Obstacles everywhere

[aethyrs]

Hi all,

I've just joined, but have been suffering from Social Anxiety for many years now (well over a decade I guess). Similar story to many people here I guess....

I kid myself that it's been manageable, but really its had a very negative influence on my life, and the past year in particular its become noticeably worse.

I was on Fluoxetene for around 6 months about 8 years ago, but the doctor took me off them even though I was just starting to feel normal. A few years later I was on Citalopram for a few months but they didn't have a noticeable effect. No meds since then, although I've dabbled with St Johns Wort, and HTP-5, but wasn't really committed to taking them regularly for long enough to see if they worked for me

I then moved house and since then I haven't registered with a local GP (the whole process feels impossible due to my anxiety, so stupid), and I feel like I've ruled that out.

It feels like every step towards treatment is a massive obstacle (most of them put in place by me), and whilst none of them are insurmountable, they all mount up and at that point it feels so difficult to see how I can ever get better.

I have a vacation coming up in a few months, and I'd love nothing more than to be able to just relax a little.
So I'm going to be trying a cocktail of homeopathy with HTP-5, Calcium, Magnesium and a Vitamin B complex. I hope it will help a little but I'm kinda doubtful.
Are there any actual success stories from homeopathy?
Most responses I've seen are people saying it didn't help, or it helped for a bit then the benefits tapered off after a couple of weeks


My symptoms are mostly when I'm in the physical presence of others.
I particularly hate any scenario where I'm stood waiting doing nothing (bus stops, coffee shops etc). My face and mouth freeze up and I'll start looking depressed, even if Im not speaking to anyone. By the time I get into work Im feeling beaten up. Is this a common symptom?
If I'm speaking to someone on the phone, I don't feel too bad.

I've always been kinda anti-social even as a child. I'm happy in my own company and when Im alone Im rarely depressed or bored.

Not sure what responses I'm looking for really, just wanted to get some stuff of my chest.

thanks

 

[AtTheGates]

having obstacles in life is one thing but having people actively trying to fvck with your life and throw obstacles in your way is something I cant stand....its like some people hate the fact that other people dont have the exact same struggles as them so they want to try to make things a bit harder for them just out of spite

 

[Xervello]

Welcome to the forum. I'm afraid I can't help you with any medicinal advice. Only to say that you're not alone in your symptoms, obviously, and that you seem to do remarkably well despite them. So kudos for that. Personally, I believe social anxiety is like a backpack filled with rocks you're always going to be carrying with you throughout your life. To what degree medications and/or therapies can lessen the load, I'll leave to others to comment on. Depression is the nasty detour to avoid. The constant battle with SA, the obstacles it puts up, grinds down the mental constitution. For many years I did what I could using outlets, creative and otherwise, to stave it off. But even then I fell into that hole. You taking a vacation sounds pretty good. And if you could find some outlet or mental sanctuary that you can rely upon a daily basis, that could help a lot. Or at least that's what helped me for awhile. In any event, I wish you luck!

 

[skins]

I'm sorry that I can't offer you much advice, but what I would like to know is why is that you allow yourself to blindly follow the directions of your G.P on what medication to take? You and only you are the master of your own body and are the best to judge on what medication works for you and what doesn't.

If the G.P took you off a medication in which you believed was starting to work (which shouldn't happen anyway), I would have quickly found another and suggested to them that you would like to continue to be prescribed "X" medication as you feel it works for you? (any G.P worth their salt would allow you to do just that), why take the chance of trying all these different ones? the only reason I can think is if you were having negative side effects which you informed your G.P about?
sorry if I havn't fully understood your post.

 

[MotherWolff]

Hi all,

I've just joined, but have been suffering from Social Anxiety for many years now (well over a decade I guess). Similar story to many people here I guess....

I kid myself that it's been manageable, but really its had a very negative influence on my life, and the past year in particular its become noticeably worse.

I was on Fluoxetene for around 6 months about 8 years ago, but the doctor took me off them even though I was just starting to feel normal. A few years later I was on Citalopram for a few months but they didn't have a noticeable effect. No meds since then, although I've dabbled with St Johns Wort, and HTP-5, but wasn't really committed to taking them regularly for long enough to see if they worked for me

I then moved house and since then I haven't registered with a local GP (the whole process feels impossible due to my anxiety, so stupid), and I feel like I've ruled that out.

It feels like every step towards treatment is a massive obstacle (most of them put in place by me), and whilst none of them are insurmountable, they all mount up and at that point it feels so difficult to see how I can ever get better.

I have a vacation coming up in a few months, and I'd love nothing more than to be able to just relax a little.
So I'm going to be trying a cocktail of homeopathy with HTP-5, Calcium, Magnesium and a Vitamin B complex. I hope it will help a little but I'm kinda doubtful.
Are there any actual success stories from homeopathy?
Most responses I've seen are people saying it didn't help, or it helped for a bit then the benefits tapered off after a couple of weeks


My symptoms are mostly when I'm in the physical presence of others.
I particularly hate any scenario where I'm stood waiting doing nothing (bus stops, coffee shops etc). My face and mouth freeze up and I'll start looking depressed, even if Im not speaking to anyone. By the time I get into work Im feeling beaten up. Is this a common symptom?
If I'm speaking to someone on the phone, I don't feel too bad.

I've always been kinda anti-social even as a child. I'm happy in my own company and when Im alone Im rarely depressed or bored.

Not sure what responses I'm looking for really, just wanted to get some stuff of my chest.

thanks

 

[aethyrs]

Thanks for the welcome everyone

I'm sorry that I can't offer you much advice, but what I would like to know is why is that you allow yourself to blindly follow the directions of your G.P on what medication to take? You and only you are the master of your own body and are the best to judge on what medication works for you and what doesn't.

I agree, but I didn't feel I was left with much choice. Rather than ask me if I was ok with coming off the medication, he told me he didn't want me to be on them for more than 6 months and so wouldn't be giving me a repeat prescription. I did object and told him that I was only just beginning to benefit from it, but he stood his ground.

I had very few side effects, a little muscle twitching and strange dreams in the first few weeks, but these had all disappeared by the time I saw him.

It came at a time when there was lots of news reports about doctors over-subscribing anti-depressants, and so I did wonder if that had something to do with it. Certainly it didn't feel like he was acting in my best interests, more for some other reason.

I remember leaving the surgery feeling like I was back to square one