Topic Title: Strongest social phobia long-term medication?
| |  "Strongest social phobia long-term medication?"
, Sat 23 Jul 19:21
Hi, I'm going to give SJW a try for 10 weeks on the research grade hypericum perforatum recommended by http://hypericum.com ; it is the hypericum distributed by "hbc", with 0.3% hypericin and 4% hyperforin. I am taking 4 of thest tablets a day (1200 mg).
If SJW is not effective, or is not effective to a degree significant enough to help me cope with the physical tensions and reactions I experience before and during social interaction, then I want to switch to the most powerful, most specialized long term medication for social anxiety.
The physical symptoms I experience before (up to about 3 hours before going in to work or going to a social event) and constantly during social situations:
- lump in throat (globus hystericus) : it is extremely severe in my case, it makes it difficult to talk, I slur my speech, I produce excessive amounts of saliva (which I swallow often and therethrough bruise my hyoid bone)
- difficulty eating : related to lump in throat; throat closes up, appetite decreases, the size of bites I can take and swallow decreases
- difficulty breathing : related to lump in throat; throat closes up and breath is shortened, lung capacity seems weaker
- difficulty urinating : I can't urinate if there's someone else present in a public urinal
- difficulty concentrating
- loss of articulate communication capcity
- loss of coordination : for instance, playing basketball with a group of people I don't know well, my balance becomes terrible; my strength and dexterity are also sapped
- the list goes on... I know I have social phobia, and I have it bad. I know it is related to neurochemical imbalances, though I haven't pinpointed which ones yet. I need a strong social anxiety medicine.
Paxil helped substantially. It got rid of or diminished 60% of my symptoms. It may have been more effective, but I was on Accutane at the same time, which decreases serotonin levels. My parents made me go off paxil. I tried Zoloft a few months later, for about 3 months. Zoloft was less effective than Paxil, although I noticed almost no depression while on Zoloft and fewer side effects. I have been contemplating, maybe my disorder lies with dopamine, because Zoloft helped me to feel depressed almost never, even while my social anxiety persisted. Zoloft removed or diminished 30% of my symptoms.
A funny fact to end this post. Zoloft and Paxil improved most of my symptoms, but they made it impossible for me to pee in public. Without these meds, I could usually get a stream going after standing in front of a urinal for about 30-120 seconds, even if other people were nearby. On these meds though, I could stand there for hours and not make any progress. lol
Well, let me know which meds I should research which well help me cope with my severe social anxiety long term. Thanks!
- Jacob
Posts: 1 | | Registered: Sat 23 Jul 2005 19:0 |
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| | | "Re(2):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Sat 6 Aug 19:03
My name is Jake Jack Johnson. Actually it is not, I am only jokeing because we have no one else to talk to.
Posts: 13 | | Registered: Mon 1 Aug 2005 6:34 |
| | | "Re(3):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Sat 6 Aug 20:48
lol... i think XD.
I'm back on paxil and it actually seems to be starting to help on the 2nd day. There were only 3 days in between when I stopped SJW and got on Paxil. Also, the paxil sexual side effects occur immediately upon beginning medication.
I'm reading up on Valerian root and it looks nice. I wonder if I can safely take it long -term.
Posts: 14 | | Registered: Sat 23 Jul 2005 19:0 |
| | "Re(1):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Sun 24 Jul 01:34
That is a very brave post to open yourself up like that on this board.
I also suffer from social anxiety and have tried paxil and lexapro. The latter made me completely impotent even at 5mg a day after just one week. In my opinion taking SSRI's is like opening pandoras box trading one set of problems for another.
In the last month I have switched from Lexapro to Amoryn. All the side effects I had from lexapro, ie ?Increased sweating, Impotence, tiredness have now disappeared. I am so happy not to have that stuff in my system anymore but am wiser for having the experience now of trying it.
I will continue to take amoryn for a few more weeks but know in my heart that to overcome anxiety requires more than taking a pill.
Posts: 49 | | Registered: Sat 5 Jul 2003 11:54 |
| | | "Re(2):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Tue 2 Aug 07:14
How well is amoryn helping your social anxiety? I have taken anxietol 7 for a short period of time with good results.
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Mon 1 Aug 2005 6:34 |
| | | "Re(2):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Sun 24 Jul 13:47
It really does require more than a pill, but the pill takes the edge off. For me, my symptoms are of the nature that the more I concentrate on not being anxious, the more mental energy I expend trying to fight these symptoms, the more I exacerbate them. The harder I try, the worse they get, to an extent. Therefore, a pill to calm me and put me at ease would be nice.
Alcohol does the trick, but obviously that's not an option. I'm a completely different person after 3-5 beers just because I can relax and interact with people in a way I have control over. I'd like to find a medicine I can take that is somewhat safe with a similar effect ;) Thx for the reply. Keep me updated on the med you are on. Do you think it's one I should ask my psych about?
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Sat 23 Jul 2005 19:0 |
| | | "Re(3):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Sun 24 Jul 14:05
Amoryn is a natural supplement containing 5HTP and SJW. It could be something that you ask your doctor about.
I know exactly what you mean about anticipatory anxiety before anything social or human interaction for that matter.
Alcohol calms me also but when it wears off my anxiety is even worse the next day.
Posts: 50 | | Registered: Sat 5 Jul 2003 11:54 |
| | | "Re(4):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Sun 24 Jul 18:27
That your anxiety is worse the next day, I agree, I have experienced that exact same phenomenon. I think I have that part figured out. Alcohol is a depressant, and it lowers your serotonin levels. At the same time it releases morphines and the chemicals that loosen you up, it is swelling up your blood vessel membranes (or something, I forget what psych told me) and preventing serotonin adsorption. Therefore, alcohol lowers serotonin.
And since we experience worsened symptoms the day after drinking, serotonin definitely plays a part in social interaction/social anxiety. However, why does alcohol loosen us up so much? Does alcohol transiently increase concentrations of other neurotransmitters in our brain? What is it's effect on dopamine, etc? What other neurotransmitters affect social interaction besides serotonin? These are questions that intrigue me. I'm currently trying to research on these fronts, but progress is slow.
After being on the Wort for 3 weeks, I am noticing it is helping a bit. It is taking the edge off of approximately 10 - 15% of my symptoms at this point. I'll stick with SJW if at the 10 week mark, that number is above 50%.
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Sat 23 Jul 2005 19:0 |
| | | "Re(5):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Tue 2 Aug 11:30:
SJW made me feel very good and creative but made my social anxiety worse. BTW: does anyone know why an ssri or antidepressant will work ounce but not when you discontinue it and try it again? This has been my number one problem.
[this message was edited by JHE on Tue 2 Aug 11:39]
Posts: 5 | | Registered: Mon 1 Aug 2005 6:34 |
| | | "Re(5):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Sun 24 Jul 23:53
Hi,
You might also want to look into the amino acids L-tryptophan & L-tyrosine, precusors of Serotonin & Dopamine respectively. I've been taking L-tryptophan for some time now, with mixed results admittedly but I think it's helping me feel a bit more confident than I was.
For fast effective profit own a drug company.
Posts: 146 | | Registered: Wed 14 Apr 2004 23:27 |
| | | "Re(6):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Mon 25 Jul 01:26
Haha. I agree with you about the drug industry.
I'm interested in what doesage you take those suplements and where you obtain them from.
You say they make you feel more confident? I could definitely use a confidence boost, but mentally I feel alright about my person. My greater problem is the physical symptoms, my throat closing up, thus causing me a lot of pain. That makes it impossible for me to relax, and difficult for me to talk (physically). I consciously avoid social situations in order to avoid these painful side effects, closed up throat, copius saliva, difficulty with the speech mechanism (it just hurts my throat when I talk lol). I feel kind of deflated, like I got the wind knocked out of me.
It's 4:30 AM right now sorry If this post isn't coherent ;).
- Jake
Posts: 5 | | Registered: Sat 23 Jul 2005 19:0 |
| | | "Re(7):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Mon 25 Jul 01:46:
I want to reiterate this because it's very important.
Alcohol consumption, just 3-5 beers, removes or alleviates ALL of my social anxiety symptoms, for a couple of hours. Alcohol is like a temporary panacea. Whatever effect it has on my brain chemistry in the sectors that deal with social interaction, that is the potent, perfect set of reductions on my physical symptoms of social anxiety that I wish to reciprocate through a safer, long-term medication.
I haven't had alcohol for three straight months, and I'm proud of myself for that. Back at school, I used to drink every weekend almost. I drank before going to dances, and I only had intimate conversations or interactions with girls while I was tipsy (I was in too much discomfort and tension to do so sober). I was always in control of myself, never lost memory, and always stopped after a handful of beers.
Alcohol is so perfect for my condition that I actually drank a few beers right before I had to give an hour long presentation on a Japanese novel (heheh I slurred a few words but got a high A). Here's something else interesting. I had a speech class in high school, and I remember that before we had to give speeches I had bad social anxiety for hours beforehand, which reached a peak when I got up to the podium. After a minute or two up there, though, my heartrate would slow and I would feel super relaxed. I actually enjoyed giving presentations while giving them, but feared them like death beforehand.
My social anxiety and its symptoms have progressively gotten worse as I have gotten older. I'm 19, and I have had social anxiety disorder my whole life. I cried a lot as a baby, and was a really quiet, shy kid. It is very interesting to note that as my brain activity and complexity has increased, so has social anxiety. As I become more conscious and my brain activity expands, my physical symptoms are exaggerated.
For these two reasons (1. having some form of social anxiety for my entire life, 2. social anxiety physical symptoms increasing linearly as brain activity increases), I think that my problem lies heavily on a neurochemical imbalance in my neural tissue. Finding the right 'pill cocktail', as my counselor calls it, should hopefully diminish my social anxiety physical symptoms massively.
Thanks for your interest in my situation, friends. Keep the posts coming, please.
- Jake
[this message was edited by jakejohnson007 on Mon 25 Jul 01:52]
Posts: 7 | | Registered: Sat 23 Jul 2005 19:0 |
| | | "Re(8):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Fri 12 Aug 11:36
Hi Jake
Just a quick post try 5-htp for your anixety it works a treat for me!
Posts: 18 | | Registered: Mon 9 May 2005 3:19 |
| | | "Re(9):Strongest social phobia long-term medic" , Fri 12 Aug 14:05
do you have specifically social anxiety? I do not have general anxiety, only social.
I'm going to try NARDIL first, if that doesn't work, I'll consider this. Thanks for your reply.
Posts: 15 | | Registered: Sat 23 Jul 2005 19:0 |
| | | "Re(10):Strongest social phobia long-term medi" , Thu 23 Feb 13:28
I have severe Social anxiety and shyness. I've been taking Clarocet since Feb 20th. I am feeling huge difference. I feel less anxious and shyness when around people. I started talking to people with confidence.
Please try this product. Earlier I was taking Perika SJW. It didn't help me much.
Posts: 12 | | Registered: Thu 16 Feb 2006 13:45 |
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