To Anyone with Social Anxiety Looking to self Medicate: Tramadol

This may be the last of these I do for a while. Partially because after this I feel as if I've exhausted most of the substances I've tried which lead to any sort of constructive dialogue about social anxiety, and partially because I don't want it to seem as if I'm encouraging drug use as a be all end all solution for your problems. I do have plans on trying kratom fairly soon though, so expect the next episode (when I do make it) to be about that.

    This is an ongoing series of posts I'm creating in order to help those suffering with severe social anxiety looking to self medicate in a safe, healthy, and effective manner. DISCLAIMER: I do not in any way condone using any psychoactive substance (Legal or illegal, especially illegal, be smart) to cover up the symptoms of a personal problem which you are not taking steps in your sober life to overcome. 18+ only, if you're underage, take steps to better yourself in your natural state only, the younger you are the easier of a time you'll have at it anyway.

    I call Tramadol "the happy pill" because every time I've taken it, no matter what my mindset was beforehand, I become the happiest most positive person I know. I'd imagine it may even be the slightest bit irritating to anyone who's not a serial optimist. This is a pretty welcome change though, as normally I tend to be extremely pessimistic, so it's nice to see how the other world lives every once in a while. I think these effects are due to Tramadol, on top of being a weak opiate, has been shown to have SSRI properties as well.

    It's been a while since I've taken this drug, mainly because it's prescription only in the U.S. but also because I don't see any constructive reason to do so. Tramadol does a pretty good job at lessening my social anxiety. However, I tend to feel a bit of guilt any time I use an opiate, as I know the large potential for addiction. This is the very same reason I tend to shy away from stimulants. I have noticed though, that Tramadol is a subtle enough drug to allow it's beneficial effects on social anxiety to bleed into sober living for a short period of time after a particularly good day on it.

    Overall, in my experience Tramadol is a bit more effective in squashing SA symptoms than the only other opiate I've tried, Hydrocodone. I'd advise caution to anyone who can get their hands on this drug though, whether it be legally or illegally. This is one of the absolute last substances you'd want to become physically dependent on, as on cessation you can expect symptoms of opiate withdrawal, and that of SSRI's.

Next time: Kratom