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Drug needed to reduce social anxiety/shyness

I talked to my psychiatrist, he said to pick between wellbutrin and prozac. i picked prozac. but there is a problem with that now, my insurance wont pay for brand name and he said i should have brand name prozac because it is 20-30% more effective. generic prozac might not even be covered by my worthless insurance too.

I've tried buspar, i am not familiar with the beta blockers. I have low energy and motivation problems and i think beta blockers may slow me down more.

As for amphetamines, i would like to try them to see if they help. I dont think i can get addicted to stimulants anyway, i have done coke and meth a few times and i don't have trouble getting off them. Problem is, no stimulants are available to me. Can they be purchased through an online pharmacy? dont reply if that is a no-no.

I dont know what the fuck i am gonna do but i have to do something. I feel so far from normal i wish i wasnt born sometimes. I think psychedelics has fucked me up... when i was 14 i tripped on acid like 20 times. and i continued regular use of it till i was 16.

My psychiatrist doesnt know what the hell to do either, he just puts me on stuff that make me weirded out or worse.

My goal now is to try to get an amphetamine to try a few times. I think if i get social on them, i will learn the skills of being social well and i can function good without them.
 
Ack, Go for the Wellbutrin, its a much better first choice than prozac. Prozac will just make everything a bit duller, Wellbutrin will energise you a little.
 
SD- Sorry to hear about your behavior problems...but I must say that being social and calm isn't a skill like woodworking or driving a car etc. The problem here is all emotional. Amphetamines may be able to change your emotions in the short term but they definitely won't work in the long term. The key to solving this is getting some activity that you really love doing and sticking with it. Socializing will become a by-product of your activity and positive emotions.
 
^^^^^^^^^

I second that...........................


Like I said, If I was a doctor I would prescribe opiates as anti-depressants for short term......

They are great for anxiety and depression but in the long run they can make these worse...........
 
If you have anxiety, and you know better than anyone, than wellbutrin WILL NOT HELP. Prozac however is great for anxiety. Wellbutrin is really only just good for depression (and mild depression at that).

That is total bs about the brand name prozac, btw! Generic prozac is JUST FINE...and I'm sure your insurance will cover it. Otherwise THAT can be ordered offline (we can't tell you where) very cheaply generically.

I don't think amphetamines would be a wise choice at all. They worsen depression AND anxiety. And they cannot be ordered anywhere, either.
 
It sounds like your shrink is a moron. Any Psych. worth their salt wouldn't say "pick prozac or wellbutrin" which are from different anti-d classes and have different effects - they would tell you which one to take Also the "Dr. doesn't know what to do and puts you on drugs that weird you out". Doesn't sound like this clown has the best approach. I think you should get a new one.

If you can afford it (or get it for free) go and see a psychologist as well to address the underlying issues of your social anxiety and maybe get some behavioural therapy.

You'll probably get some more responses if you post this one in The Dark Side.
 
^^^^^^^Unfortunately, nowadays many good, reputable doctors are hesitant to prescribe any drugs outside of the Wellbutrin/SSRI/drug classes (meaning other than SSRIs, wellbutrin, and the few other common ones).

This is due to the lack of serious (though numerous minor) side effects and pressure from drug companies to prescribe SSRIs. For many docs, if you don't respond well to SSRIs and Wellbutrin, they'll put you on a lower dose of whichever ones gave you less side effects instead of giving you drugs from other anti-depressant classes.
 
yes opiates do reduce anxiety and increase well being. But they also lead to having a habit which really isnt fun and makes your anxiety 10x more worse in the the long run. Amphetamines are fine for going out on once in a while but as others say, the come down and after effects are depression/anxiety. I think this is something you have overcome without drugs. Look up methods of hypnosis in google such as "anchoring + hypnosis". Doing it without drugs will lead to a much more lasting result, one which you can be proud of. All drug effects wear off in time, so eventually you will still be faced with this problem sometime in the future.

Good Luck
 
Any suggestions? My symptoms are mild depression and moderate anxiety.

Symmetrical, my advise would be to ask for opinions elsewhere for several reasons.

First of all, you want to talk to people that have not only successfully overcome their problems, but live relatively more productive lives than the typical users on this website.

Second, many users on this website are obviously hypocondriacs and exaggerate their problems as an excuse to take more powerful medications. They may lie to themselves and believe they are trying to solve their problems, but instead they're not solving any problems and actually making their problems worse by taking psychoactive drugs they don't really need.

Third, related to the statement above, many users will advise you to NOT take medications that don't also happen to get you high and claim they don't work when they very well could work for you.

Fourth, I see a ton of people giving you advice on medication. But where are people advising you to seek counseling and such. Shyness can be related to low levels of serotonin. But also a large part of shyness is psychological and drugs alone are not going to resolve your problems and give you a better self-esteem and boost your confidence.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

So again, I highly recommend you seek out advice from people who have really improved and done a lot with their lives rather than people who are obsessed with regular recreational drug use.
 
No drug can solve your problem on the long term, its as simple as that.

Can't believe nobody mentioned ghb in this whole conversation...
 
The_dj beat me to it. The drug you are looking for is GHB. Without a doubt. Xyrem is prescription GHB, it's schedule 3.

I can't see you doing any other drug daily that will help like G will without causing major side effects. However, GHB withdrawal is hell! Control your doses and don't redose on the drug, let your brain release all the extra dopamine it prevented from releasing when you were on it. Way too much dopamine is a very bad thing, believe me.
 
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Symmetrical Daze said:
Any suggestions? My symptoms are mild depression and moderate anxiety.

Prozac?

I am on benzo's but they won't help the shyness, they will make it worse but it does reduce the anxiety.

Neurontin helps me some but its not enough.

Klonopin.;)
 
How about getting a new damn psychiatrist? Doctors are there to work for YOU. They're not your boss. They're not the police. You go there and pay them a lot, if they aren't doing what you want, get a new one. I was lucky enough to find a doctor who let's me play with meds/dosage to see which affect me the best. I'm so tired of all these doctors who will only give out certain drugs just because they don't feel like having to deal with the longer process of writing controlled Rxs out because they're scared of the DEA. I want something that I take now and it works now, not something I take this week so it works next week.
 
I used to be a very shy person and still am, to an extent. I can definately empathise with your situation. SSRI's have helped me a great deal. If you cant afford the brand name ones like Zoloft or Prozac then just go for the no-name alternatives. I am on Cipramil at the moment (may have a different name in the U.S) which seems to work fine.

Now, depending on your financial situation, I would also highly reccomend getting some CBT or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. I have been going to this for a few weeks and have found it has definite potential. The people who say drugs will only hide the problem are at least partly correct - for a problem like ours you should not rely solely on drugs. Take my word for it, I learnt the hard way. 8(

B3 gave some really good advice also - if you have a hobby like writing or sports or something then develop it socially. I've found that exercise (running/walking rather then weights) is also an excellent way to combat SAD and shyness, because when you go out you are on a natural high, and are often too tired to give a fuck what people are thinking about you.

I havent had much experience with benzo's (only take em when I cant sleep) but I would reccomend against using them, not only because they supposedly have horrible withdrawl symptoms but also because they tend to dull the mind (in my case, anyway).

I dont know about any of the other suggestions, like amph or opiates. I would definately give them a try if I knew how to get my hands on such things - but use them sparingly! If you come to rely exclusively on medications you will eventually regret it and your Anxiety will probably return ten times worse.

Finally, I agree with JT - if your psych. is not up to scratch then you should get a new one asap.


Whew!
 
^^
I would definitely NOT give illicit drugs a try in this situation. Most ppl who end up with habits on opiates including myself is because of pre existing/underlying problems such as shyness, low self esteem/anxiety, ADD.... that they self medicate - this is wrong (your using a drug that doesnt quite fit the problem which fluctuates in quality and is potentialy dangerous). Eg if someone is introverted and they use speed, they will go on and on using it bc it solves their problem. Same with opiates, but you are entering a pandora's box that u might not get out of. They may initially solve your problems too well. Then after a while your fucked and you are merely taking them to stop withdrawal, the anxiety becomes worse and you will end up with another problem.

IMO some SSRI's already mentioned could work by kickstarting the area in the brain, you then find that you can do things without any drugs.

Shyness is something most of the population suffer with. Many drug addicts are shy underneath. This is something you have to overcome yourself by facing social situations that make you feel uncomfortable. Start slowly and face things, then your anxiety and shyness will go as you develop within yourself. TRUST ME its true.
 
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