Will medications cause stuttering?
Some medications have been found to cause stuttering. When a client goes to see a doctor about their sudden onset of stuttering a doctor will often ask what type of medications the person is taking. Some medications such as antidepressants and antipsychotics have been found to cause a stutter. These types of drugs target various neurotransmitters which may increase the risk of a sudden onset of stuttering. Drugs that have been found to increase risk of stuttering: “Drugs targeting the cholinergic systems (tricyclic antidepressants), dopaminergic systems (bupropion, methylphenidate, antipsychotics), noradrenergic systems (propranolol, theophylline), serotonergic systems (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and NMDA systems (memantine).”
Samuel L. Jackson is a Black actor who stutters. He reports that he was able to overcome it through acting.
As airflow is the foundation of speech, when the airflow is obstructed due to tension and uncontrolled closing of oral muscles, the sound produced is compromised.
Craig Skistimas, also known as Stuttering Craig, the co-founder of ScrewAttack which is a production company for video games.
The adored pig from Looney Tunes, Porky Pig, has a stutter. It has been found that he stutters 23% of his spoken words and uses a wide variety of stuttering types.
Stuttering affects around 70 million people worldwide, so yes of course there is going to be a comedian who stutters.
The National Stuttering Association (https://westutter.org/) is a good website to find news about stuttering. The ‘Stuttering Foundation’ is another website that provides the most up to date news (https://www.stutteringhelp.org)
News reporter John Stossel is a news reporter who stuttered. News reporter and journalist Byron Pitts also stutter.
There are two general philosophies of stuttering treatment: Fluency shaping, and Stuttering acceptance
When an individual stutters, the voice may change as there is additional tension on the vocal folds and on the musculature surrounding it.