Tell Me More About about Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).
2. What are the physical treatments of SAD?
SAD usually occurs infrequently and medications can be used on an "as needed" basis. Usually a single dose of a tranquillizer such as Lorazepam or Clonazepam can be taken 30 minutes before the event that is feared. The alternative choice is to use a medication from the beta-blocker group of drugs that slow down the heart rate and reduce the physical symptoms. Musicians or surgeons sometimes use these medications to reduce shaking.
The physical treatment of SAD is usually a two-step process, starting with anti-anxiety medication for short term relief from anxiety attacks, followed by anti-depressant medication over the long term.
Anti-anxiety medications tend to be fast acting but have a short term effect. Benzodiazepine tranquillizers like Alprazolam (Xanax), Diazepam (Valium), and Lorazepam (Ativan) can relieve anxiety within minutes, but last for only a few hours. These drugs can also produce a dependency if taken daily for more than two or three weeks.
Anti-depressant medication has longer term benefits in reducing or eliminating the symptoms of anxiety, but typically take two or three weeks to make a noticeable effect. Anti-depressants like Venlafaxine extended-release (Effexor XR), Paroxetine (Paxil), Imipramine (Tofranil) or Citalopram (Celexa) can relieve anxiety symptoms, and should be taken for months after the symptoms subside to prevent a relapse while the person gradually learns to cope with the causes of the anxiety.
Reference
Stein MB, Pollack MH, Bystritsky A, Kelsey JE, Mangano RM. Efficacy of low and higher dose extended-release venlafaxine in generalized social anxiety disorder: a 6-month randomized controlled trial. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2004 Jul 16.
Allgulander C, Mangano R, Zhang J, Dahl AA, Lepola U, Sjodin I, Emilien G; SAD 388 Study Group. Efficacy of Venlafaxine ER in patients with social anxiety disorder: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparison with paroxetine. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2004 Aug;19(6):387-96.
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