Since before I was diagnosed with SZ I had some social anxiety. This started roughly 11-12 years ago.
As of lately it’s gotten worse. Don’t know why ,but if for example I see someone across the street I know I immediately act like I did not see them and walk away. I try avoiding any socializing … including with my own family at times. At times I feel like I’m under pressure when they try talking to me and I need to reply etc
What do you guys suggest? Meds or therapy?
Thanks in advance!
If its really social anxiety meds can help, therapy too. I had a friend who was diagnosed with social anxiety, he takes Citalopram and sees a psychologist.
Idk if it’s the same for you but my social anxiety came from me pretending to be someone I wasn’t and trying to force myself to be more likeable. Therapy helps with that.
What your going through sounds simple but I can tell it’s a complicated issue.
Maybe a medication change for that social anxiety.
Therapy with someone who is qualified and knows what your going through would probably be important as well.
Have you tried escitalopram? That was once introduced to me as citalopram with extra help for anxiety.
Have you tried meditation? I used to suffer social anxiety very badly. I find grounding through my feet helpful, which is something I learnt through meditation.
I have times of intense social anxiety. Its very cyclical, so sometimes Im pretty confident and comfortable with myself (usually for a period of months) then I feel like I dont want to talk to anyone and think Im worthless
I found that high dose zoloft, like 150 to 200 mg, was the only thing that helped me. Been on paroxetine, lexapro and wellbutrin before that, and while wellbutrin helped my depression, none of them took care of the anxiety. Everyones different tho
Have you considered an MAOI? I heard theyre very effective for social anxiety, but should only be a last resort since it basically blasts all your neurotrnsmitters at once lol and you have to be on a weird diet since oyu cant digest certain proteins anymore
Meds don’t help that much. They can give you anti-anxiety meds which are addictive, but also seem to blunt cognitive function which renders you useless in social situations. Your best bets are therapy and practicing socializing. You’ll eventually get better at it. I do a lot of planning ahead and anticipating so I have things I can say for different scenarios. It really does work and I can pass as an NT for extended periods when I really need to.