Posted by KathrynLex on February 3, 2016, at 2:35:36
In reply to Re: SSRI even worth the try for severe social anxiety?, posted by John locke on January 24, 2016, at 18:06:02
Hi John,
Sorry for the delay in my response. Right now I take Klonopin (3 mg), Prozac (40 mg), and Xanax as needed. The amount of Xanax I take varies, but it's never more than 2 or 3 mg. And the Xanax is for anxiety attacks vs. social anxiety. (Of course, being in social situations can sometimes trigger an anxiety attack.)
I've gone off my medication twice. The first time was pretty successful. A little bit of my social anxiety returned, but it wasn't nearly as severe as it had been before. I didn't need medication again for about 2 years, and then some events in my life triggered my anxiety again. I went back on medication, and tried to taper off about a year ago. That time it didn't go so well because I simply wasn't ready. (A word of caution: the withdrawal you feel from certain medication can FEEL like anxiety or cause anxiety attacks, but that's not the same thing as your anxiety coming back.)
I'll be completely honest with you. Medication has really helped me, and without it, it's quite possible I'd be house bound. My anxiety is that severe. So I'm grateful there are different types of medication that can help me cope. But in an ideal world, I wouldn't have to take anything. In some ways, the medication has diminished the confidence I have in myself to cope with my anxiety on my own. And while it's certainly possible to stop taking medications, some of them are very, very difficult to taper off of, which is a really unpleasant process.
Some people genuinely need medication to help with debilitating forms of anxiety, which is why I don't like to discourage anyone from at least trying it. Because for me, I'll take the diminished confidence and unpleasant tapering over not being able to leave the house. I don't know how bad your social anxiety is, and it's entirely possible you could really benefit from medication. I just want to let you know there are drawbacks, and you sound eager to make a very well informed decision.
As always, I wish you the very best.
Kathryn
poster:KathrynLex
thread:1085601
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20160131/msgs/1085896.html