In this article, I will go into detail about the current common medical approaches and considerations for social anxiety disorder.
1. elective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSris, are one of the drugs commonly used to treat social anxiety disorder. The SSRI works by inhibiting 5-HT reuptake in the brain and increasing the concentration of 5-HT in the brain, thereby relieving symptoms of social anxiety.
SSRI drugs currently on the market include paroxetine, sulpiride, fluoxetine, etc. It takes a while for the therapeutic effects of these drugs to become apparent, usually around 3-4 weeks of continuous medication. Adding a drug is slower, while reducing a drug requires slowly reducing the dose. The dose of SSRI drugs starts at half the regular dose and then gradually increases.
Special attention should be paid to contraindications and precautions when using SSRI, such as allergy to the drug, pregnant and lactating women (because SSRI can be transmitted to the fetus and milk through the placenta), alkaline constitution and dryness of the heterosexual response.
2. imipramine (Buspirone)
Imipramine, also known as Buspirone, is a non-benzodiazepine medication for people with social anxiety who are very nervous, restless, and sensitive. It works by increasing the activity of the 5-HT1A receptor in the brain, which in turn eases symptoms of social anxiety.
The dose of imipramine needs to be slowly increased to around 120-160mg/ day. In the use of imipramine need to pay attention to contraindications and precautions, such as allergy to the drug, pregnant and lactating women, dryness opposite reaction.
3. Benzodiazepines (BZDs)
Benzodiazepines are drugs that relieve symptoms of social anxiety by suppressing the pituitary hypothalamic system of the central nervous system. Benzodiazepines such as lorazepam, alprazolam, etc., have sedative and hypnotic effects. When taken for a long time, dependence will develop, so short-term use, lasting no more than 4 weeks.
The starting dose of benzodiazepines should not be too high, which needs to be determined according to the different conditions of the patient. Special attention should be paid to contraindications and adverse effects when using benzodiazepines, such as dryness, drowsiness, dizziness, and satiety.
See Also: What Medication can you Take for Social Anxiety？
4. beta-blockers
Beta-blockers (BBs) are one of the drugs commonly used to treat social anxiety disorder. It is often used to treat the physical symptoms of social anxiety disorder, such as shaking hands, sweating, and heart palpitations. Beta-blockers mainly impede the action of epinephrine and norepinephrine with beta-adrenergic receptors, thereby reducing the impact of accelerated heart rate and elevated blood pressure, and can also reduce right ventricular palpitations and cardiac heavy load.
The dose of beta-blockers needs to be increased slowly, the duration is generally 3-4 months, if long-term use may cause dependence. Common side effects of BBs are dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, and unsteady walking. BBs is not suitable for all patients and is contraindication for patients with heart block, disease shock, pulmonary hypertension, asthma and other conditions.
5. Other drugs
In addition to these medications, there are other medications that can be used to treat social anxiety disorder. Such as diazepam, gabapentin, etc. They need to be personalized to the patient’s specific situation. In addition, when using drugs, patients should follow the doctor’s guidance and strictly follow the drug instructions, and should not arbitrarily change the dosage or interval time to avoid adverse reactions.
Conclusion
In summary, medication is a common treatment for social anxiety disorder, but patients should follow their doctor’s guidance and make individual choices based on their own conditions, symptoms and side effects. At the same time, medication often needs to be combined with psychotherapy to achieve the best treatment results. Therefore, it is suggested that patients can comprehensively consider different treatment methods such as psychotherapy and drug therapy when choosing treatment methods.
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