Social Anxiety Support

tjames · 02-01-2012, 11:26 PM

Wow I have a coworker on 20mgs of lexapro and I just started taking 10mgs a day. The doctor originally wanted to give me xanex but I declined due to a family history of addiction. I also thought xanex was for panic attacks and my anxiety peaks at times but it is pretty much a general social anxiety that gets worse around one group of people. My friend told me the effects would be subtle. This is not subtle. I have been feeling bad for the last few days. Not suicidal by any means. Since I have dealt with depression before I wasn't sure weather I should have blamed it on the medication or the feelings of loneliness that caused me to finally seek help for my SA. I went to bed feeling that general malaise at 7pm and woke up at 9pm feeling energized. I went back to bed and woke up at 12am feeling really good. I feel like what people describe being high on ecstasy as. I feel wonderful and happy and ready to do a lot of good things. I am assuming this feeling will wear off but then agian I have met people who always seem generally happy. I also have a strong desire to eat healthily and workout. I just feel like taking care of myself and other people. Is this normal. Am I supposed to have a sudden up tick in mood. I am not complaining because If I felt this way all of the time I would be in really good shape. I like being healthy but the sadness that isolating due to my SA brings often causes me to binge eat. It is hard enough for me to go to sleep without this medication. Now I feel like I just had a great energizing cardio session.

49erJT · 02-01-2012, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjames

I feel like what people describe being high on ecstasy as. I feel wonderful and happy and ready to do a lot of good things. I am assuming this feeling will wear off but then agian I have met people who always seem generally happy.

Do you feel manic?

imrj · 02-02-2012, 05:06 AM

not to bum you out but don't get your hopes to high, the initial high feelings go away in a couple weeks...whats you are experiencing is the "honeymoon" period of SSRIs.....dont let an overly high mood let you down later....

Janniffy · 02-02-2012, 05:28 AM

Be careful my dear - how long are you on it now? I never got that, would have been nice!

Inshallah · 02-02-2012, 07:18 AM

They work great for depression. That is why they also work great for some with social anxiety, these people are more depressed than initially thought.

Of course if there is no depression whatsoever, it isn't going to work that great (or at all) on pure SA.

And also of course, like everything, it won't last eternally.

upndownboi · 02-02-2012, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 49erJT

Do you feel manic?

i think if he was manic he wouldn't be worrying about it

tjames · 02-02-2012, 12:44 PM

Thanks for the responses everyone. I don't know what manic is. I don't feel like I can take over the world or do anything and everything, which is my uneducated assumption about being manic. I just feel really happy. I still feel anxious just not as anxious as before. Its easier to put those negative thoughts that perpetuate my anxiety out of my mind. I now understand what people mean by not thinking about it. Before I couldn't not think about something and would keep spiraling into sadness or nervousness until I change my mood with either food or sex, or thoughts of food or sex. I feel a little more even today. I am still happy but not overly so. It was just so weird to wake up a few hours later with a huge change in my mood.

It sucks that this won't last forever. However now will be the time to seriously start working on strategies to deal with my anxiety and depression so that I don't need medication. I always had a hard time eating well and working out because I would be too unhappy. I don't want to cal it depression because I had a two year major depression 5 years ago which felt very different from sadness. It felt more like being a biological organism that wasn't really alive.

MIRJ mentioned this being the honeymoon period. Will I return to normal after the honeymoon period or just a much calmer level of well being? My normal seemed to be pretty sad and I could only gather the energy to eat healthily and workout in spurts. I couldn't do it in moderation for long periods of time. Can I stay on these forever? I don't want to stay on them for the rest of my life but I don't want to rule out any options. The last thing I want to do is up my dosage so I am looking for a therapist to help me deal with my underlying issues if I have any. How server is the effect of stopping these or lowering the dosage? Will I suddenly drop too low in mood like coming down off of caffeine? Thanks for the information and concern everyone.

tjames · 02-02-2012, 05:56 PM

I thought I posted a response but it never showed up. I feel better today. Thanks to everyone who gave advice. Last night scared me because it was such a rapid change in mood. I am still anxious but the overall anxiety is down. I am going to use this as an opportunity to improve my health and start some habits that will hopefully replace the medication. I am not sure this feeling of increased well being will last but I don't want to have to up the dosage.

02-01-2012, 11:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
tjames Status: Child of Prometheus Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Dallas, TX Gender: Male Age: 27 Posts: 159	New to Lexapro and feel really happy Wow I have a coworker on 20mgs of lexapro and I just started taking 10mgs a day. The doctor originally wanted to give me xanex but I declined due to a family history of addiction. I also thought xanex was for panic attacks and my anxiety peaks at times but it is pretty much a general social anxiety that gets worse around one group of people. My friend told me the effects would be subtle. This is not subtle. I have been feeling bad for the last few days. Not suicidal by any means. Since I have dealt with depression before I wasn't sure weather I should have blamed it on the medication or the feelings of loneliness that caused me to finally seek help for my SA. I went to bed feeling that general malaise at 7pm and woke up at 9pm feeling energized. I went back to bed and woke up at 12am feeling really good. I feel like what people describe being high on ecstasy as. I feel wonderful and happy and ready to do a lot of good things. I am assuming this feeling will wear off but then agian I have met people who always seem generally happy. I also have a strong desire to eat healthily and workout. I just feel like taking care of myself and other people. Is this normal. Am I supposed to have a sudden up tick in mood. I am not complaining because If I felt this way all of the time I would be in really good shape. I like being healthy but the sadness that isolating due to my SA brings often causes me to binge eat. It is hard enough for me to go to sleep without this medication. Now I feel like I just had a great energizing cardio session.

02-02-2012, 05:28 AM	#4 (permalink)
Janniffy Status: Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: west of Ireland Gender: Female Age: 21 Posts: 6,275	Be careful my dear - how long are you on it now? I never got that, would have been nice! __________________ J.x ✿ *What other people think of you is none of your business* L-O-S-E Y-O-U-R-S-E-L-F

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02-02-2012, 05:06 AM	#3 (permalink)
imrj Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 49	not to bum you out but don't get your hopes to high, the initial high feelings go away in a couple weeks...whats you are experiencing is the "honeymoon" period of SSRIs.....dont let an overly high mood let you down later....

02-02-2012, 07:18 AM	#5 (permalink)
Inshallah Status: SAS Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 749	They work great for depression. That is why they also work great for some with social anxiety, these people are more depressed than initially thought. Of course if there is no depression whatsoever, it isn't going to work that great (or at all) on pure SA. And also of course, like everything, it won't last eternally.

02-02-2012, 12:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
tjames Status: Child of Prometheus Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Dallas, TX Gender: Male Age: 27 Posts: 159	Thanks for the responses everyone. I don't know what manic is. I don't feel like I can take over the world or do anything and everything, which is my uneducated assumption about being manic. I just feel really happy. I still feel anxious just not as anxious as before. Its easier to put those negative thoughts that perpetuate my anxiety out of my mind. I now understand what people mean by not thinking about it. Before I couldn't not think about something and would keep spiraling into sadness or nervousness until I change my mood with either food or sex, or thoughts of food or sex. I feel a little more even today. I am still happy but not overly so. It was just so weird to wake up a few hours later with a huge change in my mood. It sucks that this won't last forever. However now will be the time to seriously start working on strategies to deal with my anxiety and depression so that I don't need medication. I always had a hard time eating well and working out because I would be too unhappy. I don't want to cal it depression because I had a two year major depression 5 years ago which felt very different from sadness. It felt more like being a biological organism that wasn't really alive. MIRJ mentioned this being the honeymoon period. Will I return to normal after the honeymoon period or just a much calmer level of well being? My normal seemed to be pretty sad and I could only gather the energy to eat healthily and workout in spurts. I couldn't do it in moderation for long periods of time. Can I stay on these forever? I don't want to stay on them for the rest of my life but I don't want to rule out any options. The last thing I want to do is up my dosage so I am looking for a therapist to help me deal with my underlying issues if I have any. How server is the effect of stopping these or lowering the dosage? Will I suddenly drop too low in mood like coming down off of caffeine? Thanks for the information and concern everyone.

02-02-2012, 05:56 PM	#8 (permalink)
tjames Status: Child of Prometheus Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Dallas, TX Gender: Male Age: 27 Posts: 159	I thought I posted a response but it never showed up. I feel better today. Thanks to everyone who gave advice. Last night scared me because it was such a rapid change in mood. I am still anxious but the overall anxiety is down. I am going to use this as an opportunity to improve my health and start some habits that will hopefully replace the medication. I am not sure this feeling of increased well being will last but I don't want to have to up the dosage.