Question by Cody D: How I can talk to my doctor about getting a social anxiety disorder medication?
I have been trying to fix my SAD(social anxiety disorder) for a very long time. Ive been looking up things online, talked to parents about it, talked to a therapist about it, but it still is quite bad, even though some of the things online helped some. I cant get rid of it though even through all of those attempts. The thing I think is nesecary is medication. Ive heard about xanax,zoloft,ect. Not to mention, I also have generalized anxiety disorder(GAD), because im always worried about if I have health issues, what someone is planning to do to me, and what might happen, although the SAD is 3x worse.
I also have ADHD, and I have adderall for that. Will my doctor think I am abusing drugs if I try to get xanax or something like this because these medicines are highly wanted and abused. I really need both if these medicines though because I also have bad ADHD. How can I talk to my parents about getting a adderall and xanax prescription without both of them being suspicious?
Why would it matter if you got addicted to them if yur going to take them anyways?
Best answer:
Answer by Courtney
I reccomend you talk to your doctor about taking Zoloft. I’ve dealt with anxiety since the loss of a VERY close person last year and my doctor gave me Zoloft for 6 months, my life has improved drastically and I am now almost anxiety free. Just schedule a regular appointment with your Physician.
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Go to: http://ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome select “social anxiety” for free Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy. An exercise which may help you is called “Act as If.” When you are in a social situation, act as if you are outgoing. Talk more; smile at people, ask questions, speak in a normal or excited tone, not a meek tone. Watch some of your more outgoing peers, and imitate the style of their social behavior. (PRETEND that you are an ACTOR, PLAYING a PART). Research shows that when you “act as if” continually, your image of yourself begins to conform to your new behavior. In this case, you will gain self-esteem and self-confidence, and begin to see yourself as socially normal, not shy. You will become more socially successful, and this will motivate you to continue your new social behavior until it becomes a habit. A form of therapy is to go somewhere that nobody knows you, and deliberately make an utter fool of yourself: put on a paper hat, and yell out: “I’m queen/king of America!”, or something else ridiculous, (make up your own – have some fun, safely) then get back in the taxi, (warn the driver of your intentions, first) or car, and leave. People will point, and say: “Look at that idiot”. Or, possibly in the company of a friend, or family member, on a different train, or bus route to your regular one, call out the names, or numbers of all the stops. It will teach you that, although it isn’t actually pleasant, (EXPECT MODERATE DISCOMFORT/EMBARRASSMENT) you will survive; be stronger for the experience, and the next time (should you need to repeat this type of therapy) will be considerably easier. Remember: “A fear avoided is a fear strengthened; a fear faced is a fear reduced.” Regard it as your final test: once you have accomplished it, the barrier will be broken; just don’t go too far, the other way! Learn to laugh at yourself, and give a big, cheesy grin when others see you do something foolish, as we all do, occasionally. It is endearing, if you don’t do it too often. Use positive affirmations: for example: “I am very likable and other people feel comfortable around me”.
Write down all of your self limiting beliefs; then write down, or print, in large type/capitalisation, the positive counter of them, (exact opposite) and repeat them and imprint them into your mind. Put it in a prominent position, where you will see it regularly. Most importantly: Force yourself to approach somebody and initiate some sort of communication. Start out small by asking the time, or directions and gradually go bigger. Although there are anti-anxiety medications (anxiolytics) available, these come with risks, and the possibility of side effects, habituation, even addiction, and withdrawal problems, and are unsuitable for young people. Try having a cup of “Tension Tamer”, herbal tea, by Celestial Seasonings, (from supermarket tea, or health food aisles) or make some at home, and cool, then bottle, and drink as needed. C(h)amomile tea tastes better. As with all herbal/green teas, use lemon/lime, and/or a little sweetener (NOT ARTIFICIAL!!!) but no cream, or milk. Xylitol, or Stevia is preferable, from health food stores. Valerian has also been recommended, but some people experience “valerian hangovers”. Ensure you know how you react to it, before doing something potentially dangerous, like going out on the roads. The idea is to use the above products like water wings, to provide initial, short term support, while you become proficient in those techniques. Use a relaxation method daily, like http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate or Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or yoga. Give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com “EFT” & “EFT therapists” Professional is best. – There is a version for use in public places, (if you want to, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind: “Even though I suffer from social anxiety, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
Adderall, itself, can cause anxiety because it is an amphetimine. First, I would talk to your doctor and tell him how you’re feeling and then discuss the fact that the Adderall could be making you edgy which is making your social anxiety worse. Then tell him you heard that Effexor was effective in treating social anxiety order and is it okay if you try it. Effexor is not a narcotic so you don’t have to worry about becoming addicted to it. God bless you.
Explain all of this to your doctor. Do not ask for any certain medication because, then you look like you are drug seeking and not looking for a solution.
You and your doctor will talk about it and then if you have a chance tell him what you’ve looked up online and ask about a tranquiler.
Make sure you write down all your symptoms, so you don’t forget any when you get there. Sounds silly but, it happens to almost everyone.
The more he knows the better help you will recieve.
Cody, tell your parents you would like them to go with you to the doctor’s and start from scratch and go over your entire file and go over what conditions you have and make sure you are taking the correct medications for each one. They will not think you are trying to drug it up, they would be happy to hear that you are taking responsibility for your health and that you are asking them to go with you and getting them involved in your health. Cody, if you are having extreme difficulty in social settings, have you tried to work this out in therapy? After that, your doctor may suggest medication. Depending on medication of every skill that can be learned is not always the best way to go, otherwise you’ll and many other people, look to medication instead of learning the skill. Seriously, it isn’t difficult. Just be who you are, not who you aren’t is the best beginning. Good luck.