Social Anxiety - Relationship problems

Mental health
1

Hello everyone.

Thought I would introduce myself, I'm Peter from Manchester in the UK.

I've recentely been told I suffer from social anxiety having spoken with a professional and been prescribed Zoloft for it, I haven't started taking them yet but I am worried having this is going to ruin my current relationship as I'm constantly worried about her leaving and what ifs.

Has anyone had any expereince with Zoloft, couple of reviews state they're hard to come off but they've helped people get themselves back together so they can takle their anxiety.

Thanks in advance.

2

Hi Peter, you've certainly nothing to loose by taking the medication, the other avenue to look into is CBT which can help you find coping mechanisms for your anxiety.

I wouldn't worry about how hard they are to come off as that's something that may not happen with you but you can cross that bridge at the time, everybody says Venlafaxine is a hard one to come off but I did it no problem 3 years ago, and currently coming off Brintellix with minimal effects.

Keep posting with how your getting on and to get reassurance and advise.

Neil 

Have you spoken about all this with your current partner? If she's the supportive type and loves you then you can get through this together.

 

3

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the advise, appreciate it.

I am willing to give them a try, just in an attempt to help get back in to a good frame of mind to make sure I don't make things worse in my relationship, it was just the coming off them which had me worried.

She is very supportive, she's told me she's not going anywhere and will stand by me 100% to help me get back on my feet which is amazing to hear from her, I've just said stuff in the past which I worry has knocked her confidence in me but again, it's more the anxiety kicking in I think with the whole "what if" situations.

I'm going to start them this week so I will see how I get on in the next month.

Thanks

4

Hi Pete.My advice is take the medication and stick with it for at least 6 weeks.All antidepressants have a tendency to make you feel worse before they kick in so try not to panic and over react.They will ease of.Try not to Google as anyone that has had positive effects are out living their life.On top of that learn meditation, mindfulness etc as you can help yourself Medication will help however you are the one that manages the anxiety

5

Hi Marleen,

Funnily enough I was looking up some info on managing Anxiety and Meditation did come up, does this actually work? I did try it some time back for about a month but at the time I was in a bad relationship and it didn't seem to help much.

Thanks

6

Yes Pete it does work however it has to be practiced daily for a lot longer than a month.You will find good ones on YouTube Also practice breathing techniques multiple times during the day keep going with it even if you think it is not working.As for your relationship you are worried for no reason just focus on improving your mental health as that is the one thing that breaks down a relationship watching someone you love suffering and them not doing anything to help themselves.So keep it up.