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What if there was a pill that almost anyone could take after a traumatic event that would block the severity of that event? Imagine if you were a victim of some act of violence and had the ability to pop a pill soon after the event to decrease the trauma associated with that event, whether it be a car accident, assault, or rape. Many people would without a doubt take advantage of such a medication as a coping mechanism, something to help ease the pain that trauma can bring to our lives
.Scientists at Harvard University are actually working on this pill hoping that it will decrease or even prevent post traumatic stress disorder in victims of violent crimes or war veterans through the use of Propranolol. Propranolol is a non-selective beta blocker used in the treatment of hypertension. A beta blocker is a class of drugs that block the release of endogenous catecholamines, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine in the sympathetic nervous system which helps to control an individual's fight or flight response. When Propranolol is released into the system, it is absorbed within 1 to 3 hours depending on its bioavailability. If the individual chooses another method of administration, therefore avoiding first-pass metabolism (how much of the drug is metabolized by the liver) in the liver, concentrations of the pure drug will be higher in the brain.
However, Propranolol is a lipophilic drug meaning that it selectively dissolves in fats, oils and other lipids but not in water, making it able to have an active concentration in the brain for up to 12 hours from a single dose of 80 mg. Once Propranolol is absorbed and passes the blood-brain barrier, it blocks the action of epinephrine on two beta receptors (â1- and â2- adrenergic receptors) essentially blocking adrenaline and noradrenaline's release into the brain. When an individual experiences a traumatic event, like a rape for instance, the body releases adrenaline, a stress hormone which prepares the body for a fight or flight response. Adrenaline and its cousin noradrenaline are released into the brain acting on the amygdale region which is responsible in part for fear and memory. Simply put: say a man tries to attack me on my way to my car after work one night. Even though I beat up my attacker, because my body releases adrenaline and noradrenaline into my brain, I remember the fear I felt after that incident every time I walk to my car at night at work. This could be a positive, making me more aware of my environment and surroundings, thus making me more mindful of what time I leave and leading me to perhaps ask a trustful colleague to walk me to my car when it is late. However, it could have the adverse effect of making me so scared that I cannot even drive to work because I am too fearful to park in the same area.The idea with Propranolol is that the victim would take it very soon after the occurrence of a traumatic event, preventing the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Therefore while the memory if the event will be ingrained in the individual's subconscious, it might not be burned as deeply into the amygdale as it would be if adrenaline were present.So the positives to popping some Propranolol are pretty obvious. The emotional effects of a traumatic event can sometimes be more devastating than the event itself. And let's face it, no matter how open minded and liberal we can say we are, not many are willing to work through those emotionally devastating events with the help of a therapist for fear that it will make them look weak or even worse, crazy.
On the other hand, the negatives to taking Propranolol could perhaps be just as upsetting. There has to be a good reason why we as human beings are created with these mechanisms in our brain that force us to remember the fear or pain we feel in certain situations. If I don't remember the severity of an event, maybe my body will not recognize a similarX situation in the future and I could go through the same pain again. So perhaps that pain, that anguish and fear that I receive as a consequence from a situation is my body's coping mechanism and what I have to learn is how to get through the emotional aspect of the situation with other kinds of help.
Ultimately it could be our personal or societal issues in thinking that taking a pill will solve all our problems as a way to avoid reaching out to those around us. But if everything in our lives truly happens for a reason, we should be able to take even the most painful experiences and learn from them, obtain some sort of lesson in order to be a better, stronger person. Even with the help of something like Propranolol, the memory is still in our brains, meaning that we will still have to work through whatever emotional baggage the Propranolol doesn't take with it. This by no means will completely fix the problem, nor is it an effective way to run from those problems
.However it is every individual's decision as to how they would go about handling a shocking event. We know ourselves best and will know given any situation what will be the best ways for us to get through it and be able to come out the other side as better human beings.
Therefore it is up to us to ask for help when we need it; however we need it and have faith that the people around us will guide us to the help we need.
So, basically, everything ffxi related can be erased. You would just have to go back and individually do everything you've ever done while someone storms in your room and ass rapes you. Shortly after that you pop a pill.
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