Mental Health PhD prescribed antidepressant for social anxiety?

[dankplantgrower]

Ive never heard of antidepressants being prescribed for anxiety, is this common (and effective)? Can anyone relate any personal experiences? I was pretty honest about my alcohol abuse with him so I think he might have been trying to skirt benzo dependence. He only prescribed months supply -10 .5mg "rescue" alprazolam (Xanax) - which I ended up taking in 2 sessions on occasions that were anxiety inducing, which required more than 0.5 mg to tame the anxiety. I currently have no benzo tolerance though. And on top I got a months sertraline 500mg (Zoloft) that I didnt open this past month because I was drinking and hesitant to mix the pills with booze.

Anyways he said to come back in a month to tell him how I felt, which is on Thursday. Im not sure if I should start taking the zoloft, hold out a whole month and wait to see if it works for this damn anxiety, or skip all that time and hassle and discuss something that I know works quite effectively with the MD. If antidepressants work great for bad social anxiety Im gonna start right away, but if its a softball pitch so to speak I really need to talk about something more sufficient with MD because my anxiety affects my life quite substantially.

Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

 

[mrflowers00]

a lot of doctors try using anti depressants before going to benzos but usually the anti depressants aren't effective for anxiety. i know they weren't for me

 

[Thorns Have Roses]

He only prescribed months supply -10 .5mg "rescue" alprazolam (Xanax) - which I ended up taking in 2 sessions on occasions that were anxiety inducing

You've got a decent GABAergic tolerance if you could take 5mg alprazolam at a time right of the bat. You're not trying to get rid of your anxiety, just decrease it to a manageable level. Anyway, this does not bode well for benzos as a treatment option.

zoloft

SSRI's are often prescribed right off the bat, and sertraline is indicated for social anxiety disorder. I'd give it a shot. Be open and experiment with what medications your doc prescribes.

 

[weekend addiction]

You've got a decent GABAergic tolerance if you could take 5mg alprazolam at a time right of the bat. You're not trying to get rid of your anxiety, just decrease it to a manageable level. Anyway, this does not bode well for benzos as a treatment option.



SSRI's are often prescribed right off the bat, and sertraline is indicated for social anxiety disorder. I'd give it a shot. Be open and experiment with what medications your doc prescribes.

This guys right. Xanax is a band aid at high doses. I have a grandma that took .25mg Xanax at night for 20 years. If your taking that much at a time your venturing into escapism. Read some threads in the dark side about benzos and you'll know quickly where this will lead.

 

[a dream]

Zoloft (sertraline) was effective for me at dealing with anxiety caused by 6-APB abuse. It also seems to eliminate my anxiety caused by marijuana consumption. I think it's worth a try.

 

[Thou]

I found the same problems using SSRI's occur with using benzodiazapines.

They both cause tolerence with long term use. They may work for a while, but if your condition is chronic you'll be taking them forever. They don't work forever, which is unfortunate.

Unless you're just using them for a short stint to deal with some real life calamity, I'd tread carefully with long-term use. I had more complications from long-term SSRI/benzo use than from any other substances. Protracted withdrawal is a risk worthy of consideration for anyone considering these medications.

 

[Survival0200]

Give the Zoloft a go - it might help!

 

[paranoid android]

If you took that much alprazolam in 2 go's with no benzo tolerance then maybe that drug is not for you. Alprazolam is meant as a emergency med only as it's very short acting and kicks in very fast. If you do need a benzo i would recommend getting on one with a longer half life such as Valium or clonazepam. But for the love of jesus don't abuse them. I have gone through alcohol withdrawal and benzo withdrawal and benzo withdrawal feels like a milder longer lasting version of the DT's.

Some anti-depressants help anxiety better then others. If the Zoloft does not work maybe trying a tricyclic anti-depressant such as amitriptyline or doxepin would be the way to go. They do cause alot of sedating due to their anti-cholinergic side effects but i do know people who have found that they help.