Posted by Rick on April 21, 2004, at 4:11:43
In reply to Thanks for info! What benzo did you switch to?, posted by TheOutsider on April 20, 2004, at 10:12:18
> I just wondered what benzo you switched to?
> And whether you also have social anxiety, like me.I know you were asking another poster this question, but I thought I'd mention that I take clonazepam for severe non-depressive generalized social anxiety. After five years, it works just as well as ever. It took me awhile to learn that just 1 mg/day (all first thing in the morning) actually works better for me than higher doses. (I think I mistakenly assumed that I needed the average nmaximum dose given in the study below). It's best to take it regularly, not just as-needed.
Before clonazepam I tried Xanax, which wasn't anywhere near as helpful. In placebo-controlled tests, no drug has ever outperformed clonazepam in treating social anxiety:
Clin Psychopharmacology 1993 Dec;13(6):423-8.
Treatment of social phobia with clonazepam and placebo.
Davidson JR, Potts N, Richichi E, Krishnan R, Ford SM, Smith R, Wilson WH.
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.
Clonazepam and placebo were administered in a double-blind pilot study to 75 outpatients with social phobia. The mean maximum dose of clonazepam was 2.4 mg/day at endpoint (range, 0.5 to 3 mg). Treatment was continued for up to 10 weeks. The results of an intent-to-treat analysis indicated superior effects of clonazepam on most measures. Response rates for clonazepam and placebo were 78.3 and 20.0%. Drug effects were apparent on performance and generalized social anxiety, on fear and phobic avoidance, on interpersonal sensitivity, on fears of negative evaluation, and on disability measures. Significant differences were evident by week 1, 2, or 6, depending upon the rating scale used. Clonazepam was well tolerated in general, although unsteadiness and dizziness were more severe and persistent than was the case for placebo subjects.
Rick
poster:Rick
thread:337716
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040417/msgs/338314.html