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OCD and Migraine


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I don't know if this goes against this forum's rules, but I don't live in the UK. When I joined, I was really struggling and needed to talk to people who've experienced the same and I found this forum.

I've seen a psychologist  who then referred me to my current psychiatrist. They both work in my country's best psychiatric hospital, so I have full trust in them. I really liked the psychologist and I would love to see her again. I'm not going through my country's nhs to 'treat' this, I'm doing it out of pocket as it is faster than waiting for a referral. I just need to get my mother to book na appointment… As i've said in one of my threads, she's not really on board with this whole thing, that's why it is such a struggle. 

Me too… I feel like medication in general, with me, works amazing for a short while and then my body gets used to it and it stops working. I just hope that's not happening with Paroxetine and Pregabalin.

I know what you mean… but it's so difficult not to take something for migraines, especially with little ones. I take care of my niece when I'm not at uni and my sister's working, and it's such a struggle when I have a migraine, so I get you. I hope you get better!

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I see. Yes I've mostly seeked private treatment in the past but recently found this OCD clinic near to where I live. I am meant to be starting a 10 week group CBT course this month - haven't heard when. I can only give it a go. If it doesn't work out it'll be back to the drawing board. No one is monitoring my meds at the mo so am feeling a bit lost. I'm just keeping going and trying to take the advise on board here which has so far all been very good.

I hope your mum makes this appointment soon. I'm very lucky in that I have a very supportive family. Surely she can see you need some help:hug:

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That's good! You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Maybe it will help you a lot! And it's good to be with people who are going through the same. Maybe you should see your GP about your meds… to make sure you're taking the right stuff. Yes, this forum is really good and people are very nice and attentive!

I hope so too, but our relationship isn't the best and she doesn't really seem to care about what I'm going through. She thinks I can stop my rituals and compulsions if I want to, and the meds are useless…

 

Edited by VNDO
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Do any fellow migraine sufferers feel they can cope more with the OCD if the pain of migraine isn't so bad?  I just don't know how to move forward when stuck in this terrible cycle of pain and intrusive thoughts. I don't know how to break this never ending loop. The sun is shining. I'm surrounded by a beautiful forest. I have a lovely home and family and yet I can't or don't or won't or whatever the right word is, appreciate it. I'm totally stuck. Anyone else feel this way? I suspect a lot of you do. I'm rambling, sorry. I do want to post about 'appreciating' what one has at some point but feel I should go and attempt some mediation while my son is out. They'll be back soon. Wishing you all a good Sunday x

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Following the above post I went on to develop a migraine which meant bed, darkness and pure agony. But along with that were my thoughts and the knowing that even when the pain subsides the thoughts won't. I can almost remember a feeling of absolute relief that the pain had gone and all was well again (before OCD) Now I cannot look forward to that feeling because the torture continues inside my head. It goes on and on and on.

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Hi! I hope you're feeling better ❤ Me on the other hand, for the last two days, have been feeling like my head is about to explode. Like you, I just need to lie down in darkness and try to fall asleep... I hope ti wake up tomorrow rested and feeling like myself again. 

Maybe not many people on this forum experience both ocd and migraines?

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Guest OCDhavenobrain

I think I have seen it all the time but now I see it even more clearly. All of these threads about psychical symptoms and "is it OCD" are just obsessions!

You need to stop sit and identify or even think about how and what you feel. 

A blind leading a blind or how the old saying goes is a good saying in my opinion.. Do you have a therapist?

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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8 hours ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

I think I have seen it all the time but now I see it even more clearly. All of these threads about psychical symptoms and "is it OCD" are just obsessions.

I'm sorry? Are you saying having another debilitating illness such has migraine is an obsession??

As for questioning whether one has OCD. From what I have understood from others and have read about, this is is part of having the disorder as that is what it can do. It isn't called the 'doubting disease' for no reason!!

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11 hours ago, VNDO said:

Hi! I hope you're feeling better ❤ Me on the other hand, for the last two days, have been feeling like my head is about to explode. Like you, I just need to lie down in darkness and try to fall asleep... I hope ti wake up tomorrow rested and feeling like myself again. 

Maybe not many people on this forum experience both ocd and migraines?

I hope you are feeling a little better after some rest VNDO? Yes I thought there may be more people who suffer with both. I really started this thread from an interest point of view but it's nice that we can support one another. It doesn't apply to or interest everyone I know. 

In regards to OCD, I take it that you have provided your mother with plenty of reading matter and pointed her towards the various websites that explain about the disorder. That it's not just something you can stop doing just like that, and that you need some professional input?!

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4 hours ago, afmoon03 said:

I hope you are feeling a little better after some rest VNDO? Yes I thought there may be more people who suffer with both. I really started this thread from an interest point of view but it's nice that we can support one another. It doesn't apply to or interest everyone I know. 

In regards to OCD, I take it that you have provided your mother with plenty of reading matter and pointed her towards the various websites that explain about the disorder. That it's not just something you can stop doing just like that, and that you need some professional input?!

Both me and my sister have talked to her and explained what ocd is... she doesn't really care and I've stopped trying.

My migraine is better today, I just have a light headache.

It's really nice that we can support each other on here, even if there's not many of us who suffer from both ocd and migraines. 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
5 hours ago, afmoon03 said:

I'm sorry? Are you saying having another debilitating illness such has migraine is an obsession??

As for questioning whether one has OCD. From what I have understood from others and have read about, this is is part of having the disorder as that is what it can do. It isn't called the 'doubting disease' for no reason!!

You are obsessing about it being linked with OCD. If you have migraines that is bad and you tell yourself that it's bad. No point in asking yourself if it is because of OCD.

 

Also, obsessing about health (real problems or not) are part of OCD).

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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22 minutes ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

You are obsessing about it being linked with OCD. If you have migraines that is bad and you tell yourself that it's bad. No point in asking yourself if it is because of OCD.

 

Also, obsessing about health (real problems or not) are part of OCD).

You're being aggressive for no reason. It would make total sense for both diseases to be connected as both have their roots in the brain. This thread was started to see if more people were suffering from both and had the same symptoms, since there's barely any research on this topic. And even if we're obsessing about it, at the very least this thread made us find people who understand what we suffer and can help us go through it, even if by just checking how we are.

I don't see your input in this thread, other than stirring things up.

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31 minutes ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

You are obsessing about it being linked with OCD. If you have migraines that is bad and you tell yourself that it's bad. No point in asking yourself if it is because of OCD.

 

Also, obsessing about health (real problems or not) are part of OCD).

I have to disagree. My migraines started when I was at primary school, before OCD. I inherited them from my mother. I'm purely interested that's all. It is said that people with migraine are 5 times more likely to go on to develop an anxiety disorder. I first posted this thread just to see if there was anyone else experiencing something similar. Health anxiety is not something I suffer with. All I've said is that there is a probable link between the two as they are both neurological disorders. 

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6 minutes ago, VNDO said:

You're being aggressive for no reason. It would make total sense for both diseases to be connected as both have their roots in the brain. This thread was started to see if more people were suffering from both and had the same symptoms, since there's barely any research on this topic. And even if we're obsessing about it, at the very least this thread made us find people who understand what we suffer and can help us go through it, even if by just checking how we are.

I don't see your input in this thread, other than stirring things up.

I totally agree VNDO!

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
1 hour ago, VNDO said:

You're being aggressive for no reason. It would make total sense for both diseases to be connected as both have their roots in the brain. This thread was started to see if more people were suffering from both and had the same symptoms, since there's barely any research on this topic. And even if we're obsessing about it, at the very least this thread made us find people who understand what we suffer and can help us go through it, even if by just checking how we are.

I don't see your input in this thread, other than stirring things up.

My input is to point at the fact you are obsessing. Which is a compulsion which is detrimental.

Yes I want to "stirr things up", because what you do to yourselves are making your mental health worse. I promise you that analyzing links between the two "neurological disorders" or analyzing medications won't help you.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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6 minutes ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

My input is to point at the fact you are obsessing. Which is a compulsion which is detrimental.

Yes I want to "stirr things up", because what you do to yourselves are making your mental health worse. I promise you that analyzing links between the two "neurological disorders" or analyzing medications won't help you.

You're the one who seems to be obsessing about the fact we're obsessing. Most of the conversation in here is either about the migraines or ocd and how we are feeling, which is what this forum is about. In two pages there are about two or three comments with links regarding research, so I very much doubt it we are obsessing about this. 

You seem to have read a few comments and have jumped to conclusions. I completely disagree that talking about medication isn't helpful. It's very much the contrary. If someone has tried some meds that have helped with migraines, I would be very pleased to know that information. 

Why are you even on this thread, really? You dont agree with anything that has been said here and you haven't even told us whether you suffer from migraines. This is a very peaceful and supportive thread, and I see no gain in what you're doing. 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain

I stand with what I said. When a sufferer is doing compulsions it can be the case that it is not even seen by him or her as compulsions. Sorry if my view on it makes you uneasy, but I am not here to give you relief in the short term. I want you to overcome OCD.

I would had react the same way. And by the way it is not only OCD-sufferers who doesn't benefit from analyzing what he feels, it applies in general. When you think about what you feel you feel it even more. Accept that you are having a migraine and do not dwell on it.

And a general advice to everyone in the threas: do not put your hopes to medications when it comes to OCD, go for therapy. Go for a new mindset.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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17 minutes ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

I stand with what I said. When a sufferer is doing compulsions it can be the case that it is not even seen by him or her as compulsions. Sorry if my view on it makes you uneasy, but I am not here to give you relief in the short term. I want you to overcome OCD.

I would had react the same way. And by the way it is not only OCD-sufferers who doesn't benefit from analyzing what he feels, it applies in general. When you think about what you feel you feel it even more. Accept that you are having a migraine and do not dwell on it.

And a general advice to everyone in the threas: do not put your hopes to medications when it comes to OCD, go for therapy. Go for a new mindset.

And i stand with I said. My ocd doesnt manifest on a fixation with migraines. I hadn't even thought that the two things could be connected until recently, and like we've said on this thread, the little research done on it goes in the same direction with what we've said here. I believe, unlike you, that it can be therapeutical for us to talk about it, and it seemed so until you stirred things up in here. If we were truly fixated on it, this thread would've been full speed ahead and would not have been stopped like it was until yesterday. 

I don't dwell on my migraines and you don't know if I do. If you would've experience what both me and afmoon03 experience almost daily, you would know that we can't really dwell on anything when it feels like our head is about to explode. I had to lie down yesterday at around 6pm because I couldn't take any more paracetamol and it felt like I had a ticking bomb inside my brain. So the last thing I wanted to do was to think about the correlation between ocd and migraines. 

You seem to want to come here and tell us we're doing it all wrong and that you know better than us, when in reality you just showed that you have no understanding of migraines and what they feel like. 

Like I've said before, I've had OCD since I can remember. I was evaluated by very good professionals who've agreed that it was too far gone for therapy to work by itself and that I needed medication. So, I'd rather take their opinion than of someone i don't even know and who has come on to this thread with some other motives than of support and help fellow members of this forum. And your advice might be dangerous. Doctors know what we need. If someone doesn't agree, then seek a second or third opinion. But saying or implying that meds are useless, is dangerous. 

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On 03/03/2020 at 14:34, afmoon03 said:

I see. Yes I've mostly seeked private treatment in the past but recently found this OCD clinic near to where I live. I am meant to be starting a 10 week group CBT course this month - haven't heard when. I can only give it a go. If it doesn't work out it'll be back to the drawing board.

Been there, done that! :yes:

Having had OCD since 2003, & several lots of both group and one to one CBT, the OCD clinic was by far the best!

I won't give you any spoilers as to what goes on, or what to expect, but will say stick the course through, even if the staff do seem a little unhinged to start with! :D  

All the best, & let us know how you get on after!

 

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1 hour ago, felix4 said:

Been there, done that! :yes:

Having had OCD since 2003, & several lots of both group and one to one CBT, the OCD clinic was by far the best!

I won't give you any spoilers as to what goes on, or what to expect, but will say stick the course through, even if the staff do seem a little unhinged to start with! :D  

All the best, & let us know how you get on after!

 

Felix4, thank you so much! It's really good to hear from someone who has attended the clinic. I'm feeling really apprehensive about it but know I must give it a go. Time will tell. I shall let you know how I get on. It starts next Monday! 

Where are you in your recovery/treatment now?

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2 hours ago, VNDO said:

And i stand with I said. My ocd doesnt manifest on a fixation with migraines. I hadn't even thought that the two things could be connected until recently, and like we've said on this thread, the little research done on it goes in the same direction with what we've said here. I believe, unlike you, that it can be therapeutical for us to talk about it, and it seemed so until you stirred things up in here. If we were truly fixated on it, this thread would've been full speed ahead and would not have been stopped like it was until yesterday. 

I don't dwell on my migraines and you don't know if I do. If you would've experience what both me and afmoon03 experience almost daily, you would know that we can't really dwell on anything when it feels like our head is about to explode. I had to lie down yesterday at around 6pm because I couldn't take any more paracetamol and it felt like I had a ticking bomb inside my brain. So the last thing I wanted to do was to think about the correlation between ocd and migraines. 

You seem to want to come here and tell us we're doing it all wrong and that you know better than us, when in reality you just showed that you have no understanding of migraines and what they feel like. 

Like I've said before, I've had OCD since I can remember. I was evaluated by very good professionals who've agreed that it was too far gone for therapy to work by itself and that I needed medication. So, I'd rather take their opinion than of someone i don't even know and who has come on to this thread with some other motives than of support and help fellow members of this forum. And your advice might be dangerous. Doctors know what we need. If someone doesn't agree, then seek a second or third opinion. But saying or implying that meds are useless, is dangerous. 

Nicely said VNDO,

Hopefully we can just go back to being a support to one another now. I don't care to comment anymore on what OCDhavenobrain said - it was almost laughable except there's nothing funny about migraine or OCD. Unless people have experienced something for themselves it would appear that for some it's difficult for them to understand or even try to.

I hope you have had a reasonable day VNDO, hugs:hug:

 

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50 minutes ago, afmoon03 said:

Felix4, thank you so much! It's really good to hear from someone who has attended the clinic. I'm feeling really apprehensive about it but know I must give it a go. Time will tell. I shall let you know how I get on. It starts next Monday! 

Where are you in your recovery/treatment now?

Hi again,

I was apprehensive too, mainly because of how my OCD was affecting me, & partly because of meeting new people, and how big the group might be & so on. When I got there, there was only 3 other sufferers and 2 therapists, all of which very friendly.

With regards to recovery/treatment, I would say that I am now 85-90% better. I do also take a minimal dosage of an antidepressant & antipsychotic prescribed by my psychiatrist, but by way of comparison, this is way down on what I used to have to take!

Like I said before, stick at it, because each session has it's purpose, & it is nearer the end that everything clicks into place! I know that for me, it felt like I kind of had the upper hand and was controlling the OCD for a change, as opposed to it controlling me, and the CBT took the sting out of ERP, which I struggled badly with before.

Good luck for Monday!

:) 

  

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1 hour ago, afmoon03 said:

Nicely said VNDO,

Hopefully we can just go back to being a support to one another now. I don't care to comment anymore on what OCDhavenobrain said - it was almost laughable except there's nothing funny about migraine or OCD. Unless people have experienced something for themselves it would appear that for some it's difficult for them to understand or even try to.

I hope you have had a reasonable day VNDO, hugs:hug:

 

I hope that too!

I had a decent day. No migraine, just a light headache. I hope you're feeling better as well ? 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
5 hours ago, VNDO said:

And i stand with I said. My ocd doesnt manifest on a fixation with migraines. I hadn't even thought that the two things could be connected until recently, and like we've said on this thread, the little research done on it goes in the same direction with what we've said here. I believe, unlike you, that it can be therapeutical for us to talk about it, and it seemed so until you stirred things up in here. If we were truly fixated on it, this thread would've been full speed ahead and would not have been stopped like it was until yesterday. 

I don't dwell on my migraines and you don't know if I do. If you would've experience what both me and afmoon03 experience almost daily, you would know that we can't really dwell on anything when it feels like our head is about to explode. I had to lie down yesterday at around 6pm because I couldn't take any more paracetamol and it felt like I had a ticking bomb inside my brain. So the last thing I wanted to do was to think about the correlation between ocd and migraines. 

You seem to want to come here and tell us we're doing it all wrong and that you know better than us, when in reality you just showed that you have no understanding of migraines and what they feel like. 

Like I've said before, I've had OCD since I can remember. I was evaluated by very good professionals who've agreed that it was too far gone for therapy to work by itself and that I needed medication. So, I'd rather take their opinion than of someone i don't even know and who has come on to this thread with some other motives than of support and help fellow members of this forum. And your advice might be dangerous. Doctors know what we need. If someone doesn't agree, then seek a second or third opinion. But saying or implying that meds are useless, is dangerous. 

You are arguing with yourself. You are also writing things I haven't said. Shame on you.

Search "second or third opinion". Yee that doesn't sound like you already know what you will accept a doctor to say or not. Sounds like you already know yourself. There is nothing dangerous with you having migraines and especially not with not recognizing the important link between OCD and migraines. 

And no therapy is the best thing for OCD, OCD-medications doesn't even do that much.

2 hours ago, felix4 said:

Hi again,

I was apprehensive too, mainly because of how my OCD was affecting me, & partly because of meeting new people, and how big the group might be & so on. When I got there, there was only 3 other sufferers and 2 therapists, all of which very friendly.

With regards to recovery/treatment, I would say that I am now 85-90% better. I do also take a minimal dosage of an antidepressant & antipsychotic prescribed by my psychiatrist, but by way of comparison, this is way down on what I used to have to take!

Like I said before, stick at it, because each session has it's purpose, & it is nearer the end that everything clicks into place! I know that for me, it felt like I kind of had the upper hand and was controlling the OCD for a change, as opposed to it controlling me, and the CBT took the sting out of ERP, which I struggled badly with before.

Good luck for Monday!

:) 

  

I didn't mean to quote this.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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Guest OCDhavenobrain
3 hours ago, afmoon03 said:

Nicely said VNDO,

Hopefully we can just go back to being a support to one another now. I don't care to comment anymore on what OCDhavenobrain said - it was almost laughable except there's nothing funny about migraine or OCD. Unless people have experienced something for themselves it would appear that for some it's difficult for them to understand or even try to.

I hope you have had a reasonable day VNDO, hugs:hug:

 

Shame on you too. Please don't come up with things I haven't said. 

You are both obsessing about migraines and what it means. It doesn't mean anything. You habe them and they are bad, but I know for a fact that people with OCD (and other people) which focus on things just make them worse. It's a bad spiral.

 

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