Posted by Else on July 23, 2001, at 5:55:49
In reply to Re: Dopamine function in Social Phobia » Else, posted by Mitch on July 22, 2001, at 17:38:01
> Well, I do know that Adderall reduced my mood cycling and prevented major depression. Klonopin works the best for SP of anything I have taken (and as far as inhibition as well). Another combo that might get close to that would be Klonopin+Selegeline (the selegiline breaks down into methedrine and is used for Parkinsons's).
Selegiline sounds good and relatively innocuous. My doctor might not be opposed to it. As for Klonopin, I'm already on it and it's great. I feel like a different person. I can chit chat with strangers at the grocery store, I can return a meal if I'm not satisfied. A dopamine agonist would improve on that though. Parnate did and it stimulates dopamine to some extent. Unfortunately Adderall is not availlable in Canada but Dexedrine is. It probably has a similar effect.
> The closest thing without involving a controlled substance would probably be Neurontin+Wellbutrin or something akin to that (or an MAOI).
I'm already on Neurontin. It doesn't do much but I do think it stabilizes my mood and this is the kind of effect that is hard to detect unless you stop taking the drug and go beserk. I also take Wellbutrin but it cause some annoying neurological side-effects I find worrisome (twitching, tremors, stifness in the back of my neck). One GP said these were extra-pyramidal effects and that scared the hell out of me. Now I only take 150mg a day because it does help me with my ADD or pseudo-ADD.
> You mentioned indecisiveness. I also have ADHD and ADHD meds like Adderall wiped out my indecisiveness. I just knew what I wanted and got it. I actually was quieter when I was around people on Adderall, but I wasn't *worrying* about what to say, it did a good job of eliminating "uncomfortable silences". I was into games big time. "Hell with small talk-let's play poker!" was a typical response.
Klonopin does this too but the best I've tried for this was Parnate. It made me so fluent. It's like all these words I stumbled upon for years just magically came out. My friends said I was like a used-car salesman on this which I'm not sure is a compliment but it goes to show it made me a great deal more confident. It also made me able to tolerate silence *because* I was so confident.> As long as I am out of bad depression I WANT to be around others, too. It just REALLY sucks when you are inhibited AND you don't want any company as well.
Well, I don't now. To me the two are completely opposite, it seems. The only times I don't want company is when I become obsessive about something (a book, a *website*, a cd, whatever) and don't want to be bothered OR when I get a bit high on myself (or drugs) and feel superior to my friends and familly and want nothing to do with these *losers*. I don't do drugs anymore though, not cocaine anyway. But that brings up an unfortunnate side effect of stimulants which is egotism and possibly hostility (not good for socializing. Of course cocaine is not a good example. It's one of the worst drugs out there as far as EVERYTHING goes except maybe intense euphoria.Of course there are those times when I feel too low and pathetic to be seen in public but that's a little different.
> > I don't see myself as unsociable really. In fact, most of the time I HATE being alone and I don't need a drug to make me enjoy other people's company. The main problem, as I see it, is inhibition (at least in my case). I am chronically inhibited and this goes for decision-making and social behavior. It takes me forever to make up my mind about the most unsignficant things because I worry so much (I also have GAD). When applied to social behavior, this inhibition translates into social phobia (for example; trying to figure out the EXACT right thing to say and then worrying that it was a bad idea afterwards). It's like, when you're manic (I've been hypomanic), decision making is a snap but when you're depressed deciding whether you want 1 or 2 creams in your coffee is difficult. It's the same thing for me except I don't really feel depressed. Or maybe I've been feeling this way for so long I don't interpret this as depression. But I picture some sort of decision-making aptitude continuum, where at one end you are paralysed by doubt and incapable of even getting out of bed (psychological akinisia, the link to Parkinson's is weak but interesting) and at the other, you do a lot of stupid things because every idea you get seems brilliant (as is the case in psychotic mania). Both stimulants and sedatives (including alcohol) have this dishinibitory effect which is what I need. I find the two drug types complete rather than antagonize each other.
> > The tranquilizers help with the anxiety caused by the stimulants and the stimulants help with the cognitive dullness produced by the tranquilizers. Of course, any anti-drug ayatollah will tell you that's the worst possible combination and leads to ADDICTION. I contend it's the best. There used to be this drug in the 60's called Dexamyl which was a Dexedrine/Amytal combo. Switch the Amytal to something less lethal like say Valium or Klonopin and were on to something. The pharmaceutical companies have known this a long time but they are such good corporate citizens (ahem), they would never produce another drug like this one. But a long-acting drug like this one is what a lot of people need. It has been shown that people with SP have lowered dopamine levels when compared to normals. Why not use anti-parkinsonnian drugs? I know some doctors already do. I hope word gets around.
poster:Else
thread:71110
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71477.html