[Taipans]

Hello everyone,

I have been suffering from pretty strong social anxiety for most my life. I have been seeking treatment for the past few years and have had no luck at all. I was hoping to get some outside advice on medication that has been successfull in treating Social Anxiety. I know each medication seems to effect everyone different, but I thought if I could bring up a type I have not tried that has proven to work for others I might get lucky. I have been extensivly on the following medications,

EFFEXOR XR 300mg
WellButrin XL 300mg
Paxil CR 50mg
Gabitril 12mg
Zyprexa 15mg
Lexapro 20mg
Trazodone 100mg
Remeron 45mg

Many of these have been used at the same time in different combinations. Nothing has helped at all.

Thanks!

-Mark

[Fuzzybear]

Hi Taipans and welcome!

I take Paxil which helps a bit with social anxiety, but the diazepam which I take occasionally for very high anxiety events/days helps more. I also take temazepam/Restoril at night, but although the diazepam and Restoril are effective, they can be addictive, as I expect you know.... Sorry I can't help more but I am sure someone else will be able to offer some feedback.

I am glad you are here!

Take care,
Fuzzy

PS I was wondering if you have tried any talk therapy?

[Taipans]

I have had alot of talk therapy, It never really seems to make a difference, I had an open mind and stuck with it for about 2 years. The doctors all think its more of a chemical imbalance and have been hopeful medication would help. I also suffer from moderate depression but that is curbed by the effexor. Im looking for something to bring up to the doctor I havnt tried. BTW this is my 3rd psychologist in 4 years so I have tried changing doctors also.

Thanks!

[ktp]

Hi:

I wish I could help more but just started getting treatment. Right now, my doc has me on Prozac for severe depression and some anxiety disorder (haven't seen pdoc for evaluation yet). The Prozac, jury's still out on that,just taken it for two days but the Xanax she gave me for severe anxiety (at this point, can't leave my house) and it has helped quite a bit. I think though, some doctors are really leary of starting benzos b/c of the addiction Fuzzy was talking about. I just wanted to wish you luck. I'm still in the process of trial and error, so keep us informed if you find something that does work.

good luck!

[saudade]

Hi.

I'm on Effexor combined with two anxiolytics, namely Buspar (substance: Buspirone) and Lexotan (substance: Bromazepam).

Whereas my depression seems to have vanished and social anxiety seems less uncomfortable every day, I'm still very anxious within me, yanno, so the Buspar has just been added to the cocktail; it's supposed to really start working only after 10 days or so.

Lexotan, on the other hand, works great for me, but we're trying to lower the dosage and kick it cause I was very hooked on it and it does worsen the depression after 1 or 2 years of continuing usage (can I say that, usage?).

Well, I see a therapist and it works for me, as well. Gotta get to the bottom of the triggering processes, otherwise...

Hope it helps.

[partlycloudy]

Have you ever considered EMDR therapy? I've been having treatment for about 2 months and the anxiety has all but vanished. I understand that not everybody responds as well to this as others. I was pretty ripe for it - very desperate and unhappy.
I also have depression (bipolar2 - mild???) and panic attacks. My meds currently are Effexor XR 150mg, Wellbutrin XL 300mg, Ambien 5 to 10mg each night as needed, and Xanax .5mg to 1mg as needed.
I wish you well!
pc

[Genevieve]

Another option you could try would be one of the beta blockers, in a very low dose. It won't do anything much for the psychological aspects of the anxiety, but it might help block the physical symptoms. I've just started a low dose of propranalol, which seems to be helping me so far.

Talk therapy differs in its effectiveness for anxiety disorders, too. You might look into something like CBT or even one of the anti-phobia therapies for your SA. If you look at SA as being like a phobia, that might make sense.

Hope that helps. Good luck to you.

[just4today]

Hi,Taipans,Medications can be frustrating to fine tune I know.I too have suffered from chronic social anxiety throughout my life and tried many different meds.My condition is fairly involved by multiple diagnosis but anxiety seems to be an overiding symptom in all.I am currently taking Wellbutrin 300mg,lamictal 200mg,and respirdal.I find the respirdal slows down my thoughts a bit so that I can think more clearly and not feel so paniced in otherwise "normal" circumstances.I become so anxiety ridden that I can become psychotic.The respirdal really does take the edge off.When my anxiety is controlled, I look back and realize just how much I was struggling with everyday things that most people take for granted.It really is amazing how much social anxiety can affect everything you do and all of your plans and decisions!I think it's great that you are continuing to try out all of your options,and would urge you to keep looking because,despite the side effects and adjustments,you won't believe the HUGE difference it will make in every facet of your life.You will find the right one for you {or ones).Keep us posted.Take care.Jill.