Posted by Rick on July 1, 2001, at 12:16:26
In reply to Giving up, posted by Joe Schmoe on July 1, 2001, at 10:12:15
Before settling on Xanax, did you try Klonopin/Rivitrol? I also take a few other very helpful meds for my non-depressive Social Phobia, but the Klonopin is inarguably the linchpin of my treatment. My other meds are the icing on the cake, they nicely complement the effects of the Klonopin.
As long as it's taken daily, in the right dosage (taking too much is as bad as not taking enough), and on the right schedule, Klonopin works SOOOOOO much better for me than Xanax did and feels so natural (i.e., I don't notice it at all physically). In research Klonopin demonstrated a much more robust response than Xanax (of course, that doesn't mean it holds true for evereybody). In fact, the treatment response rate for Klonopin was greater than that seen for any other medication ever placebo-tested for social phobia.
BTW, how long did you take Serzone, and how much did you take? That's one of my other meds (the combo might be overly sedating for me if I hadn't added low-dose Provigil, too), but it took a full twelve weeks before the Serzone started kicking in. With Serzone I think a lot of Social Phobics and their docs end up rejecting what could have been a big help just because they don't realize it can take quite awhile -- and a minimum 400 mg -- to kick in for this disorder. In the larger of the two open studies of nefazodone (Serzone) for social phobia, treatment benefit took by far its biggest leap between weeks 8 and 12! (With Klonopin, response tends to start up pretty quick.)
I know the meds merry-go-round can be damn discouraging, but don't give up! I don't know if you're recounting your full med history here, but I went through tons of other meds before hitting on the combo that has worked so well for me over the last 12 months. That said, I think cognitive work can help a lot, too.
Rick
> Well, after suffering for years from social anxiety I decided to give the latest drugs a try, but now I am getting off this merry-go-round. Serzone was worthless and made me feel stoned and tired all the time, and now Paxil, after only a week, has made me unable to have an orgasm. I don't think these drugs are ready for prime time. I guess I will check back in again in another ten years. Maybe by then they will have something that works. In the meantime I will just continue to muddle through on Inderal and Xanax like I have been for the past ten years.
>
> Since I have only been on Paxil a week I am hoping I can quit it cold turkey. I just want this stuff out of my system. Diarrhea, insomnia, anorgasmia - they have got to be be kidding with this stuff. I now realize Listening to Prozac gave a very one-sided view of SSRIs. Very misleading to ignore the side effect issue. It was an interesting book from a theoretical point of view, but really painted an inaccurate picture of the cost of using these drugs. I can't express how disappointed I am. I feel like there is a gigantic experiment going on with the public as guinea pigs. I can't recall reading a single report here from anyone who was really cured long-term of social anxiety. It just seems like people hop from one drug to another and never really find satisfaction. I have already had enough of that process.
>
> I have a book on a cognitive approach to social anxiety and I guess I will read it and try to implement those techniques as a psychological approach. Maybe that will help.
>
> Thanks to everyone here for their insights and support. We are all fellow sufferers and I hope everyone finds something that works for them. I just don't trust the drug companies any more. I think their standards are too low.
poster:Rick
thread:68599
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010701/msgs/68613.html