GvsOCD

I echo what the others here have said about tapering. I have come off medication successfully once (when I tapered very slowly with my GP's guidance) and have failed dramatically once (when I tried to do it by myself and far too quickly - bad idea!). If you feel that the reduction has been too steep, there's no harm in going back to your GP and asking for the plan to be adjusted. As far as your anxiety flaring up, there's every chance it's connected to the reduced dosage. I've experienced a similar thing recently going from 30mg to 10mg escitalopram. I think to some extent it is to be expected (after all, that's what the medication was there for). It might be worth keeping a diary of your thoughts and feelings as you continue to reduce your dose, so that you have some records to illustrate how things are going when you next speak to your GP. Aside from that - remember that things will be changing in your brain and take care of yourself accordingly! You might need more rest, more support and more patience from those around you as you go through this transition, and there is nothing wrong with that! Good luck with your meds journey

Hey Gingham! This is my first comment since joining - your post caught my eye because I used to have SO many bin-taking-out rituals! Mine were particularly bad when I was living in University accommodation, so I always felt the embarrassment of people seeing my rituals and wondering what they thought of me. You've already said it yourself: you need to sit with the feeling and not give in. Something that helps me with this is taking a moment to explicitly acknowledge (in my head or even out loud to myself) that this 'incident' is actually an opportunity. By touching your thigh and then feeling those dreadful feelings, you've been given a chance to interrupt OCD and to resist. It's a chance to take another step towards recovery, because every time you sit with that uncertainty, you take some power away from OCD - how good is that! Have a great evening. You've got this.