Posted by ed_uk on December 29, 2004, at 16:00:30
In reply to Re: Best SSRI for OCD? Need help for relative.... » yxibow, posted by jerrympls on December 29, 2004, at 15:34:43
Hi Jerry :-)
I really hope that you're feeling better. Have you decided to start metyrapone?
>His doc prescribed Paxil - so I'm hoping that works for him. Is it true that SSRI dosages are usually higher than those for depression treatment?
Yes, it's true! For OCD, 40-60mg Paxil is the norm. Paxil was effective for my OCD, I needed at least 40mg for a good effect.
>Also, my brother's very anxious about the medication working - and when it will kick in and give him some relief.
Oh, the long wait :-( SSRIs generally seem to take longer to help OCD than they do to help depression. Improvement can take many weeks, it takes about 12 weeks at 40mg Paxil for me to achieve good suppression of my OCD. Although further improvement can occur after 12 weeks if a med is working, if a med has not had any effect against OCD after 12 weeks at a high dose then it's time to change the med.
>do you have any advice as to how I should explain how he'll feel once it does kick in and work?
For me........
Stage 1. Obsessional thoughts start to seem less important ie. when they do occur, they cause less anxiety and distress. (It's like... you don't care as much about your obsessions anymore). The need to perform compulsions is therefore reduced.
Stage 2. Obsessional thoughts occur less frequently. Less time is spent obsessing and less time is spent performing compulsions.
Good luck to you and your brother...
Ed.
poster:ed_uk
thread:435138
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041228/msgs/435382.html