What's the best medication for social anxiety disorder?

Question

I have been taking citalopram 20 mg for 3 months, but it doesn't seem to be doing enough. I had lorazepam for a month while the citalopram was kicking in and that worked wonders. Will doctors ever prescribe it for more than a month, or do you know of any better meds?

Answer 1

There are generally 2 classes of medications:

1. Antidepressants like Citalopram, Prozac, Zoloft, etc... They work fairly well but take a few weeks to begin working. The side effects are generally moderate and tolerable including upset stomach, headache, and decreased s*x drive/inability to have an o****m.

2. Benzodiaepines including Xanax, klonopin and lorazepam. These meds work well and work quickly, but have addictive potential and can cause sedation, tolerance and withdrawal. Most psychiatrists that I know are cautious about long term use of benzodiazepine medications, but will generally prescribe them if antidepressants don't work, you show up for your appointments, and you don't frequently get your medications refilled too early.

You can also consider psychotherapy, it works quite well if you get a good therapist and there are no drug side effects.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

SIDE EFFECTS for Citalopram: The most common side effects associated with citalopram are nausea, dry mouth, vomiting, excessive sweating, headache, tremor, drowsiness, and inability to sleep. Citalopram is also associated with sexual dysfunction. Some patients may experience withdrawal reactions upon stopping citalopram. Symptoms of withdrawal include dizziness, tingling sensations, tiredness, vivid dreams, and irritability or poor mood.

Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in short-term studies in children and adolescents with depression and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of citalopram or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the clinical need. Patients who are started on therapy should be closely observed for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior.

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Answer 3

i have friends with this disorder one just anxiety she takes paxil with good results,second friend had bipolar and anxiety she takes clonipen and litium and the other zoloft and dexadrine for adhd with panic disorder.the fda has approved zoloft,paxil and effexor ex for generilized panic disorder. also xanax,clonipen,valiem for a quick fix.talk to your doctor dont suffer.you should have had some releif by now try something else