Medications for social anxiety?

Zed said:

Hey everyone, new here.

I was just wondering what kind of medication there available to to folks who suffer from this?

Some people say go out and socialize, join clubs, take up hobbies and these don't work for me, the reason I'm in this situation is because I never wanted to do these kind of things in the first place.

Ever since I was a kid I never had friends, I was the kid wandering around the playground all alone and I'm thinking I was born with it! I've had 2 friends in my life and these dudes where awesome and I must say I freaking loved them (not in a homosexual way). But I always seemed to stick with one friend and didn't feel the need to make friendships with others. Now they've moved on with their lives I'm all alone once again.

All I want now is medication, will power just insn't enough, im not expecting miracles i just want to think less and do more. my mind is always racing I just want it to slow down...

So what are your experiences with medication?

Thanks!

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Hi Zed,

Most folks only have a few "true friends" during their lifetime, Sounds like you're fortunate to already have had two. It sounds like the pressure to socialize is coming from others, not from you. If you're comfortable with the amount of socialization, nothing wrong with that. If there are social situations that you want to go to but can't because of your anxiety, then maybe counseling or medication can help. I would talk with your regular doctor, describe your situation and where you'd like to get to and try the doctors' recommendations. People here are on all types of medications and your doctor would probably be best at figuring out what may be best for you.

Hey there! Definitely agree that a doctor is the best person to help decide WHICH medication. As to my personal experience, I do much better ON medication than OFF. I have always had friends, but always felt alone. And the mind racing is an accurate description. It's tiring.

I hope you can find a good doctor and therapy!

Well there are alot of medications out there that can help with social anxiety. There are two main classes of medications that they use usually to treat this type of anxiety. They are benzodiazepines and antidepressants.

Benzos work faster and for the short term. Lorazepam, Xanax and Clonazepam are some examples of benzos that work for anxiety.

Antidepressants work for the long term. Some examples of these are effexor, zoloft, paxil, prozac, luvox, and celexa. There are loads of others but these ones are newer and better tolerated. There are different classes of antidepressants too. SSRI's, SNRI's, MAOI's and tricyclics. SSRI's and SNRI's are newer and better tolerated with less side effects than the MAOI's and tricyclics. I wouldn't ever want to go on an MAOI because there is a certain diet that you have to follow.

I've been on lorazepam and it works the fastest but doesn't stay in your system for as long. Thats where clonazepam is good for. It doesn't work as fast but it stays in your system for a way longer period of time. I can't say anything about Xanax because I've never been on it before. I've been on effexor and it works really well for me. In fact it basically got rid of all of my anxiety but caused a bad side effect so I had to come off it.

I hope this info helps. There is also therapy out there as well. Medications get rid of the anxiety but do not get rid of thoughts seen in people with social anxiety. Usually therapy is required to get rid of these thoughts. A thought would be like going into school and people ate judging me behind my back when really there is nobody judging you. Thats where therapy can help.

Hi, Im new here as well. For my social anxiety, I just take medication that relieves the symptoms. Beta blockers to stop my heart racing and hands shaking and an anti sickness drug to stop me vomiting in restaurants! I can just take these as and when I need them. They stop me being a complete recluse. Although they have no impact on the racing mental thoughts the fact that they are controlling my body helps and so calms me down.

Hi Rebecca, do you get the side effect of getting faint or dizzy when standing up too quickly on the Beta Blockers? I took them for awhile as part of the many medication combinations I've tried over the years and just had to make sure I slowly stood up while on them. It's great that you've found something that helps with those social situations.

@triceps @Rebecca I've done teally well with beta blockers on an 'as needed' basis. I shake really badly when I have an anxiety crisis - I shake all over, and feel dizzy and detached from the amount of adrenaline my body releases. It gets impossible to think, drive, leave the house, etc. Beta blockers help me 'block' that physical response and get those symptoms under control, without making me feel as drugged as the benzos do. I've read some studies, and they've had some good results with beta blockers and PTSD treatment. That's where my worst symptoms come from, so it's a good fit for me. They are designed primarily for blood pressure problems, though, so if they make you get dizzy, it's probably dropping your blood pressure too much - I take a lower dose than was recommended (I'll do 1-2 per day as opposed to 4!!), and make sure I eat regularly, etc.

Thank you both, Triceps, I've not had that that issue myself. Which Beta Blocker do you take? I take propranolol.

Rebecca said:

Thank you both, Triceps, I've not had that that issue myself. Which Beta Blocker do you take? I take propranolol.

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Hi Rebecca, It was many years ago that I was on Beta Blockers and can't remember the specific name just that minor side effect from it.