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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lotus on August 31, 2005, at 21:22:58
Has anyone here found Prozac effective for social anxiety?
Posted by med_empowered on August 31, 2005, at 21:42:34
In reply to PROZAC, posted by lotus on August 31, 2005, at 21:22:58
SSRIs...including Prozac...have helped me a little bit with social anxiety. On the downside, they can make some people feel "wired" and there's the possibility of akathisia, (hypo)mania, insomnia, sexual problems, etc. On the upside...when they work, they work without the sedation that you get from benzos, and they can help with co-occuring depression as well. So..its a mixed bag. I wouldn't recommend using an SSRI alone for anxiety unless its mild...if you're having panic attacks or staying away from important social events, you really need more aggressive treatment. An SSRI, maybe some Buspar, a benzo, maybe some propranolol...that kind of combo *will* help tremendously. Single-drug treatment with an SSRI is a lot more iffy.
Posted by john berk on September 1, 2005, at 13:07:12
In reply to PROZAC, posted by lotus on August 31, 2005, at 21:22:58
Hi!
i was always outgoing and pretty social,[even with life-long ocd]but when i became majorly depressed 3 years ago, it took prozac to get me back out of the house and feeling sociable again.
now i am much less depressed, but i still feel prozac makes me more confident in social situations, more so than ever. but like Declan said, there are quite a few side-effects to watch out for, or deal with. but all in all, i think it is a pro-social drug!! IMHO!! GOOD LUCK...JOHN
Posted by john berk on September 1, 2005, at 13:11:37
In reply to Re: PROZAC » lotus, posted by john berk on September 1, 2005, at 13:07:12
HI, SORRY DECLAN, I MEANT TO MENTION MED_EMPOWERED IN MY LAST POST WHEN I TALKED OF SIDE-EFFECTS, PEACE...JOHN
Posted by Declan on September 1, 2005, at 14:48:49
In reply to Re: PROZAC » john berk, posted by john berk on September 1, 2005, at 13:11:37
Nice to get a mention though John.
declan
Posted by blueberry on September 1, 2005, at 18:45:08
In reply to PROZAC, posted by lotus on August 31, 2005, at 21:22:58
Prozac by itself was never helpful for social anxiety to me. But combined with zyprexa, it was good for that for about 4 years. Just this year though, something has changed and they aren't doing me any good in social situations. I now have to keep xanax on hand for that. Doc is also having me sample cymbalta. Years ago I tried amisulpride and that worked pretty good for social stuff. Terrible sexual side effects though. Honestly, out of the many dozens of psychiatric meds I've tried over the years, nothing works as well as the benzodiazepines like xanax.
Posted by Phillipa on September 1, 2005, at 19:07:07
In reply to Re: PROZAC, posted by blueberry on September 1, 2005, at 18:45:08
Darn I don't know what to think. Was going to try nortriptaline, but prozac is working well for my daughter. And years ago when it only came in 20mg I took l capsule and wallpapered a room , second day anxiety, third day panic. So I threw them out and I was on low dose xanax then too. But you know I just thought of something I was also drinking a lot of beer nightly. Do you think this might have affected it? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by TexasChic on September 6, 2005, at 18:32:51
In reply to Re: PROZAC, posted by Phillipa on September 1, 2005, at 19:07:07
The beer definitely could have affected it. Also, many meds have side effects at first that go away later. It seems like it initially caused me some bad anxiety that went away later.
Different people have different reactions to the same med. I'm one of the people who finds Prozac stimulating. I take it with Wellbutrin for my hard to treat depression. I have to keep Xanax on hand for occasional anxiety flareups that I think are caused by the meds. But I've tried different things and this is the best combo for me. Nothing has come close to treating my depression like Prozac, and I don't have to take the Xanax all that often.
Posted by Phillipa on September 6, 2005, at 19:15:37
In reply to Re: PROZAC » Phillipa, posted by TexasChic on September 6, 2005, at 18:32:51
Hey that's great! My pdoc still wants me to try nortriptaline. Saw her today. But I think my chemistry has changed since I'm a lot older now so that will be next. And my daughter loves it. Fondly, Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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