Posted by King Vultan on November 18, 2004, at 0:47:42
In reply to Evidence that MAOIs are good for Social Anxiety?, posted by TheOutsider on November 17, 2004, at 17:18:08
> Hi every one
>
> I live in the UK and suffer from social anxiety which is making my life a bit of a misery at the moment.
> I have not responded to SSRIs or Clomipramine and would be willing to try an MAOI since I think that they could really help me.
>
> I've made an appointment to see a private doctor next Thursday, because the help I have recieved on the NHS (National Health Service)has been inadequite.
> I have never met this doctor before. I spoke to him briefly on the phone, he seemed like a nice guy, but when I mentioned MAOIs he laughed and said he never used them as there are newer and more effective treatments (!)
>
> I assume that he is just ignorent about MAOIs since he is quite young.
> Is there any evidence that demonstrates that MAOIs are reasonably safe when used apropriatly, and also that they are more effictive than SSRIs and Tryciclics for Social anxiety?
>
Well, there is certainly a lot of anecdotal evidence that MAOIs are safe in the long term, judging from what I've read here and elsewhere. Clearly, a person who takes an MAOI needs to be at least somewhat conscientious and aware in the selection of foods, and also avoid other drugs that can cause a reaction (decongestants are probably the most important common type). Many of the prohibited food lists have a lot of things that really shouldn't be on them, such as chocolate and wine, and are missing a few items that really should be on them, such as tap (draft) beer and sauerkraut. The absolute number of items is not that great, and the big one is the aged cheeses, with cheddar being the best and most notorious example.I have a book "Clinical Advances in Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor Therapies" that has a section on MAOIs and social phobia. It seems clear to me from reading the book, as well as anecdotal evidence I've seen here and elsewhere, that the MAOIs do have a superior ability to treat social anxiety compared to any other type of antidepressant. The book also makes the case that they are excellent for panic disorder, which some social phobia sufferers are also afflicted with (I'm currently reading another book specifically on social anxiety disorder), and of course, there is ample evidence that the MAOIs are excellent antidepressants, too. In fact, all things considered, the MAOIs are probably the most versatile and efficacious drugs in the antidepressant class. I believe they are drastically underused.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:417162
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041113/msgs/417273.html