Posted by Douglas on September 11, 1999, at 8:52:49
In reply to SOCIAL PHOBIA: ANYTHING BETTER THAN NARDIL?, posted by Cynthia on September 10, 1999, at 20:14:29
> HI,
>
> I HAVE TERRIBLE "SOCIAL PHOBIA." MY PSYCHDOC HAS PRESCRIBED NARDIL AND KLONPIN. BOTH ARE VERY EFFECTIVE, BUT THE KNOLONPIN MAKES ME DROWSY. THE PURPOSE FOR USING KLONOPIN AS AN ADJUNCT, I'M TOLD, IS TO SUPPLEMENT THE NARDIL. THAT IS, NARDIL, FIRST, AND THEN LOW STEADY STATE DOSE OF KLONOPIN. MY PROBLEM IS NARDIL HAS CAUSED ME TO GAIN OVER 20 POUNDS, AND HAS ALSO CAUSED 100% ANORGASMIA. HAS ANYONE TRIED ANYTHING ELSE THAT WORKED BETTER THAN NARDIL, WITHOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS. MY SEARCH OF MEDLINE INDICATES THAT THE SSRI'S AND THEIR COUSINS GENERALLY ARE NO BETTER THAN RELIEVING 40-45% OF THE SYMPTOMS, COMPARED WITH PLACEBO EFFECT OF 20-25%. I DON'T WANT THE SAME PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SSRI'S (SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION), WITH SUCH A LOWER LEVEL OF EFFICACY COMPARED TO NARDIL. BASICALLY, THEY SEEM TO OFFER ALL THE NEGATIVES WITHOUT THE BENEFIT, FOR SOCIAL PHOBIA, THAT IS. I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT REBOXETINE (IN TREATING SP), WHICH IS SOON TO BE RELEASED IN THE US (4TH QTR 1999). ALSO, UNDERSTAND GABAPENTIN AND ONDANSETRON DIDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH STAGE III TRIALS DUE TO LACK OF EFFICACY.
>
> THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING! BY THE WAY, PARNATE'S EFFICACY IN TREATING SP IS EQUIVOCAL.
>
> ANY IDEAS?????????????????
Hi,
Sorry no good news, but I can save you some time. I also have social phobia. I have had success with Xanax before events I assume may induce a social anxiety attack. To help in the times when I couldn't anticipate, I tried paxil and selexa, but discontinued their use because of anorgasmia. There was no decrease in libido, but the anorgasmia was too frustrating to live with. I am supposed to be trying luvox now, but I haven't started it because I want a normal sex life for a while. I'll probably try it soon, but I have pretty much come to the conclusion that the ssri's are going to cause sexual side effects in men and probably women too. Anorgasmia is almost always connected to the ssri in a man taking it with no history of anorgasmia before. Sorry to ramble, but I have had these thoughts on my mind for a while. I think the inserts that come with the ssri's showing around a 7% occurrence of anorgasmia are totally false. I suspect they don't want to change them because it would hurt their bottom line. Maybe part of the reason for the 7% figure is that people are having none or very little sex while participating in the drug trials. I would like to here from anyone especially men taking ssri's (paxil,luxox,celexa, etc.) who had no sexual side effects. I bet there just aren't many out there.
Thanks for letting me vent.
poster:Douglas
thread:11383
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990914/msgs/11403.html