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It depends on if it's situational anxiety or generalized anxiety. For generalized, you're probably talking about something like Wellbutrin or Paxil. If it's situational, then you're talking Valium, Klonopin.
But only a psychiatrist can decide what's right for you. Unless it's interfering with normal day to day activities, you don't necessarily need medication; sometimes behavioral therapy works well if you're sort of on the fringe of needing/not needing meds. >>
Here's a small warning on psychiatric medications. My brother is withrdawing from benzodiazepines, Klonopin (clonazepam) more specifically. If you want your life to be a living hell with paranoid delusions, rages, inability to sleep, and a host of other fun symptoms, I suggest you stay away from benzodiazepines. Medications are and should be considered a last resort. We even believe the doctor treating my brother may have intentionally seen he got addicted to guarantee he keeps visiting him. If you need proof, go to
http://www.benzo.org.uk and
http://www.benzodiazepine.org and
http://www.petitiononline.com/benzo/petition.html and
http://www.benzohelp.homestead.com for what happens with benzodiazepine addictions. I won't speak too highly of Paxil either, there's currently a class-action lawsuit against it because it has very bad side effects and some people think they're addictive also.
In general, drugs are a crutch for dealing with problems, and very few people actually "need" them, like paranoid schizoprenics. But my brother had paranoid schizophrenic symptoms because of the side effects of clonazepam. Social anxiety disorder is not an invented illness but one that's been rebadged to market Paxil. You're shy, and you need someone to help you. There are people in the community who volunteer to help people with anxiety disorders. They'll help you get out and feel better about yourself. Go out to public places, talk to people who you don't know, even accompany you to a party. There should be something in the Yellow Pages on it. If you go to a doctor, and he prescribes you any psychiatric drug like an antidepressant with only a few minutes of diagnosis, he could be dead wrong, and you could pay the price. It takes a long time to come to the conclusion that you need the drugs. So, get psychiatric help without drugs first, and get some help in the community. You will make it out of this with your help and others' help too.