Which is the best med for social anxiety / low self esteem long term?!
Question: Which is the best med for social anxiety / low self esteem long term!?
i am not depressed but suffer with anxiety (not panic attacks) anything other than benzos for long term!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
i have taken xanax for many years that the only thing i found that works , good luck Www@Answer-Health@Com
Most anti-depressants are now also used to treat general anxiety over the long term!.
This is because people (scientists/researchers) don't actually know "how" or "why" they work!. They just know that they can cause certain neurotransmitters (NT) to either be inhibited (and remain in the synapse between two neurons in your brain longer - this is called blocking the re-uptake, and allows for the brain to use more of the NT) or increased (less time between neurons = less of the NT is used by your brain)
Most anti depressants these days are the SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) and SSNRI's (selective serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors)
They alter the levels of these NTs used in your brain!. But they don't know why they do what they do!.
A professor once told me that treating an anxiety or depressive disorder is like throwing a handful of darts at a board at the same time!. If you're lucky, you'll hit the target the first time, but most likely, you will not!. It's trial and error!. Simple as that!.
Especially since every person and case is different!.
Effexor is the newest and most prescribed of the new antidepressants used for anxiety!. Celexa is another!. However, like the other poster said, some meds may work for one person and not another!.
I have been on benzos, effexor, celexa,welbutrin, and risperodal and Zopliclone and Quitamine to sleep!.
For me!. Being on Effexor was the worst experience of my life!.
It caused me to have intense bouts of rage for no reason ( I was horrible to my friends and family), I would do things I normally wouldn't do, say things I normally wouldn't say, I wasn't scared of heights anymore, and I would become violent at the drop of a hat (before this, I was the most passive person you could have imagined)!. But all in all, it completely changed my personality, and to this day I regret ever taking it!. It seriously ruined my life!. Also, coming off of these medications is extremely hard on your body and your mind!. I had "brain zaps" for about 6 or 8 months *non stop* once I weened myself from certain meds!. (if you don't know what that means, google "brain zaps") - to get an idea of how new this actually is!. 2 years ago when I first started experiencing them, I looked to the internet to find any info that might tell me what was going on!. There was NOTHING!. Now if you try to look it up, you'll get thousand upon thousands of hits!.
anyways,
I know that it's not the best course of treatment, but I've actually settled on only taking clonazepam when needed during the day, and after a while I'll switch to ativan so that I don't need to increase the dosage to get the same result!. They are less addictive than xanax and valium, and also last longer (longer half life)
Think very carefully and consider whether or not you *clinically suffer* from anxiety - because if you don't, the medications are not worth the risk!.
p!.s I, too, wasn't depressed when I was prescribed Effexor!. But when I stopped taking it, I became so depressed that I ended up having to go home during my 4th year of university!.
To this day, I still feel like a completely different person (less happy, more prone to negative thought patterns, and occasionally have suicidal ideations) This was not the case before the medications!.
So just be careful!.
anways,
Hope that helps
good luck
p!.s!. The poster after me is correct about CBT!. It's the most popular and effective (non medicinal) method for treating many types of mental disorders, especially phobias!.
However, research does show that it works better in conjunction with medications!. You could try that first (without meds) and see if anything improves
St Johns Wart is interesting!. I've used it before and I remember thinking that it "sort of" worked!. However, when I was on SSRIs, I was told not to use it!. Combining the two can cause what's called Seratonin Syndrome (google that one, not pleasant)!.!.!.!.so it leads me to believe it works on serotonin the same way SSRI's do!. It contains hypericin, and that hasn't been studied very much!. It's theorized that hypercin increases the effect the sun has on people, like light exposure therapy!.
In addition to SSRIs, there about 100 other medications that shouldn't be taken while taking St John's Wart!. If it interacts with so many medications, it must certainly alter your nervous system in some way (benzos do, but they've been studied)
Remember, just because something is natural doesn't mean it's safe!. There are many reports that suggest it can actually cause nerve *damage*!. It also makes your skin **extremely** sensitive to the sun!.
In fact, It's a controlled substance in Ireland, and has been since 2000!.
The bottom line is that It hasn't been thoroughly tested yet!. It could affect your body in ways people haven't thought of!. They don't know if it's a teratogen (able to harm an unborn child) or not!. They recommend that nursing women don't use St johns wart!. I would talk to a doctor before starting up on it if you choose to do so!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
This is because people (scientists/researchers) don't actually know "how" or "why" they work!. They just know that they can cause certain neurotransmitters (NT) to either be inhibited (and remain in the synapse between two neurons in your brain longer - this is called blocking the re-uptake, and allows for the brain to use more of the NT) or increased (less time between neurons = less of the NT is used by your brain)
Most anti depressants these days are the SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) and SSNRI's (selective serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors)
They alter the levels of these NTs used in your brain!. But they don't know why they do what they do!.
A professor once told me that treating an anxiety or depressive disorder is like throwing a handful of darts at a board at the same time!. If you're lucky, you'll hit the target the first time, but most likely, you will not!. It's trial and error!. Simple as that!.
Especially since every person and case is different!.
Effexor is the newest and most prescribed of the new antidepressants used for anxiety!. Celexa is another!. However, like the other poster said, some meds may work for one person and not another!.
I have been on benzos, effexor, celexa,welbutrin, and risperodal and Zopliclone and Quitamine to sleep!.
For me!. Being on Effexor was the worst experience of my life!.
It caused me to have intense bouts of rage for no reason ( I was horrible to my friends and family), I would do things I normally wouldn't do, say things I normally wouldn't say, I wasn't scared of heights anymore, and I would become violent at the drop of a hat (before this, I was the most passive person you could have imagined)!. But all in all, it completely changed my personality, and to this day I regret ever taking it!. It seriously ruined my life!. Also, coming off of these medications is extremely hard on your body and your mind!. I had "brain zaps" for about 6 or 8 months *non stop* once I weened myself from certain meds!. (if you don't know what that means, google "brain zaps") - to get an idea of how new this actually is!. 2 years ago when I first started experiencing them, I looked to the internet to find any info that might tell me what was going on!. There was NOTHING!. Now if you try to look it up, you'll get thousand upon thousands of hits!.
anyways,
I know that it's not the best course of treatment, but I've actually settled on only taking clonazepam when needed during the day, and after a while I'll switch to ativan so that I don't need to increase the dosage to get the same result!. They are less addictive than xanax and valium, and also last longer (longer half life)
Think very carefully and consider whether or not you *clinically suffer* from anxiety - because if you don't, the medications are not worth the risk!.
p!.s I, too, wasn't depressed when I was prescribed Effexor!. But when I stopped taking it, I became so depressed that I ended up having to go home during my 4th year of university!.
To this day, I still feel like a completely different person (less happy, more prone to negative thought patterns, and occasionally have suicidal ideations) This was not the case before the medications!.
So just be careful!.
anways,
Hope that helps
good luck
p!.s!. The poster after me is correct about CBT!. It's the most popular and effective (non medicinal) method for treating many types of mental disorders, especially phobias!.
However, research does show that it works better in conjunction with medications!. You could try that first (without meds) and see if anything improves
St Johns Wart is interesting!. I've used it before and I remember thinking that it "sort of" worked!. However, when I was on SSRIs, I was told not to use it!. Combining the two can cause what's called Seratonin Syndrome (google that one, not pleasant)!.!.!.!.so it leads me to believe it works on serotonin the same way SSRI's do!. It contains hypericin, and that hasn't been studied very much!. It's theorized that hypercin increases the effect the sun has on people, like light exposure therapy!.
In addition to SSRIs, there about 100 other medications that shouldn't be taken while taking St John's Wart!. If it interacts with so many medications, it must certainly alter your nervous system in some way (benzos do, but they've been studied)
Remember, just because something is natural doesn't mean it's safe!. There are many reports that suggest it can actually cause nerve *damage*!. It also makes your skin **extremely** sensitive to the sun!.
In fact, It's a controlled substance in Ireland, and has been since 2000!.
The bottom line is that It hasn't been thoroughly tested yet!. It could affect your body in ways people haven't thought of!. They don't know if it's a teratogen (able to harm an unborn child) or not!. They recommend that nursing women don't use St johns wart!. I would talk to a doctor before starting up on it if you choose to do so!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc!.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc!.
Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level!.
But there are natural ways to do it without medication!. There's this strange herb called "St John's Wort" - it is said to be more effective than Prozac!. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings!. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John's Wort works like prozac!. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc!.
The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced!.!.!. you have that "learned behavior" in your mind!. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior - Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this!. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction!.!.!. There are several other techniques to help cope them!
Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to!.!.!.!.
Extracted from Source!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level!.
But there are natural ways to do it without medication!. There's this strange herb called "St John's Wort" - it is said to be more effective than Prozac!. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings!. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John's Wort works like prozac!. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc!.
The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced!.!.!. you have that "learned behavior" in your mind!. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior - Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this!. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction!.!.!. There are several other techniques to help cope them!
Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to!.!.!.!.
Extracted from Source!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Develop self- confidence!. Read books that help in developing self-confidence like Dale Carnagie!. Take long walks in the open!. Do deep breathing exercise!. Retire to bed at regular times and get up regular times!. Avoid medicines to curb anxiety and insomnia Remember: All have problems and it is the one who stand up win!. Good luck!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
there is no "best med" this is something you have to talk over with your doctor!. it tends to be a trial and error process!. some have side effects that you may not like!.!.
I took xanax for many years but found myself addicted to it!.!.
i tried several different anti depressants till i found the right one!.!.
after several years of being on one med i was weened off and learned to live without it!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I took xanax for many years but found myself addicted to it!.!.
i tried several different anti depressants till i found the right one!.!.
after several years of being on one med i was weened off and learned to live without it!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Theres nothing that will work trust me
I have social anxiety and its fking up my life but i thought it out!.
Ive had it for 5 years and havent told anyone :(
Soon enough youll learn to live with it or continue being a wimp all ur life LOLWww@Answer-Health@Com
I have social anxiety and its fking up my life but i thought it out!.
Ive had it for 5 years and havent told anyone :(
Soon enough youll learn to live with it or continue being a wimp all ur life LOLWww@Answer-Health@Com
easy way out!Www@Answer-Health@Com