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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mogger on February 10, 2009, at 0:31:25
Hello there,
My 15 year old male cousin has sever social anxiety disorder and is crippled by it at high school. He finds it difficult to talk to anyone (resulting in no friends) and is so self conscious when he walks. He constantly thinks people are judging him and looking at him. Can anyone recommend any supplements that have helped you or ones you know in this type of scenario? I have heard Theanine was helpful? I have him to start taking 50mg three times daily of 5-htp which I think is barely helping but I would like to add something to it. He also has awful insomnia. Many thanks for your help! :)
mogger
Posted by SLS on February 10, 2009, at 7:20:57
In reply to social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year old, posted by mogger on February 10, 2009, at 0:31:25
> Hello there,
> My 15 year old male cousin has sever social anxiety disorderIs he in psychotherapy?
If his condition is indeed that crippling, and supplements or other alternative treatments fail, then it might be time to consider drug treatment. At his age, I really like the idea of trying psychotherapy. Perhaps cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) would be helpful.
Nobody wants a 15 year old to be exposed to powerful psychotropic drugs, but one must weigh the risk versus benefits. Since I don't have children, I can't fully appreciate the difficulties involved in making this decision.
I have not been too impressed with the results of the treatments suggested on this board to treat severe Axis I mental illnesses. You have chosen good supplements to start with, though. I'm sure someone else will come by who will be able to help you much more than I can.
You can perform a Google search in the meantime:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=supplements+social+anxiety&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=
- Scott
Posted by mogger on February 10, 2009, at 11:17:16
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year old, posted by SLS on February 10, 2009, at 7:20:57
Thanks Scott for the post, I really appreciate it. He is in psychotherapy thankfully so hopefully that will start working as well!
mogger
Posted by SLS on February 11, 2009, at 8:00:29
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by mogger on February 10, 2009, at 11:17:16
> Thanks Scott for the post, I really appreciate it. He is in psychotherapy thankfully so hopefully that will start working as well!
> moggerIt sounds like you are really attacking this thing. If he were an adult, I would suggest looking at either Effexor or Nardil as antidepressants with strong ant-anxiety properties. However, at age 15, his brain is still undergoing changes that some doctors like to allow to occur without the exposure to drugs. Some of their concern is theoretical and not based upon scientific evidence. However, it is a risk versus benefit thing. If it were my child, and his disorder were crippling despite psychotherapy, I would probably choose to go with either Zoloft or Effexor. Zoloft is milder with side effects. I believe he has more to lose in life experience and academic achievement than might be the theoretical risks of undesirable effects of drug exposure.
VERY difficult decision.
I hope the added information will help you make your decisions as you follow a treatment path.
Perhaps you can try Neurontin first. I just thought of that. It is an anticonvulsant with benefits when used in a range of illnesses. Social anxiety is sometimes improved with Neurontin, and its mechanism of action is probably less disturbing to the system than are the antidepressants.
If you can see a psychiatrist who is strong in pediatric psychiatry, that would probably be best.
- Scott
Posted by mogger on February 11, 2009, at 10:44:21
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by SLS on February 11, 2009, at 8:00:29
I appreciate the response Scott, thanks so much. Do you think that adding something like theanine would be detrimental to him or would it be ok as it is less potent than the psychotropic drugs of which you are talking about (I am on zoloft, love it!). :) Many thanks,
joseph
Posted by Sigismund on February 11, 2009, at 15:28:49
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by mogger on February 11, 2009, at 10:44:21
Theanine was fine for me.
I just felt like I needed a truck load of it.
It becomes expensive. Other than that it's great.
Posted by SLS on February 11, 2009, at 18:39:05
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by Sigismund on February 11, 2009, at 15:28:49
> Theanine was fine for me.
>
> I just felt like I needed a truck load of it.
>
> It becomes expensive. Other than that it's great.
Yes. A friend of mine saw a surprisingly good anti-anxiety effect from L-theanine (a simple amino acid). I can't think of any drugs that it would not be compatable with.
- Scott
Posted by Lao Tzu on February 16, 2009, at 9:06:44
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by SLS on February 11, 2009, at 18:39:05
I have heard that high doses of inositol are good for anxiety disorders. Usually the doses are so high to be bordering on ridiculous, but it is worth a try. I think 12 grams is considered a therapeutic dose, but he might do well on less. I would always try natural interventions before medicine at that age. Psychotherapy is definitely helpful to work out internal conflicts brought about by social interactions. Another natural supplement you could try is the amino acid glycine. I had some very good results with this myself. You really need to establish a target dose with glycine, since too little will not be effective and too much might precipitate a depressive episode. For myself, I did fairly well on 2,000-3,000mg. If I took any more than 5,000mg, I would have a depressive episode which you would definitely want to avoid. I agree L-theanine might be helpful as well, but I never took a high enough dose of it to see any results. You might need higher doses of it for social anxiety.
With psychotherapy and the right supplements, he might do rather well, perhaps not needing to take medicine when he reaches his adult years. However, be alert for symptoms of bipolar disorder, especially in his early twenties. He may need to take medication later on if his behavior starts to worsen. But for now, psychotherapy should help him. Oh, I almost forgot. I have had good success in the past with the herb kava kava for anxiety. The key with kava kava is not to take anymore than what is indicated because an overdose can lead to overstimulation, which is not what you need if you have social anxiety. My social anxiety was helped with the kava, but also think about using inositol, glycine, and theanine. If antidepressants are indicated, zoloft seems to be the drug of choice among doctors. I hope he does well.
Posted by SLS on February 16, 2009, at 9:29:35
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by Lao Tzu on February 16, 2009, at 9:06:44
I always appreciate your posts. You are extremely knowledgeable and I find your submissions to be very balanced in their presentations.
Thanks for hanging around.
:-)
- Scott
Posted by mogger on February 16, 2009, at 12:11:14
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by Lao Tzu on February 16, 2009, at 9:06:44
Thanks so much for taking the time to write that, I really appreciate it! i am going to try the Glycine for sure and the Theanine. Anxiety disorders run in our family, I have ocd and depression. By the way, I take 18 grams of inositol a day and it has worked wonders for my ocd! :)
Posted by desolationrower on February 17, 2009, at 4:47:49
In reply to Re: social anxiety disorder (phobia) for a 15 year, posted by mogger on February 16, 2009, at 12:11:14
have your cousin over when you and your friends do stuff. MAKE SURE he plays sports, thats not negotiable. ADs etc don't have much evidence, and could be problematic for long term on a brain not fully developed. although a sleep drug migh be advisable, noone is fun if they're dead tired.
-d/r
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