Posted by JohnL on December 1, 1999, at 2:36:15
In reply to Serzone effect for Social Phobia?, posted by Missy on November 30, 1999, at 22:12:23
Hi there Missy. I took Serzone initially for depression. I had an instant hypomanic reaction which was real nice actually, but then I just got more and more depressed as I got higher and higher in dose. That happens with me sometimes. But back to the subject...I have always been the shy guy in the corner, not really socially phobic, but definitely withdrawn and not confident. I noticed on Serzone I was very confident, not at all shy, very comfortable in a crowd, and able to venture effortlessly out of my shell. I think it would be a great med for social phobias.
I went up to 550mg before throwing in the towel (I have actually gotten worse on some meds, not just Serzone). I remember a narrow therapeutic windown in the 275mg to 375mg range that was a nice sweet spot. Going higher at my doc's urging ruined it. Side effects were mild daytime sedation, mild dizziness when getting up, and that's about it. Good sleep, good sex, slight hangover feeling upon waking in A.M. Side effects can be managed by taking most or all of the day's dose at once in late afternoon.
The trick with Serzone I believe is slow titration. That is, increase dose no faster than 25mg every four days. I don't know why, but it seems to work better that way with fewer adverse reactions. And you are more likely to find that "sweet spot" without blowing right past it. I remember seeing a clinical study where Serzone+Pindolol was 90% effective. I have heard of it being used in combination with various meds, but it doesn't mix well at all with Prozac (anxiety, headaches, flu-like symptoms).
Hope all goes well with you. JohnL
poster:JohnL
thread:16019
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991123/msgs/16034.html