, the pills’ calming effect can take the jitters and racing heart out of the mix.

But the heightened chatter does not necessarily signal a new trend, said Rachel Davis, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

“Beta blockers have been commonly used for these things for a really long time,” said Davis, division head of adult psychiatry and medical director of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Program. “I suspect people are just talking about it more.”

The takeaway:

Beta blockers are prescription medications sometimes used to calm physical symptoms of performance and social anxiety, such as a trembling and rapid heartrate. They generally work within 20 to 30 minutes and are non-addictive. They do not treat generalized anxiety disorders or the underlying causes of anxiety. 

High rates of anxiety could play a role in the amplified noise, with an estimated 31% of Americans experiencing an anxiety disorder in their lifetimes (National Institute of Mental Health).

But Davis suspects plummeting stigma around mental health issues and more people placing psychological health on the level of physical well-being is contributing to the increased beta-blocker attention.

“I think what's probably new is people's willingness to talk about it. And so I think it’s probably a good thing.”

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Davis said beta blockers (which require a prescription) are non-addictive, safe for most people and do not have significant cognitive effects. She emphasizes that the drugs are not effective for generalized anxiety or other serious anxiety-related disorders.

Davis shares more about beta blockers and their psychiatric uses in the Q&A below. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.