Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 354987

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Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?

Posted by tepiaca on June 9, 2004, at 2:05:19

Hello
I´m so curious about if anybody out there suffering from Social Phobia has similar
thoughts and feelings . I just would like to know wheter this is common or not in you guys.

For example.
If I am with a person , I´m always thinking about what the other people is thinking about me.
lets say for example , I am in a restaurant with 3 or 4 people , we finish eating and then the bill has to be payed . The waiter brings the bill to the table and puts it in the center. I get very freaked if I don´t take the bill first to pay , this is because the other people migth think that I dont want to pay the check ,that I want somebody else to pay for my meal , because I want to take advantage of them and many things like that.

Other example would be , If I see a person that ask me to buy him any kind of stuff he sells , like a pencil or a flower , . It is very difficult to me to say "No I´m not interested rigth now , thank you" , If I do this , and dont buy anything to the guy , I immediately start thinking about all the bad things that the seller has in his mind about me , like : you are
a very mean person , Look at me I´m poor and you dont want to help me , you dont suffer like me all the day trying to sell this stuff only to have the sufficient money to barely eat 1 time a day etc etc . SO I Feel very frustated.

This feelings are just and example but I could say a thousands of them more .They are always with me during all the day . The more people I see the worse my thougths are , so I feel very terrible .This is why is impossible to me to have relationships in life

Does anybody out there has something a little similar ??
or can you tell me how do you feel in front of people??

 

Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?

Posted by mojojar on June 9, 2004, at 5:32:32

In reply to Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?, posted by tepiaca on June 9, 2004, at 2:05:19

Hi,
I have been told that along with my depression that I also have Social Phobia. I do know others with the same diagnoses that have very similiar thoughts. For example, a friend used to find it impossible to eat at restaurants because he couldn't stop thinking that people were staring. This would make his hands shake and so he would get ever more nervous. I have known others from diffent places with the diagnoses who describe their feelings exactly like you do.
My own experience is somewhat different but I have been taking Paxil(please study up on SSRI's before starting them) for 3 years. I never really worried about other peoples thoughts or feel like I was being judged. I would just feel afraid, like I was in danger, to the point that I would have anxiety attacks. I have begun to think of it more as 'people phobia'.
The best thing to remember is that you are definitely not alone with what you are going thru (I know that sounds hollow especially at first).
I have been told that Cognitive Behavorial thearpy can help. I never saw anyone that practiced it but you may want to inquire if you seek treatment.
You'll make it - breathe in, breathe out. :)

 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts? » tepiaca

Posted by King Vultan on June 9, 2004, at 19:28:32

In reply to Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?, posted by tepiaca on June 9, 2004, at 2:05:19

It sounds like my social phobia is not nearly as pronounced as yours. Mine is characterized by a fear of scrutiny combined with runaway perspiration, in which I'll start feeling uncomfortable in some social situation, even around people I know, and I'll start perspiring and quickly become drenched with sweat. Of course, the fact that I am obviously sweating like a pig makes me feel all the more self conscious and just feeds the process even more. It has been particularly bad in situations where I tend to feel trapped, such as standing in lines in stores or going to dinner in a restaurant with somebody in some kind of social situation. Sometimes, I've had to excuse myself and go to the restroom to sweat in private and dry my head off, if you can believe that.

It seems clear that your situation is far more debilitating, but I hope you can take some heart in my telling you that I am getting a very good handle on my problem, inspite of many of my efforts in the past being futile. It sounds like you could very much use some kind of talk therapy, and I highly recommend it if it's available. I don't mean to disparage you, and I'm not a psychologist, but you do appear to have some severe self esteem and assertiveness issues that may have a great deal to do with your problem. I might be in the same boat, as I don't feel my self esteem has traditionally been very high, but the fact that I am relatively assertive has likely helped keep my situation from assuming more of the character of yours. I do wish you well, and I certainly hope you are able to get the help that you need.

Todd

 

very kind mojojar and king . Please more people !! » mojojar

Posted by tepiaca on June 9, 2004, at 22:57:54

In reply to Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?, posted by mojojar on June 9, 2004, at 5:32:32

Thank you so much for sharing your feelings with me . They gave me valuable information . It was very interesting. It seems that not all the people with SP have the same thougths in their heads.
Yes I really think I need more help ,maybe terapy or adding something else to my combo (45mg Nardil and .5 klonopin)
This thing is so painful , I wish I could be better soon.
Again Thank you very much for taking your time to share your experiences

Tepiaca =)

 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts? » tepiaca

Posted by luther on June 10, 2004, at 15:07:55

In reply to Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?, posted by tepiaca on June 9, 2004, at 2:05:19

Hi There,
What you have is classic SAD and if this causes depression it is most likely Atypical. Atypical Depression consists of phobias like SAD and GAD. A person with this trait like myself is said to have onion skin. We are easily hurt by negative criticism. The best med. for this disorder has been Nardil until Pfizer decided to change the formula. I have to take Valium also because of GAD caused by child abuse.

> Hello
> I´m so curious about if anybody out there suffering from Social Phobia has similar
> thoughts and feelings . I just would like to know wheter this is common or not in you guys.
>
> For example.
> If I am with a person , I´m always thinking about what the other people is thinking about me.
> lets say for example , I am in a restaurant with 3 or 4 people , we finish eating and then the bill has to be payed . The waiter brings the bill to the table and puts it in the center. I get very freaked if I don´t take the bill first to pay , this is because the other people migth think that I dont want to pay the check ,that I want somebody else to pay for my meal , because I want to take advantage of them and many things like that.
>
> Other example would be , If I see a person that ask me to buy him any kind of stuff he sells , like a pencil or a flower , . It is very difficult to me to say "No I´m not interested rigth now , thank you" , If I do this , and dont buy anything to the guy , I immediately start thinking about all the bad things that the seller has in his mind about me , like : you are
> a very mean person , Look at me I´m poor and you dont want to help me , you dont suffer like me all the day trying to sell this stuff only to have the sufficient money to barely eat 1 time a day etc etc . SO I Feel very frustated.
>
> This feelings are just and example but I could say a thousands of them more .They are always with me during all the day . The more people I see the worse my thougths are , so I feel very terrible .This is why is impossible to me to have relationships in life
>
> Does anybody out there has something a little similar ??
> or can you tell me how do you feel in front of people??
>

 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?

Posted by bobbiedobbs on June 10, 2004, at 23:39:08

In reply to Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts? » tepiaca, posted by luther on June 10, 2004, at 15:07:55

The only thing that really worked for me was Nardil, I simply didn't give a hoot what other people thought - what a slice of heaven. Other meds - Parnate, Lexapro, just relieved anticipatory anxiety and took the edge off. I'd recommend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy coupled with Nardil.

 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thought » tepiaca

Posted by Viridis on June 11, 2004, at 9:20:39

In reply to Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?, posted by tepiaca on June 9, 2004, at 2:05:19

Of course this isn't a useful or rational way to think. So the simple solution is, just don't think like that! But I know that it doesn't work this way. The right meds should help, but it sounds like cognitive behavioral therapy could really help. A close relative of mine has similar problems and refuses to take medications, yet CBT has helped tremendously. If this is an option, you should try it.

Also consider a trial of Lamictal (lamotrigine), which I've found tends to smooth things out. And, as always, benzos like clonazepam (Klonopin) and alprazolam (Xanax) can be a big help.

Good luck!

 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts? » luther

Posted by tepiaca on June 11, 2004, at 14:41:36

In reply to Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts? » tepiaca, posted by luther on June 10, 2004, at 15:07:55

> Hi There,
> What you have is classic SAD and if this causes depression it is most likely Atypical. Atypical Depression consists of phobias like SAD and GAD. A person with this trait like myself is said to have onion skin. We are easily hurt by negative criticism. The best med. for this disorder has been Nardil until Pfizer decided to change the formula. I have to take Valium also because of GAD caused by child abuse.
>

Thank you very much for your thoughts luter
I have some questions about your imput.

is GAD the same than Social Phobia??

Do you suffer from GAD ? was this triggered by a sexual abuse ??

I did not remember something bad in my childhood , everything was ok then suddenly I started getting depressed and old this thoughts started to drown my mind.


>
>

 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts? » bobbiedobbs

Posted by tepiaca on June 11, 2004, at 14:48:53

In reply to Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?, posted by bobbiedobbs on June 10, 2004, at 23:39:08

> The only thing that really worked for me was Nardil, I simply didn't give a hoot what other people thought - what a slice of heaven. Other meds - Parnate, Lexapro, just relieved anticipatory anxiety and took the edge off. I'd recommend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy coupled with Nardil.

Thank you so much bobbie.
In fact , I am on Nardil 45mg . Nardil has help me more than the SRRIS did . Nevertheless Im not still fine , Aproxximately like a 60 % of relief in contrast with the SRRIS that only gave me like 20 % .
I guess I´ll have to try CBT soon . I can´t see clearly what the future is going to bring me.


 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thought » Viridis

Posted by tepiaca on June 11, 2004, at 14:55:28

In reply to Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thought » tepiaca, posted by Viridis on June 11, 2004, at 9:20:39

> Of course this isn't a useful or rational way to think. So the simple solution is, just don't think like that! But I know that it doesn't work this way.

I have tried for 10 years to do this. Just avoid thinking bad things but it has been impossible to me to accomplish this. Yes It is almost impossible =(

The right meds should help, but it sounds like cognitive behavioral therapy could really help. A close relative of mine has similar problems and refuses to take medications, yet CBT has helped tremendously. If this is an option, you should try it.
>
>
I guess I´ll have to try CBT , although I have heard very bads comments about this ,eg. that is only a waste of time and money

Also consider a trial of Lamictal (lamotrigine), which I've found tends to smooth things out. And, as always, benzos like clonazepam (Klonopin) and alprazolam (Xanax) can be a big help.
>
> Good luck!

What is lamictal used for?
I take .5mg klonopin

Very kind for helping me =)
Thank you

 

Thank you all of you guys =) . MORE PLEASE !! (nm)

Posted by tepiaca on June 11, 2004, at 14:59:15

In reply to Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thoughts?, posted by tepiaca on June 9, 2004, at 2:05:19

 

Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thought » tepiaca

Posted by Viridis on June 12, 2004, at 2:34:04

In reply to Re: Does anybody with SPhobia have similar thought » Viridis, posted by tepiaca on June 11, 2004, at 14:55:28

Hi Tepiaca,

Lamictal was originally used for epilepsy, but then turned out to be useful as a mood stabilizer too. So, doctors started to use it for bipolar disorder. Now they're finding that it works as an antidepressant for some people, and it seems to be of benefit in a pretty wide range of disorders, apparently by "calming" certain overactive parts of the brain.

I don't think it's specifically used for anxiety (and a few people say it actually makes them more anxious), but for me it has a mild, general "evening out" effect. I take it along with Klonopin (1 mg Klonopin/day, 150 mg Lamictal; I also take Adderall, plus Xanax very occasionally). It seems to help shake off the obsessive worries for me. I don't have SP, but without medications I do become severely anxious and sometimes worry endlessly about things that might happen (but probably won't). Klonopin has helped a lot, and Lamictal seems to accentuate the positive effects of the Klonopin (so does Adderall, but I take that for ADD, and it could be too much for someone with an anxiety disorder but not ADD).

Lamictal has some very rare but serious side effects, usually only if the starting dose is too high, so the dosage has to be increased very gradually. This is actually good, in the sense that if it doesn't make you feel better or makes you more nervous at least you won't be taking much at the beginning. I found it slightly activating at first, but this went away very quickly and I have no side effects at all now.

It's just an idea, but since most people seem to find Lamictal quite tolerable, it's generally very safe, and some of us notice a calming effect, it could be worth a try. And again, it goes very well with Klonopin for me.

I had a few sessions with a cognitive behavioral therapist, and he was very good. Ultimately, though, he told me that he was sure that I had ADD and should see someone who could prescribe medications. So, I went that route, with pretty good results (eventually), and didn't follow up with the therapy. I have thought of going back to it though.

A close relative has had severe, recurring problems with anxiety for decades, including obsessive worries about how other people might think or act. She's scared of medications, and resisted going for treatment for years. Finally (at the urging of me and other family members), she decided to at least try therapy, and started CBT. The change after a few weeks was remarkable, and she is much calmer and more focused than I've ever seen her.

There's no guarantee that any one treatment will work, and so much depends on finding the right doctor or therapist. But with so many treatments out there, the chances of success are excellent, as long as you persist.

Good luck!


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