Posted by blueberry on January 10, 2006, at 6:06:22
In reply to Anyone treating Social Anxiety Disorder?, posted by Walker on January 9, 2006, at 15:33:13
Doctors seem to prefer the ssri antidepressant route to treat social anxiety issues, but I have not found that to be good, in my own trials. I mean, sure, it does help, but it does so by merely numbing all emotions. It numbs bad emotions, but also good ones. A very blah apathetic effect. You become more comfortable socially simply because your emotions are numbed. Plus you get lots of side effects and you have to wait 2 to 4 weeks to see if they are going to help or not.
I found the low dose antipsychotics like zyprexa or seroquel work better than antidepressants, but they too really don't do a complete job for me.
The best for me, by far, I mean by a long shot, is xanax. Relaxed, comfortable, confident, and no numbing of emotions. I don't think you can beat the benzos for social anxiety/avoidant issues. Finding the right one though is tricky, since we all react differently. Klonopin might make you depressed. Another might not. One might work better than another. Don't let a doctor tell you they are all basically the same, because they are not.
The best thing about benzos is not only how well they work, but how fast they work...like within minutes, hours, or days, instead of weeks or months. You can even just take them when you really feel you need them the most, instead of taking them all the time.
poster:blueberry
thread:597193
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060108/msgs/597484.html