# benzo vs ssri



## n1kkuh (Jul 11, 2008)

which do you guys recommend more for someone who doesn't have super severe SA but enough to let it interfere with life. My counselor said medication could be an option for me and suggested that I see the school psychiatrist. She basically said that the pdoc would probably either prescribe me a ssri or a benzo. From your guy's experience which medication has the highest chance of helping, without causing any sense of dependency. I just want to get better, without the medication hiding too much from me, because I think I wont be able to get any better if I just avoid the pain.
Thanks.


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## dss (Oct 28, 2008)

If you're in high school still then I'm not so sure you will be getting a benzo that quick and easy even if your counselor suggested it but who knows.

That said , I think a SSRI would probably be the best choice to start. One reason being is that benzo's can be addictive to some people which is something you didn't want. Benzo's are also usually taken as needed to deal with high anxiety situations and not so much on a daily basis (although some people do take them daily).

In terms of effectiveness I'm sure most people would take Benzos over an SSRI. The problem with benzos is that you build up tolerance to them over time , they can be abused and if you are on them long term the withdrawals can be really rough. For those reasons it can be difficult to get prescriptions for them. 

Anxiety medication really comes down to a trial and error type of thing. One person may try Zoloft (SSRI) and have it take away their social anxiety where as someone else might not have it do anything for them at all.

Your welcome to read , ask and try and find as much information on all types of medications you can before you decide on something but try to keep in mind you may end up trying a lot of different meds before you find one that can help you.

Good luck!


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## screwjack (Dec 19, 2008)

I'd say both since SSRIS can take months to work and lead to increased anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation in the first months. Take the benzos in the short term to help you while the SSRI accumulates in your system.


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## n1kkuh (Jul 11, 2008)

dss said:


> If you're in high school still then I'm not so sure you will be getting a benzo that quick and easy even if your counselor suggested it but who knows.
> 
> Good luck!


Actually I'm a sophomore in college right now, by school pdoc I meant college pdoc, sorry for that. Thanks for your guy's suggestions I can see how ssri's can be annoying for sexual side effects, or at least in my case, mastubation side effects, lol. But yeah if I decide to go with benzo's I'm not gonna take it day in day out or at a high dosage so I'm not at all concerned with being addicted. Whereas with the ssri I will have to take it daily. I'm still not sure but I think I'm leaning more towards the Benzo right now because it seems to have more of a sense of freedom that comes along with it.


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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

n1kkuh said:


> which do you guys recommend more for someone who doesn't have super severe SA but enough to let it interfere with life.


Probably best to go with an SSRI in this situation. Your post suggests you are new to medication and SSRIs are nearly universally the first step. Although SSRIs are generally mediocre at best when it comes to SA, they do help some people and might be just enough to overcome your level of anxiety.



n1kkuh said:


> From your guy's experience which medication has the highest chance of helping


Benzos, handsdown.



n1kkuh said:


> without causing any sense of dependency.


Both SSRIs and benzos can cause dependency


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## Rob (Sep 25, 2005)

They both exist because neither one is "better" some are just better for certain people. 

I think benzos are too habit forming and ssri's have too many unexpected side affect. Like benzos you know more what you're in store for, ssri's its like you have a list of 100 different sides and they all randomly pop up in no order depending on the person.


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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

Rob said:


> They both exist because neither one is "better" some are just better for certain people.


One or the other may be better suited for a particular person and his/her situation but the anxiolytic effects of benzos are far superior to that of SSRIs.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I prefer Adderall(Amphetamine type of meds)


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Noca said:


> I prefer Adderall(Amphetamine type of meds)


So would I, but that's not at all a realistic option for 99%+ of people here unless they happen to have ADD. Keith (Noca) gets Adderall for treatment of his ADD and it just happens that it also make one more social.

I've never heard of a single case where any amphetamine was prescribed for treatment of SA nor any other anxiety disorder.

As Keith well knows, it's my personal goal to get dextroamphetamine out of my psychiatrist. My justification is for treatment of severe depression that has failed to respond to a whole laundry list of drugs. I'm first having to jump through the hoop of trying Wellbutrin first (a mildly stimulating antidepressant), before my doc is willing to give me the "good stuff". Doctors are not eager to give out amphetamines because they are C-II drugs, the most highly controlled legal drugs and are defined as having a high potential for abuse.

For those who don't know, amphetamines are one of the last resort treatments for depression that fails to respond to conventional treatments. It's not common, but it's done.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

As for benzo vs SSRI, there is no question here. Benzos win by a landslide. While I personally think benzos are over-rated, it's not hard to beat SSRIs when they set the bar so exceedingly low.

Large amounts of benzos have a modest effect on me. SSRIs do nothing at all to calm me. Of course, reactions vary greatly, so YMMV, but odds are a benzo will get the job done better. It will certainly get the job done faster -- as within the hour -- unlike waiting a month for SSRIs to kick in (if they ever do).


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