Cognitive behavior therapy  appears to be more effective than other evidence -based psychological techniques , and its effects appear to be more enduring than those of pharmacotherapy .
There is some evidence , albeit limited to certain drug classes , that the combination of  medication and cognitive behavior therapy may be more effective than either strategy used alone .
This article proposes a number of recommendations for the treatment of  generalized social phobia  , based on a systematic literature review and meta- analysis .
For medications , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are first-line choices based on their efficacy and tolerability profiles .
There are other medication classes with demonstrated efficacy in social phobia ( benzodiazepines , antipsychotics , alpha-2-delta lig and s ) , but due to limited published clinical trial data and the potential for dependence and withdrawal issues with benzodiazepines , it is unclear how best to incorporate these drugs into treatment regimens .
Treatment of social phobia with gabapentin: a placebo-controlled study.
A r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled , parallel-group study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gabapentin in relieving the symptoms of social phobia . Sixty-nine patients were r and omly assigned to receive double-blind treatment with either gabapentin ( dosed flexibly between 900 and 3,600 mg daily in three divided doses ) or placebo for 14 weeks . A significant reduction ( p < 0.05 ) in the symptoms of social phobia was observed among patients on gabapentin compared with those on placebo as evaluated by clinician- and patient-rated scales . Results were similar for the intent-to-treat and week-2 completer population s. Adverse events were consistent with the known side effect profile of gabapentin .  Dizziness ( p = 0.05 ) , dry mouth ( p = 0.05 ) , somnolence , nausea , flatulence , and decreased libido occurred at a higher frequency among patients receiving gabapentin than among those receiving placebo .  No serious adverse events or deaths were reported . On the basis of these limited data , it seems that gabapentin offers a favorable risk-benefit ratio for the treatment of patients with social phobia .  Further studies are required to confirm this effect and to determine whether a dose-response relationship exists
Cognitive behavior therapy  appears to be more effective than other evidence -based psychological techniques , and its effects appear to be more enduring than those of pharmacotherapy .
There is some evidence , albeit limited to certain drug classes , that the combination of  medication and cognitive behavior therapy may be more effective than either strategy used alone .
This article proposes a number of recommendations for the treatment of  generalized social phobia  , based on a systematic literature review and meta- analysis .
For medications , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are first-line choices based on their efficacy and tolerability profiles .
There are other medication classes with demonstrated efficacy in social phobia ( benzodiazepines , antipsychotics , alpha-2-delta lig and s ) , but due to limited published clinical trial data and the potential for dependence and withdrawal issues with benzodiazepines , it is unclear how best to incorporate these drugs into treatment regimens .