Benzodiazepines for social phobia/anxiety?

CondiNoble

I am battling social phobia my whole life. I find it extremely difficult to be around people and interact with them. It has prevented me from working or doing anything I enjoy. I mostly spend my time isolating in my room because all external activities usually involve interacting with people. I am currently on ssri's, mirtazapine and just been prescribed quitiapine. I am not finding any of these useful at all. I am also on propanalol which is great for the physical effects such as reducing blushing but not for the mental side of things.

The only medications I find helpful are benzodiazepines. These make it much more bearable and allow me to be comfortable around people. I am having difficulty getting prescribed these as some Doctors are afraid to prescribe them long term. They are the only things that allow me to live a life somewhat close to normal. I have relied on getting them from the street in the past however I dont want to go back to relying on dealers and their sometimes questionable products to keep my mental health well.

I am in Galway and looking for guidance on where to turn to for getting a prescription to help with this debilitating illness. Any help appreciated!

MrMusician18

Yeah, you're going to struggle to find a doctor to prescribe something as addictive as benzos for anxiety. Most would see that as treating the symptoms and not the cause, and not likely to be a success/have a good outcome in the long term.

I suspect most will recommend counseling or other mental health therapy as that actually deals with the root issue.

CondiNoble

I think all medications for anxiety or depression are used to treat the symptoms and not the cause.

Yes I have just started counseling today after a long wait!! Had to go private with a low cost service in the end. The hse mental health service as everyone already knows is a joke..

nj27

Stay away from them. You will become physiologically addicted to them very quickly. Doctors are reluctant to prescribe them long term for this reason. It’s only effective for short term treatment of instances of acute anxiety, outside of that you risk physiological and psychological addiction. You have the latter in my opinion. You don’t need to add an addiction to your anxiety. No hyperbole, people string themselves up behind this drug quick.

you mentioned just starting Seroquel (the q medicines brand name), thing about SSRIs and most anti depressants is they can take 2-3 weeks to start to kick in effectively so it's a bit of a process to find the right one. benzo's are more of a quick fix type job, not really intended for extended use.

your GP is very unlikely to just give you those unless all else truly fails

to add also a psychiatric doctor is a better person to consult regarding medication anyway, GP's are fine for short term but a psych is the better of the two if you can get in touch with one!

Without knowing your personal circumstances and the fact that you've mentioned you're in Galway, I'm wondering if listening therapy would be of any benefit to you. I suffered with agoraphobia I guess as a PTSD symptom for many years, which also has knock on affects with the sensory processing mechanics, so heightened awareness and anxieties that are all related to that. I tried SSRI's once and just could not do them, I gave it the three months and then weaned myself off them. The side effects were way way more than I could physically cope with. I also obviously did counselling in conjunction with SRRI's through the public health system, I'm still traumatized from the experience. (I physically haven't been near a doctor since)

I ended up getting help through voluntary agencies who were able to put me in touch with other organisations that provided actual tangible help. They've literally been all that's kept me going throughout the lockdown. I don't want to mention who they are (they wouldn't be mental health experts either) but they organized regular group activities which included lots of different therapeutic modalities, including counselling and mindfulness programmes and physical activities like yoga and health and wellness classes.

Being in a group environment has been really helpful. Despite it being one of the things which would cause an anxiety attack, it made the process of exposure to those social anxiety triggers possible in a safe way. What was really helpful however has been the use of sound therapy. I honestly can't explain it but it has legitimately brought me back to a state of awareness where interacting with other people and things around me is almost painless, and in a very short space of time.

When I was researching all this I came across an article in the Irish Times about a woman who practices sound therapy in Ireland, specifically with children with Sensory processing disorders (symptoms of Autism and ADHD) and wrote a book on the topic, she just so happens to be based in Galway. I have absolutely no affiliation but it's called listening therapy (.ie) and she claims to assist anyone with SPD, including people suffering social disorders. I'd also look into social prescribing in your area as there might be something available that can assist you, like yoga or wellbeing courses.

Slick666

Hi OP, I'm like you a bit. I suffer from anxiety and I take VenexXL with years. They do help because without them, Id be a mess. Others have suggested counselling but in my case, counselling didn't work for me. I went for years and years and I was still anxious. Its easy to say - just breathe - when you're having a panic attack that people are watching and judging you!!! But give the tablets the doctor gave you a chance. I know its easy to be locked away in your room, which is what I'm currently doing, but we need to make ourselves just get up and go out. I find the longer I'm in my room, the harder it is to get back out there. The funny thing is though, when I do get out and I'm feeling good, people say I come across as confident. Wish I could feel like that all the time though!!!!

loveall

For me being out has always been a lot easier than getting out and there have been times I've really missed out or used alcohol to anesthetize myself. I get a great high off being out and that's a benefit I might not have if I were more "normal". I walk every morning without fail and I'm up very early to do it. When my brain wants to beat me up in bed at night I retrace every step of my walk and when a bad thought breaks through, I go back to the start of my walk. I don't live in fear of trying to rest anymore.

Graces7

Please. avoid benzos? I was on them for literally decades, on a totally erroneous diagnosis. Each GP if I moved just represcribed without any assessment.

When finally after many years I was properly assessed they still sent them out so I got advice from a UK phone support group and took a year out. The withdrawals were pure hell and I would never ever take them again. And they still offer them post surgery in some places.

Benzo's act as modulators of ion flux = ion channel blockers in a sense.

Anti-seizure drugs do the same but without that same level of dependence;

Lyrica etc?

Ion channel blockers by class such as lamictal, I can't remember the other trade names.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_blocker#Types

Calcium channel blockers are popularly prescribed, pregabalin/gabapentin, as I understand?

Alcohol = an ion channel blocker.

Does a few pints/shots etc. alleviate your social anxiety?

Might be worth looking at if benzo's are effective but signalling modulators (SSRI's/dopamine blockers) were ineffective.