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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ms.kate on September 4, 2000, at 0:56:29
i was put on effexor about 6 weeks ago, for general depression and social anxiety. i had mentioned paxil because my sister had had tremendous success, but my doc opted for the effexor because she felt my depression was severe and i needed a fast acting prescription. im moving up to 225mg, and so far its been slow going. though i have noticed some improvement of my mood and a lot of my anxiety has lessened, however i see little change in my attitude towards any type of social activity. the sheer thought of it still makes me shudder, and with a new fulltime job approaching i am starting to really worry. what i wanted to ask you all (as you seem like a very openminded and helpful bunch) is what you know about effexor for the treatment of social anxiety disorders. i dont know if im too quick to judge, but ive noticed such minute changes (if any). after only days on paxil my sister could feel a significant change when in social situations, and im starting to wonder if maybe i need to switch. any thoguhts?
also... for the past week or so my sleep has been so very odd. i take .5mg of risperdal, with which i am able to fall asleep rather easily. at around 5am i wake from a very intense and complicated dream, cold and pouring with sweat. i fall back asleep, but this happens maybe 3 to 5 times in a row, each time a different (but just as odd) dream. for me this is very strange... this may have nothing to do wth my prescriptions, but i thought id see if anyone has had a similar experience.
thanks so much
Posted by Rick on September 6, 2000, at 1:58:28
In reply to effexor, social anxiety more. im new!, posted by ms.kate on September 4, 2000, at 0:56:29
> i was put on effexor about 6 weeks ago, for general depression and social anxiety. i had mentioned paxil because my sister had had tremendous success, but my doc opted for the effexor because she felt my depression was severe and i needed a fast acting prescription. im moving up to 225mg, and so far its been slow going. though i have noticed some improvement of my mood and a lot of my anxiety has lessened, however i see little change in my attitude towards any type of social activity. the sheer thought of it still makes me shudder, and with a new fulltime job approaching i am starting to really worry. what i wanted to ask you all (as you seem like a very openminded and helpful bunch) is what you know about effexor for the treatment of social anxiety disorders. i dont know if im too quick to judge, but ive noticed such minute changes (if any). after only days on paxil my sister could feel a significant change when in social situations, and im starting to wonder if maybe i need to switch. any thoguhts?
>
> also... for the past week or so my sleep has been so very odd. i take .5mg of risperdal, with which i am able to fall asleep rather easily. at around 5am i wake from a very intense and complicated dream, cold and pouring with sweat. i fall back asleep, but this happens maybe 3 to 5 times in a row, each time a different (but just as odd) dream. for me this is very strange... this may have nothing to do wth my prescriptions, but i thought id see if anyone has had a similar experience.
>
> thanks so muchI've read several small open studies showing excellent Social Anxiety results for Effexor, especially in women. The manufacturer is currently conducting larger-scale research with an eye towards becoming the second med officially designated for Social Phobia.
As for the "grapevine", I've heard the same "your results may vary" outcomes that I've heard about for pratically any med. The Effexor helped relieve social anxiety greatly for some people and apparently did little for others.
Your dose seems pretty high already, at least relative to those used in the Effexor Social Anxiety studies. Nonetheless, AD's often don't begin exerting optimal Social Phobia benefit for a good 10-12 week. So, if your depression has improved, you might want to give the Effexor more time to work on your Social Anxiety.
Indeed, Serzone took a good 12 weeks until it really started adding to the consistent "70%" improvement in non-depressive Social Anxiety that daily Klonopin has provided me for a year. But now I'm really glad I stuck it out with the Serzone. (Fyi, the final piece of my own cocktail -- smallish-dose Provigil -- adds a nice sociability dimension. Interestingly, a small but intriguing study shows great success in using Provigil augmentation to quickly turn AD non-responders into responders.)
If you do end up needing a med switch, and Paxil
worked well for your sister, it might be worth a try. Your doctor could even prescribe some mixture of Effexor and Paxil, although that sounds like a combination that *might* induce some bothersome side effects, as well as a small but real risk of serotonin syndrome from combining serotonergic agents. You might want to do some searches and/or post here to see if anyone's tried an Effexor/Paxil combo.
Posted by JohnB on September 6, 2000, at 3:52:32
In reply to Re: effexor, social anxiety more. im new!, posted by Rick on September 6, 2000, at 1:58:28
You might ask your doc about Klonopin. It has been show in studies to help SA. Especially if you new job is imminant and you need fast action.
Posted by Cindy W on September 6, 2000, at 9:04:19
In reply to Re: effexor, social anxiety more. im new!, posted by JohnB on September 6, 2000, at 3:52:32
> You might ask your doc about Klonopin. It has been show in studies to help SA. Especially if you new job is imminant and you need fast action.
Kate, I take Effexor-XR 375 mg/day, and Serzone 75 mg/night. Effexor-XR is a pretty good antidepressant and fairly good for OCD, for me, but the Serzone helps with sleep (the Effexor-XR seems to make it hard to sleep). Serzone for me was an excellent anti-social anxiety med; Effexor-XR is moderately good for this, for me. Hope you find something that works for you!--Cindy W.
Posted by fanderson on September 8, 2000, at 19:41:52
In reply to effexor, social anxiety more. im new!, posted by ms.kate on September 4, 2000, at 0:56:29
> i was put on effexor about 6 weeks ago, for general depression and social anxiety. i had mentioned paxil because my sister had had tremendous success, but my doc opted for the effexor because she felt my depression was severe and i needed a fast acting prescription. im moving up to 225mg, and so far its been slow going. <
Hi,
I,m also just moving up to 225mg Effexor for Social Anxiety Disorder. It seems to be starting to work.
I have been on 75 then 150 for about a month. Paxil then Serzone did nothing for me even at high dosages.
Hang in there and don't be put off by some of the negative Effexor posts. Everyone is different.
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