(these are drugs that are usually used to treat seizures). We will discuss each of these 
approaches in this chapter, and we will also review what is known about the use of herbal 
remedies for treating social anxiety.
When selecting among these medications, you and your doctor should take into 
account the following factors:
UÊResearch ﬁndings on available medications . Treatment guidelines recently 
published by the Canadian Psychiatric Association recommended antide -
pressant treatments as the ﬁrst medications to try for social anxiety disor -
der, based on the most recent research (Swinson et al. 2006). In particular, 
venlafaxine, escitalopram, ﬂuvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline had been 
investigated in the largest number of studies at the time the guidelines were 
published. These medications are discussed later in this chapter.
UÊYour particular social anxiety symptoms . For example, although people 
with focused performance fears (like public speaking or performing music) 
may beneﬁt from treatment with beta-blockers, people with more general -
ized forms of social anxiety tend not to beneﬁt from these medications.