Medications for Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder
105Question:  Is it dangerous for me to stop taking my medication?
Answer:   Medications should always be stopped gradually and in close consul -
tation with your doctor. If done properly, discontinuation is generally 
safe.
Question:  What happens if my medication doesn’t work for me?
Answer:   If your medication doesn’t work, it is important to ﬁrst make sure you 
have been taking it for a long enough time and at an adequate dose. If 
your medication still is not effective despite an appropriate duration and 
dosage, you may still beneﬁt from trying a different medication or from 
receiving CBT.
Question:   How long should I try a medication before assuming that it isn’t going 
to work?
Answer:   Most antidepressants will start to have an effect within four to six weeks, 
if not earlier. If you haven’t experienced any beneﬁt after eight weeks 
at a high enough dosage, it may be worth discussing the possibility of 
trying a different treatment with your doctor.
Question:   If I go off my medication and my anxiety returns, am I likely to beneﬁt 
again if I resume taking the same medication?
Answer:   Often, when a previously effective medication is tried for a second time 
(following a break), it will work again. However, sometimes a particular 
medication is less effective the second time, in which case a different 
medication may be prescribed.
In summary, medications can be an effective method of managing severe social 
anxiety. Certain anti-anxiety medications (for example, clonazepam) and a number of 
different antidepressants (for instance, paroxetine, venlafaxine) have consistently been