Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 130164

Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Provigil for social anxiety

Posted by utopizen on December 1, 2002, at 19:59:03

Hey-

As many of you know, Klonopin reduces the drive to talk. I've heard on usenet and on here that Provigil increases assertiveness and outgoingness and sociability, etc.

1. How common or typical is this in socially anxious patients?
2. Are any clinical studies out there to prove a casual relationship? My doctor will not prescribe Provigil for this reason without such evidence.

 

Re: Provigil for social anxiety » utopizen

Posted by Ritch on December 1, 2002, at 22:04:28

In reply to Provigil for social anxiety, posted by utopizen on December 1, 2002, at 19:59:03

> Hey-
>
> As many of you know, Klonopin reduces the drive to talk. I've heard on usenet and on here that Provigil increases assertiveness and outgoingness and sociability, etc.
>
> 1. How common or typical is this in socially anxious patients?
> 2. Are any clinical studies out there to prove a casual relationship? My doctor will not prescribe Provigil for this reason without such evidence.


I've found that Klonopin is effective precisely due to the reduced "drive to talk". There aren't any uncomfortable silences if you don't feel the pressure of speech to "solve" the silence.

 

Re: Provigil for social anxiety

Posted by utopizen on December 1, 2002, at 23:13:55

In reply to Re: Provigil for social anxiety » utopizen, posted by Ritch on December 1, 2002, at 22:04:28

exactly! my worst moments are when I try to "hide" my anxiety by spitting out stupid things that make me look anxious.

I was just thinking Klonopin + Provigil sounds like a good combo if they could synergize off one another...

 

Re: Provigil for social anxiety

Posted by viridis on December 2, 2002, at 1:11:28

In reply to Provigil for social anxiety, posted by utopizen on December 1, 2002, at 19:59:03

Klonopin doesn't reduce my desire to talk; for me, it simply reduces the anxiety that I sometimes experience when speaking in certain situations (e.g., meetings, to large groups, etc.). But I have taken Klonopin and Provigil together, and they worked quite well. The Provigil was mildly energizing without causing anxiety, and did make me somewhat more assertive. Unfortunately, it didn't help much with ADD (which is what it was prescribed for), so I switched to Adderall, which works very well.

I'm a little surprised your doctor won't prescribe Provigil, since it seems to be perceived as pretty safe and is a less-controlled alternative to the usual stimulants. Maybe he/she just doesn't like "off-label" prescribing. My pdoc considers it hit-or-miss, with some people responding very well, and he wasn't hesitant to give me free samples. Unfortunately, the studies I'm aware of mostly address its use for narcolepsy or suggest that it's not very effective for ADD, which doesn't help you much. Maybe you could make an argument for trying it to increase alertness -- it does sound like the Klonopin may be dulling you out, so this could be a legitimate approach more along the lines of its approved use.

 

Re: Provigil for social anxiety

Posted by utopizen on December 2, 2002, at 7:03:14

In reply to Re: Provigil for social anxiety, posted by viridis on December 2, 2002, at 1:11:28

He's just so use to prescribing Adderall and Ritalin and Dexedrine that he's actually more comfortable prescribing those than Provigil! I'm in Mass., which isn't the biggest prescriber of ADD meds in the country, but is a pretty big one...

He said he was aware that Provigil failed clinical trials in ADD stuff. I've brought up my fatigue (separate from med-induced) that comes on during my afternoon lulls, and he's just like, well keep taking naps. Unfortunately I can't do this now because of my community service in the afternoon...

I'm first more interested though in going on Klonopin daily...

 

Re: Provigil for social anxiety » utopizen

Posted by leslieg on December 3, 2002, at 17:36:25

In reply to Provigil for social anxiety, posted by utopizen on December 1, 2002, at 19:59:03

I hadn't heard this before. But I can't dispute it. I'm on Provigil for narcolepsy and Lexapro for depression. I don't know which pill is doing it, but I've noticed that I'm talking more freely at social gatherings. Not that I was silent before, but I usually went for a laugh or kept the conversation very trivial / non personal. Now I'm talking about personal things (to people I've known for years but know very little about -- I see this as a good thing.)

Oh yes, when I was just on the Provigil (before the Lexapro), I was more bitchy -- and I let people know that I was unhappy. Then again, I *was* unhappy. I guess you could say I was being more assertive.

I just saw my sleep doc today, and they say that insurance companies often won't pay for Provigil without the Narcolepsy diagnosis. The manufacturer is hoping to have the label changed in early 2003 to add general daytime sleepiness ... If you have the option at all, I encourage you to try Provigil rather than Ritalin or Adderall. Aparently people who get used to the buzz of the amphetamines don't switch "down" to Provigil well.

> Hey-
>
> As many of you know, Klonopin reduces the drive to talk. I've heard on usenet and on here that Provigil increases assertiveness and outgoingness and sociability, etc.
>
> 1. How common or typical is this in socially anxious patients?
> 2. Are any clinical studies out there to prove a casual relationship? My doctor will not prescribe Provigil for this reason without such evidence.

 

Re: Provigil for social anxiety » utopizen

Posted by sergios_c on December 4, 2002, at 6:13:42

In reply to Re: Provigil for social anxiety, posted by utopizen on December 1, 2002, at 23:13:55

> I was just thinking Klonopin + Provigil sounds like a good combo if they could synergize off one another...

I had good success with adding 50mg Provigil in the morning. It does make me even more social and I tend to get a nice sense of humour. It also allows me to stay all day without the afternoon crashdown, and even elimates the sleepiness after meals. However 100mg are too harsh on me. I also take amantadine 100mg in the morning.


This is the end of the thread.


Show another thread

URL of post in thread:


Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ


[dr. bob] Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD, bob@dr-bob.org

Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.