Editing Propranolol (section)

====PTSD and phobias====
Propranolol is being investigated as a potential treatment for PTSD.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/10806799 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112233001/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/10806799/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 November 2013 |title=Doctors test a drug to ease traumatic memories - Mental Health - NBC News |website=[[NBC News]] |access-date=30 June 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Brunet A, Orr SP, Tremblay J, Robertson K, Nader K, Pitman RK | title = Effect of post-retrieval propranolol on psychophysiologic responding during subsequent script-driven traumatic imagery in post-traumatic stress disorder | journal = Journal of Psychiatric Research | volume = 42 | issue = 6 | pages = 503–506 | date = May 2008 | pmid = 17588604 | doi = 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2007.05.006 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | vauthors = Young C, Butcher R |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562942/ |title=Propranolol for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Clinical Effectiveness  |date=2020 |publisher=Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health |series=CADTH Rapid Response Reports |location=Ottawa (ON) |pmid=33074615}}</ref> Propranolol works to inhibit the actions of [[norepinephrine]] (noradrenaline), a [[neurotransmitter]] that enhances [[memory consolidation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=DocFilm – DW |url=https://www.dw.com/en/docfilm/program-294010 |access-date=2 August 2023 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> In one small study, individuals given propranolol immediately after trauma experienced fewer stress-related symptoms and lower rates of PTSD than respective control groups who did not receive the drug.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Vaiva G, Ducrocq F, Jezequel K, Averland B, Lestavel P, Brunet A, Marmar CR | title = Immediate treatment with propranolol decreases posttraumatic stress disorder two months after trauma | journal = Biological Psychiatry | volume = 54 | issue = 9 | pages = 947–949 | date = November 2003 | pmid = 14573324 | doi = 10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00412-8 | s2cid = 3064619 }}</ref> Due to the fact that memories and their emotional content are reconsolidated in the hours after they are recalled/re-experienced, propranolol can also diminish the emotional impact of already formed memories; for this reason, it is also being studied in the treatment of [[specific phobia]]s, such as [[arachnophobia]], [[dental fear]], and [[social phobia]].<ref name="Steenenvan Wijk2015" />  It has also been found to be helpful for some individuals with [[misophonia]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Webb J | title = β-Blockers for the Treatment of Misophonia and Misokinesia | journal = Clinical Neuropharmacology | volume = 45 | issue = 1 | pages = 13–14 | date = Jan–Feb 2022 | pmid = 35029865 | doi = 10.1097/WNF.0000000000000492 | s2cid = 245932937 }}</ref>

Ethical and legal questions have been raised surrounding the use of propranolol-based medications for use as a "memory damper", including altering memory-recalled evidence during an investigation, modifying the behavioral response to past (albeit traumatic) experiences, the regulation of these drugs, and others.<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Kolber AJ | title=Therapeutic Forgetting: The Legal and Ethical Implications of Memory Dampening |journal=Vanderbilt Law Review, San Diego Legal Studies Paper No. 07-37. |volume=59 |page=1561 |year=2006}}</ref> However, Hall and Carter have argued that many such objections are "based on wildly exaggerated and unrealistic scenarios that ignore the limited action of propranolol in affecting memory, underplay the debilitating impact that PTSD has on those who suffer from it, and fail to acknowledge the extent to which drugs like [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] are already used for this purpose".<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hall W, Carter A | title = Debunking alarmist objections to the pharmacological prevention of PTSD | journal = The American Journal of Bioethics | volume = 7 | issue = 9 | pages = 23–25 | date = September 2007 | pmid = 17849333 | doi = 10.1080/15265160701551244 | s2cid = 27063524 }}</ref>