Anti-depressants?

So I just got back from my first session with a psychiatrist (did a one-on-one 3-month cognitive behavioral therapy last winter but that did not help very much). So he suggested I take some anti-depressants and if I wanted to, I could redo the CBT but in a group format.

These are the anti-depressants he suggested:
Zoloft
Prozac
Effexor
Luvox
There was a fifth one but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was now (I don't think it was either Paxil or Celexa...).

Anyway, I'm going to be doing some reading on here and the Internet to try to decide what would be my best option (either one of those or something else altogether). I was really hoping to avoid anti-depressants (side effects really worry me, especially weight gain and loss of sex drive) but if there is a real chance it could change my life, I may give it a try. I asked the doctor to give me a week to think about it and research the different available drugs. In the mean time, if anyone has any suggestions? I'm in my mid-thirties. My SA is more psychological than physical although I do get some physical symptoms too.

I think others will agree...none of those listed will do much for SA

For me Paxil CR seemed to work the best but you'll probably balloon up on it.
The side effects of SSRIS outweighed the positive results I received.

That's the thing...I do not mean to offend anyone here but personally, I would rather deal with SA than being overweight. And being so self-conscious, to me ballooning up would be just one more thing I would worry about!!

And I don't know, what does it feel like being on anti-depressants? I understand about the physical symptoms but I honestly don't see how it will help me strike a chat at a party or how it is going to make me magically less self-conscious and care less about what other people think, or make me livelier, not so boring... I am VERY skeptical...

If you can live without don't start them. They may work for a short time but over the long term, they are no solution.

And yes you will gain weight

You could try mirtazapine or buproprion which don't cause sexual dysfunction.

Some people with SA are helped greatly by SSRIs. It depends on the individual.

Again, it depends on the person; weight-gain is not a foregone conclusion. I did not gain weight on SSRIs, but that's as someone with OCD-level control of eating habits.

for sa, the best medications are SSRIs and SNRIs but if you dont want decreased sex drive do Serzone although it isnt good for social anxiety, only depression, so...

Maybe you should give your decision more time? It is a major decision so there's nothing wrong with giving it more time.

If it takes a month or two, you'll certainly be more well-informed.

Lexapro was the last antidepressant I took, and I stopped taking it in 2004. Up until the other day, I hadn't been reading about antidepressants. I haven't been taking them.

I googled SSRIs and I was surprised to learn that they're more dangerous than was first believed. I guess they do alter your brain and body quite significantly. And the side effects may not go away, when you stop taking them.

The side effects may continue for a month or even years. I suppose these side effects vary from person-to-person. The longer you've taken them, the more problems you may have. Some people may do fine. There's always exceptions to the rule. Exceptions with everything. Some people can smoke for 50-years and not have one problem. Other people can't.

If you're contemplating children, think that through. These medications may alter your reproductive system.

Maybe you can take them to just jump-start your life in a positive way. But certainly don't entirely rely on them to FIX your life. Do other positive things, too. Therapy, and exercise would be good. Exericse can boost moods a lot.

Good luck!

Waited a year for my psychiatrist appointment and known about anti-depressants for SA for several years so it's not something I just decided yesterday (I am just taking the week to do even more in depth research and make sure that it is really what I want at this point). I did CBT earlier this year, I am not clinically depressed, I do positive things (painting, drawing, etc.), I go to the gym several times a week, I push myself to do social stuff on a regular basis and I don't want children. So I tried all the non-meds solutions but it did not help significantly (although I am slightly better now than I was in my twenties). Time for meds for me.

I guess if you're not clinically depressed, I don't see why you would be taking antidepressants. It sounds as if anxiety is a problem and not depression.

Depressed people have brain abnormalities From my understanding, MRIs can detect these brain abnormalities. Your current brain function is normal, aside from the anxiety, so I would be reluctant to take antidepressants that would alter your brain chemistry--depression-wise. Anxiety-wise, that would be a different story.

I think I would take an anxiety medication. I would start from there and see how it goes. I take Klonopin and it does help my anxiety.

Some psychiatrists do not accept new patients because they have a full client base. Waiting a year to see your psychiatrist is much too long. I have waited as long as four months to see a dermatologist affiliated with a medical school. But nothing longer than four months.

I have had group CBT. I've written about it in a past post. It was a bad experience, and it ended up to be detrimental to my mental health. It was way too much for me to handle, and my psychiatrist at the time didn't grasp that.

If you live in Canada and don't want to pay for the psychiatrist, the wait is long, it's just how it is. I've been like this my whole life so one year more or less was not going to make much of a difference. Plus it gave me a chance to do the CBT during that year (it was free as it was part of a research) to see if it would help first.

Antidepressants are also used to treat SA, not just depression.

I have depression and SA so antidepressants were the obvious choice.

I just can't see taking a powerful antidepressant, which has the potential to cause long-term side effects, when you don't have depression.