Hello - my first post on here after trawling on the internet in search of help and advice.
I'm married to someone with OCD. He first had it 15 years ago and was prescribed Fluoxetine which sorted it out no problem at 20mg. Then BOOM. Stopped working about 18 months ago. He saw a private psychiatrist who switched him to Clomiprinine but he had side effects that were not good and so he came off that - shocking withdrawal - and just before Christmas started Citalopram. We had a family bereavement which really knocked him back and I could see him withdrawing day by day on Citalopram. Decision was made by GP to come off and see NHS psychiatrist which he has done last week. He has cross tapered him to sertraline and this is day 4 of 25mg with a view to increase dosage every 4/5 days to try to get to 200mg.
His anxiety is crazy and he has been relying on diazepam to get through the day. He hasn't had any now for 3 days so I suppose although the anxiety is bad, he's not agitated and shaking anymore, just scared. He has intrusive thought about needles and contamination mainly.
I am at my tether. So desperate for this new medication to work as we obviously have financial implications looming as he will stop being paid 1.6.19 and is on half pay now until this date.
I feel that he should have been given a second SSRI before Clomiprinine and have high hopes of Sertraline.
Can anyone give me their words of wisdom? I feel like a carer not a wife and after 25 years of marriage am on the edge!
ETA: Anyone know of any level 4/5 CBT as our NHS referral takes 1 year and the private CBT that he was having will stop due to cost plus I'm cynical about these private guys too.
