# What meds to take for extreme shyness?



## AngryGerbil (Dec 15, 2009)

My social anxiety is severe and debilitating. I'm currently unemployed because of social phobia, and often avoid social activities because often I will shake, feel tense and twitchy or just plain ill.

I've taken Paxil but it made me fat and effected sex.
Right now I'm taking Wellbutrin, it's not doing anything at all really.

Basically I was hoping someone could tell me what medication might be appropriate for someone such as me. An AD or SSRI I assume, but there's like 50 million of them and I can't see how I'd pick one over the other. If there is some drug that turns off the bodys ability to produce adrenaline that would probably be awesome/perfect.


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

AngryGerbil said:


> My social anxiety is severe and debilitating. I'm currently unemployed because of social phobia, and often avoid social activities because often I will shake, feel tense and twitchy or just plain ill.
> 
> I've taken Paxil but it made me fat and effected sex.
> Right now I'm taking Wellbutrin, it's not doing anything at all really.
> ...


Beta Blockers are amazing for adrenaline. They are generally prescribed for heart conditions. Basically they slow the heart rate down slightly and control heart speed and adrenaline. I was on them for heart palpitations. Worked amazing to control panic and anxiety.

Benzos are short term and are addicting so they have limited uses. They do indeed control anxiety.

There are also many supplements that help.

But before anything, do your research and consult with your doctor before you start taking anything!


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## Himi Jendrix (Mar 24, 2010)

I was in a similar sitch as you a couple years ago. I was prescribed xanax and prozac and it did the trick. 

Might not work for everyone but it did work for me. Got me out of my parents house, a new job, freedom.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

Nardil. Don't waste your time with anything else, especially the SSRI's.

You can either go on the "SSRI merry-go-round" or you can go straight to the top with the most effective AD there is for SA - nardil. I only wish I didn't waste 10 years going through all the SSRI's.


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## AngryGerbil (Dec 15, 2009)

I don't think I could give up cheese  But I'll keep it in mind.


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## Cuauhtemoc (Jul 22, 2010)

Oh cmon maoi's are a lot stronger, but they have some bad side effects, I would start with an ssri, it worked very well for me, the problem is that it does make some people gain weight, not my case luckily.
By the way, why did you gain weight? Did you feel more hunger? or you just gained more weight without apparent reason?
Because I ate a little more after SSRI but mainly because I finally enjoyed eating with friends instead of sitting at my bedroom playing videogames all day.

But yeah, 10 years is a lot of time, if paxil didn't work for me I would try one more SSRI and then go to something stronger.

Benzos are a instant relief, but they are addictive and lose potency so you need to take higher and higher doses.
So keep them for special occasions like a public speech or an exam.

Beta blockers, I have no experience with them, but my psychiatrist said that if I needed to calm down for a public speech or something it could be used...but I got so outgoing after paxil that I didn't really need it.


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

shy-one said:


> Nardil. Don't waste your time with anything else, especially the SSRI's.
> 
> You can either go on the "SSRI merry-go-round" or you can go straight to the top with the most effective AD there is for SA - nardil. I only wish I didn't waste 10 years going through all the SSRI's.


Nardil is great in other peoples experiences. You shouldn't waste your time with SSRIs if you are not depressed. Nardil is the same, skip it if your not depressed. I would rather risk benzo addiction than take Nardil, just because my anxiety is not as bad as other peoples anxiety on this forum. Nardil can be deadly but extremely rare to happen if taken responsibly. Nardil also is extremely hard to get prescribed.


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

barry1685 said:


> Nardil is great in other peoples experiences. You shouldn't waste your time with SSRIs if you are not depressed. Nardil is the same, skip it if your not depressed. I would rather risk benzo addiction than take Nardil, just because my anxiety is not as bad as other peoples anxiety on this forum. Nardil can be deadly but extremely rare to happen if taken responsibly. Nardil also is extremely hard to get prescribed.


nardil is also good for SA alone, you will gain tolerance to benzos after a while


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## shy-one (May 10, 2008)

AngryGerbil said:


> I don't think I could give up cheese  But I'll keep it in mind.


I loved cheese too, but of rather not have SA or depression.

You can still have some cheeses like mozzarella (most pizzas), processed cheese, cream cheese, cottage etc. As long as it isn't aged


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## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

You may gain tolerance to Benzos, but I personally was on Klonopin every day for about 5 months & it did wonders. I finally realized what it was like without social anxiety. Well - once I got off of them, guess what? My social anxiety didn't return. I became more realistic about what life is really like. So, in my view - Benzos can be very beneficial if used correctly, like in my case. Use them for a couple months for a realistic view of what social anxiety is supposed to be like & not supposed to be like. & Then get off of them.


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

EarlGreyDregs said:


> You may gain tolerance to Benzos, but I personally was on Klonopin every day for about 5 months & it did wonders. I finally realized what it was like without social anxiety. Well - once I got off of them, guess what? My social anxiety didn't return. I became more realistic about what life is really like. So, in my view - Benzos can be very beneficial if used correctly, like in my case. Use them for a couple months for a realistic view of what social anxiety is supposed to be like & not supposed to be like. & Then get off of them.


that is awesome that it worked for you in this way, I plan on taking benzos 3-4 times a week. Did you purposely expose yourself to people to learn how to act in public situations?


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

Tell us some more, what symptoms do you have, what do you avoid, etc?


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## AngryGerbil (Dec 15, 2009)

@ Cuauhtemoc
I'm normally kind of under weight and don't eat much. But on Paxil hunger felt...stronger? if that makes sense? Like normally I can ignore it easily.

@EarlGreyDregs
I had thought Benzos were for situational use. But your doctor prescribed it daily? Like you took it in the morning? or was it like, you waited for a stressful situation and then took one? I can't say I'm worried about the addictive properties so this advice seems most promising.

@Inshallah
Are you talking to me?
What SA symptoms I have, and what social situations I avoid?
I thought I covered that in the post, but I can certainly elucidate further.


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## Cuauhtemoc (Jul 22, 2010)

I see, realize that depression can make one without hunger, although I don't think it's the case.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Nardil makes you fat
I would try benzos first
How can one be happy if lookin like jabba the hut


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## angus (Dec 18, 2010)

Alcohol


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

I don't think adrenaline is necessarily a bad thing. It's how you deal with the adrenaline that matters and where most of us fail significantly. We experience no more adrenaline-induced stress than Formula 1 drivers, yet have you ever heard Sebastian Vettel informing his engineer that he's having a panic attack? LOL


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## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

barry1685 said:


> that is awesome that it worked for you in this way, I plan on taking benzos 3-4 times a week. Did you purposely expose yourself to people to learn how to act in public situations?


I didn't have to purposely expose myself. With the Benzo, I had absolutely little to no anxiety about doing so, so I just did it because my gut & anxiety-less mind had the urge to just do so.

Also note: This drug didn't give me social skills. I didn't know how to "act" in the situation. I don't have the best social skills. The drug takes away the anxiety & gives you the chance to learn social skills however.

Also note: This is just MY EXPERIENCE on Klonopin. Not everyone responds the same way to Benzos. Obviously, every brain chemistry is unique. 



AngryGerbil said:


> @EarlGreyDregs
> I had thought Benzos were for situational use. But your doctor prescribed it daily? Like you took it in the morning? or was it like, you waited for a stressful situation and then took one? I can't say I'm worried about the addictive properties so this advice seems most promising.


Yes - I got it prescribed daily because my anxiety was unmanageable. I couldn't do anything. I took it at nighttime actually because Benzos make you very sleepy.

Klonopin is actually a long-lasting Benzo - so it is mostly used for people that need it all the time, not for situational use. Benzos like Xanax are short-lived & are more addicting, they are for situational use.


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

AngryGerbil said:


> @ Cuauhtemoc
> I'm normally kind of under weight and don't eat much. But on Paxil hunger felt...stronger? if that makes sense? Like normally I can ignore it easily.
> 
> @EarlGreyDregs
> ...


Depending on where you live Benzos can be hard to prescribe. I honestly didn't even bother with getting a daily dose where I live because the drs are extremely strict. So instead I had a strategy to see one dr for panic attacks and he gave me a prescription. He limited my prescription to a low dose with limited pills. Say the low dosage works but there aren't enough pills, all you have to do is use your head and call the dr back and say its only working slightyly and BAM! higher doses which you can then break up down to the lower doses you had that worked. So now you have say an actual months worth. I do recommend with any new medicine that can be addictive to "test the waters" so to speak.

I am going to test Xanax first to see if it even works. If it does great, then I will Take it two days in a row, then stop and see how my body reacts with the withdrawal. You can slowly progress to see how your body reacts with benzos. I do not recommend you take the benzos 24/7.


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