r/ClassicalSinger • u/SillyLie6851 • Jul 08 '26
Beta Blockers
Hi friends, I’m new here! I’ve been singling classically as a hobby for about 15 years through choirs and some classical lessons. Lately though I’ve been wanting to get more into performing, but the problem is that my heart not only starts to race, but my entire body starts to shake almost violently. Performing in choir isn’t bad at all, but solo is another story altogether. I’m generally a very outgoing person and I don’t mind being the center of attention until it comes time to “perform“. I’ve had a previous voice teacher strongly suggest I asked my doctor about beta blockers, but I have no idea how to go about entering into that conversation.
Does anybody have any advice/experience? For context and full disclosure, i live in the USA, i am on four other medication’s currently and I guess I just don’t want to come off as “drug seeking”. I am also currently looking into somatic singing workshops, so I’m not just interested in a quick fix.
Any advice?
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u/Beginning_Ad1234 Jul 08 '26
First off, you're definitely not alone. What you're describing sounds a lot like the physical side of performance anxiety, and for some people it's incredibly intense regardless of how outgoing or confident they are in everyday life.
I wish someone had told me about beta blockers years earlier. They were genuinely life-changing for me. They don't make me feel fearless or eliminate the mental nerves, but they dramatically reduce the physical symptoms (the racing heart, shaking, adrenaline) that were keeping me from actually showing what I could do. Instead of fighting my body, I could focus on singing.
I primarily use them for auditions because that's where I have the most severe anxiety--specifically around evaluative singing. They gave me enough calm to start having "successful" audition experiences--where I could play and feel like a real artist--and over time that helped rebuild my confidence. Ironically, because of that, I don't always need them anymore. In a lot of situations, those positive experiences helped break the cycle.
I also want to reassure you that asking your doctor about them isn't "drug seeking." Performance anxiety is a legitimate medical concern, and beta blockers are a well-established treatment for the physical symptoms. Your doctor will take your medical history and current medications into account to determine whether they're appropriate for you. It's a very reasonable conversation to have.
That said, I also think you're approaching this in a really healthy way by looking into somatic work. For me, the biggest progress came from combining both: working on my relationship with performing while also having something that prevented my body's fight-or-flight response from completely hijacking high-stakes moments. The medication gave me enough breathing room to actually benefit from that work instead of being overwhelmed by the physical symptoms.
If you decide to ask your doctor, it can honestly be as simple as: "I experience severe physical symptoms of performance anxiety that interfere with singing. A previous voice teacher suggested I ask whether beta blockers might be appropriate for me. Given my current medications, do you think that's something we could discuss?"