What is the success rate of zoloft in the treatment of social anxiety disorder? 

In this blog post, we are going to discuss zoloft success stories for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. It is a condition associated with social withdrawal, often known as social phobia. It affects millions of people worldwide. Zoloft is an approved medicine for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. 

What is the success rate of zoloft in the treatment of social anxiety disorder? 

According to a survey, zoloft has around 60-65% success rate in the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Some people have given negative feedback, but it is expected of every medicine. No single med can work perfectly in every single case. 

It is considered safe and effective for the treatment of social anxiety disorder in children and adolescents. This condition usually starts during teenage years but it is capable of affecting any age group. 

Zoloft belongs to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These antidepressants increase the amount of serotonin in your body, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter responsible for performing a number of psychological functions. 

People with SAD are afraid of being exposed to social gatherings. They completely lack confidence to do anything or talk to anyone outside of their comfort zone. 

They often panic, start trembling and get breathless when they’re performing some task in which they are the center of attention. As the zoloft increases the amount of serotonin, these symptoms begin to subside. It can boost energy levels, confidence and self-esteem. 

Our brain regulates almost every single function in our body. It’s basically the organ which makes us get up in the morning. The increased amounts of excitatory neurotransmitters can really help charge your brain up, and that’s exactly what zoloft does. 

Proper diagnosis is crucial when it comes to mental illness. Some people often misjudge their SAD for mere lack of confidence. 

Yes, I do agree that not being confident enough can really make your social gatherings a challenge, but if the same thing starts to happen in your comfort zones and you find yourself distant from the people you love and care about, it can now classify as a social illness. 

There’s a fine line between temporary anxiety and an entire underlying mental disorder. So, if you ever feel your social anxiety is getting worse and it’s even being a part of your personal relationships now, it’s time to seek medical help. 

What actual people have experienced? 

Zoloft has been used for the treatment of social anxiety disorder for decades now. Many people have gained benefits from the drug which really helped them to get rid of their social phobia. One user states:

“My social anxiety was so bad that I couldn’t even answer the phone or place an order at a drive-through. My doctor prescribed me 25 mg zoloft and increased the dose to 50 mg after a week. I did suffer from side effects but eventually it started to work out for the best!”

Mental illnesses are always critical. At first, people don’t even consider it an illness and literally have no insight into their deteriorating mental condition. 

When they do realise something is out of the ordinary, they take too long to seek medical attention and start searching for it online. One user stated:

“I read a lot of reviews on zoloft and got terrified of the side effects. I tried to avoid it but my social phobia got much worse and I quit my job. This is when my whole life starts to fall apart and I decided to do something about it” 

She continues:

“I ended up starting zoloft at 25 mg dose, which was later increased by my physician. First, I suffer from a hell lot of side effects. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep and even my anxiety got worse but I didn’t give up. I continued and noticed after 2 weeks my side effects begin to subside. In around 6 weeks, i saw a major difference in my mental health”

Zoloft induced side effects have always been a topic of discussion, but these side effects begin to subside in 2 to 3 weeks. 

It is not suitable to stop your treatment halfway thinking that this med does nothing but cause adverse effects because that’s not true. The user ended up her statement saying:

“Please do not take suggestions or reviews from people who stopped their treatment mid-way. People take it for 2 weeks and end up scaring others that zoloft has a lot of side effects. It does, but genuine user is the one who continues the treatment as you can only see noticeable results in around 6 to 8 weeks”

Another user stated:

“My zoloft took more than a month to work but it changed my life. I have been using it for a year now and I am completely free from my social anxiety.”

What data do we have from research studies?

A 2003 conducted a double blind study in which 211 patients received zoloft and the remaining got placebo. The patients included in this research study were all suffering from severe social anxiety disorder. 

After 12 weeks of treatment, the study concluded that zoloft significantly reduced the symptoms of social anxiety disorder. 

Another study conducted in 2006 revealed the beneficial effects of sertraline that the drug significantly reduced avoidance, social fear, physiological symptoms like shaking, blushing, excess sweating etc, and other psychological symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder. 

After gathering data from a huge number of research studies, it’s safe to say now that zoloft produces a significant therapeutic response against SAD in around 12 weeks of treatment. Make sure you give your body enough time and don’t stop your treatment halfway. 

Several studies also highlighted the importance of psychotherapy along with the use of zoloft. Therapies to remove social fear have been widely used. 

Psychologists help in making the patients realise that there is nothing to be worried about and give patients tasks to interact with social environments. 

This way the affected people can start making changes in their behaviour to eradicate social phobia, while zoloft works on the brain to help solve the problem from within. 

How bad can social anxiety disorder get? 

Social anxiety disorder is a mental health condition which is associated with abnormal social behaviour. People tend to feel uneasy when they are engaged in any social conversation. 

They have this fear of getting embarrassed or humiliated in front of people, which makes them isolated. People with SAD find it difficult to interact even with their loved ones. 

They lack confidence to such an extent that normal tasks like going to school or work, going to eat at a restaurant or going out with friends, become one hell of a challenge. Such people start to prefer losing friends over social interaction. 

This mental condition is often mistaken for lack of confidence or introverted personality. These conditions are absolutely normal. 

It’s okay to not like being a part of social gatherings because you’re an introvert, but to start shaking or sweating at the thought of it is an entirely different story. 

Recommended doses of zoloft for SAD 

Zoloft is recommended for the treatment of social anxiety disorder in the following doses:

For adults

25 mg once a day is considered an initial dose. Take it as advised by your doctor, either in the morning or at night. Some cases might need dose adjustment. Do not exceed 200 mg.

For children

Dose is suggested by the doctor according to the condition and body weight.

Conclusion 

In this blog post, we discussed the benefits of zoloft for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. This med has been used for decades and does provide satisfactory results. 

The data collected from research studies ensured that zoloft indeed works for SAD and helps reduce the symptoms associated with this mental illness, but it takes time. 

Experts suggest that zoloft, on average, takes 12 weeks to produce noticeable reduction in social anxiety symptoms. 

Make sure you give your body enough time and don’t stop your treatment halfway. It will not only result in therapeutic failure but can also cause withdrawal symptoms. 

FAQs: zoloft social anxiety success stories

How long does it take for Zoloft to work for social anxiety?

Zoloft usually takes 4 weeks to start working. Experts suggest that zoloft produces noticeable reduction in symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder in about 12 weeks of treatment. 

Does Zoloft cure social anxiety?

Yes, zoloft is approved for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. It is also used to treat mild to severe depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic attacks, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). 

How effective is sertraline for social anxiety?

According to a survey, zoloft has around 60-65% success rate in the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Some people have given negative feedback, but it is expected of every medicine. No single med can work perfectly in every single case. 

It is considered safe and effective for the treatment of social anxiety disorder in children and adolescents. This condition usually starts during teenage years but it is capable of affecting any age group

Is Zoloft or Lexapro better for social anxiety?

Zoloft is approved for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. Lexapro, on the other hand, can be used off-label for the treatment of social anxiety. 

What is the root cause of social anxiety?

Social anxiety has multiple causes. These include:

• It could be genetic. Mental health conditions often run in the families. Such parents can literally pass on the affected genes to their children. Now such genes can either become expressive and start mental health deterioration or remain dormant for their entire lives and cause no trouble. 
• Environmental causes are also quite common. People who have a history of bullying, any type of abuse, humiliation, or trauma can end up having social phobia and low self-esteem. 
• The imbalance of excitatory chemicals in your brain can also trigger social phobia. 

References 

• Michael R Liebowitz et al. J Clin Psychiatry. (2003) – Efficacy of sertraline in severe generalised social anxiety disorder: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12934979/#:~:text=Sertraline%20was%20well%20tolerated%2C%20with,of%20severe%20social%20anxiety%20disorder.
• D J Katzelnick et al. Am J Psychiatry. (1995) – Sertraline for social phobia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7653696/
• Kathryn M Connor et al. Depress Anxiety. (2006) – Multidimensional effects of sertraline in social anxiety disorder https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16216019/
• M A Van Ameringen et al. Am J Psychiatry. (2001) – Sertraline treatment of generalized social phobia: a 20-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11156811/
• Marcio Bernik et al. PLoS One. (2018) – Concomitant treatment with sertraline and social skills training improves social skills acquisition in social anxiety disorder: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30372482/