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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by brthst on January 22, 2009, at 10:47:07
I have been experiencing CRIPPLING social phobia for a year. I had been a benzo addict for many years -- social phobia was there, but I treated it with benzos. When I quit benzos last March, initially I felt great... but it all went downhill.
Any situation, with literally anyone, causes anxiety--even with my close friends, my family, my own boyfriend, salespeople, the cashier, anyone. Sweating, racing heartbeat. Desire to flee. I won't do many things I'd do in the past without problem--including shopping, museums, films, dinner, parties.
Lots of shame, mostly due to what's, even objectively, a major failure of high expectations of my own and my loved ones. Was working for a time in sales recently to figure out what I wanted to do with my life now, and the social phobia was too crippling to work with others all the time.
I'm intending to return to school for a masters, which I know will give me more confidence, and also doing group for anxiety. I'm social phobic -- also bipolar II, and "borderline" borderline personality.
Currently taking Lamictal for my bipolar II, and it's been 4 months, I'm at 450; I feel really balanced... and that makes me feel worse, looking back and being ashamed of those manic episodes. I don't want more benzos -- too addictive, and destroys my memory and cognitive functioning. Doc has prescribed Abilify for social phobia. Just started and on 6mg/day -- haven't felt a thing. I took Geodon from 1.5 years -- it helped tremendously, but it made me a zombie. Doc thinks Abilify will have fewer side effects and do the trick. From what I've read, Adderall seems best. Doc wants me to take all 3 together, otherwise he's worried Adderall on its own will trigger hypomania. I want to get better now, so I don't miss more opportunities, and on life. I'm determined to get better, and don't want to wait 2 months on Abilify to "see" if it may work, esp since my intuition says it won't.
Anyone with experiences with social phobia with advice esp vis a vis meds? Thanks everyone...
Posted by Phillipa on January 22, 2009, at 11:07:59
In reply to Social Phobia, posted by brthst on January 22, 2009, at 10:47:07
This won't be helpful for you but low dose benzos for me. I didn't and don't abuse them. Don't work as well as used to. Sometimes thyroid conditions can cause anxiety have you had yours checked just a suggestion. Love Phillipa
Posted by brthst on January 23, 2009, at 11:27:38
In reply to Re: Social Phobia » brthst, posted by Phillipa on January 22, 2009, at 11:07:59
Hi Phillipa. Thanks SO much for your prompt reply. I'll look into the thyroid issue. As I said in my post, I was so over-medicated on the benzos, I don't want to rely on them again, even with the knowledge that addiction to them is a danger. I am taking xanac now while waiting for something else to try, but it isn't effective even at 2mg/day.
Posted by desolationrower on January 23, 2009, at 12:19:40
In reply to Re: Social Phobia, posted by brthst on January 23, 2009, at 11:27:38
for the abilify, 2 months is a week and a half of time for the med to work, and 6 weeks for extra placebo effect.
-d/r
Posted by Sigismund on January 24, 2009, at 17:05:31
In reply to Social Phobia, posted by brthst on January 22, 2009, at 10:47:07
There are people for whom a benzo addiction creates agoraphobia, meaning fear of everything.
So when you mention
>Any situation, with literally anyone, causes anxiety--even with my close friends, my family, my own boyfriend, salespeople, the cashier, anyone. Sweating, racing heartbeat. Desire to flee. I won't do many things I'd do in the past without problem--including shopping, museums, films, dinner, parties
I know what you mean.
Posted by Vincent_QC on January 25, 2009, at 10:30:52
In reply to Re: Social Phobia » brthst, posted by Phillipa on January 22, 2009, at 11:07:59
> This won't be helpful for you but low dose benzos for me. I didn't and don't abuse them. Don't work as well as used to. Sometimes thyroid conditions can cause anxiety have you had yours checked just a suggestion. Love Phillipa
The thyroid is often cited as a problem in social anxiety and phobia...I had it checked often and everything was fine...I just think that social phobia is the worst psychological disease to treat...Addiction with benzo often occur, they stop working, the withdraw from them is horrible...a nitghmare in my case...I can't do it...have to take 20mg/day of Valium even if I feel nothing from it...I double the dosage also someday because I feel more anxious...make me feel guilty because I know i'm addicted and that'S not good to up the dosage like I do but I have no choice...i'm addicted...so what I can do??? Nothing...
I really think that treating co-morbidities, who will help to make the social phobia to be more tolerable, is the only one solution avaible now...but just one drug to treat the social phobia don't exist, even if the FDA claims that some SSRI's or SRNI's are on-label use to treat this disease (Effexor, Paxil, Zoloft...)...In my case, they worst my state everytime I take them...so that's not true, nothing exist to treat the social phobia as a primary disease, even the Nardil or the Parnate...they help for the reduction of the co-morbidities disease like depression or general anxiety but not directly for the social phobia...The best way to treat it is a good CBT...mean a lot of time of social exposure, learn to change your thoughts in social events and try to deal with the anxiety...go to a public space, wait until the anxiety return to the level who it was at the begining of your social exposure....and increase each time the time of exposure you do...until you are able to go somewhere without feeling any anxiety at all...or a minimum level and acceptable level for you that not affect your life...
Easy to write but not to do...i'm doing a CBT now and I can't do my exposure in social situation because i'm not stable on a good "drug"...I have to wait another 10 days before I see my PDoc again...we plan to import some Marplan in the Canada, but before being able to have it, I will ask for the Nardil...who is by far, the most tolerable drug for me and who help at least to reduce my Valium intake....but not my social anxiety...That's so complex...I mean people with resistant depression can at least find some relief of their depression symptoms on MAOI's drugs...but people with social phobia have a limited choice of drugs...The benzo drugs are just like a patch..I mean they don' treat the disease, they just reduce the social anxiety...but people with depression get cure sometimes of their depression....
PAnic disorder and agoraphobia can be cure more well with some SSRI's, TCA's or SRNI's...the reduction of the number of panic attacks occur often with the use of these drugs, but the social phobia always stay there... I don't know a person who was cure of the social phobia directly with a drug...Social phobia is there and will stay there...I don't want to be negative...but that's what I think...all you have to do is to learn to live with it and to accepting it...But you can definitly work on it and make it more tolerable in your life and succeed to live a normal life even with this disease...
That'S my point of view...
I wish you good luck ok...and take care of you!!! Try to forget the people around you that are not important in your life (when you expose yourself in a social situation), try to think about the fact that a lot of people you see in social events are not important in your life and probably don't care about you...it will make you less anxious...I know, we live on a society where everything is about the physical look you have, the money you have, the body image and all the materials things that surrounded this...but the most important is to be someone good and try to make the best you can in your life...and forget the others...
Another time, take care of you!!!
Bye!!
Vincent ;-)
Posted by Phillipa on January 25, 2009, at 20:16:53
In reply to Re: Social Phobia, posted by Vincent_QC on January 25, 2009, at 10:30:52
Vincent CBT and exposure theraphy are great tools to use. Great post by the way. Love Phillipa
Posted by garnet71 on January 29, 2009, at 20:47:28
In reply to Social Phobia, posted by brthst on January 22, 2009, at 10:47:07
Brthst,
I hope you don't mind my asking..but do you have a very high IQ, I mean in terms of above average?
This is the end of the thread.
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