| Social Anxiety |
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Medications
Benzodiazepines
e.g. oxazepam, diazepam, alprazolam. Benzodiazepines are not a useful treatment for anxiety disorders in the long-term, because of rapid physical tolerance and dependence. They provide only symptomatic relief. They do not deal with the negative thoughts driving social anxiety.
Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and SNRI
SSRIs such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, fluvoxamine, and SNRI venlafaxine are commonly prescribed for social anxiety, and can be particularly useful if the person with social anxiety is also depressed. They are as powerful as CBT and can be used in combination with CBT.
Beta-blockers:
Such as propanolol, atenolol. These drugs are sometimes prescribed for short-term relief of performance anxiety. They don't reduce all the physical symptoms of social anxiety. They also don't address the negative thoughts driving the disorder. Relying on these drugs to manage social anxiety means that you won't tend to attribute positive outcomes to yourself, only to the medication.
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