What is the best remedy?
- Thread starter dqueen
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ENTERT8NER
Member
I would really like to know this as well.
If you say meds, which ones???
Thanks!
If you say meds, which ones???
Thanks!
4seasons
Well-known member
My personal opinion would be self help, either reading up on it, and doing it yourself, or getting professional help(therapist). Meds don't work for everyone, if they do people can become very dependent on them. Then again doing it alone might not be enough for some people, so it depends on who you are and the degree of your SA.
ripewithdecay
Well-known member
Meds are a temporary thing as i've heard. Self-help is permanent (but obviously takes much more time and dedication for solid results).
I would go for the latter. Meds might be able to help you cope with tough situations that might arise, but they're by no means a cure.
I would go for the latter. Meds might be able to help you cope with tough situations that might arise, but they're by no means a cure.
sabbath92003
Banned
dqueen said:
Meds are useless and dangerous, I've tried a bunch of them. Self help is definitely the way to go.
ThatGuy
Active member
The way to recovery is a mixture of things. I truly believe meds are right at the bottom for importance when it comes anxiety and depression.
The way to beating social anxiety is a three part process:
First and most vital I believe is a proper diet.
If your body is getting quality food regularly and getting the nutrition it needs, it will be able to deal with stress better. Supplements like fish oil should be added aswell.
Second most vital is exercise.
I say second most vital to nutrition as without the proper nutrition exercise is worthless. If your body doesn't have the stuff to repair itself after exercise it won't be able to get stronger and won't be able to benefit from it.
Next most vital is therapy.
This is below exercise and nutrition as without the nutrition and exercise your mind will never truly be working correctly. Like the saying goes "a healthy body equals a healthy mind".
Therapy willl help you understand what you're dealing with and show you the way to deal with it. Group therapy especially as it means you're around others.
Next is self-help books.
Books help you to get an even more deeper understanding than therapy can as therapy is usually short so it can only do so much.
That is the way to beating this illness I believe and I feel professionals would agree. Though some might debate that meds are more important than I make out.
The way to beating social anxiety is a three part process:
First and most vital I believe is a proper diet.
If your body is getting quality food regularly and getting the nutrition it needs, it will be able to deal with stress better. Supplements like fish oil should be added aswell.
Second most vital is exercise.
I say second most vital to nutrition as without the proper nutrition exercise is worthless. If your body doesn't have the stuff to repair itself after exercise it won't be able to get stronger and won't be able to benefit from it.
Next most vital is therapy.
This is below exercise and nutrition as without the nutrition and exercise your mind will never truly be working correctly. Like the saying goes "a healthy body equals a healthy mind".
Therapy willl help you understand what you're dealing with and show you the way to deal with it. Group therapy especially as it means you're around others.
Next is self-help books.
Books help you to get an even more deeper understanding than therapy can as therapy is usually short so it can only do so much.
That is the way to beating this illness I believe and I feel professionals would agree. Though some might debate that meds are more important than I make out.
social_phobia2008
Well-known member
In the past 3 years I tryied as many remedies as I could. I started with meds. And I tried it all i coud find on the market.
I tried alternative medicine, hemeotherapy, cognitive therapy, psihotherapy, I went to different people that I heard miraculously cured others, I even went to white magic practitioners, more than 30 gifted priests through my country and wonder churches, all self help books I could find on SP (not to many in my country) and many that I can't remember now.
And as a conclusion I can say that I couldn't find the cure for this disease yet. BUT i found something that really works, for me at least. The doctor prescribed me this 4 sleep, but I found the real use 4 it: total desinhibation (sorry 4 my english). It's called zolpidem thartrate, not sure I translate it correctly.
Anyway, this is the only temporary CURE for social phobia. The effects last about 4 hours and dissipate slowly.
Other than that...there are some other things that cumulated work
> The best thing is having a friend (or more if you are lucky).
> Doing things that u like also helps, cause it distracts attention.
> I also stick with the few people I feel comfortable with. Having them around me when I go out in the ''wild'' helps me a lot.
> Also, having a GF/BF helps a LOT. Of course, it helps even if you don't fell nothing for her/him, except friendship (my case).
> Another thing that helps, personally speaking, is seeing people worse than me...wicked sick I know, but that makes me fell good, in the way that i'm not the worst case possible and that's a semi-relief (seeing people thriving in social situations with absolutelly no effort puts me down by the way).
> Another strategy I use is to transform sadness into anger, this way your negative energy is exteriorised. So better than to punish yourself, punish something else (or somebody else....
)
> another thing I noticed is that light has a very good influence, for example in low light i get depressed, so that is why i keep a very bright light in my room. also warm colors help: yellow, orange, red.
> music. music was my ''teacher'' through these years, and by this i mean hip-hop. cause the city i live in perfectly matches the lyrics in this type of music. it has some real life learning 4 me. of course it's not my favourite type of music, but...i use it for self education
> eating healthy and doing exercise also helps me
That's about covers it. It's a socially limited life, but it's the only sollution I found so far. Still looking for that cure, I hope medicine takes a leap forward soon in treating mental illnesses. Until then...HOPE is what we got left.
I tried alternative medicine, hemeotherapy, cognitive therapy, psihotherapy, I went to different people that I heard miraculously cured others, I even went to white magic practitioners, more than 30 gifted priests through my country and wonder churches, all self help books I could find on SP (not to many in my country) and many that I can't remember now.
And as a conclusion I can say that I couldn't find the cure for this disease yet. BUT i found something that really works, for me at least. The doctor prescribed me this 4 sleep, but I found the real use 4 it: total desinhibation (sorry 4 my english). It's called zolpidem thartrate, not sure I translate it correctly.
Anyway, this is the only temporary CURE for social phobia. The effects last about 4 hours and dissipate slowly.
Other than that...there are some other things that cumulated work
> The best thing is having a friend (or more if you are lucky).
> Doing things that u like also helps, cause it distracts attention.
> I also stick with the few people I feel comfortable with. Having them around me when I go out in the ''wild'' helps me a lot.
> Also, having a GF/BF helps a LOT. Of course, it helps even if you don't fell nothing for her/him, except friendship (my case).
> Another thing that helps, personally speaking, is seeing people worse than me...wicked sick I know, but that makes me fell good, in the way that i'm not the worst case possible and that's a semi-relief (seeing people thriving in social situations with absolutelly no effort puts me down by the way).
> Another strategy I use is to transform sadness into anger, this way your negative energy is exteriorised. So better than to punish yourself, punish something else (or somebody else....
)> another thing I noticed is that light has a very good influence, for example in low light i get depressed, so that is why i keep a very bright light in my room. also warm colors help: yellow, orange, red.
> music. music was my ''teacher'' through these years, and by this i mean hip-hop. cause the city i live in perfectly matches the lyrics in this type of music. it has some real life learning 4 me. of course it's not my favourite type of music, but...i use it for self education
> eating healthy and doing exercise also helps me
That's about covers it. It's a socially limited life, but it's the only sollution I found so far. Still looking for that cure, I hope medicine takes a leap forward soon in treating mental illnesses. Until then...HOPE is what we got left.
Xocoyotzin
Member
Well, paroxetine helped me alot
Sertraline(which is pretty similar to paxil) also helped a friend of mine who had a similar problem(he had OCD too)
From a depressed and shy guy I became a very outgoing and happy person
I don't think that therapy alone helps with SP at all, I believe that it's caused by a genetic condition(my mom and grandma have it too) that cannot be changed by therapy
Facing awkawrd situations also helped to improved my condition but only after starting my treatment with paroxetine
Before it would just make me feel more depressed as I always "failed" at these situations
PS:Sorry if I commited any grammar mistakes, as english is not my first language
Sertraline(which is pretty similar to paxil) also helped a friend of mine who had a similar problem(he had OCD too)
From a depressed and shy guy I became a very outgoing and happy person
I don't think that therapy alone helps with SP at all, I believe that it's caused by a genetic condition(my mom and grandma have it too) that cannot be changed by therapy
Facing awkawrd situations also helped to improved my condition but only after starting my treatment with paroxetine
Before it would just make me feel more depressed as I always "failed" at these situations
PS:Sorry if I commited any grammar mistakes, as english is not my first language
livingnsilence
Well-known member
I haven't been able to work up the courage to go to therapy or to ask to be put on meds but I've tried exposing myself and I do have postive thoughts like CBT tries to get you to do and it don't work. It really depends on the cause of your SA what treatment will work best for you. If the cause of your SA is genetic based, more than likely self help isn't the best root but meds (mine is genetic so meds are probably my only hope). If your source of SA is something else like childhood trauma, bullying, being oversheltered as a child, ect. self help and therapy are more than likely by far the better choice. Many people do best with a combination of therapy and meds.
social_phobia2008
Well-known member
Hello livingnsilence. How can u tell if you're SP is genetical ?
I'm trying to figure out if my SP is genetical or as a result of things that happened in my childhood.
My mom was a shy girl, but not a social phobic one. Nevertheless, she had NO problem socialising, but was better off with some few good friends. She was a teacher and was VERY outgoing at school, she was so full of life.
I must mention that for the last 3 years she has depression cause she saw me like that and i told her my problems. I can say her mood is hugely influenced by mine...so the depression is likely to go away.
My dad was also outgoing and he still is. I suspect shyness in him, but he still has no problem socialising.
My grandparents were also sociable.
So this means that my SP isn't genetical ?
I'm trying to figure out if my SP is genetical or as a result of things that happened in my childhood.
My mom was a shy girl, but not a social phobic one. Nevertheless, she had NO problem socialising, but was better off with some few good friends. She was a teacher and was VERY outgoing at school, she was so full of life.
I must mention that for the last 3 years she has depression cause she saw me like that and i told her my problems. I can say her mood is hugely influenced by mine...so the depression is likely to go away.
My dad was also outgoing and he still is. I suspect shyness in him, but he still has no problem socialising.
My grandparents were also sociable.
So this means that my SP isn't genetical ?
ld323
Active member
social_phobia2008 said:
The zolpidem tartrate drug which you mentioned is actually called "Ambien" here in the US (has different names in other countries) and it's used as a sleeping aid. Be careful with that stuff, there are some crazy stories out there of people doing weird things when taking Ambien. Especially if it's mixed with alcohol.
Check out these links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/08/business/08ambien.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolpidem
What other types of drugs have you tried?
livingnsilence
Well-known member
social_phobia2008 said:
Determining the cause of a person's SA can be hard and it's pretty much something you have to do yourself or a therapis can help you probably. SA can be soley genetic, genetics plus trauma, or just childhood trauma, ect. The only reason I know mine is genetic is b/c I have no other possible cause. I had a very good childhood: I came from a stable family, wasn't bullied, never had really embarassing expierances untill long after I developed SA, wasn't overprotected by parents, ect. But I'm pretty sure I have a genetic history of it b/c my dad has said that he was "shy" when he was young and still doesn't really have anyfriends, I don't thnk his is a bad as mine but I'm pretty sure he has mild SA, his brother I think has moderate SA by the way he was talking about the way he is and why he has no friends and isn't married and some other things. I sometimes wonder if my brother has a mild form of it too b/c he has always been really quiet around the family. I always thought he just did that to be sneaky and hide things from my mom but my sis says he's like that around people at school to and that he has very few friends. My mom and sister are quite the opposite of me, they are extreamly outgoing, so it deffinitely doesn't come from my mom's side.
social_phobia2008
Well-known member
ld323 said:
Yes, I know from my experience that Ambien, as you call it becomes preety messy when combined with alcohol. I did some preety nasty things and got into problems with the police for that. I can totally identify myself with the stories you sent me from nytimes. :wink:
I'd tell you more about that, but that's another loooong story.
That's why I quit using it, cause I got into big problems when combined with alcohol. That and the fact that i got used to it and had to take bigger and bigger doses to get the same effect. Just like a drug.
BUT i would like to say that he helped me do things i would never do. Like flirting with girl, getting dates, going to dates, dancing, socialising in genneral. And i will still use it in the future with no remorse cause FOR NOW it's the only thing that kills SP. (Of course not with alcohol anymore cause i'll surely end up in jail :lol: )
villacjs
Well-known member
Beating SA or at least keeping it in check requires 'attack' from all angles. I believe they way I'm approaching it is helpful for most people.
1. Drugs, I take an SSRI (Lexapro), Xanax when needed, Zyprexa to calm the brain down and Inderal. The meds don't cure anything but they assist.
2. Exercise, lots of exercise keeps the heart rate down at other times (sports people have on average lower heart rates than the general population). It releases the anxiety.
3. Diet, keep away from caffeine, junk food, sugar etc, on foucs on fruit & veg.
4. Therapy, from a good psychologist or psychiatrist. CBT or whatever.
5. Most important - exposure therapy.
Thats all I can think of.
1. Drugs, I take an SSRI (Lexapro), Xanax when needed, Zyprexa to calm the brain down and Inderal. The meds don't cure anything but they assist.
2. Exercise, lots of exercise keeps the heart rate down at other times (sports people have on average lower heart rates than the general population). It releases the anxiety.
3. Diet, keep away from caffeine, junk food, sugar etc, on foucs on fruit & veg.
4. Therapy, from a good psychologist or psychiatrist. CBT or whatever.
5. Most important - exposure therapy.
Thats all I can think of.
social_phobia2008
Well-known member
I agree with most of what u said. Especially point 3. But I don't understand point 2. If you eat for a weak junk food you are more anxios than in the weak you eat only fruit and vegetables ? I tend to say diet is for general health, and doesn't have an influence on how anxios you can get.
social_phobia2008
Well-known member
Can I start with myself ? :lol: Best remedy ever
Just kidding...
Just kidding...