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Really need to talk..desperate, I don't know if i can do this.


Guest sophiethecat2003

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Guest sophiethecat2003

Hi everyone,

My doctor prescribed Propranolol for my BDD related anxiety.

I have had to stop taking it as it is causing me horrendous side effects, including giving me terrible IBS. Tried to take it alongside my IBS med Colefac and as prescribed, but I feel just awful.

I could not function at all, on the loo all the time, very dizzy and nauseous. Just feel really poorly. I have quite a lot of other health issues including Menieres Disease. This drug gives me very bad dizzy spells and Tinnitus, so a double whammy of dizzyness.

I had to take a 5mg Valium today, and it has done me no good at all. I haven't taken one for a few days, normally it helps, but not today.

I really don't know if I can carry on like this, my BDD is horrendous I just can't stop checking mirrors and my eye bags and thinking that they are getting worse every day. Everyone assures me that they are not, and that they are not what I think they are.

Someone has told me about 5-HTP anyone tried this? If so any experience of side effects?

Really feeling stupid, very helpless and shallow.

Don't know what to do to try to help myself, running out of ideas now. CBT still weeks away. Really don't want to go back on Citalopram.

Just need someone to talk to..

Here if anyone else needs to offload

Big hugs

Sophie:)

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Hey there Soph I'm really sorry to hear how you're feeling, maybe you need a higher dose of the Valium perhaps? I don't know much about Propranolol & or 5- HTP I have to look into those.Have you tried Seroquel ? This is great in treating anxiety I found and also reducing racey obsessive thoughts& also keeping you calm I found :original: .

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Hi Sophgie.Really sorry you are having such a bad time.A good thing to do with BDD seems to be to gradually reduce the time and frequency that you spend looking in nthe mirror because it is the looking that is feeding the obsession.If you look say 50 times a day for five mins each time make your self a goal to reduce the times yopu look more and more each day to say 25 after a week and keep on doing this until after a while you use the mirror ONLY for a function such as putting make up on or getting ready to go out and keep the frequency of these looks to a minimum.Don't allow yourself to look longer than is necessary.How are you feeling today?

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Hi Sophie,

Thank you so much for offering support to me before. I'm sorry you're going through such a hard time just now.

I understand about the mirror checking- I'm trying to limit the time I spend looking for lines and bags and trying to divert my attention to other things instead. Is there anything you enjoy doing that would help to distract from thinking about it? Could read, meet a friend, go into town etc?

I've never tried Propanolol but my Mum who doesn't have a diagnosed M.H. condition was given it for preventing migraines and she could only take it for one day because it made her depressed and irritable.

I tried 5HTP but it made me a bit sickly so wasn't great. I think eating foods rich in tryptophan like turkey and cheese, and those rich in omega 3 such as smoked salmon can sometimes help in the same way as these supplements.

How long is it until you start CBT now?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Jane_29

Greetings BelAnna,

Sorry to hear about what you`re going through - it`s rubbish to have a mental health difficulty ontop of other problems, that can`t be fun at all.

I know a little about 5-HTP. I`ve tried it for my OCD myself, and I know some people with BDD and OCD find it very helpful. For me personally, I found other micronutrients more helpful than 5-HTP, but everybody is different. I didn`t get any side effects from 5-HTP. It`s quite mild.

The only thing is that it can be expensive, so you may want to check if it is the most suitable option for you before paying a lot? (but if you`re rich, that`s fine ;D ). 5-HTP works by increasing serotonin in the brain, I believe, a `happy chemical`, so if you have any mental symptoms of depression (low mood, sense of hopelessness, `meaningless` feeling, rumination over past mistakes, feeling of being worthless etc), 5-HTP can be great. I did not have many symptoms of depression, just obsessions and anxiety, which is why it probably didn`t work for me!

Can I recommend a good evidence-based book to you, with some information about 5-HTP in it? It`s nothing dodgy or unscientific, it`s authored by a proper medical professional who knows what he`s talking about. It`s `The Chemistry of Calm` by Henry Emmons (second-hand copies should be on Amazon.co.uk for under 10pounds). It`s a straightforward discussion of how the various chemicals in the brain naturally work, and whether or not you can eat healthy, do particular activities, or take any biochemistry-based vitamins/supplements/micronutrients to balance particular ones out.

DO NOT mix medications, though! I`m sure you already know this, but I have to add this warning, like with any health advice on the internet; definitely don`t start taking random vitamins alongside medications without asking your doctor. Ask to either come off one first and try another, or ask the doctor if it`s ok to take several together.

Obviously lovid is exactly right, though - nobody with an anxiety disorder can expect to take `magic pills` and just feel better overnight! :D It`s very important to do therapy like CBT and mindfulness too. The point of the book is just to say that you can do your therapy more easily when your mind is nicely nourished.

Edited by Jane_29
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