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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by John Andrews on April 8, 2004, at 15:31:21
Has anyone had success treating social anxiety with effexor? if so, what strenth were you taking and how long did it take to see results?
Posted by jms600 on April 8, 2004, at 16:41:59
In reply to SOCIAL ANXIETY, posted by John Andrews on April 8, 2004, at 15:31:21
Hello,
I suffer from GAD and social phobia, but unfortunately Effexor did absolutley nothing for my anxiety. I ended up taking 225mg a day, but still it did nothing.
It did help my depression but didn't seem to lift my apathy/lethargy though. I've now switched to Prozac, which seems to be even better for my depression/apathy but again does nothing for my anxiety.
Still, I'd recommend trying the Effexor. Some people have a great response to it for both anxiety problems and depression. Also some people think nothing of taking 300mg+ so maybe if it doesn't work to start with try upping the dose.
My P/doc is trying me on Sodium Valproate next week for my GAD/Social Phobia. I'll post a message on how I get on with it. You may also want to try a low dose of Amisulpride or Olanzapine. I've never tried them myself, but I have heard they are very good for anxiety and unlike the benzodiazepines, they aren't addictive.
Best of luck!
Posted by theo on April 8, 2004, at 16:49:10
In reply to Re: SOCIAL ANXIETY, posted by jms600 on April 8, 2004, at 16:41:59
Paxil(paroxetine) or Luvox(fluvoxamine) are the only SSRI's that seem to work on social phobia or anxiety.
Posted by snapper on April 8, 2004, at 19:10:17
In reply to Re: SOCIAL ANXIETY, posted by theo on April 8, 2004, at 16:49:10
It depends on the kind of social anxiety that you suffer from. The ssri's are effective for a subset of the population. There are really two different types of social anxiety
1.Generalized-ie: socially anxious in most situations in which the sufferer may feel an unreasonable but yet intense fear that 'others are viewing him or her and scrutinizing them -when in fact they most likely are not!
2. Social anxiety that usually is very chronic in nature and has many traits of specific phobic avoidance.
The two may seem to overlap and while ssri's are 'effective for some'- MAOI's tend to be a better choice for the latter, but used much less often due to the significant differences in thier S/E profiles, benefits, and risks!(sorry if that sounds like a definition for Social Anxiety/Social Phobia -straight out of the DSM-IV. I just think it is important to treat the 'real diagnosis w/ the most effective med.I also think it's almost criminal that Zoloft and Paxil have FDA approved indications for treating this horrible and extremely disabling condition!)
snapper
Posted by theo on April 8, 2004, at 20:15:04
In reply to SOCIAL ANXIETY, posted by John Andrews on April 8, 2004, at 15:31:21
I started Keppra for anxiety/social phobia and after three days can tell a difference. Not as tense and still feel alert. I had my doubts because had tried Neurontin which did nothing but maybe add anxiety because I felt brain locked. I'm currently taking nothing else, first time I've not been on an SSRI or other AD in ten years. These anti-convulsants can cause depression like benzos and if that happens I'm going to try a low dose of fluvoxamine with the Keppra. If you do a search on "fluvoxamine for anxiety and social phobia" you'll be surprised at the results you'll find compared to paroxetine. I'm currently taking 500mg Keppra at bedtime.
This is the end of the thread.
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