Medication

I am taking Paxil for my social anxiety disorder. I have been on it since mid-September. I have gained no improvement in my ability to live my life without fear/anxiety. I am beginning to think that it might actually be getting worse.

I have read that there are three medications that have shown the ability to improve SAD. The other two are Zoloft and Effexor. I used Zoloft years ago for depression, and I had problems with it making me sleepy at inconvenient times. I have experienced the same thing with Paxil. I might have to change medications, I don't know. I do not want to spend $30 a month since there is no generic for Effexor, but if it will help me, I guess it would be worth it.

At the time I was taking Zoloft, I was very unaware of my problem with social anxiety. I was attending social gatherings, but I was able to get drunk, so I did not feel any anxiety. I knew I was shy all of my life, but I did not know that the problem was much more serious than that. I quit drinking a few years ago, and I could not hide from my problem any longer.

I was in individual therapy for a while, but all we talked about were current events in my life. I want to know if my condition is caused by a chemical imbalance or by events that happened to me earlier in my life. I have many recollections of events that I think could have caused my current condition. Maybe I could have grown out of the shyness if these events had never taken place.

My therapist said I could get better using exposure therapy. I am afraid of that. I am exposed every day to situations that traumatize me. I think I need to understand why and deal with my condition that way. I am a very "need to know how and why something works in order to understand" kind of person. I am a logical, show me proof thinker.

I digress; the question was about medication. I am attempting to step up to 30 mg of Paxil in order to see improvement in my condition. The problem is that I cannot wake up when I plan to. I sometimes sleep through my alarm sounding off for over an hour. This is not good when I have to get up for college or work.

Does anyone have any tips on when to take a dose of Paxil to avoid the oversleeping?

i think that my prozac is starting to work a little now. i still feel very anxious at school but if i take enough ativan in the morning it is ok and i can manage to get through the day. i find that i have to take at least 2 ativans to get through the day or else i would go crazy from all of the social anxiety.

good luck everybody in your struggles with social anxiety disorder.

My diagnosis is severe anxiety, social phobia, and depression. I spent the first 35 years of my life fighting the anxiety and fear of social situations and people. I have tried therapy with a psychologist, but nothing changed for me until I read a book he recommended called the Shy Man Syndrome. This book, (out of print now) described my life and feelings to a T.

It also mentioned that an older medication called Nardil had been shown to cause significant relief for this particular disorder. I showed the book and the Nardil reference to the psychiatrist I saw after the psychologist. She researched the Nardil, and said that it was worth trying, although it does have dietary restrictions, and some side effects.

After taking Nardil for a month, I suddenly realized that the anxiety and social fears had disappeared completely, and I was able to interact with people completely without any anxiety. That was 16 years ago, and I haven't had any anixety or social phobia problems since then.

I am only a consumer, not a doctor, so don't demand this medication from your doctor, but do ask him or her to research this medication relating to your problem.

My psychiatrist said that it had become the medication of choice for my particular disorder, so this is not just an isolated experience.

The only side effect I have with this medication is involuntary shaking of arms and legs if I don't take Benztropine as the side effect medication. With the Benztropine, the shaking has also been eliminated completely for the entire 16 years.

The worst your doctor can do is disagree, so no harm in mentioning it to him/her.

Try it, and Good Luck.