Has anyone stayed on one med for a long time and felt the benefits of it?

[BelAnna]

Hello,

My OCD seems to be getting less and less realistic (i.e. a minute ago I prepared some microwave rice for my dog- it was brown rice and when I cooled the cooked rice down in some water, the water went murky. I am now worried that I might have dropped a fairy dishwasher tablet in the water!) and I have had lots of CBT including 12 weeks as an in-patient and several other series of treatment (one of which lasted 5 years) but my OCD just changes 'theme' all of the time so I cannot tackle it.

It seems to me that most OCDers try one anti-depressant then either suffer side-effects and stop taking it (which is what I did) or stay on it for a while, find it ineffective and then stop. I am just wondering whether anyone has stayed on a single anti-D for a longer period of time and found it effective for treating their OCD?

Thanks! 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by BelAnna

[snowbear]

1 hour ago, BelAnna said:

I have had lots of CBT including 12 weeks as an in-patient and several other series of treatment (one of which lasted 5 years) but my OCD just changes 'theme' all of the time so I cannot tackle it.

It shouldn't matter what the theme is, or if the theme changes a million times over. CBT isn't aimed at tackling any particular theme, but at changing the thinking processes that result in OCD symptoms.

Are you perhaps trying to deal with the theme each time and missing the true therapy message? Can you see a pattern in your thinking, a common thread linking all your themes? It's that pattern of thinking behaviour you need to tackle.

Something which perhaps needs to be said on the forum more often is ... there isn't any medication specifically developed or tailored to treat OCD.

Anti-depressants and anti-psychotics get used because doctors have nothing more specific to prescribe. Perhaps we should be surprised these drugs occasionally have a beneficial effect rather than disappointed when they don't help. It's also not a surprise they need to be prescribed at higher than normal doses for OCD  ('Hey, the hammer can't crack the nut, let's throw a sledgehammer at it.')  For some people medication does have an effect, but the principle of it is using a familiar tool with brute force rather than using the right tool for the job.  There's research being done to find a drug designed to treat OCD, but meanwhile if you've tried what's available without success consider simply leaving the drug option alone.

It strikes me that in spite of all the therapy you've been exposed to you're somehow missing the take home message of CBT. Perhaps you should be reviewing why that avenue hasn't worked for you when it's known to be the right treatment. Is it the way it's been presented to you, or that you're not listening to what's being said? Maybe it's been too heavily biased towards ERP and not tackled the necessary shift in thinking behaviour and beliefs. We can only guess at why so much intensive CBT hasn't helped, but don't despair. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes and a therapist with a different way of wording the message so you 'get it' and start to make progress.  

[OceanDweller]

8 hours ago, snowbear said:

It shouldn't matter what the theme is, or if the theme changes a million times over. CBT isn't aimed at tackling any particular theme, but at changing the thinking processes that result in OCD symptoms.

Are you perhaps trying to deal with the theme each time and missing the true therapy message? Can you see a pattern in your thinking, a common thread linking all your themes? It's that pattern of thinking behaviour you need to tackle.

Something which perhaps needs to be said on the forum more often is ... there isn't any medication specifically developed or tailored to treat OCD.

Anti-depressants and anti-psychotics get used because doctors have nothing more specific to prescribe. Perhaps we should be surprised these drugs occasionally have a beneficial effect rather than disappointed when they don't help. It's also not a surprise they need to be prescribed at higher than normal doses for OCD  ('Hey, the hammer can't crack the nut, let's throw a sledgehammer at it.')  For some people medication does have an effect, but the principle of it is using a familiar tool with brute force rather than using the right tool for the job.  There's research being done to find a drug designed to treat OCD, but meanwhile if you've tried what's available without success consider simply leaving the drug option alone.

It strikes me that in spite of all the therapy you've been exposed to you're somehow missing the take home message of CBT. Perhaps you should be reviewing why that avenue hasn't worked for you when it's known to be the right treatment. Is it the way it's been presented to you, or that you're not listening to what's being said? Maybe it's been too heavily biased towards ERP and not tackled the necessary shift in thinking behaviour and beliefs. We can only guess at why so much intensive CBT hasn't helped, but don't despair. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes and a therapist with a different way of wording the message so you 'get it' and start to make progress.  

Brilliant post.

[PolarBear]

I've been on two meds for 3.5 years that work brilliantly for me. I'm going to do you a favor and NOT tell you what they are.

See, by luck or design, I don't know, my psychiatrist and I stumbled onto a cocktail that worked for me and my unique set of challenges, including general anxiety, severe OCD, deep depression and a few others. But I am under no illusions that my winning cocktail will work for you or anyone else.

Most people do not derive the significant benefits of meds like I do. And I maintain today that meds helped me on my road to recovery but it was CBT that got me to the finish line.

Read snowbear post, several times.