Title asks it. Anyone here on this medication for Social Anxiety? For the past 3 years I have not done any dating, Rarely went out to do something. I do help Dad with grocery shopping, and other odds and ends. I can't eat in public becasue i just could freak out. I am wondering if this stuff works Becasue I think it's time I get help.

I'm not a big believer in medicating these types of afflictions; rather, I think that many of them can be solved through counseling. I'd drop the dope and pick up the phone to a good clinical psychologist who prefers to talk first and prescribe later.

I used to work as a juvenile detention officer and opening up the medicine cabinet every night was like opening the door to a candy vending machine. I've seen first hand what kind of harm these meds can do because I know that I haven't seen any good come of them.

Seriously...as a fellow (former) Minnesot'n, it's probably the best thing you can do is to get some theraputic help, not pharmacutical help.

Rob

i was on that med at one point, but it made me feel angry , for some odd reason, not sure why, but it did, my reccommendation would be prozac, i have an appointment tomorrow to go back on it, not to say that it is a bad drug but i didn't find it very helpful at all, prozac calmed me down and was able to think and do things, but it lower my libido, which suxs, but, yah zoloft in my book, bad..IMO, Prozac good! just has some nasty side effects at first, like sick stomach and other annoyances

Ditto that Rob...

Double ditto to Rob

i have never believed in taking medication for uhhh disorders. that just my opinion. i dont think any medication can be better than your own unknown will power sometimes.

I will go see my Doctor when I can get in. Maybe he will start me off on meds and seek help through another doctor. Who knows, i would hate to go on meds afetr seeing side effects.

Zer0s I try to help myself naturally but 9 times out of 10 it does not help. If I am in a familiar place and familiar people I'm ok. it's doing things out of the oridinary around people that make me uncomfortable.

My family has a history of the mental deal so It don't suprise me that I have it also.

I hate to do this on PR...

Quote: Originally Posted by Rob I'm not a big believer in medicating these types of afflictions; rather, I think that many of them can be solved through counseling. I'd drop the dope and pick up the phone to a good clinical psychologist who prefers to talk first and prescribe later. I used to work as a juvenile detention officer and opening up the medicine cabinet every night was like opening the door to a candy vending machine. I've seen first hand what kind of harm these meds can do because I know that I haven't seen any good come of them. Seriously...as a fellow (former) Minnesot'n, it's probably the best thing you can do is to get some theraputic help, not pharmacutical help. Rob

That's hard to imagine, I was arrested a few times in my youth for petty stuff, you can pretty much just steal a pack of gum and land in juvie down here. The guards had regularly beat a few people for nothing.

Anyway, the only Rx meds I'm currently on are Singulair, Ventolin, & Ambien.

I was on Zoloft also during my youth, I had a complication with it and another medication I was prescribed.
The last thing I remember about that was the rough feeling of concrete on my right cheek and
blood trickling onto the asphalt. I hate medications that control your brains chemical balance.

I agree with ROB. IMHO I think alot of drugs do way more harm than good. Me Im not on anything at all. I am gifted with not getting sick tho. I mean the last time I got sick was five years ago but when I did I didnt take any medication I just let it ride itself out I havent event took asprin of any sort in like 7 years wich was the last time I had a headace.

Dude... I do massive amounts of caffeine... It tastes better and after you get hyper enough, you'll talk to anybody

Seriously though... might try getting a couple books on psychology, and analyze why it is you're not comfortable around people.

Me, I have trust issues... but I've learned to manage them in such a way I can function in society without stressin' too terribly (and as I work with the public these days, I'd say I've come a long way).

Believe me, I stopped talking to most everyone for roughly two years... Kept convincin' myself I didn't need anybody. All in all, humans are a sociable animal though, and it's not healthy to try to pull yourself out of society. So I'd suggest maybe trying to find a natural way to get yourself back into the crowd.

Anyway, good luck with it regardless. I still don't think signin' on for drugs to solve a little agoraphobia is a great idea...

I remember when I went into the Navy in the early 90's, I got pumped so full of drugs that I sincerely believed that it replaced half of my blood supply. In the following five years I was in the Navy, it was damned near impossible to get sick. You could stand outside in the snow and -10C weather buck naked after just having gotten out of a cold shower and you wouldn't get so much as a sniffle.

Let me look around and ask a few friends of mine, Jim, for some alternative methods to help you. I'll try to get back to you within the week or so.

Rob

Quote: Originally Posted by stereomod i was on that med at one point, but it made me feel angry , for some odd reason, not sure why, but it did, my reccommendation would be prozac, i have an appointment tomorrow to go back on it, not to say that it is a bad drug but i didn't find it very helpful at all, prozac calmed me down and was able to think and do things, but it lower my libido, which suxs, but, yah zoloft in my book, bad..IMO, Prozac good! just has some nasty side effects at first, like sick stomach and other annoyances

When I first started on Prozac, I got what I called "The Prozac ****s"... Anyhow, it worked well but I started getting the shakes pretty bad when they upped the dosage and started to halucinate minorly. Paxil is doing the trick for me now, but the sexual side effects can really blow sometimes... BTW I got on it because of depression.

Quote: Originally Posted by FeRaL When I first started on Prozac, I got what I called "The Prozac ****s"... Anyhow, it worked well but I started getting the shakes pretty bad when they upped the dosage and started to halucinate minorly. Paxil is doing the trick for me now, but the sexual side effects can really blow sometimes... BTW I got on it because of depression.

christ Feral, have the hell was the dosage? 20mg at first or 10, yah , you will get the runs from the first weeks worth of prozac but after a while it goes away,and i too got on it due to my drepessiona and a whole whack of other things too, the shakes? hmm i never had those, well none that i can recall right off hand! but hey sometimes yah gotta do, what yah gotta do noted a big diff, being on paxil eh? hmm maybe i should try that this time arouond!

My dad takes Zoloft and he sees to be in pretty good shape and he doesn't get as angry or stressed out as he used to.. So I'd say its working for him just fine

I took it for a little over a year and to be truthfull it helped but its not a cure all. I agree with Rob on the thearpy,but you have you have to be ready for it.In addition have a good thearpist not one that just going to keep upping the meds.Thats why i stopped taking it I didnt fell like i was adressing the probpem or getting to the root of the problem.
I will tell you a few things though that i have done that helps or did for me.Take out all caffeen or if you really like things like cokes,dr. pepper ,coffee try to use it as a reward to yourself after you face something that is in relation to your problem..
Start off things slow i dont know if you are in school but if you are try moving seats and slowly work toward the front of the class or something to that effect.Work your way into the crowd or some way to get noticed a little bit more.(Answer questions more ,ask questions,ect)
Try to meet at least one new person a day.
Take vitman B and fish oil ,that worked better for the depression than zoloft and Paxil ever did.But each person is different.
Good luck man if you want to talk IM me ,my social anxidy was so bad I couldnt even go outside except to go to work ,store then after that i was a shut in.

Quote: Originally Posted by stereomod christ Feral, have the hell was the dosage? 20mg at first or 10, yah , you will get the runs from the first weeks worth of prozac but after a while it goes away,and i too got on it due to my drepessiona and a whole whack of other things too, the shakes? hmm i never had those, well none that i can recall right off hand! but hey sometimes yah gotta do, what yah gotta do noted a big diff, being on paxil eh? hmm maybe i should try that this time arouond!

My mum was on it for a while, they just keeped upping the dosage until she had a dependancy and was taking 80MG a day. They had to slowly taper the MG down over a years time for her to safely stop taking it.

Working in a shop of young angry males with all sorts of issues, we have a wide selection of psych drugs. My friend 'J' is on Zoloft to deal with his high anxiety and temper issues, another is on Celexa for the same. I am on Lexapro for depression and high anxiety.They all seem to work. Different strokes for different folks. And you can definately tell when someone isnt on their 'happy guy' pills.

But again these are means to an end. They are supposed to be temporary to help resolve the real issues in ones life, although some people have certain disorders that require them permantly. I am not an MD but there is a reason they use these drugs as a tool to aid people in recovery. They are supposed to be taken in conjuction with Therapy, this is where it fails.

And by the way I was on Prozac didn't like it because of sexual dysfunction, but the girls like the Lexapro, Stay 'Virile' for hours with it taking a long time for self satifaction, so you can see why they like it.

I was using it. I was on one other, it made me very paranoid and i baracaded myself in room with an uzi for 3 days. I ran outa meds when i did i came out and i was no longer having problems. Just went back to being anti social.I am now on the zoloft. It does make a huge diference for me. I use to never talk to anyone at school. I simply didnt talk to you unlessI knew you. It helped me brake the shell. Then i stopped taking it about a month ago. I got a job as a cna. THis has helped me copewith the problem and can now deal with it without meds

An UZI? Your not serious now are ya?