Posted by Crazy Horse on May 3, 2006, at 9:10:12
In reply to Re: OCD » Crazy Horse, posted by yxibow on May 3, 2006, at 1:25:28
> I have had OCD since about 12. Obsessions that people at school would know I masturbated. Then there came hoarding. Finally the prior "ick" spread from semen to everything bathroomwise, showerwise, laundry, touching people's hands, cardoors. It is a lifelong illness, but with proper CBT one can overcome the symptoms -- the illness can never be cured. I was hospitalized at 17 for several months to reduce my shower time. It was only after the hospital that I began medication, Prozac at the time it was the primary medication out and it helped as I continued in a day treatment program. I no longer have those washing compulsions -- occasionally I will think in the back of my mind of some things. But basically my shower is down to a 3-5 minute ritual. Nothing terribly pathological about it.
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> I still have pure obsessions without compulsions -- ruminations, racist thoughts, garbage words and strings of sentences that make no sense floating through my head, especially when I excercise. There's nothing really I can do, especially since I have other polypharmacy on board. I currently take Cymbalta which really doesn't cover OCD all that well. All I can do is just ignore them and consider them something that just floats away in my mind. They are among the most insidious of OCD issues behind severe washing -- it can cause severe anxiety, and yet the content is antithetical (not part of a persons personality). They are sort of tics. Sometimes tics are treated with an older line antipsychotic called Orap (pimozide).
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> But this is about Luvox -- I can tell you, and agree with Philipa that as the most sedating of SSRIs and with the least of side effects -- at least the least of jumpy side effects, it is very effective for OCD, especially at 400-450mg. It just wasn't marketed too much and became generic for whatever reason. They didnt bother to pursue a proper ANDA with the FDA -- there wasn't any issue with the medication. That's the thing, with SSRIs and people with mostly anxiety and some depression -- you either treat the dysthymia or you treat the anxiety with an SSRI -- its never really both, unless you coadminister a benzodiazepine or in severe cases a small to medium dose of a novel atypical such as Seroquel.Yea, i know there is no cure. Mine kinda comes and goes...I've learned a lot from CBT too. Not give them (thoughts) too much importance, to see them as only thoughts and to not fear them, and to ignore them as best as i can. All of these are very difficult and take time.
Have you read the book, "Brain Lock" by, Jeffery M. Schwartz, M.D. A four-Step Self-Treatment Method to Change Your Brain Chemistry ? It's an excellent book teaching how to free yourself from OCD Behavior. I recommend it to everyone who suffers with OCD.
Monte
poster:Crazy Horse
thread:639428
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060429/msgs/639552.html