Medication question

[sufferer]

Hello all.

I've recently started taking Sertraline and it has got me thinking - is medication generally a long term or short term thing?

Do most people come off meds when they feel better? Do meds 'fix' a problem like putting cream on a wound until it's healed? Or do they only work for as long as you take them?

Current side effects are incredibly painful, stiff muscles in my shoulders, blurred vision and an awful headache. Also a sore throat. Am hoping these will be short lived.

Edited May 9, 2019 by sufferer

[Guest OCDhavenobrain]

CBT is the solution. You can take all the meds in the world and it won't make you overcome it without a change in mindset. Just because psychiatry are obsessed with meds doesn't mean it is right. 

What I would suggest is happening here is that you have started taking meds and now you are obsessing about meds. 

[sufferer]

I appreciate, and agree with that.

At the moment meds are all I have while I wait for my cbt referral.

I'm not obsessing over the meds, just curious, and surprised by the side effects.

I just wondered if most people stayed on them long term.

[Guest OCDhavenobrain]

If I had to guess many people with OCD (undiagnosed or diagnosed with OCD) do get on meds and then they either think that you can't recover or they never get CBT. I hear you, and I respect your questions on meds but I would be aware about your thoughts about meds if I were you. How you think about something will greatly change how you feel psychically. 

[taurean]

I have been on mine for 4.5 years and now consider myself managing my OCD pretty well thanks to CBT mindfulness meds and support from OCD-UK and its forums. 

So my doctor and I plan a staged gradual withdrawal programme from the meds. I aim initially to drop down from 20mg Citalopram to 10 mg and see how that goes. 

[sufferer]

1 hour ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

If I had to guess many people with OCD (undiagnosed or diagnosed with OCD) do get on meds and then they either think that you can't recover or they never get CBT. I hear you, and I respect your questions on meds but I would be aware about your thoughts about meds if I were you. How you think about something will greatly change how you feel psychically. 

I'm desperate for cbt. I just wish I could remember what they taught me last time round.

 

43 minutes ago, taurean said:

I have been on mine for 4.5 years and now consider myself managing my OCD pretty well thanks to CBT mindfulness meds and support from OCD-UK and its forums. 

So my doctor and I plan a staged gradual withdrawal programme from the meds. I aim initially to drop down from 20mg Citalopram to 10 mg and see how that goes. 

That's great, Taurean, I wish you every success.

I'm hoping (if I can get over the side effects) to stay on these just to get me through this blip. I just wondered if that was realistic or not.

[californiadreaming]

I'm in the US - so grain of salt.

My GP and therapist told me it's to help during the CBT/ERP process to help make it easier to do then you can wean off of it.

Of course, it's different for everyone. I weaned off of mine. 

[sufferer]

 

44 minutes ago, californiadreaming said:

I'm in the US - so grain of salt.

My GP and therapist told me it's to help during the CBT/ERP process to help make it easier to do then you can wean off of it.

Of course, it's different for everyone. I weaned off of mine. 

That makes sense - thank you.

[taurean]

1 hour ago, sufferer said:

I'm desperate for cbt. I just wish I could remember what they taught me last time round.

 

That's great, Taurean, I wish you every success.

I'm hoping (if I can get over the side effects) to stay on these just to get me through this blip. I just wondered if that was realistic or not.

I was originally prescribed fluoxetine (prozac) but couldn't cope with the diarrhoea and tiredness side effects. 

When I tried Citalopram, again I got really bad diarrhoea so didn't continue. Several years later, feeling terrible OCD-wise,  like you, I had another go - with the doctor also prescribing a med to deal with the diarrhoea. After several weeks the diarrhoea side effect faded away. 

I wouldn't suggest using the med just for the short term. They take time to work as we have said, and time from which to carefully withdraw. They aren't a short-term option. 

CBT doesn't have to be done solely with a therapist. 

The sufferer can use self-help CBT for OCD. I like the concept of a workbook, which sets homework (as would a therapist) to do as you progress through it. 

There are some self-help good options available from the shop on the main OCD-UK website. 

Roy 

[dksea]

9 hours ago, sufferer said:

I've recently started taking Sertraline and it has got me thinking - is medication generally a long term or short term thing?

Like the effectiveness of OCD in general this varies from person to person.  Some people take it short term to help them get past the initial hurdles and allow them to really make progress in CBT.  For others its a long term proposition for helping to manage symptoms.
 

9 hours ago, sufferer said:

Do most people come off meds when they feel better? Do meds 'fix' a problem like putting cream on a wound until it's healed? Or do they only work for as long as you take them?

There is no indication that OCD medication has a long term curative effect on OCD, when you stop taking the medication and it is out of your system you stop recieving any benefit from the medication.  There is, so far, no permanent "cure" for OCD, unlike say strep throat where you take antibiotics for a week (or whatever) and it goes away completely.  CBT can have a lasting effect in helping you to function more normally, with or without medication, and is your best bet for long term relief and management of OCD.
 

9 hours ago, sufferer said:

Current side effects are incredibly painful, stiff muscles in my shoulders, blurred vision and an awful headache. Also a sore throat. Am hoping these will be short lived.

In general side effects like that are temporary, and as your body adjusts you should improve over time.  However thats not always the case so make sure to keep in touch with your doctor and let them know of the side effects you are experiencing and whether they improve, stay the same, or get worse.  As people seem to respond differently to different SSRI's, if your symptoms don't improve and/or the side effects don't decrease you might switch medications and see if that is a better match.

[sufferer]

9 hours ago, taurean said:

I was originally prescribed fluoxetine (prozac) but couldn't cope with the diarrhoea and tiredness side effects. 

When I tried Citalopram, again I got really bad diarrhoea so didn't continue. Several years later, feeling terrible OCD-wise,  like you, I had another go - with the doctor also prescribing a med to deal with the diarrhoea. After several weeks the diarrhoea side effect faded away. 

I wouldn't suggest using the med just for the short term. They take time to work as we have said, and time from which to carefully withdraw. They aren't a short-term option. 

CBT doesn't have to be done solely with a therapist. 

The sufferer can use self-help CBT for OCD. I like the concept of a workbook, which sets homework (as would a therapist) to do as you progress through it. 

There are some self-help good options available from the shop on the main OCD-UK website. 

Roy 

I am going to look at self help books in the meantime, thank you.

I had a period of maybe six months in mind. By which time I hope to have some CBT techniques sorted and to be feeling better. Maybe I'm being optimistic though 

[sufferer]

3 hours ago, dksea said:

Like the effectiveness of OCD in general this varies from person to person.  Some people take it short term to help them get past the initial hurdles and allow them to really make progress in CBT.  For others its a long term proposition for helping to manage symptoms.

I took Fluoxetine a few years back and came off it as I started to feel better, then a few years later - here I am again 

 

3 hours ago, dksea said:

In general side effects like that are temporary, and as your body adjusts you should improve over time.  However thats not always the case so make sure to keep in touch with your doctor and let them know of the side effects you are experiencing and whether they improve, stay the same, or get worse.  As people seem to respond differently to different SSRI's, if your symptoms don't improve and/or the side effects don't decrease you might switch medications and see if that is a better match.

I do hope they subside, at the moment they're awful. My dr couldn't be less interested so time to find another one I think.

[taurean]

16 minutes ago, sufferer said:

I had a period of maybe six months in mind. By which time I hope to have some CBT techniques sorted and to be feeling better. Maybe I'm being optimistic though 

Since we don't yet truly understand how these meds affect us, and why (there is known scientific theory, but the meds affect different people different ways) I would suggest caution in terms of how long to plan to stay on meds. 

I started the last CBT I have needed with a timescale of three months CBT in mind to recover. My therapist told me that "recovery will take as long as it takes", which I thought was very profound. 

She was right - it took two years. 

I have a forum friend (not currently active) with similar obsessions to me who was doing really well - with the meds particularly helping her - and so she elected to gradually come off them. 

She hadn't appreciated how much the meds were in actual fact contributing to her recovery and had a bad relapse. 

This is why I am not rushing coming off mine, taking my time, planning to aim for half dose, and gradually. 

Re your side effects I have noticed that forum members hypersensitive to the possibilities of side effects "bring on" the side effects. 

So try and take a detached view, try and stop focusing on them - and I reckon they will likely improve. 

[dksea]

2 hours ago, sufferer said:

I took Fluoxetine a few years back and came off it as I started to feel better, then a few years later - here I am again 

Given the side effects you are experiencing on your current medication perhaps you could ask your doctor to try Fluoxetine instead, assuming you had a better reaction to that.

[Guest OCDhavenobrain]

2 hours ago, sufferer said:

I took Fluoxetine a few years back and came off it as I started to feel better, then a few years later - here I am again 

 

I do hope they subside, at the moment they're awful. My dr couldn't be less interested so time to find another one I think.

That is how it often goes. The sufferer gets relief but haven't the cognitive understanding and soon again the compulsions are back at the same level.

Stay on the meds, do not change quite yet. Try not to think about meds, and use it as motivation, because there are no meds in the world which remove OCD

 

Edit: I am certain that you sre obsessing about your meds, mostly because I read your thinking before you went on them

Edited May 10, 2019 by OCDhavenobrain

[taurean]

1 minute ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

because there are no meds in the world which remove OCD

And this is so misunderstood. 

What removes, or at least manages, OCD is changing our thinking patterns and behavioural responses through CBT. 

Patients want a quick fix through a medication. Doctors seem rather too keen to oblige when severity of symptoms may not perhaps justify this. 

Other things, such as meds, meditation, mindfulness, relaxation skills, exercise and positive thinking may help - but CBT is the core treatment. 

[Raffles]

17 hours ago, sufferer said:

Current side effects are incredibly painful, stiff muscles in my shoulders, blurred vision and an awful headache. Also a sore throat. Am hoping these will be short lived.

Do you get migraines, Sufferer?

As I think I mentioned in another thread, maybe consider the possibility you're mis-attributing symptoms of anxiety/sleep deprivation to side-effects. Or a mixture of side-effects and symptoms you're paying attention to now there's a new variable with the medication. The stiff shoulder muscles could be due to anxiety-tension? I don't notice I clench up when I'm stressed until my shoulders start aching! If you can take a warm bath, or use a wheat pack/hot water bottle on them, you might get some relief.

It's easy to say, but try not to engage with rumination about how long you might take meds for. It's individual to everyone.

[sufferer]

9 hours ago, taurean said:

I have a forum friend (not currently active) with similar obsessions to me who was doing really well - with the meds particularly helping her - and so she elected to gradually come off them. 

She hadn't appreciated how much the meds were in actual fact contributing to her recovery and had a bad relapse. 

This is why I am not rushing coming off mine, taking my time, planning to aim for half dose, and gradually. 

Fair enough. I'll take it one day at a time then, and remain cautiously optimistic...

 

9 hours ago, taurean said:

Re your side effects I have noticed that forum members hypersensitive to the possibilities of side effects "bring on" the side effects. 

So try and take a detached view, try and stop focusing on them - and I reckon they will likely improve. 

Certainly worth a try, although I'm not convinced these feelings are 'in my head' as it were. I'll take your advice on not focussing on them and see how it goes.

Thank you.

[sufferer]

8 hours ago, dksea said:

Given the side effects you are experiencing on your current medication perhaps you could ask your doctor to try Fluoxetine instead, assuming you had a better reaction to that.

I tried to go back on Fluoxetine last year during a particularly troubling time. Had a HUGE crash two weeks in and am reluctant to go through that again. I'll stick with Sertraline for now, as it's early days I suppose.

[sufferer]

8 hours ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

Edit: I am certain that you sre obsessing about your meds, mostly because I read your thinking before you went on them

I know what you're saying, but the side effects I'm having are different to the ones I was worried about so I'm not sure that's true.

[sufferer]

8 hours ago, taurean said:

Other things, such as meds, meditation, mindfulness, relaxation skills, exercise and positive thinking may help - but CBT is the core treatment. 

I am team CBT, as it were. It's what worked for me last time. What I do struggle with is when it becomes avoidance, or a neutralising compulsion.

[sufferer]

6 hours ago, Raffles said:

Do you get migraines, Sufferer?

As I think I mentioned in another thread, maybe consider the possibility you're mis-attributing symptoms of anxiety/sleep deprivation to side-effects. Or a mixture of side-effects and symptoms you're paying attention to now there's a new variable with the medication. The stiff shoulder muscles could be due to anxiety-tension? I don't notice I clench up when I'm stressed until my shoulders start aching! If you can take a warm bath, or use a wheat pack/hot water bottle on them, you might get some relief.

It's easy to say, but try not to engage with rumination about how long you might take meds for. It's individual to everyone.

I used to get migranes a lot, yes. Not so much recently.

I've only suffered with this pain in my shoulders once before, and that was during a hugely stressful time in my life. Perhaps it is down to anxiety, though the meds do state 'rigid muscles' as a side effect so it's hard to say.

I am very sleep deprived. I'm waking myself up gnashing my teeth together (a long standing issue), which is making me anxious about going to sleep 

I have today got myself a wheat pack, so hopefully it will help.

Thank you, Raffles.

[Guest OCDhavenobrain]

It really is time to get the help you deserve and let yourself let go off it all. It is clear you are anxious about many things at the moment but maybe you have a plan from a former therapist which you could apply? Therapy is just that, giving you plans on how you could behave to get better.

[sufferer]

59 minutes ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

It really is time to get the help you deserve and let yourself let go off it all. It is clear you are anxious about many things at the moment but maybe you have a plan from a former therapist which you could apply? Therapy is just that, giving you plans on how you could behave to get better.

I did have paperwork and worksheets from my previous therapy, but we've moved since and it's all gone. I'm going to source some self help books over the weekend.