Posted by jedi on June 20, 2006, at 14:33:10
In reply to At what point are meds justified (social anxiety), posted by mike lynch on June 20, 2006, at 9:01:39
> I just came off prozac, and at most I believe it may have had a minor impact in decreasing the social anxiety I have, but while I'm off this med and doing fine, that is when gauging the reason I took it for (depression) I am wondering if my performance socially would justify continuing meds or trying different meds, even though the depression has subsided.
...Hi Mike,
I think the problem with social anxiety is really unrecognized by a lot of medical professionals. It can have a huge effect on the quality of your life in financial and social functioning. There can be many commorbid disorders including depression, drug and alcohol abuse.I developed social anxiety as a teenager, but it was not diagnosed until my early 40s. In high school I was too shy to even date (the fear of a negative response was just to much). In college I discovered booze and pot. I self medicated my social anxiety with these substances for years. I was never an alcoholic but I was sure a problem drinker. Only by grace did I not kill myself or someone else.
I managed to find a career that I could succeed in despite the oncoing social anxiety. I would have to wipe my hand off before I could even shake someones hand. I had low level depression for many years(dysthymia). When my first major depression hit in my 40s the only thing that worked out of 35+ medication combinations was Nardil combined with clonazepam. The Nardil probably saved my life but you won't get a doctor to prescribe it for minor depression or mild social anxiety.
IMHO a low dose of clonazepam may be all that is required for mild social anxiety. Contrary to some opinions, this medication is safe without a lot of the negative effects of the antidepressants. Just my opinion, but untreated social anxiety is a lot more serious than most people realize.
Good Luck and be Well,
JediInt Clin Psychopharmacol. 2006 May;21(3):131-42.
Clonazepam in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: an update.
Link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16528135&query_hl=15&itool=pubmed_docsum
poster:jedi
thread:659095
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060617/msgs/659264.html