Are medication really the answer to SA?

[yohannes]

I feel like Social Phobia isn't a common disease that can be treated with medicine. Most of the drug that are used for SA are actually were develop to treate depression but for an individual who has SA and doesn't have depression won't help them with there SA. I had taken paxil for a while and didn't really see an improvement with my SA.

Our SA is caused by thoughts and these medicine can't really change our thoughts. I think the best way to reduce our SA I didn't use the word cure, because technically there is nothing wrong with us. Rather our negative thought had been reinforce with avoidence of social interaction. I believe the solution to Social Phobia is changing our thought and facing our fear. For example people who fear snake are shown snake and after a while they get use to it. But for us we must first change our negative thought first then face our fear. That what CBT teachs do you agree with that or do you think there is a magic pill?

 

[BlackKids]

My doc told me SA is a result of a chemical imbalance in your brain. He recommended I tried lexapro for a few months, I did and I've been much better, a different person even. Meds gave me more confidence which helped with positive thinking etc.

Anxiety is all in our heads and there isn't no magic pill (be nice if there was). Meds can help but only if your willing to help yourself.

 

[music10]

Usually the best cure for social anxiety is CBT along with medications. But medications won't get rid of the negative thoughts. Only the therapy will.

 

[lurknomore]

I think medication can help control some of the symptoms for some individuals, but it isn't a full "treatment." Without some sort of therapy, the symptoms will still be there if you stop the medication, and it isn't really taking care of the underlying problem. Masking the symptoms isn't the same thing as curing the problem.

However, I think that medication can help facilitate therapy if/when necessary. If you're too depressed to leave your bedroom, much less see a therapist, an anti-depressant could perhaps give you the boost needed to be open to seeking further treatment. Or if you have a panic attack just walking down the street, it would be beneficial to take something to stop or calm that attack so you can keep going.

Ideally, with the right therapy, the drugs would eventually become unnecessary.

 

[Elenwen]

I don't think there's a pill that will make all our social anxiety issues magically disappear, but for some people anxiety medication takes just enough edge off the anxious thoughts to allow them the confidence to work to get better. That's how it was for me, anyway, when I actually took anxiety meds. I was still extremely anxious and frightened, but just enough of the edge was taken off that I knew that I wouldn't die from doing whatever it was, when without the meds the same situations would send me into panic attacks.

 

[philly2bits]

I don't believe there is any one type of treatment that can help with SA. SA effects people differently. Some people may have certain symptoms while not having others. Some people actually do have physical effects of SA, such as anxiety or panic attacks. Drugs can be very useful in helping with those symptoms.

Other people may not have such severe problems and the problem does lie in there thoughts alone, in which case therapy may be all they need. A person ultimately needs to make the choice themselves what choice is best for them. A doctor can help in the matter though.

 

[Danfalc]

I think they can be an important tool.I dont think they are the only solution.Basicaly like other people have already said,therapy and medication seems to have the most results.

I think mediction is important though because if they can make you a bit more stable the obviously you will be in a abtter frame of mind to crack on with therapy.Ive been given so many different meds for anxiety and none of them have helped,but they have helped with my depression which has then enabled me to cope with anxiety better,cope with stress better ect

 

[Krista]

I think some people forget that social anxiety is considered a mental disorder, not necessarily something can be controlled with medication. The obvious answer is this something that you have to work through, medicine can only help with symptoms i.e. depression, anxiousness. I think a combination of help from family and therapy really gets things into perspective but I do understand that sometimes it's not enough for some people. In which case if you feel you've exhausted all your options talking to your doctor is always the second best answer.

 

[Noca]

A combination of meds AND therapy have been proven to be the best treatment for anxiety/depression. My anxiety is tolerable with meds but my depression remains untouched and out of control.

You can see the list of meds I take in my signature. Apparently I'm not allowed to say what I take each med for on this forum so if you want to know, just pm me.

 

[Danfalc]

Just because a medication was developed to treat one thing, does not in any way mean that it isn't the best way to control something else.
The statement that drugs developed for depression can't help people that dont have depression is an ignorant one.

I dont think anyone was saying that.Its common knowledge that most medications like anti depressants have many uses for various disorders.If you take a leaflet out and read it,there will often be a long list of things that its perscribed for other than just its primary one.

Anti Psychotics are supposed to help people with anxiety if applied in small doeses,the current anti depressants I take are supposed to help with my sleeping disorder.

I am slight dubious sometimes,I mean I trust my doctor,but I do wonder sometimes if some companies would claim a product treats a wide range of things that it wasnt designed to.

 

[Enialis227]

I feel like Social Phobia isn't a common disease that can be treated with medicine. Most of the drug that are used for SA are actually were develop to treate depression but for an individual who has SA and doesn't have depression won't help them with there SA. I had taken paxil for a while and didn't really see an improvement with my SA.

He was saying that.
At least, that is the way I interpreted that statement.

I am slight dubious sometimes,I mean I trust my doctor,but I do wonder sometimes if some companies would claim a product treats a wide range of things that it wasnt designed to.

Your scepticism is justified. Drug companies have been know to do things exactly like this.
The medical field, like any other science, is self-correcting though, so in the big picture, it is safe to trust doctors and their treatments.

 

[Danfalc]

He was saying that.
At least, that is the way I interpreted that statement.

Oh sorry didnt notice that.Still I dont think its ignorant.I sometimes wonder wouldnt medication dedicated to treating anxiety alone be better than medication that treats anxiety as like a side effect.In my own personal experience Ive never found a anti depressant to help my anxiety that Ive noticed.Though Im not trying to say they cant help some other people.

Your scepticism is justified. Drug companies have been know to do things exactly like this.
The medical field, like any other science, is self-correcting though, so in the big picture, it is safe to trust doctors and their treatments.

Thanks,A new Psychiatrict started me on 3 new types of medication at the same time.I always seem to get bad side effects when first starting,He got extremley angry at me as I refused start all three at the same time.But when I spoke to my personal doctor she totaly agreed with me.

So Yeah I will generally take them on their word as they are the experts I'm not.Still even these days its better to be carefull and do research and use common sence.Or get a 2nd opinion.

 

[Enialis227]

Oh sorry didnt notice that.Still I dont think its ignorant.I sometimes wonder wouldnt medication dedicated to treating anxiety alone be better than medication that treats anxiety as like a side effect.In my own personal experience Ive never found a anti depressant to help my anxiety that Ive noticed.Though Im not trying to say they cant help some other people.



Thanks,A new Psychiatrict started me on 3 new types of medication at the same time.I always seem to get bad side effects when first starting,He got extremley angry at me as I refused start all three at the same time.But when I spoke to my personal doctor she totaly agreed with me.

So Yeah I will generally take them on their word as they are the experts I'm not.Still even these days its better to be carefull and do research and use common sence.Or get a 2nd opinion.

3 new medications at a time? Yikes, that sounds unreasonable. Cant blame you for not agreeing, I don't think I would do that either.

Regardless of what doctors tell you, always do the research and get second opinions. Find the middle ground between trusting you doctor and scepticism. At least, that seems like the best thing to do, anyway.

On another note, I only meant ignorant as "uniformed". Got a little hasty in my reply and forgot the connotations of the word, let me go change that.

 

[Noca]

Blind faith in doctors can be just as dangerous as self-medicating.

 

[Danfalc]

Regardless of what doctors tell you, always do the research and get second opinions. Find the middle ground between trusting you doctor and scepticism. At least, that seems like the best thing to do, anyway.

Yeah thats sound advice.Especialy if its a new doctor who doesnt know your history.They are only human after all.

On another note, I only meant ignorant as "uniformed". Got a little hasty in my reply and forgot the connotations of the word, let me go change that.

No worries,It was my fault for reading too fast and not realising what you were geting at.

 

[Hellhound]

Medication might help, but i don't know if you can cure it with meds only as if it were a common cold. Therapy is necesary as well.

 

[Enialis227]

Medication might help, but i don't know if you can cure it with meds only as if it were a common cold. Therapy is necesary as well.

I'm not trying to be consistently opposed to everyone who posts, but it seems like that is just the way I am.

I would be careful to say necessary, because I don't require any to help with my anxiety (it can make things easier though), so there do exist people that only need medication.

 

[Hellhound]

I'm not trying to be consistently opposed to everyone who posts, but it seems like that is just the way I am.

I would be careful to say necessary, because I don't require any to help with my anxiety (it can make things easier though), so there do exist people that only need medication.

Yeah, I wasn't refering to all cases. I just forgot to mention it

 

[ShyCanuck]

Think of depression and anxiety medications more like a vitamin supplement then, say, an antibiotic. The medications usually work by replacing or complementing certain chemicals in your brain that are not being produced or used properly. Sort of like if someone had a disability that interrupted their ability to produce or absorb a certain vitamin, you would take a vitamin supplement or a compound that allows your body to more easily use the vitamin. Our disability is not "all in our head"; it is a physical and chemical disability. People with Social Anxiety have, for example, a hypersensitive amygdala.

Personally, I don't believe therapy is at all necessary for the vast majority of people. I say this because therapy only accomplishes what you would do on your own anyways; exposure, modifying your thoughts and behaviour, etc. which should be made exceptionally easy by the medication, assuming that it works. There are people, however, for whom no medications or therapies will work for them, and these people likely have an unknown or more complex cause for their disability.

I don't understand people's fear and paranoia about medications. In our case, the medication is more or less necessary for our brains to function "normally". It's no different then eating food in order to get necessary vitamins; if you suffered from the inability to absorb calcium properly, would you refuse extra calcium supplements until your bones crumbled into dust?