Zoloft for social anxiety disorder?

how does it work for SAD?

Paxil may be a better alternative for you.

SAD is treated by a specially designed light box which one uses early in the morning and it is said to relieve the symptoms of depression that are the result of less light during the winter months, or in places where there is little sunshine (ie, Seattle).

Zoloft is an antidepressant, and there are several antidepressants available by prescription today. Your best bet is to make an appointment with your primary care doctor to discuss this, and if need be, get a referral to a psychiatrist; they are trained an additional eight years beyond a primary care doctor, and are quite knowledgeable in treating this.

Best wishes.
Retired counselor; life
I've tried zoloft twice and paxil once - both did not work for me. I take xanax and a beta-blocker for extreme situations.

Social anxiety can cause these feelings, which can also lead to severe depression,
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/ds...

There is hope; I've been there, and still am there, it is a long, hard struggle. I recommend
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_b... worked best for me, with mild anti-anxiety meds. I suffered from social anxiety for over 15 years. I've tried individual therapy, and group therapy and studied psychology for 10 years, as a profession, but also with the hope to cure myself.

Depending on your comfort level, you could go to a psychologist that practices CBT and specializes in anxiety disorders, seek a group therapy, or create one. Usually those that do attend the group therapy are a bit more high functioning because as you know, it can be difficult to speak in a group.

Another idea is to see if there are any local research studies being conducted that you could participate in.

The program that finally worked the best for me is this one: http://www.socialanxiety.us/findinghelp.... and I was lucky enough to have a structured behavioral group to go along with it. Sometimes the people that actually attend this program come back home and form groups.

I recommend a mild anti-anxiety med in addition to CBT therapy.

Any questions, let me know ... I can't tell you how much this has improved my life!

Another great website: http://www.markway.com/acceptance/menu.h...