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Drugs for Shyness/Anxiety

DJWhat

DJWhat

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 9, 2002
Messages
813
I have a problem...I am shy. I have a really hard time talking to people I don't know without feeling anxious in some way. I often feel like people are judging me when I walk into a place. Also I get anxious in situations that I shouldn't get anxious in, such as going to the barber and stuff. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but this is my life and I'm sick of it. It has gotten much better the last couple of years, though, but I feel like I'm missing something to get me "over the hump."
I have no health insurance because I have no job, partly due to my shyness. However, I do live very close to Mexico, so I can get prescription drugs with no problem. I am wondering if a benzo like Xanax will do anything to help me out, or will those just tranquilize me to the point where I don't care about anything? I also hear that benzos are very addictive, if that's the case then maybe I shouldn't mess with them. Perhaps there's a drug I can take before I go into certain situations that make me anxious, that has no recreational value so I don't get hooked.
I don't want to mess with an SSRI or MAOI, because of the sexual side effects, plus I don't want anything to fuck with my rolls. That may sound like my priorities are all out of whack, but honestly I think that the ecstasy has helped me with my self-confidence and made me happier in general.
And please don't reply saying I should try therapy, I've tried that before and it just made me feel worse. I can't afford it anyway. I don't want to hear anything like "drugs aren't the answer," either, because I am willing to take my chances with drugs if it means I can cure this problem of mine. Shyness fucking sucks, and nothing I do seems to make it go away, except drugs...
 
Your story is NOT silly - it is almost identical to mine. You have something more than just shyness - Social Anxiety Disorder/AKA Social Phobia. Has your dr diagnosed this?
I use atenolol 25-50mg, a beta-blocker when I need to. It stops the physical symptoms of anxiety (like the sweating, shaking, blushing etc) but not the psychological ones. I am very happy with it - it is not addictive and can be taken as required. For me it has no side-effects, but it does lower your BP and pulse, so this should be monitored at first (it is primarily used for hypertension). Propranolol is a similar drug also used for this purpose, but usually has to be taken twice a day. Beta-blockers should not be taken by asthmatic's, and some are not recommended for diabetics, so I suggest you do a fair bit of reading before you start self-medicating.
I think you are right to avoid benzo's, due to the addiction potential, and the fact that the potential for sedation may make it even harder for you to get out and about. Do a search on SAD/Social Phobia here and on the web - you will find heaps of info out there.
Re: therapy, I have to say that the right type of therapy (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) by a good therapist is the best treatment for SAD. It is as effective as anti-depressants, but has more long lasting effects. Perhaps you had a different type of therapy, or didn't click with the therapist. Anyhow, all I'm saying is don't write it off yet.
Good luck
[ 16 May 2002: Message edited by: babydoc_vic ]
 
Thanks for the reply Babydoc...I haven't been to a doctor in a looooong time, since I was probably 12 or so. I'm 22 now and on my own, and there's no way I can afford a doctor until I get a job, but once I get a job I figure my problems will pretty much be over since it is the shyness that is mainly keeping me from getting a job in the 1st place.
I did some research on SAD, but my symptoms don't seem as serious as that. Maybe my shyness is not as big a problem as I thought before, because I never get the shakes, blush, or get any other physical symptoms in situations like that. The descriptions of panic attacks I've read from other forums are just crazy sounding, I'm glad my anxiety is not that bad.
I guess my biggest problem is that in social situations where I gotta talk or interact with people, I am either too self-conscious, or I can never think of what to say. Like if I gotta ask somebody a question or something, I worry about stupid things, like that I will appear too pushy or look like a jerk. When I meet someone new I never know how to keep a conversation going, so because of this it is really hard to make new friends. I can never take initiative in talking to people. Tonight I was at a club and I saw a DJ that I recognized from a rave a couple weeks ago...I wanted to talk to her and tell her I liked her set, that I am learning to mix myself, etc. but I kept thinking crap like "she looks too busy to talk to me," "she probably doesn't want to talk to some DJ fan-boy like me" etc.
I guess what I am looking for is a drug that will either A.) make me more talkative or B.) keep me from over-analyzing everything. I wish there was a drug that was kind of like a mild form of Ecstasy, because so far E is the only drug that has made me feel comfortable with myself.
 
temporary chemical solutions that wont work so hot in the long run:
alcohol
amphetamines
coke
benzos
opiates (maybe)
an ssri sounds appropriate, actually.
ebola
np: dillenger escape plan
 
Hey your story sounds all-too-familiar, and I know exactly where you're coming from as I used to be very, very similiar.
As far as short-term, TEMPorary solutions, the list above is good-
alcohol is about the best IMO. don't get plastered, but alcohol more or less works on the same synapses as benzos and barbs, and their effect is anxiolytic; that is, they reduce anxiety. You become MUCH less self-concious.
amphetamines are pretty good, but can make you have too much of an 'edge.'
coke! why do you think girls love it so much? coke, at least for me, very subtley increases your self esteem. this would work too.
The problem with all the aforementioned drugs is they WON'T solve your problem (they'll just mask the symptoms), and they can be/are highly addictive.
Here's a funny thing - MDMA (supposedly) as we all know from the dancesafe slideshow causes damage in particular to serotonin neurons. High levels of serotonin are VERY often associated with OCD, low self-confidence, shyness/introversion. So hey, do enough E, and if it really does fuck up serotonin receptors you'll have your problem solved (not that I would ever recommend this).
Honestly, the only way you'll ever REALLY solve your problem is by finding out what it is that makes you so self-concious. More than likely you lack self-confidence, at the root of it. Then, you need to find out WHY you lack self-confidence, and do something about it. I'd recommend finding a really good (once you get the money) psychologist or psychoanalyist instead of a psychiatrist. But if you KNOW what is the source of your shyness (maybe you hate the way you look, etc) you could very easily solve the problem on yourself. Sorry you didn't want to hear the 'therapy' answer, but there it is.
Good luck.
 
I'm surprised this thread is so short but I completely understand where you're coming from...
I used to/still do have problems dealing with large groups of people. If its just one-one or a couple people I can handle the situation. In a large group I don't talk much, I think and analyze what i'm going to say, worry about what people think...bascially, its hell...
I don't even know what the problem is - I tell myself it doesn't matter what these people think but my brain seems to disagree. Its funny - people don't even think I'm shy, people think I'm a snob or too cool to talk to them. Thats what I've been told. Probably because of the clothes I wear and just the mystery of my persona. This makes ME feel a little better but doesn't solve anything...I'm not the person I want to be because of this fucked up shy gene...
The first time I took E, there was absolutely no shyness. I was able to talk to anyone - I was funny, relaxed, I approached the hottest girls left and right...it changed me completely. This is one of the reasons E will always be a part of me. Even though I am planning to give it up.
Anyway, I'm not sure what I'm trying to say. Bascially, you're not alone. I'm not willing to take any prescription drugs for shyness even if they do exist. I'd rather ride it out and see what happens in the future.
Until then, just don't think about it so much. If you see a girl DJing at least say "Hi" even if you feel like your going to throw-up from fear or anxiety - whatever. I used to hate it when people told me this because I'd think "they don't understand"...but try it, it'll slowly help to alleviate the problem.
Good luck :)
 
BornThird, what are you talking about? High levels of serotonin is what causes OCD and the like? I think you got it backwards buddy. Low level of serotonin is what causes OCD, and anxiety disorders.
YOu must have been smoking some good shit.
Search any site regarding OCD/serotonin. It'll say LOW LEVELS, not high levels. So doing E will make matters worse if you abuse it.
 
also to the poster of this story, i can relate to you totally.
i thought i might have sad too but i checked the symptoms and was like, hey i dont think that's me. i mean i dont panic and what not... but i do get uneasy in front of people. i guess it's low self-esteem that is driving this problem.
i think im a fat ugly asian :) or that's what ive been told.
hope you fix your problem soon. therapy isnt all that bad you know. you should try it. just dont let them force pills down your throat for a fast fix. i think cognitive behavioral therapy would work with SAD.
 
To clarify, the anxiety that occurs with SAD is not of the intensity of a panic attack. People with SAD generally fear different situations, commonly talking to people in a perceived position of authority is very anxiety-inducing. You mentioned your shyness is stopping you from getting work, which does suggest your "shyness" is more disabling than just "shynes". The thought patterns you describe sound very typical of SAD, and the fact that you are avoiding stressful situations because of the worry means you are missing out on life. I'm not trying to say you definitely have SAD, but I think you have more than just shyness.
Here's some good pages I found on SAD if you want to read some more: The Shyness Resource Page and here.
Social Anxiety Support
Social Anxiety.org has some good info, but note that it is sponsored by the makers of Paxil, so tends to focus on SSRI's as treatment
In the past when SAD has been discussed here (there are many BL'ers who have it) many people have mentioned that using drugs, particularly MDMA gives them temporary relief. But if the only way you can socialise is on drugs, you will get into a dangerous cycle. It only masks the problem, and then when you have social situations where you can't use drugs (like a work function) you can't cope.
Other than the temporary treatments people have already mentioned, there isn't really a prescription that will make you more talkative. Judicious use of a benzo would help, as long as you were cautious not to use it every day.
 
Discotech: proof that college confuses people. Originally I thought you were right, but got it wrong on a test then looked it up to make sure it was wrong. Now that you questioned me I am questioning myself so I dug up my notes and books from my last 300 lvl neuroscience class.
Straight from a handout (it's a chart of the effects of serotonin):
Low levels: Associated with depression, suicide, impulsive aggression, risky behavior: "insensitivity to consequences."
High levels: Associated with shyness, obsessive compulsion, fearfulness, lack of self confidence.
Straight from s book (Physiology of Behavior):
"Even though the sympoms of panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder are very different, drugs that serve as serotonin agonists (such as fluoxetine) have been successfully used to treat both disorders (Coplan, Gorman, and Klein, 1992).
I'm thinking my teacher believed the handout. I'm thinking I believe the book, and my original assumption., That, and it just doesn't make sense because Prozac increases serotonin availability and that wouldn't cure it if high lvls were the case.
Ok, so you're right, I take it back.
 
wow, have I got the same problems too. Do you have ADD at all. I've been told and have experienced that mild social anxiety and shyness is a symptom of ADD. The amps do help butcan increase anxiety while i'm more social. Just wanted to add the thing about ADD
 
Just a note...obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of the least well understood psychiatric disorders (in terms of our neurobiological understanding). OCD has NOT been definitively linked with either high or low levels of serotonin. If anything, OCD tends to be associates with hyperactivity, not hypOactivity.
Below is a basic summary of what is known about OCD:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a brain disorder with recognizable periods of onset, course, familial occurrence, epidemiology, phenomenology, and treatment response. Several manifestations of pathophysiology are beginning to be defined, although they may represent intermediate pathophysiology rather than primary etiology. Positron emission tomography studies have consistently identified hypermetabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, and, sometimes, anterior cingulate cortex. Neuropsychologic testing frequently identifies abnormalities in visuospatial function. Abnormal levels of cerebrospinal fluid neurotransmitters and neuromodulators are identifiable in untreated patients with OCD and return toward normal levels after effective treatment. The most consistent pathophysiologic finding in OCD points toward an abnormality in serotonin neurotransmission. Therapeutic response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and the absence of improvement with norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and dopamine antagonists argue strongly for a role of serotonin in the pathophysiology and treatment of OCD. Despite this clear indication from treatment trials, probes and manipulations of the serotonin system and its specific receptors have not provided a useful understanding of specific abnormalities.
From: Micallef J, Blin O. Neurobiology and clinical pharmacology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2001 Jul-Aug;24(4):191-207. Review.
[ 21 February 2002: Message edited by: fairnymph ]
Click to expand...
 
That is interesting, bornThird, the seratonin/shyness link. Are you sure that high levels of seratonin wouldn't cause shyness or feelings of low self-confidence? Because I'll admit, I have pretty much been abusing E since I started using it 2 months ago. Since then, I've rolled maybe a dozen times, so my seratonin levels should be shot by now. But, I've noticed that I feel much less anxious or shy than I usually do.
Hmmm...
 
I'm the same way, although lately its a lot less, almost completely gone. I've been taking clonazepam, every day, 2-4mg, that kills the anxiety, but it also makes me sleepy, lazy. So, now i went to a doc and "faked add" (although i do have a lot of the ADD symptoms too), and i found that ritalin, or another stimulant like BZP, totally kills my social anxiety. When i take ritalin/bzp i dont even need to take any klonopin. I said "fuck the docs" and i just order bulk cheap clonazepam from the overseas pharmacies, always making sure i have enough in "stock" so if some day its impossible to get benzo's overseas cheap, i can taper my dose slowly.
The stimulants like ritalin (i'm trying to "work the doc" up to adderal), BZP (i order this bulk online, some people have bad side effects but i do not), make me want to talk, i can thing of endless things to talk about, when normally sober i'm introverted and bored with conversations, always "thinking too much", and never have a whole lot to say to people.
I know i've had to built up quite a benzo tolerance, taking klonopin every day, to where 3mg xanax barely does anything, but when i first tried xanax (first benzo ever used) 3mg would kick my ass for over 12 hours. A 2mg clonazepam (india brand name Clonotril) works, but i do not really get a noticeable buzz anymore from it. I could probably take 6-7mg and still function (although clonazepam seems to fuck up my balance a little if i take too much, i'll bump into a wall or something occasionally)
 
I'm a "recovered social phobic." However, I've heard my method doesn't usually work. I used ecstasy in order to banish my disorder after not being successful using Paxil and Inderol. I was 22 when I first started using ecstasy and my shyness disappeared. I used it to lower my inhibitions and realize that people are easy to talk to...and even though there are people out there that will be jerks to me, I've realized its their prob and not mine. I don't use ecstasy much anymore though ...i don't seem to want it as much anymore. I use it maybe 2x year. I don't consider myself an "extrovert" or anything...but I'm fine with people and I don't get anxious. However, many people I've talked to have had the opposite effect and have got worse. So, anyway, good luck to you....your problem will pass :)
 
im in the same boat here.. drugs make me outgoing and sociable temporarily but off them im shy and have anxiety. Actually going to the doctor in a few days to discuss it but not sure about benzo's eg. xanex, coz i've always developed addictions very easily. What other anti-anxiety drugs are there out there with less side effects and less potential for addiction? Im always stressed and worried about something, and people always point out that I look stressed and need to chill, even when i dont feel stressed. So hopefully theres something out there that can help.
 
The "first-line" treatments for social anxiety typically include:
SSRIs (psychiatry's monkey wrench)
Benzodiazepines
Buspirone (Buspar)
I should add that therapy, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy, is probably more effective than medication in helping with social anxiety. CBT is pretty simple, and typically just involves the psychologist helping to train you to think/act differently in the situations that bother you. Works pretty well.
[ 24 February 2002: Message edited by: zorn ]
 
You're definitely not alone with this problem (just check out my user name). A lot of people I know have had pretty good success with the various SSRIs. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. I've tried just about all of them and none have really helped with my social anxiety. Alcohol works but I've got so many inhibitions that I've got to get fairly intoxicated to lose them all so that's not really a viable option. MDMA works too but I only use it occasionally when out at a club, etc. It would be impractical (and cost a small fortune) to use in everday situations. I'll probably give benzos a try next...
 
Wow, I have this same thing....or something like it. For a while I just thought that it was me. And it's weird cause...at a club I can be the center of attention....I can dance on stage and talk to anyone. And sitting in class I can talk to people too. But, ask me to give a presentation, and that is the day that I won't show up.
I've been like this since my sophomore year of HS. I'm now a sophomore in college. Sometimes I get SO nervous in some situations that my head starts shaking, I sweat profusly, my skin gets blotchy, and I get really scared. I swear it's ruining my whole life. I can't get a job cause I don't want to do a one on one interview for fear of my nervous reactions. I also freak out when I'm in a class that's real quiet and my stomach starts growling. I schedule my classes around when I know I can be ok. And when it does happen I find some excuse to leave or I won't go to class. And if I go to class on the first day and there is even one mention of having to do a presentation...I'll drop the class.
I don't go to the doctor anymore cause, yanno how they feel your neck..I'm afraid my head will start shaking again. I know if I could get over this....I wouldn't have to live in fear of myself and I could actually LIVE my life the way I want to.
But, how do I go about doing this? I mean, do I need to go to a psychologist to get Xanax or something? HELP ME GAIN MY LIFE BACK!!!
 
Trust me I know exactly how you feel. I've been really wanting to change my extreme social anxiety/avoidance .. debating going to counseling but that would require me meeting someone new .. a stranger .. and spilling everything. I'd like to try drugs but I know that wouldn't help much w/o the counseling. I don't know. Argh. Hey if you want to email me I'd love to chat with you about it. Sometimes having someone to talk to really helps a lot. :)
 
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