Medication????

[abbieasdfghjkl]

Hi! Does anyone take medication for social anxiety specifically, as a long term thing? I did cbt for a few months and it did help with some of the smaller stuff but I’ve had social anxiety for as long as I can remember and once I stopped therapy basically fell back into old habits so was wondering whether medication is an option? I was on citalopram a few years ago for depression/general anxiety so not too worried about side effects etc just want opinions if it’s useful for SA ?

[Dougella]

I am on venlafaxine (also known as effector) which is supposed to help somewhat with anxiety aswell as depression. I think it helps a bit but it's not taken away my SA. It has helped a lot over time with my depression though.

Alot of people do find that CBT is a bit limited in dealing with things like severe social anxiety. You might want to look into other forms of therapy like ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) or go back to your GP and ask if you can be referred for more therapy.

[Aelwyn]

I have a prescription for slow release propranolol. It helps with shakiness, and that can increase confidence. It doesn't take away the underlying anxiety, but I find it very useful. I don't take it every day as it can affect sleep.

(Nanuq - I'm wondering why you stopped taking the citalopram if it was helpful to you?)

[Aelwyn]

^ I'm sorry about that. But it's great you're going to be starting an MA course soon. I believe universities are generally more understanding and supportive now of students with issues such as SA, so hopefully you can work out a comfortable way of getting through the course.

[Percy]

I'm not really a fan of medication for SA.

[limey123]

There was one med, I forget the name, which is literally supposed to be the "magic bullet" for SA, totally fixes it. But as it's some fairly obscure MAOI, almost no practitioner will ever prescribe it.

[Dougella]

^ Seroxat?