MDMA for Social Anxiety Disorder

[grundles]

I was reading an article about a new therapy that uses MDMA for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the dramatic positive results that people have been having. I have severe social anxiety from childhood traumas and want to try this therapy for myself. I'm trying to find a therapist that will work with me using MDMA, but in the mean time I have an event coming up that I want to try MDMA with.

I met this woman not long ago and I'm really in love with her. She is a very social relational person and this puts me up against my fears. In a couple weeks we have a dinner party with her whole family and about 4 of her friends, like 12 people who I barely know, all sitting around a big round table. This is a very difficult situation for me, it brings up a lot of physical symptoms, like tightness in the chest and throat, high heart rate, shaking, and I become confused and cannot think of anything to say or remember things. I'm thinking about doing some MDMA for this occasion but worried that it will be too much, and that others will know I am high.

Would this be a good drug to help relieve the fear and not make me feel too wacky or unable to sit still at a table, or say crazy things? I thought about trying it first before the event to see how it makes me feel, but at this point because the event is less that two weeks away, the time between the test night and the night of the party would be only 7 or 8 days and I heard you should really wait a while before you do it again.

Bottom line question, would MDMA help me at this dinner party with my social anxiety or would it make things worse?

Thanks.

 

[antecedent]

Hello! Fellow SAD sufferer here.

Personally i find that MDMA does not particularly help me talk to strangers, at least no more than alcohol. 'New people' as opposed to established friends have always been a completely different plane of thinking to me, and if your symptoms are similar to mine I suspect the same might be true. Around friends, of course, MDMA will make you feel an incredibly deep sense of connection. Again this is based on my personal experience, but I think MDMA would not suit you as well as maybe a few drinks would immediately prior to arriving.

If you were to take a small dose of MDMA (say, 50 grams or half a pill) tonight or very soon, you should be able to do it twice in that timeframe - the 'month-between' thinking is usually (I think) designed for people who would otherwise be taking every weekend.

 

[Pretty_Diamonds]

Drugs are helping when you're trying to really breakthrough. MDMA for PTSD treatment was only administered 1-3x more likely with most only being one or two times. This is also with an expert, in a safe environment. You're going to be in a extremely high stress environment with people who you do not know nor feel comfortable with. I know you're feeling a lot of anxiety about this event, and that's normal.I mean maybe not to the extent that you are feeling.. but anxiety for such an intense social even it always anxiety provoking. You mentioned this woman that you love? She is accepting of you, as you, sober. She knows how you are and your anxiety, yes? If anything, I think it will bring you guys closer together. Imagine if she found out that she introduced you to all your family and you were high on ecstasy... imagine how disappointed she would be. Not to mention, if you start acting strange, imagine how embarrassing that would be.

Drugs are never the solution. You are. Please, go to the event and be yourself. Have an exit strategy and talk to your girl about all this. Like if you're feeling too anxious, can you step out of the house, smoke a cig, etc. Are you able to let her know if you're feeling overwhelmed, etc. Remember to Remember to BREATHE!! & please see a therapist immediately to learn some breathing techniques that you can do at the event to help calm your nerves. (they really work, lol, go see a CBT therapist like NOW)

 

[grundles]

Thanks for the advice, both of you. I realize therapy is what I really need, and I'm seeding that out, it is important (I feel) to find someone good. And you are right PD drugs are not the solution. But one thing I feel compelled to explain is that when I'm in these situations, I am in such a state, both physically and psychologically, that I am truly dysfunctional. And others notice this clearly, and that just makes me feel worse and make it hardy for me to function normally. My voice shakes when I talk, I cannot think of things to say, etc. And then I feel embarrassed about the whole thing. So, for me to be able to go through that situation without it reestablishing my condition I need a crutch of some kind. I've tried Xanax and it makes me too sedate. Anyway, I feel now that MDMA is not the right solution, but I wish there was something to at least take the edge off.

 

[neurotic]

hey man, first i'd like to say that i really can empathize with your situation. anxiety is a bitch.

then, the MDMA as a treatment for social anxiety is a great idea, i think - i have been considering it myself - but the thing is, it does not work that way at all. MDMA is NOT a drug to take the edge off. very, very far from that actually. have you read exactly how do the MDMA therapy sessions for PTSD go like? very different. this and, most importantly, i would be very scared that if you took MDMA in such a setting, and being your first time on it (apparently), you get very excited and end up acting weird. i think this has an appreciable chance of happening, and it would be terrible. i imagine a situation where the whole experience is amazing for you - ability to easily open up, feeling connected, self-acceptance before others, all that jazz - but end up being silly, and then the next day you start beating yourself up, embarassed for something you said or did (being embarassed for something you did while rolling is not uncommon). or even worse, you act too weird and you are left in an awkward situation with your girl. that would suck.

so, don't ditch the MDMA. i think you should really look into it, go look for that therapist, read about it, get to know it, do your homework... of course this and also other things to help with this problem, not put all your chips on the MD.

now, for the acute cure, the crutch of the situation: great that you didn't like the benzos. really, in my experience, they only make you suck more at dealing with anxiety in the long run, and you don't even notice. have you heard about propranolol? i heard that people do use it for these purposes, and i'm considering starting to use it myself, to ditch the benzos for good.

you mentioned that others notice your anxiety clearly and that just makes you feel more embarassed. one thing that you can do that can really help you is playing the humble card. that is, submitting to your anxiety: be honest with your girl and tell her you have a hard time dealing with social situations. if you get too overwhelmed at the dinner and feel that everyone is finding you weird, you can just say "sorry, i'm really nervous. i'm shy". that really takes a lot of weight off your shoulders, because you're now allowed to be anxious. and people won't really make a big deal out of you being nervous.

 

[terarc]

The therapeutic benefits of MDMA have not yet been shown to include improvements to social anxiety, and even if they did, you are not going to be in a therapeutic environment with a trained therapist. Take into account also that MDMA use has been known to worsen social anxiety long term for some users. It's a dice roll really.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I've had social anxiety at times. I've never taken MDMA or MDA for it. It's not good to rely on any drugs for it, and the best way to get over it or past it is to force yourself to socialize with people. Good luck.

 

[Achten]

Like other have already said, I wouldn't do MDMA.

If you really want to try this under the influence of a psychedelic I would suggest 1-3mg aMT or 100-250mcg DOC. That's what I do to feel more at ease with people I don't know. I don't have clinical anxiety, mind you, just the stuff everyone (?) has.

 

[Year of the Rat]

I have the exact same issue and advise against doing MDMA for this. I got a prescription for beta-blockers (propranolol), which block adrenaline and help you to stay calm and composed - people use them for public speaking etc.