Pill Could Erase Bad Memories

[Pale Blue Dot]

Source: Live Science

Scientists have discovered a drug that could erase fearful memories in humans.

The method, using existing blood pressure pills, could be useful for weakening or erasing bad memories in people with post-traumatic stress disorder, the researchers say.

Unfortunately, other research has shown, bad memories stick better than good ones.

Studies in animal models have shown that fearful memories sometimes change when recalled, a process known as reconsolidation, and that this reconsolidation stage is vulnerable to the blood pressure drugs, called beta-adrenergic receptor blockers.

In the new study on humans, by Merel Kindt and colleagues at University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, 60 subjects were taught to associate pictures of spiders with a mild shock, creating a fearful memory. Later, they were given either a beta-blocker called propranolol or a placebo.

The group given propranolol had a greatly decreased fear response to the spider pictures 24 hours later, according to a synopsis of the work from the journal Nature Neuroscience. And the fear response did not return, suggesting that their fear memory was completely erased.

Read more: http://www.livescience.com/health/090216-bad-memories.html

[Richardo]

1. In liquid form, it's called 'gin'

[ejbr]

11. !!!!

:rofl:

[Deja Q]

26. Many people with PTSD ultimately end up doing that for real.

:(

I appreciate your humor, but at the same time there is a seriousness to the issue.

I wonder what the side effects of the drug are. We all know the side effects of gin...

[Richardo]

30. ..

[J-Lo Biafra]

37. What, no ill-timed joke about your penis??? I don't get it.

:dunce:

[bitchkitty]

41. LOL - with a drop or two of vermouth, shaken, with an olive! n/t

[marksmithfield]

54. It's the olives that do it

Tooo many olives and I forget everything.

[dave29]

2. side effects include

Kidney-crickets, bamboorash, and post-nasal flooding.

Do not take if you are afraid of pills

[Richardo]

10. .

:rofl:

[Bette Noir]

18. From Prescott Pharmaceuticals?

[dave29]

25. :)

other side effects include brain-tooth....

[blueclown]

3. I wonder if it will erase the past 8 years. n/t

[AlphaCentauri]

42. I wish it could but can't forgot those years n/t

[ixion]

4. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

interesting.

[Burma Jones]

5. Well, there's your solution to the economic problem.........

[Jackpine Radical]

6. Good psychotharapy doesn't erase the memories, but it sort of unhooks them

from the pain circuitry.

[havocmom]

13. and helps one learn from one's bad experiences

Man, I would not want to trade what I have learned for ANY amount of blissful ignorance!

[Jackpine Radical]

16. Our lives are enriched by our bad experiences as well as the good.

I have sometimes posed the question to myself of whether I would willingly have my memories of certain events in Vietnam expunged. My answer has always been No, I will keep them. But I would have availed myself of proper trauma therapy if it had existed at the time. And I eventually did get that therapy as it was developed in later years, mostly in the context of my continuing training as a psychologist.

[havocmom]

21. You are a brave man. I may avail myself RX help if I had memories like some of my veteran pals

But, cognitive works so much better than trying to wipe a slate clean. The mind it pretty determined, and I shudder to consider what levels of problems might manifest if drugs are used to clean the slate! I tend to think there might just be something to cellular memory.

Mistakes are so much easier to learn from than successes. Most of us (well, those who are brave and work on our cognitive bugs) tend to notice the components of mistakes more than the caprice of successes.

Lately, though, I have sadly concluded there are a lot of people who lack basic courage. They won't evolve.

I am always glad to see one of your posts. You give me hope for mankind.

And thank you for your service. I am sorry our nation abused your time and courage back then.

[Jackpine Radical]

32. I wasn't just referring to cognitive treatments.

I was thinking more of EMDR and EEG biofeedback. I put myself through 30 sessions of eeg biofeeedback after I was trained in it, and went through a number of sessions of EMDR therapy with another psychologist myself after my initial exposure to the technique while being trained in it sorta "knocked loose" some old stuff that I needed to clean up.

[havocmom]

40. I'mtrying some tonal stuff to help with insomnia. Seems to be a help

Keeps my resting mind off some chronic pain issues, so it is possible to get more, and deeper sleep. What a gift THAT is!

Should have thought of it YEARS ago, as music has ALWAYS been my drug of choice.

Integrative work is probably the ticket. Integrate methods that work! I know I should get more physical exercise along with the sound stuff, meditation and simple yoga. But I am getting old and lazy (and live in a place where outside is just plain dangerous)

[stillcool]

33. I take drugs for PTSD..

and some other labels, and have been for years, and years. I've also been in therapy for years, and years. I haven't forgotten a damn thing, but I do find life more tolerable, and have managed to exorcise my past to some degree. My condition is a result of head injuries, and living in a house where injuries of all kinds occurred on a regular basis.I suppose you could say I am less 'brave' than you. If I ever want to end it, all I need to do is stop taking those drugs. Pathetic, isn't it? I would say I lack the basic courage to take myself out.

[havocmom]

39. You are brave, the stuff you take doesn't void the past/

Takes courage to live :hug:

[The Hope Mobile]

28. That's what this does really. I watched the interview and did a bit of research too.

Its to be taken shortly after a major trauma not really to erase the memory but to minimize the pain/trauma associated with the incident. PTSD, rape, abuse, etc., serious issues are best uses for this. Shouldn't be used when positive learning could develop as a result of the negative situation.
Overall, it sounds like good psycho-pharmacology, however, I think it could be kinda tricky. We don't want to develop fearless zombies in battle, for example. There are concerns about it altering personalities because we are a product of our experiences. The question is do we walk away from it and still realize we need to avoid that negative rather than just pop a pill so it doesn't hurt so much. Some phobias are healthy as long as they're not in the extreme.

[Jackpine Radical]

38. Yes, I know about the use of benzos (Xanax in particular)

to block the formation of traumatic memory. In fact, last fall when I consulted on the critical incident debriefing after a bad industrial accident, I recommended Xanax for one young guy who had seen some things people shouldn't have to see. (I'll spare you the details.)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

7. I take propanolol sometimes...

...in high-pressure performance situations. The effects of performance anxiety were crippling until I started taking these things.

[a la izquierda]

22. Me too. N/T

[The Hope Mobile]

45. OK. So I'm really curious how it makes you feel. Are you "dulled down" a bit?

Is this basically heavy duty anxiety meds? The way they describe it it should be taken immediately after a heavy duty trauma but it sounds like it can also be taken when there's a high probability of re-traumatizing. Is that right?
Also, is it addictive?
Thanks!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

47. Not at all...

I feel calm and alert. I'm not suffering from a trauma, though, so I couldn't say what differences there might be. I take my pill about 90 minutes before performing in a high-pressure scenario...not every day.

My doctor told me he probably would have prescribed it for me anyway in a few years, as there's a strong family history of heart disease. I don't believe that it's addictive. :hi:

[The Hope Mobile]

48. Awesome - thanks!

[ima_sinnic]

56. yes, I take it too sometimes, for a tremor

I have a condition called "essential familial tremor" that is apparently genetic and occurs when I am in a high-adrenaline situation, such as having to give a speech. While I was a graduate student and would have to give presentations, it was crucial, because without propanolol (or a lot of alcohol, which has the same "smoothing" effect) I would tremble and shake to the point that it would be painful to watch. Now that I am out of school and not in the public eye, I don't ever use it. But I keep a tablet or two for unexpected emergencies where I'd be in the spotlight.

It was also very helpful before a test as it would relieve text anxiety and I could think straight.

[lame54]

8. Goodbye Bush years

[panader0]

9. I discovered that pill about 1967

[nolabear]

12. One proposed use...combat troops

So they can be sent back into combat again and again and again and again and....

I'm no proponent of romanticizing pain, but it's well documented that having a genuine, caring human being there to help you think about and feel supported and not helpless in the face of a frightening event can have the same effect, plus the added benefit of being a genuine connection that fosters empathy and understanding of others. But hey, why make being a part of the human race of primary importance when a pill can erase the fear of an event and let you jump right back in there and be useful at, oh, let's say killing people and risking getting killed?

[Quiz Master]

14. While we're at it....

Maybe we can remove memories of Dick (after putting him in the slammer, of course).

[Deja Q]

27. This transcends military purposes.

But everybody wants to focus on the military side, so whatever.

[AllentownJake]

15. Wow that would be great

there are a few women that have been in my life I'd love to forget.

[sofa king]

17. How many do I have to take to erase Jan. 2001- Jan. 2009?

[daleo]

19. Dollhouse

Joss Whedon's new series.

[Zhade]

29. Exactly what sprang to mind. Watched the first episode last night.

I love Joss Whedon.

[daleo]

52. He's extremely creative and funny

I just got the DVDs for Firefly. It is very interesting and has lots of the Joss Whedon humor. I can't understand why the series didn't last. There's no accounting for TV, I guess.

[Zhade]

57. Fox destroyed it, but the fans brought it back for a movie.

That's an amazing feat.

[robbibaba]

20. EFT

Emotional Freedom Techniques with the aid of an experienced practitioner can remove the emotional pain of traumatic memories very quickly, just with tapping on certain acupuncture points. It doesn't remove the memories, and in some cases makes them clearer and enables enhanced insight and empathy. It should be offered at every VA hospital and for every vet who has PTSD. www.emofree.com

[Raine]

23. Selective Alzheimer's ...

NO thanks, that's opening a real Pandora's box. :yoiks:

[MurrayDelph]

24. I've known for quite a while about a pill to get rid of bad memories

but how do we get them to take it?

[sakabatou]

31. For me, I'd like a pill that could regain memories

[WePurrsevere]

34. For some with incapacitating bad memories it would be a lifesaver perhaps but

unless it was an extreme case I'd be hesitant to get rid of all of mine because memories, good and bad, are all a part of what makes me "me". Some of the most traumatic experiences I've lived through have had positive effects and made me stronger then I may have been otherwise. They've also come with lessons that have made me cherish life that much more.

I also don't want to forget the Bush years.. I want to remember them much as I want to remember that staying out in the heat too long can make you violently ill. I want every American to remember them clearly and exactly as they really happened so that there is NEVER a repeat the same mistake ever again.

[Liberty Belle]

35. Will they give it to Rove and the other Bushies who might tell all?

No doubt Alberto Gonzalez, Cheney et al would love to have a dose of this before any have to face Congressional or legal inquiries into their illegal acts like ordering up torture.

[Turbineguy]

36. Kind of like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03yZK18PX-Y&feature=related

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

43. Isn't that called Versed?

[Endangered Specie]

44. Oh sorry honey, I just plain FORGOT all about you

:evilgrin:

[Supply Side Jesus]

46. The Eternal Sunshine

of the spotless mind, thanks to Prescott Pharma's "Trauma-B-Gone"!!

[slampoet]

49. I am a better person because of my bad experiences. The rest of you are also.

[PlanetBev]

50. Bush-Be-Gone

Sounds like something I'd overdose on...

[The Hope Mobile]

55. They could put it in the water system and erase this whole F-ing nightmare.

People around the world would be lined up!

[Historic NY]

51. Maybe the Repukes on Captiol Hill need some...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5072137

[Divine Discontent]

53. for the absolute worst memories (major crimes against you or someone you witnessed) this would be

great.

But, for the worst of heartaches and setbacks, I hope everyone knows how they're strengthened by their sufferings and made into better people because of them. We learn from all things in life.