Social Anxiety and Meds
Has anyone had any luck with therapy alone for Social Anxiety? I hate my meds right now and would rather not take them.
@bingereader87 Yes and no. I mean, my body seems to react badly to medication, and I get really bad side-effects and almost no relief. Plus I don't like depending on meds, makes me feel worse... But that's me. So taking a daily dose didn't help. Having an SOS medication helped in bad anxiety attacks, but that was only temporary relief for me. I kept taking them but more for other types of anxiety or phobias, not social.
Therapy was my life savior, no joke. Good therapist is key. Compare to 2 years ago I am way better, I still have some times social anxiety hits me hard, but it's easier to manage it. Breathing exercises, mindfulness, music helped me. And just talking it out is a big help.
@givemecoffee that's like me. It makes me feel weird taking daily meds. Therapy is hard when money isn't very present in your life. I'm trying to save what I can for it. Btw... I love your screen name lol
@bingereader87
Short answer; yes.
Long answer; we know (from research) that a combination of therapy + meds works well for really good outcomes. Medication on it's on without therapy doesn't have good outcomes, but therapy alone does. Ultimately though it does depend on the kind of therapy; how much you're getting out of it and the relationship you have with your therapist.
I personally saw a therapist for a while without taking any medication and found it really beneficial. I think it's about finding what works for you.
