Boing Boing

Boing Boing

A cheap blood pressure pill can take the sting out of painful memories

Ellsworth Toohey
Mar 05, 2026
∙ Paid

Propranolol (Wirestock Creators/shutterstock.com)

Every time you recall a painful memory, your brain has to re-save it — and propranolol, a cheap beta-blocker commonly prescribed for blood pressure, interferes with that process. Take it before recalling a bad experience, and the memory comes back duller, less emotionally charged.

McGill University’s Alain…

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