Tag Archives: antidepressants

Insomnia and Social Anxiety

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Insomnia2002Poster

I used to suffer from occasional insomnia. Especially on nights before a big event I was nervous about, like my first day at school or a big trip. I would get in bed early so I’d be fresh and rested for the big day. I’d lay down and close my eyes, but I couldn’t fall asleep. My mind was racing. I couldn’t stop thinking.What will this new school be like? Will I make any new friends? Will I still be shy? I didn’t realize at the time that my insomnia was related to my social anxiety. Continue reading →

Anti-antidepressants?

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antiantidepressants2

Today, I am anti-antidepressants, but I wasn’t always. I wasn’t anti-antidepressants before I took antidepressants, and I wasn’t anti-antidepressants while I was taking them. To the contrary, I don’t think I could have been any more pro-antidepressants back then. Continue reading →

Antidepressants on Writing and Creativity

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From what I’ve learned, social anxiety comes from overthinking, particularly false negative thoughts. Thoughts about yourself and thoughts about what others are thinking about you. And from what I’ve learned from taking antidepressants, they stop your social anxiety thoughts by essentially stopping you from thinking altogether. So in a sense, antidepressants do work. They help stop you from thinking the negative thoughts that cause social anxiety. But at the same time, antidepressants also stop you from thinking positive thoughts. And creative thoughts. Continue reading →

My Experience Taking Antidepressants for Social Anxiety

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my-experience

“Yesss!!! Finally!!! I did it!!!!”

That’s what I thought at the time. It was a combination of extreme excitement, relief, and optimism. That moment was about three years ago. I had just told my doctor that I have social anxiety disorder, and he wrote me a prescription for the antidepressant, Zoloft. Continue reading →

Fantasy Baseball, Zack Greinke, and Social Anxiety

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MLB: All Star Game

My first introduction to fantasy sports was in 2009 when I joined a fantasy baseball league. I finished in second place that year and have loved fantasy sports ever since. 2009 was also Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke’s breakout year. He made the All-Star team, won 16 games, had 205 strikeouts, led the American League with a 2.16 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, and won the Cy Young Award. He wasn’t on my fantasy baseball team that year, and I wasn’t a Royals fan, but I was rooting for Zack Greinke’s success because I learned that, like me, he had social anxiety disorder. Continue reading →