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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

social anxiety drugs

low dose benzos (klonipin would be better than Xanax) but not only do you get a physical dependence but probably even more dangerously use them as a psychological crutch
buspirone (5ht1 drug, either underrated or overrated depending on who you ask)
clomipramine (an old TCA that's used in OCD but might benefit you)
several others
SSRIs but for anxiety they're generally overrated .. possibly viibryd, which is a very new (and very expensive) SSRI that is also a 5HT1 agonist, which I am taking, and find helpful with depression and anxiety, but then again I take a pharmacopoeia so it's hard to tell what helps with what and but i'm basically a lab rat for it so who knows

I see you're in Russia. I think low dose bzds and maybe clomipramine would be the best available options but then again I know Russia has some unique drugs, there was a thread about it lately, one of them, i disremember the name, sounded like a promising anxiolytic

if you're inclined psychedelics can be a handy reset button but could also be a real bad time especially if your anxiety is social and you're doing them in a social setting

if you're open to talk therapy, CBT all the way
 
Try the tough route and go through therapy and really work on it. Don't just rely on drugs. If it's just PRN use, then okay. But if you're using drugs for 'daily' social anxiety you're in trouble.

Alcohol is a notorious social lubricant.

Benzodiazepines will relax you mentally.

Beta Blockers will stop physical tremors and sweating.
 
Benzodiazepines on an as needed basis. (which fits well with social anxiety as social anxiety is reserved for certain situations and is not constant)
 
Alcohol gives me the reduced anxiety and shyness you're looking for
 
i know its not exactly HR and i am not recommending this but 15-20mgs of oxycodone turns me into a social butterfly. if you are an opiate newbie 10mgs will have ya feelin mighty good. but of course i am not recommending you use opiates as a cure for social anxiety. just saying what works for me.
 
Before you go trying benzos of alcohol or even opiates! Trying safer alternatives. Ssri or Ok, but don't give the me the social lubricant that I wish for.

Gabapentin/Lyrica are one of the best drugs I've ever used for socail anxiety. Unlike benzos IME it makes me more socail and with very minimal anxiety. I find benzos are more for panic attacks. Just give gabapentin/lyrica a try before counting them out.
 
Ok, personally I don't like SSRIs or MAOs. My personal preference....

However, I am someone who has really bad Social Anxiety! I would suggest trying out gabapentin before trying out Lyrica! Lyrica is MUCH better, but if gabapentin works for you, i would start there, and move to Lyrica later once gabapentin stops working as your tolerance accumulates. that's just what i think tho, everyone's bodies and minds are different. I only speak on my experience, if i started with the all mighty Lyrica, i would never have any use for gabapentin.

I started with Gabapentin 800mg (some people get 200s so 800 is up there!), after a while i was taking 2-4 pills (1600mg-3200mg) to get desired effect. it was used to stabilize my anxiety and make me more at ease all the time, so i wouldn't feel so edgy or more prone for panics. Now I am on Lyrica 150mg and i take sometimes just one, three times a day, or i will take up to 750mg at once, and 750mg of Lyrica gets me High! (you can get high off both Gabapentin and Lyrica!) lol I also have a script for 30 Xanax 2mg, because i get a sharp panic usually once a day that just totally JUMPS out of the threshold that Lyrica keeps me in. I also take 0.1mg Clonidine in morning and evening.

I have been taking Xanax for very long time. I would only suggest the Super Popular Benzo, Xanax, for if you have bad panics. otherwise, a more prolonged benzo would be nice, just a random suggestion but check out Klonopin or Valium. I especially like Valium for the muscle relaxing effects.


I also take Seroquel!!!!! Let me tell you, Seroquel is a BEAST!!!! lol, unless you have a tense nervous system that is really hyperactive and rigid-like all the time, it will most likely put you to sleep! lol
I am taking 100mg twice a day, then 400mg at bedtime. lol YAH!!! anyone who knows Seroquel will know that even 25 or 75mg doses can put some people to sleep!

The problem with Seroquel is it doesn't have the fast acting property that Xanax does......

With Seroquel...... I must take it ahead of time, knowing a panic will come, i can have it taken early so that the effects have kicked in by the time something might happen, and i find that Seroquel keeps me on a level!!! But yah, its a BEAST!!!! Will most likely knock out most people!

That is my LONG opinion, sorry about the lengthly text. Also, checkout Ativan, honestly i think Ativan completely sucks! lol although some people like it. i think it sucks because i honestly don't feel anything at all!

Also, I find it a BAD idea to rely solely on a benzo!!!!!!
Because you will most likely get addicted or well dependent on them due to them being the only tool against your anxiety!
Thats why i suggest sincerely suggest trying out gabapentin, go for 800s if gabapentin feels too weak. and your call on when to go after Lyrica, but I just love Lyrica! its F**kin Awesome!!!!

That's my take on Anxiety, and that's basically how I got my anxiety on Lock!! %)

Hope that helps! Best of luck!
 
Oxazepam , kava ,phenibut codiene , all mixed in with booze :)
 
I'd recommend low-dose clonazepam, but only accompanied with therapy with a psychologist. Therapy is the best solution for training yourself to not take yourself too seriously, nor overestimate how aware or judgemental people are of you. An invaluable component of therapy will be exposure, which means simply getting in the habit of putting yourself out there socially, and getting over that initial hurdle is the deciding factor whether or not treatment will work.

I disagree with people who think benzos are too risky. They're wonderfully effective in the short term, and you won't develop a reliance on them if you get into a habit of regular socialization because your social anxiety will eventually diminish on its own.
 
Gabapentin/Lyrica are one of the best drugs I've ever used for socail anxiety. Unlike benzos IME it makes me more socail and with very minimal anxiety. I find benzos are more for panic attacks. Just give gabapentin/lyrica a try before counting them out.

+1 for the lyrica

Got 100 mg per day + 10 mg diazepam as needed from my gp. It's awesome. I don't really even have to take the diazepam anymore (but they do have a synergy so when I do the 10 mg feels like much more).
 
The way I see it, in regards to anxiety drugs and benzodiazepines in particular, it's just an equation in your life of "do these drugs I'm taking improve my quality of life or not?" For many people they do; if that's the case with you I don't see any reason why you shouldn't take them. Any drug that's effective is going to be potentially habit forming, there's just no way around that IMO.
 
I wouldn't suggest any drugs.

Social anxiety is something you need to learn to get through. There's natural remedies such as valerian root or chamomile tea to help relax, but the rest is up to you! Drugs only aid in the short-term. For long-term, they make things worse.
 
I disagree with people who think benzos are too risky. They're wonderfully effective in the short term, and you won't develop a reliance on them if you get into a habit of regular socialization because your social anxiety will eventually diminish on its own.

True, but i would have to disagree with you when you say Benzos are not too risky! uhm... they can be very addictive. As long as you keep your doses under control, then i would say Yes, there should be just about NO risk what so ever! ...in this regard i must say, personally, i believe Benzos are one of the BEST drugs out there. they are phenomenal!!

However, they can be very risky if you take your doses beyond your normal limit. or take them for long periods of time. your body can and will grow dependence for them, and can grow a very strong dependence with very hostile withdrawal like symptoms, and you can become heavily addicted on them as well, and then your withdrawals can easily be way worse than Heroin!

I guess ultimately its up to how you define risky, and how you control yourself with Benzos. And yes, i do believe, if you maintain crontrol, they must be like the Best F**kin drug out there! I have a deep love for Xanax!!! lol, but these Benzos Demand respect, or they will abuse you, no doubt!!
 
Speaking as someone who has been through benzo among other drug addictions I believe social anxiety is caused by circumstance and fitness. I notice when I am fit I experience it much less. Benzos are only a short term cure to a long term problem with anxiety I wish I'd never thought of them as anything else. The only thing they are good for is a comedown or if you are very stressed, if not I try to avoid them like the plague.

These days i would rather neck a pint before any anxious meetings than take benzos. It's too easy to see that as a cure to the same problem 2 days later. Even alcohol is not as evil as benzos.
 
Fitness sounds like a common and definitely effective means of boosting ego and self confidence! two traits i would assume could be most likely to cause social anxiety. But whatever the problem, its up to using mental tools and techniques to change your bodies reactions and habits. To me, with therapy or counseling as an important aid in the ultimate internal psychological repairs of what is causing the symptoms of whatever your diagnosed with. then the meds are to help you as you help yourself kinda thing. so if ur anxiety is debilitating and you cant really apply what they tell you in therapy, with the meds, you then have breathing room so to speak...

thats my take on it at least
 
Neurotin (Gabapentin)....It has been life-changing for me. I take 800mg 3x/day. It really helps with anxiety/panic attacks. I used to wake up having anxiety attacks. Thank God for this medication.

It was not meant to help me w anxiety, it was prescribed for nerve pain...and it helped me better than any benzo ever has. I mean I benzo helps short-term or limited to when you are having a panic attack- they quickly lose their effectiveness. If you are someone that has the condition of anxiety/panic disorder, more is needed that that. Neurotin/gabapentin or Lyrica (a concentrated gabapentin-my personal description) is very helpful or most people. I am prescribed both. Be aware that Lyrica really does have abuse potential. Lyrica, for me, has a withdrawal that is wicked. So use w caution. Everyone is different...Neurotin and Lyrica seem to be a dual type medications.

This has been my experience. Like I metioned, everyone is different. All the best to you whatever you decide.
 
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