# Do stimulants make help with social anxiety? Confidence?



## meedo (Oct 4, 2011)

Hello ALl, 

I am wondering if stimulants help you with confidence or overcoming Social anxiety?


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

meedo said:


> Hello ALl,
> 
> I am wondering if stimulants help you with confidence or overcoming Social anxiety?


They do, for a 2-4hr period, if used daily this effect will dwindle significantly. Also you will have increased GAD while taking stimulants.


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## meedo (Oct 4, 2011)

barry1685 said:


> They do, for a 2-4hr period, if used daily this effect will dwindle significantly. Also you will have increased GAD while taking stimulants.


Thanks Barry.. so Basically one couldn't count on any stimulant for long term help of SA.

By the way .. does this also apply for stuff like Wellbutrin?


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

meedo said:


> Thanks Barry.. so Basically one couldn't count on any stimulant for long term help of SA.
> 
> By the way .. does this also apply for stuff like Wellbutrin?


Well, they say there are the lucky ones. Meaning the people who don't develop tolerance to some medicines. But in my experience stimulants aren't worth it because of the crash or comedown with the lack of dopamine in your brain. You feel depressed and tired and apathetic.


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## super (Sep 9, 2009)

i get confidence but i also get anxiety from them if i go into anxiety provoking situations, so it takes over the 'confidence'


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## Bacon (Jul 4, 2010)

Yes dexedrine i have No SA at all on it. Works great in college classes.


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## sas2012solar (Sep 26, 2011)

*...*

The solution to less social anxiety is having more friends..

So it's not alcohol itself that gives your social game a boost... or having a cuppa at Starbucks...

Its having more real connections..

U can be miserable at a social place like a bar.. or happy.. do you know people there... have friends..

The answers are not at the bottom of a cup


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

sas2012solar said:


> The solution to less social anxiety is having more friends..
> 
> So it's not alcohol itself that gives your social game a boost... or having a cuppa at Starbucks...
> 
> Its having more real connections..


and building social skills. How do you make more friends lol?


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## sas2012solar (Sep 26, 2011)

*good question*

Its not a linear process. U can't buy friends.

Friends think of you, and you think of them.

Repeated contact.. doing things together.. some vulnerability... which is crucial... putting yourself out there in a way that you could be hurt.... and then if they don't hurt you then it builds trust.

Its complicated but completely intuitive if you can find it out again for yourself..


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## sas2012solar (Sep 26, 2011)

*..*

You can drink zero caffeine or a lot...

Or drink zero alcohol or a lot...

People who are really social generally have a lot of friends because they like people..

And they probably aren't inherently shy...

If your shy you would probably do best having a few closer friends and it would help to have a group social thing... either sports team, volunteering club, church..

Get it?

I think some of us are scarred and we shut it out entirely...

Getting back into letting people come into your life..


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## sas2012solar (Sep 26, 2011)

*..*

Not to say these drinks aren't good for anything, but they are not the end game.

But from my own personal experience if you want to be more social in general, the more relaxed energetic happy inspired fun you are...

The more your interested in other people but not in a crazy way...

The more social you'll be apt to be..

Its not the end game though..

Bu think relaxed, more than hyper.

Just my own 2 cents... like a cup of coffee sure makes me want to move around or become manic about doing things... but in front of people im messed....

Tea isn't as bad.

But its easy to purely focus on external things we can go and buy at the store... since rhats giving us control.

But I think a true friendship is from the heart.. and that's not really in the realm of control.... which is what makes it so great.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

I was wondering whether stimulants increase general anxiety or not. Logically considered they should add to one's anxiety since they are the opposite of sedatives.


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## super (Sep 9, 2009)

swim said:


> I was wondering whether stimulants increase general anxiety or not. Logically considered they should add to one's anxiety since they are the opposite of sedatives.


they sure do add to my anxiety haha, well only socially 
i wish i could get the confident effects from it


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## Xande (Jul 18, 2011)

sas2012solar said:


> Not to say these drinks aren't good for anything, but they are not the end game.
> 
> But from my own personal experience if you want to be more social in general, the more relaxed energetic happy inspired fun you are...
> 
> ...


Good posts, find them interesting.


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## Xande (Jul 18, 2011)

Yes stimulants alone will increase anxiety with people who already suffer from a good amount of anxiety. 

And if you're taking them to help with SA, those effects won't last long if taken everyday.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

swim said:


> I was wondering whether stimulants increase general anxiety or not. Logically considered they should add to one's anxiety since they are the opposite of sedatives.


Yes, logically it would seem like giving amphetamines to somebody who's already nervous is about as bright an idea as pouring gasoline on a fire. Upon trying amphetamines, I found out that's not at all how it works.

I take dextroamphetamine and it produces absolutely no increase in anxiety for me. If it has any effect on anxiety it would be to actually calm me a bit. Main effect is to put me in a good mood & to make me very chatty.

My pdoc came up with a diagnosis of ADHD Primarily Inattentive based upon my response to stimulants, saying that only those with ADHD get a claming effect. I sure don't get the wakeful burst of energy effect as I can sit around getting absolutely nothing done on stimulants.


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## anonymous soul (Sep 8, 2011)

UltraShy said:


> Yes, logically it would seem like giving amphetamines to somebody who's already nervous is about as bright an idea as pouring gasoline on a fire. Upon trying amphetamines, I found out that's not at all how it works.
> 
> I take dextroamphetamine and it produces absolutely no increase in anxiety for me. If it has any effect on anxiety it would be to actually calm me a bit. Main effect is to put me in a good mood & to make me very chatty.
> 
> My pdoc came up with a diagnosis of ADHD Primarily Inattentive based upon my response to stimulants, saying that only those with ADHD get a claming effect. I sure don't get the wakeful burst of energy effect as I can sit around getting absolutely nothing done on stimulants.


thanks for sharing this....good to see someone with a positive experience. I think its important to note that stimulants would probably only help SA if your SA developed from adhd-pi.


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## DK3 (Sep 21, 2011)

meedo said:


> Hello ALl,
> 
> I am wondering if stimulants help you with confidence or overcoming Social anxiety?


I find them a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they do certainly make me more talkative and "switched on" around people, able to engage more readily etc. But on the other hand, they can make my anxiety worse and the shaky feeling inside/nerves are amplified. For that reason, it's not a good treatment for me personally and I tend to avoid stimulants now.


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## shazzaTPM (Oct 29, 2008)

For me, stimulants -- coffee and amphetamines -- lessen social anxiety and make me more confident, BUT if I have the wrong thought or something goes wrong, I'm more prone to exasperate it. So it's a bit of a gamble. Perhaps lessening social anxiety but, if not taken in the right mindset, can heighten general anxiety?


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## DK3 (Sep 21, 2011)

shazzaTPM said:


> For me, stimulants -- coffee and amphetamines -- lessen social anxiety and make me more confident, BUT if I have the wrong thought or something goes wrong, I'm more prone to exasperate it. So it's a bit of a gamble. Perhaps lessening social anxiety but, if not taken in the right mindset, can heighten general anxiety?


I know exactly what you mean. If you're in a good emotional state and have no low mood or depression, stimulants can be great and give you that "push" to approach people and engage with and speak to people more readily.


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## lex524 (Jul 7, 2013)

*NO!* stimulants do not help with SAD if anything they make it worse. Take if from someone with severe SAD who's tried em all adderall ritalin vyvanse even coffee and energy drinks. when your in a stressful anxiety ridden social situation it can be nerve wracking as it is but throwing stimulants in the mix is a recipe for disaster.It makes you more paranoid self conscious and 100 times more nervous therefor you have the potential to forget what your doing if your at work and completely lose your train of thought stutter like an idiot and basically be even more of an emotional wreck then normal.*if you're around people your comfortable with its a completely different story you'll talk and talk and talk and be a social butterfly* like the normal person speeding balls i guess if your case of SAD isnt too severe it may help.


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## Ben12 (Jul 8, 2009)

I just got off of vyvanse and it isn't really the greatest for social anxiety. In a way it might be very appealing at times though. I was feeling great at the beginning. I felt very confident and sociable while on the vyvanse. I wasn't sensitive to judgment either like I can be which was an effect that really stood out for me. My self esteem grew stronger and things were going great. But this doesn't last forever while your on it. Eventually it will go away like it has for me. Now I feel even more sensitive now that I'm off of it. I'm trying to build from how I felt when I was on the vyvanse but it's extremely difficult. Right now I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do about this anxiety. Might just end up going back on clonazepam but I'd rather not if I don't have too.

I wouldn't recommend vyvanse or any stimulant really, if your primary disorder is anxiety related.


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## redex5798 (Apr 5, 2013)

Concerta had motivated me and reduced my social phobia by a ton! It made me feel quite talkative and not very shy to perform in front of people in general. So yes --stimulants do work for social phobia.


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## OtherBrain (Jul 4, 2013)

#TeamMonster


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