Meds or not

[inneedofhelp]

I've had a very up and down year. I came off meds if I remember correctly around January. I really don't want to be on meds. Have tried 3 types but other than 'numbing the pain', they haven't really worked. However the bad times weren't as bad as they can be now,

My wife thinks I should be on a low dose for life. Personally I'd rather not.

[battlethrough]

Only you can decide if the pros outway the cons,if life is more manageable

Personaly when im awful they help me take the edge off

[inneedofhelp]

Only you can decide if the pros outway the cons,if life is more manageable

Personaly when im awful they help me take the edge off

It's difficult mate. I agree about taking the edge off but it also made me feel like a zombie with no feelings.

[felix4]

It's difficult mate. I agree about taking the edge off but it also made me feel like a zombie with no feelings.

Hi,

Have you tried both SSRI's & tricyclic's? If you haven't, then it might be worth a shot, & you never know you might get lucky with a med that works well at a lower dose.

[dksea]

When you talk about the meds you are taking, which kind are you referring too? SSRIs? Tri-cyclics? Benzos? It might help to know what sort you are taking as each are different.

[inneedofhelp]

When you talk about the meds you are taking, which kind are you referring too? SSRIs? Tri-cyclics? Benzos? It might help to know what sort you are taking as each are different.

SSRIs - Never heard of Tri-cyclics?

[evolve]

I'm on a combo of Sertraline, Quetiapine and Pregabalin at the mo and while the Quetiapine is giving me hell with side effects (which I'm trying to sort out with my doc), mood wise and anxiety wise I'm pretty good and I don't feel numb like I have done on other tablets where I just couldn't feel excitement about anything.

Everyone's different though. It can be trial and error to find what works if you want to go down the med route.

Chris

[Imhotep]

I went off SSRI meds from January, as I felt they were causing more problems than they were solving. For a few months, I felt fine, and was able to keep OCD at bay, and at one point thought I was cured for a few months. Then a bad episode occured 2 weeks ago and am back on them again, I have to say they've helped enormously, I'd be a shivering wreck without them. If you can maintain CBT without medication, chances are you won't rely on them as much.

[dksea]

Tri-cyclic Antidepressents, or TCAs are an older class of drugs that sometimes are used to treat OCD, though SSRIs are more common as they tend to have less side effects. Clomipramine is a commonly used TCA for OCD. Some people who don't have success on SSRIs might on TCAs.

It's also worth noting that there are six different SSRIs available for treating OCD, so even if one or two haven't worked well for you a different one may. Though I can understand your reluctance if your previous attempts haven't been very helpful.

Have you done any CBT to address your OCD? Many people are able to manage using therapy alone.

[Guest Miss Lemon]

Watching this thread with interest as I'm in meds-or-not dilemma too.

My GP has prescribed Diazepam and Sertraline, which I'm supposed to start taking now, while I wait for my counselling assessment, but I don't want to take anything if I can possibly avoid it. I've managed for 20 years without any kind of meds and I'm hoping this awful crisis is going to pass.

I was prescribed Diazepam once before about 20 years ago and it knocked me out so much I actually wet the bed in the night. :blushing: I nearly died of shame. The thought of that happening again is grim.

[dksea]

@Miss Lemon - I've been on SSRI's for 20+ years now, and they have been very beneficial for me in combating my OCD. Some people tolerate them better than others, of course, and it can sometimes take a couple tries to find the one that works best for you, but I'm definitely glad they are around and I've had access to them! Its still important to do the therapy side (something I've learned the hard way) but I would encourage you to at least consider them.

I've also at times been on Clonazepam (which is in the same family as Diazepam) and I understand completely your reluctance to take those. While it certainly helped curb some severe anxiety I was dealing with, the side effects and how they made me feel in general are something I prefer to avoid these days! I have a small set of them for severe anxiety situations (haven't had to use them in quite a while) but even then I prefer to avoid them if possible.

Keep in mind that the experience you had on the Diazepam and the experience you would have from the Sertraline (an SSRI) are going to be pretty different. So your tough experience with those shouldn't reflect on what you'll experience with the Sertraline.

[evolve]

I've personally tolerated Sertraline well with minimal side effects and I don't tolerate anything practically! I did have to go up to the max dose of 200mg before I felt the benefit though.

[Guest Miss Lemon]

dksea, on 29 Aug 2014 - 11:15 PM, said:

@Miss Lemon - I've been on SSRI's for 20+ years now, and they have been very beneficial for me in combating my OCD. Some people tolerate them better than others, of course, and it can sometimes take a couple tries to find the one that works best for you, but I'm definitely glad they are around and I've had access to them! Its still important to do the therapy side (something I've learned the hard way) but I would encourage you to at least consider them.

I've also at times been on Clonazepam (which is in the same family as Diazepam) and I understand completely your reluctance to take those. While it certainly helped curb some severe anxiety I was dealing with, the side effects and how they made me feel in general are something I prefer to avoid these days! I have a small set of them for severe anxiety situations (haven't had to use them in quite a while) but even then I prefer to avoid them if possible.

Keep in mind that the experience you had on the Diazepam and the experience you would have from the Sertraline (an SSRI) are going to be pretty different. So your tough experience with those shouldn't reflect on what you'll experience with the Sertraline.

evolve, on 29 Aug 2014 - 11:27 PM, said:

I've personally tolerated Sertraline well with minimal side effects and I don't tolerate anything practically! I did have to go up to the max dose of 200mg before I felt the benefit though.

Thank you both for sharing your experiences - it really helps to get insight from real people who've taken these drugs and others to compare with. It's difficult for me to know what to do because normally this OCD/Anxiety doesn't ruin my life (it's normally what I would call moderate rather than severe) so I don't normally need medication. I am currently having a massive crisis though (far beyond anything I've had previously) so I think I'm going to have to do something different to try to cope with it.

OP inneedofhelp, have you decided what you're going to do? It sounds like you're prepared to deal with the bad times being worse in order to be off the meds, and in the end it's your decision.

Whatever you decide now though, it doesn't have to be forever. You can always change your mind in the future.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Miss Lemon