Posted by Rick on November 21, 1999, at 4:15:06
In reply to Re: My newly prescribed "social phobia" meds - fyi, posted by Chris on November 20, 1999, at 14:50:20
> I suffer from quite severe social phobia and atypical depression.I live in the UK, and have managed to persuade my doctor to try moclobemide which helps but is far from perfect.All the
> psychiatrists here seem to like the idea of my wasting endless hours in talk therapy which doesn't help but seems to make things worse. I've been doing this for seven years now and its
> very frustrating.Any chance you could give me the address of your doctor or a similar good one as I am quite willing to travel to the US to get some decent help.Sorry if this seems a
> strange request but I am beginning to feel desperate as I am sure their are things that will help, for all the "no quick fix" talk of doctors here.
>
> Thanks anyway,
> Chris
Chris -Have you tried looking for a psychiatrist at a large university? Perhaps the situation is different in the United States, but University pdocs seem to be the most open to experimentation and less-conventional treatment options.
My pdoc here in the Chicago area (NOT at a university) is a longtime proponent of MAOI's. He believes the dangers are far overstated, and he prescribed Nardil+Xanax as my first attempt at alleviating Social Phobia. This is despite the fact that, even in the U.S., MAOI's are rarely prescribed as first-line therapy for Social Phobia, largely because reversible formulations are not marketed here (my pdoc says they're theraputically inferior, anyways). We have also tried Tranxene (clorazepate), Selegiline, BuSpar, Lithium, Klonopin, and Pindolol, finally settling on the latter two with great success for non-depressive Social Phobia. He also considered Neurontin, Effexor, Serzone, and Wellbutrin. If you'd have any interest in coming all the way to Chicago, e-mail me and I'll send you his telephone number.
I've read many people on this board testifying to their own pdocs' expertise and willingness to take advantage of the full spectrum of meds and off-label uses. I'd wager you'd get a flood of responses if you started a separate thread...maybe even from someone in the U.K.! It's worth a try, don't you think?
Rick
poster:Rick
thread:15364
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991108/msgs/15589.html