peter117

Hello I have recently 2 weeks ago been changed to fluoxetine 20mg daily. I was expecting some increase in anxiety but was unprepared for how severe the attacks would be. I spoke to GP today who basically said need to work through them for another 2 weeks. Also I only get about 5 hours sleep a night. I have used mindful meditation in the past but not finding it helpful as cannot relax enough to get into it properly. I know people will react differently to the drug but am considering herbal remedies like flower oils. Does any one have any experience of them or any other coping mechanisms for the anxiety.

Hello I am struggling at the moment I hope due to a meds change. I contacted the mental health team last week as I was having new horrible intrusive thoughts and they helped me but was surprised when I told them i was on only 15mg mirtazapine. I contacted my GP and they phoned me back to say rather than increase mirtazapine dose to change to an SSRI. I was expected some withdrawal effects from mirtazapine which haven't been too bad but increased anxiety from starting the SSRI has kicked in and I keep reliving recent thoughts. I keep saying to myself hang in things will get better but then the doubts creep in thinking have I the strength to keep going until they do. I am trying mindful meditation which helps but am also considering EMDR/tapping techniques to use at work to cope with the anxiety attacks. I have used them with a therapist in the past to good effect and there is now a virtual product. Just wondering if anyone has any advice

Hello Sorry if this takes a while to get top the point. I suffer from intrusive thought OCD where i worry that i might harm people. After 2 courses of CBD and a good therapist i had reached a stage wher is was coping well. The along comes covid and lockdown and as an NHS worker the stresses restarted my ocd . I have been using mindful meditation and grounding techniques to manage stress and always try to think of positive things before sleepiin. As lockdown has eased some friends have invited me round to site in their garden i liv alone in a tower block. They live about 10minutes walk away and until last weekend i had been round several times with no, problems. Last saturday evening i went round and we had a few drinks, then when walking home i suddenly panicked as i thought i saw something odd out of the corner of my eye. I shrugged it off and carried on home, however the next day i was worried i had hurt someone ( i had not passed anyone else on the way home) and wanted to go back and check i resisted this all day but had to pass the street the next day and saw nothing wrong. Anyway they invited me back again this saturday and i was very apprehensive about going but made myself go. Again we had a couple of drinks and chatted, when it was time to go home i was anxious but after some deep breathing i started off, and tried to think mindfully, again i passed no one but at the end of the street again thought something was odd and i needed to go back and check but did not and carried on home. Before going to sleep i tried to think i had acted positively in facing my fear and going and that i had no need to be anxious about anything. This is when something weird happened, at about 5am i woke up and my brain seemed to be in a hyperactive state, i seemed to see lots of thoughts flashing through my brain but couldn,t read all of them i had to make myself concentrate on my thoughts before sleeping about walking home to drown them out. This left me very anxious and worried that my brain was trying to tell me i really did need to go back and check, i was so anxious i couldn,t get back to sleep. I am wondering if anyone else with OCD has had such a weird thing happen to them, or maybe the whole thing was some strange dream but it didn,t feel like a dream at the time.

Hello I haven't posted on here for a while . I suffer from harmful thought OCD and had got to the stage where I could dismiss the thoughts as just OCD ones and not real. I am classed as a front line NHS worker and haven't had any holiday since new year, had a mini holiday booked in May but this was obviously cancelled. My OCD thoughts have become more difficult to handle but I was expecting this. What I wasn't expected was to suddenly start stressing and obsessing over events that happened many years ago, nothing illegal and no-one harmed but my anxiety sky high, I have talked to close friends who know my history and they all say I am worrying over nothing and just to let the thoughts go but I can't seem to do this. My friend have now done the right thing and say we are not talking to you about this anymore as you are just fueling the thought. However I can't let go, its as though I have got to have something to worry about, any suggestions. I have arranged some urgent counselling but not sure how helpful it may be in the short term.

hello I have nearly always managed to hold down a full time job while suffering from OCD and found work a help by stopping me ruminating. My usual OCD symptoms have flared up but now they are affecting me at work with constant doubt and need to re-check everything and avoiding some situations. I am having therapy for my usual OCD symptoms and the therapist says the problems are linked but need to tackle them separately as it would involve doing different ERP exercises at the same time with different hierarchies. I feel exhausted at work and then of course worry that I genuinely might make an error due to tiredness. I am considering taking time off to concentrate on one set of symptoms at a time, hoping that if I can get my normal symptoms back under control, the others may subside. Also I don't really need to work and in fact no longer enjoy the job but was continuing for the routine and stability and the help with the OCD. I then worry that this is just avoiding the issue, or perhaps it is time to re-evaluate my situation. Anyone have any advice or something similar?

I know how you feel. I have the same thoughts about knives. Are you getting any therapy for the OCD?

I had 9 sessions in all. Didn't have therapy for unnecessary checking as wasn't a big problem then. My new therapist says the checking is part of my overall OCD worries of causing harm to others.

Having a bad time at the moment feeling depressed, particularly in the mornings. I have intrusive thoughts of harming people. I finished a course of CBT/ERP with IAPT service and wasn't happy how it ended. At the last session the therapist said I was still resisting having the thoughts but this was the last session anyway and to just use the techniques they had taught me and could refer back if needed. I tried this on different scenarios and ended up worst than before I started and now my symptoms are almost as bad as they have been. I am seeing someone appropriately qualified privately now as then at least I can say when I think I am ready to stop therapy. The problem is I have become very reluctant to go out unless I have to, the OCD voice is saying stay in and be safe, which worsens my depression.My GP changed me to mirtazapine 15mg daily in December which was working but he increased it to 30mg about 6 weeks ago and is reluctant to increase it further until the therapy has had an effect. I have always been able to go to work as I find the company helps (I live alone) but the OCD has started to affect me there, where I will do or check something and then start doubting myself and having to re-check. I work as a Pharmacist so checking is part of the routine but my OCD is taking it to extremes. This again worsens my depression to the extent that I don't see a future for myself and worry about self harming. I know that I have to take a leap of faith and just go out and do things but I find it very difficult at the moment. My new therapist has given me mindfulness, relaxation and de-stressing DVD's which I hope will help, also we have set goals for the therapy to achieve, which we will work on together. I have friends who are supportive when they can be but have problems of their own. I just seem to be in a heightened state of anxiety where every small decision is a mountain to climb. I am sorry to post such a long blog but just felt I needed to vent my feelings.

Hello I have recently started to see a therapist privately as was unhappy with IAPT service. I checked that she had all the appropriate qualifications (BABCP accredited), she also offers EMDR therapy but is very clear that is not for treatment of OCD for which she uses CBT/EPR.

Sorry to post again Seem to have gone leap backwards. Will probably have to do a compulsion today, have been trying to resist for 2 hours but can't seem to stop ruminating. Went to get haircut at barbers where you wait and don't have appointments. Barber said who is next and someone jumped the queue. Anxiety/panic what will I do to him for doing this. Eventually managed to calm down get my hair cut and complete my shopping but went home in a way that would pass the barbers so I could check. First mistake as now I want to check again. The little OCD voice says its real this time as you were provoked by him jumping the queue, so will be off to check again soon. I feel as though I have failed and will never get control of this condition. I know that I am probably being too hard on myself but I have been so much better than this and try to tell myself I can be again but I am not sure how to get there. The GP increased my antidepressant mirtazapine to 30mg about 3 weeks age but doesn't seem to have done much. I suppose need to forgive myself for today and hope tomorrow will be better. I have started to see a therapist privately (BABCP accredited) as didn't want to wait for referral back to IAPT. She says can recover CBT but also offers EMDR therapy to resolve some unresolved trauma events which came up in the initial assessment. I am seeing her on Monday to decide how to proceed. Just need to get through the rest of the weekend. I think I still haven't managed to convince myself these are just thoughts but then the OCD voice says you don't have such thoughts just because someone jumped the queue, so must be real etc.

hello my OCD symptoms (thoughts of harming others) often are worse in the morning. Last night I planned what to do this morning and was OK but now my OCD is telling me to be safe and stay in and not go out. anyone else noticed this or could it be I am more depressed in the morning?

How do you stop ruminating? I told my therapist how I was distracting myself from thoughts and she said I shouldn't be doing this as I was then avoiding dealing with them. We never went through distraction techniques in therapy.

hello I was allocated 12 sessions but only had 9 due to therapist unavailable. The only work I was given was to identify hierarchy of problems and then to complete ERP exercises on them, which I did. Was told about vicious flowers and theory a vs theory b in sessions. The last ERP exercise was due on the day of the last session and therapist didn't go through it with me, said I was still resisting having the thoughts but was last session so just to use the techniques taught.

hello I have had a series of CBT/ERP sessions via IAPT and seem to be getting worse not better. I spoke to the therapist at my last session about this and the reply was that this was the last session and that they had taught me all they could. I left feeling disappointed and not confident in what they had said. I suffer from thoughts of harming others while I am out and about. It can happen in specific locations or just as I am passing someone on the street. It has now got to the stage where I think it better to stay in rather than go out and risk the thoughts. This causes major depression/suicidal thoughts. Arranged to meet someone at a café for lunch today so had to go. Got home and felt OK initially but now want to go back and check the route, which I know is a compulsion but I am so tired of resisting them. The therapist said I should write scripts of my thoughts and replay back until no anxiety. If I did this at the moment it would almost be a full time occupation. The therapist said I could self refer back but I don't really have any confidence anymore in the whole CBT/ERP approach. I was thinking of seeing someone privately, they are BABCP accredited and at least I would control how many sessions I had. Any advice I don't think I can go on like this for much longer.

thanks good advice as always