Medications for Social Anxiety

disorderguy Joined: May 5, '09 Status: Admin	2010-09-06 10:30:10
	If anyone would be so willing, could you share the medication you have taken for social anxiety and discuss the effects (positive and negative) it has had on you? If it has helped, in what way did it help? What actually changed to enable you to better deal with social situations? I've also read that certain medications prescribed for anxiety can help with concentration and motivation. Does anyone know anything about that?
purplerain Joined: Jun 3, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 10:32:13
	I'm on xananx and i don't feel a difference but I do at least leave the house now, before that I haven't left the house in 7 months.
purplerain Joined: Jun 3, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 10:33:01
	Mine is severe anxiety
adam29 Joined: Jun 26, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 13:54:39
	ive been on xanax and klopin (benzodiazepines) and they worked pretty well for me. And if your anxiety is pretty bad, I'd recomend them. However, I will caution you that you can create a dependancy on them and they are prone to be abused. This is really a discussion you should be having with a doctor. As far as concentration and motivation, I've experienced that it slowed down my brain. It helped relieve stress, panic, and anxiety, but my concentration dwindled. Motivation was better becasued anxiety was relieved though.
ecliptic Joined: Jun 16, '10 Status: Junior User	2010-09-06 15:49:40
	Adam29, would you know if the "slowed down" effect might actually help in studying in comparison to anxiety? And what are the side effects? And if you were to stop the meds, would spontaneous doubts and such signs of anxiety come rushing back (not particularly talking about withdrawal symptoms, unless it re-establishes the anxiety)?
adam29 Joined: Jun 26, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 16:45:50
	"Adam29, would you know if the "slowed down" effect might actually help in studying in comparison to anxiety?" I would be able to sit down and be relaxed, and want to do work. I wouldn't get distracted because it did make me feel more motivated. I just would have a hard time doing the work I guess. Formulating a sentence for example, took longer because I couldn't think the words I wanted to use or I would kind of spaced out. People always said I tended to forget what I was talking about a lot. It might help with studying or writing papers, I just think you would have to spend more time on it. Something where you need answers quickly, it wouldn't be all that helpful. "And what are the side effects?" As far as side effect, none really. you just might be tempted to abuse the medication and start taking more than your doctor prescribed. Also, do not drink any alcohol while taking the medicine. You can become dependent on the meds "And if you were to stop the meds, would spontaneous doubts and such signs of anxiety come rushing back (not particularly talking about withdrawal symptoms, unless it re-establishes the anxiety)? " You really shouldn't just stop the medication, that could be kind of dangerous. this is a controlled substance after all. when you have decided to go off, you would wean yourself off by taking less and less of it each week until you weren't taking anymore. In more answer to you question, you can become dependent on it. I'm not a doctor. So if you are considering taking such meds as these, you really need to talk to a doctor. However, this was my experince with these meds
ecliptic Joined: Jun 16, '10 Status: Junior User	2010-09-06 18:59:19
	Thank you adam for giving me a good idea about the meds. I never considered them before for anxiety (I've taken antidepressants but it didn't do anything for me). Great to hear that it works out well for you. :) That motivation part sounds particularly nice too, even.
adam29 Joined: Jun 26, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 19:09:12
	Just be careful with it. Don't drink alcohol with it and only take it as prescribed. When you take more than prescribed it is a slippery slope to substance abuse--and that's where you get in real trouble
Hip Joined: Aug 10, '09 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 19:13:46
	I can imagine alcohol being a drug of choice for lonely d-- i mean, avoidants. Their inhibitions dont let them do the simplest things, alcohol rids those inhibitions.
purplerain Joined: Jun 3, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 19:15:23
	I wish the xanax would work better for me, maybe if I get my doctor to raise the dosage cuz it is helping but not that great.
adam29 Joined: Jun 26, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-06 20:31:34
	yeah hip, i would say alcohol would be the drug of choice for avoidants. That's why they need to stay away from it. I know i should have
seeker Joined: Sep 12, '10 Status: New User	2010-09-18 21:01:54
	disorder guy I have taken paxil, neurontin, klonopin,desyrel,remeron,amitriptiline,lexapro,zoloft,tramizol,celexa,doxepin, ambien and others I can't remember over many years. Of course, not all of them at once, but some of them together. To me the paxil seems to help the most but I do have to take others with it. At times I feel like I am a walking zombie with no emotions at all and other times nothing helps my depression and other mental problems at all. There have been times though I feel almost the way I want to feel and I hold on to that expecting to get it back. My problem (come to realize) that those few times that I do feel alive I quit taking my meds or seeing my docs and eventually I get sick again. That is why someone told me about this forum. They said it might help. I have started back slowly on 40mg. of paxil a day. I have also started back to seeing my doc. I quess sometimes I just don't trust anyone to tell me the truth and ultimately I screw myself. It's hard for me after all these years and maybe a life time to realize I have to stay on my meds and get professional help on regular basis.
ecliptic Joined: Jun 16, '10 Status: Junior User	2010-09-19 15:33:59
	When you stop your meds, could it be the withdrawal symptoms that makes you relapse? Maybe you can try waning off of it very slowly in that case. I read somewhere that people on meds tend to relapse because they didn't learn the thinking/some skills that enables them to take themselves out of the rut so that they end up falling. So then maybe it'd help to take a few notes when you're stabilized and keep that in mind when you feel another relapse happening.
seeker Joined: Sep 12, '10 Status: New User	2010-09-19 20:57:21
	It's not that easy,in my case. I have recurrent episodes and have been on meds most of my life. I cannot get myself out of a rut. It is true that withdrawal symptoms do happen but it is also true that I can have an episode while on my meds. For many years I have been told that I cannot ever get off of them. I am very grateful that I have finally accepted the fact. Hoping things get better soon. (for both of us.)
CosmoAwesmo Joined: Jun 20, '10 Status: Senior User	2010-09-19 20:59:22
	hey disorderguy you faggot i dare you to ban me
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