Social Anxiety Support: Living with Social Anxiety Disorder

One of the most effective treatments for social anxiety disorder is medication.  As we said in our previous post there are three main categories of medication used in treatment:  SSRIs, Benzodiazepines and Beta Blockers.  Let’s take a closer look at them:

1.  SSRIs/SSNRIs (Paxil, Prozac, Effexor, Cymbalta, Lexapro)

These medications are known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) and selective serotonin nor-epinephrine re-uptake inhibitors (SSNRI).  They work by keeping serotonin and norepinephrine in the synapse longer.  In other words they allow your body to effectively realize the benefits of these two neurotransmitters before they are reabsorbed into the body.   Serotonin and norepinephrine are directly responsible for that “everything’s ok” feeling that accompanies normal mental stability.  By reducing their re-uptake, SSRI’s and SSNRI’s help the patient to feel “ok” about life and deal with problems as they come.  These drug are usually taken once a day and require about 3 weeks to work.  They are still the most effective long-term medications for social anxiety disorder.  The good thing about them is that they are not addictive.  Many people have been significantly helped by these drugs.  Please talk to your talk about which one might be best for you. Sometimes, it takes trying 3-4 of them before finding the one that works the best with the least side effects.

2.  Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Tranxene, Ativan, etc)-

This class of drugs are commonly known as tranquilizers or sedatives.  They work by muting a neurotransmitter called GABA.  Most benzodiazepines work quickly and help to sedate those who take them as prescribed.  For short term results “benzos” are usually very helpful to social anxiety disorder sufferers.  The sedating effect they produce helps many anxiety patients endure and even thrive in situations that they normally avoid like public speaking, work and social functions. 

Benzos vary on the amount “half-life” they have or time for which they are effective.  Ativan and Xanax, for example, are only effective for a few hours whereas klonopin has a half-life of more than 12 hours.  As effective as these drugs are they also pose a great danger of addiction.  “Benzo” addiction is quite common among social anxiety disorder sufferers.  It is very important to only take them as prescribed and tell someone immediately if you think you are getting addicted.  People who become addicted to “benzos” usually need to go through some sort of supervised treatment to overcome the addiction.  If you think you might be addicted please contact a medical professional as soon as possible.

3.  Beta Blockers (Nadolol, Pindolol, Timolol, etc)

Beta Blockers help to reduce some physical symptoms of anxiety but have no effect on serotonin or nor-epinephrine.  Doctors primarily prescribe these drugs for people with heart arrhythmias and as protection for people who have had heart attacks.  Because these drugs help reduce the effects of adrenaline they are also prescribed for some social anxiety disorder patients with mild symptoms.  Beta blockers effectively reduce “racing heart”, excessive sweating and nervous shaking.  Musicians and stage actors also frequently take beta blockers before a performance to reduce the symptoms of stage fright. 

Of the three drug classes listed above the SSRIs and SSNRIs have proven to be most effective long-term treatment for social anxiety sufferers.  However, a combination of two or all three drug classes has also proven effective among multiple patients.