To medicate or not?

[Guest bagoratz]

Hi All

I am a new member - should have joined earlier really considering I've had OCD for over 17 years!!!!

I've got loads of stuff I want to ask you all about and chat about but the first thing is the question of medication - I've been through several acute episodes relating to depression and anxiety over the years and have ended up taking Risperidone, Lorazepam, Stelazine, Chloropromazine (have I spelt that right??!!), Clomipramine and Seroxat, though not all at once I hasten to add!!!!

For the last 3 years I have been taking Prozac in varying dosages, however the one major change that I have made in my life in the last year which has made a significant difference is that I have tried to cut out as much stress as possible in my life. I no longer work in an office, I get plenty of daylight during the day and time to spend with my 2 dogs and I also have a very supportive partner who I often vocalise fears and obsessions to, and I find him reassuring

I am now wondering if I should perhaps try and reduce the medication as I am currently on 60mg but feel nauseous a lot and have lots of hot flushes!!

Does anyone else have any experiences of coming off medication and staying off it successfully?

What did you substitute the drugs with, if anything?

Sorry if this email is a bit 'all over the place' but I've got so much I want to talk about!!! I only spoke to somebody else with OCD for the first time about 3 months ago!!

When I first developed it following a psychotic depression when I was 17, it was generally thought that it wasn't a good idea for people with OCD to be in a help group together as they might heighten each others obsessions and phobias by sharing experiences!!!

I look forward to hearing from you

[Rachie]

Hi there Bagoratz,

Welcome to the site! I hope you find it helpful. Are you having any therapy at the moment as well as taking Prozac?

I think you should talk to your GP about the possibility of reducing your medication. I have been on and off medication a few times - I'm currently taking Citalopram but I have had Prozac before as well as Citalopram another time. When I came off both times it was fine and I didn't have any side effects. I try to exercise regularly which produces endorphins and makes me feel good and that could be something I would do more if I came off the tablets.

Some people take herbal tablets instead of prescribed ones, and this might be something you would want to look into if you were to come off your Prozac.

But make sure you do discuss with your doctor before making any changes to your meds.

Take care and I look forward to hearing more from you!

Rach

[Guest bagoratz]

Hi there

Thanks for the reply - did you xperience any side effects with Prozac? Can I ask the reason why you have changed medication before?

Unfortunately my GP is cr*p when it comes to matters of the mind and she always ends up referring me back to the hospital to see the psychiatrist in situations like this - which is okay I guess but it means more waiting around for an appointment which gets very frustrating, and I am now registered with the fourth Psychiatrist based there in the last 2 years, as they keep changing - aaaarrgghhh!!!!

My GP always says she is not trained in psychiatric medicine and therefore cannot really assist me much - in fact when I changed from clomipramine to Prozac I actually suggested trying Prozac - she didn't have a clue!!

Very frustrating!!

Have you found yourself putting on weight at all with the medication? This is probably my biggest bug bear - I went from 8.5 stone 3 years ago and a constant gym go'er to 12.5 stone and some light dog walking as it stands at the moment!!!!

Whenever I come off medication I seem to get these great rushes of energy and my appetite goes right down, but then the OCD starts creeping back in much stronger and the anxiety, and then I end up having an acute anxiety episode which lands me back in the outpatients waiting room, and it starts all over again!!!

What type of OCD do you have if you don't mind me asking?

Has it placed limitations on the type of employment you can undertake?

Do you know how I can find out about local support groups - I live in Kent

Also, do you know how I can alter my profile on here as it is coming up that I haven't said if I'm male or Female but I'm actually Female!!!!

Sorry for all the questions - it's just that I've only ever had one brief converation with someone in the pub (!) before who had OCD - a friend of my boyfriend's - it wasn't really the best setting to get deep and meaningful!!!

[Guest FobicFairy]

Hi Bagoratz,

If you GP can't help you then he/she should refer you to someone that can. A psychiatrist would be able to answer all your questions about how to come off them and if you could manage without them.

Generally you come off them by cutting down the dosage bit by bit, basically, as long as you feel ok you just keep going like that, but if you feel too grotty you take a bit more, everyone has different tolerance levels and just as you get side effects when you start taking them, the same happens when you come off them.

It worries me a bit that herbal or natural remedies are seen as a safe alternative, they are very potent and can have series side effects just as conventional drugs do. For example some should not be taken during pregnancy. A lot of convential drugs for treating cancer or heart conditions actually include a lot of plants we find in our garden, foxgloves and yew for example, the former is poisonus and the latter can cause skin irritation and upset stomachs if ingested. It's suprising just how often alternative and conventional medicines cross over.

If you do decide to try something like St johns Wort then I would advise going into a shop where there are trained staff that have knowledge of how the tablets work and can discuss any problems they may bring. If you are taking any other medinces then you will need to tell them about that as well. Boots sell these sort of drugs but I am not sure their staff will be very knowleable about them, try a small store that sells nothing but altnernative medicines and I am sure their staff will be more likely to help you.

Make sure you read the leaflet that comes with any medicines before you take them, it will list if there are any ailments that will prevent you from taking them, possible side effects and also warn if you should avoid taking them during pregnancy or if you suffer from a particular illness.

Hope this helps and doesn't come across as too bossy, I am just trying to provide you with some information to help you get some answers to your many questions. You can't really beat the advice of a psychiatrist who has first hand experience of working with people on these medications.

Good luck.

FF

[Rachie]

Hi again.

I had slight side effects with Prozac - a bit of a dry mouth for a few days and increased and vivid dreams for a few weeks. My doctor suggested changing to Citalopram as he said it's milder, and it has been great. I had a bit of a dry mouth for a while but that was it. I did go without taking any meds for a few years and I didn't take anything in that time apart from Kalms a few times. I began to exercise regularly and that helped me a lot.

It's hard for me to know whether medication affects my weight because my weight has always fluctuated and I've always been a bit overweight. I don't think the tablets have made a difference but I'm not sure. Also because I started exercising, that makes it hard to judge.

What's your current psychiatrist like? I'd discuss medication with him/her. Is it CBT you have been having or not? If not, maybe you should ask to be referred for that as it is a very effective way of treating OCD.

I have contamination OCD, intrusive thoughts and other things like having to make things symmetrical - but those two are the worst for me. I have been lucky in that I've been able to keep working full-time but I know for many people it makes it impossible to work. How about you?

If you look here: http://www.ocdforums.org/index.php?showforum=19 - there are details of support groups. Looks like there's one in Canterbury which is hopefully near you! If you post in that thread then I am sure someone will let you know about it.

If you go to My Controls (button on the top right of the page) on the menu down the left there's a section called Personal Profile. Click on Edit Profile Information and second from the bottom is the Sex option. Once you've changed it to Female, click on Amend My Profile and that's it.

Don't worry about asking questions - makes me feel useful answering them!!

Take care and let us know what you decide.

Rach xx

[Mel1971]

hello bagoratz,

welcome!!

I was reading your post about how your partner reassures you.

When my husband has obsessive or intrusive thoughts and talks about it to me I am not allowed to reassure him in any way.

Its part of cognitive behaviour therapy, the more I was (because I did for years) reassuring him, the worse the OCD got. I enabled him to get rid of that intrusive thought, the trouble was the next thought would be more outrageous and cause more anxiety until he got me to reassure him and so on and so on.

He needed to neutralise the thought himself, (which he still isnt doing) and get rid of it that way without me getting involved.

Its hard to explain, and even harder to put into practice.

Melissa x :original:

[Guest bagoratz]

Thanks Melissa

When I say 'reassure' what I mean by that is that in part of my mind I know I am being irrational, however when I vocalise the thought, and tell my partner that I'm being silly or irrational he will say something like, 'No you're not being silly, but all that's happening is the OCD is making you think that - there's nothing to worry about - you're fine'

I do find this a source of great comfort when mentally I am feeling a little weak

Hope that clarifies :original:

[Mel1971]

hiya

good, thats the right way to look at it.

its nice to hear that us non sufferers can help sometimes without getting draw into the OCD cycle.

take care,

Melissa x :clapping: