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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by freedom2001 on September 9, 2002, at 5:24:10
These are the latest developments (to me at least) in the discovery of the causes and treatments of OCD.
MAGIC MUSHROOMS
Magic Mushroom projects are underway to test whether these mushrooms aid in alleviating the symptoms of OCD.STRESS HORMONES
The stress hormones cortisol and vasopressin are elevated in people with OCD.GABA
I read about a woman with OCD having worse symptoms when her diazepam was taken away after 6 years. When they give her back the diazepam, her symptoms reduced significantly. GABA association on sensitivities may be implicated here.Back to myself,
I'm using 3 therapies to keep my OCD under control:
1. Spiritual therapy
Prayer-thanksgiving, confession of sins, praising God, asking Him to heal/manage my OCD (a big must have for me)2. Drug therapy
80 mg prozac, deanxit(a kind of neuroleptic), xanax (a benzo) and trazodone
(40mg prozac and 1 deanxit at noon, 40 mg prozac and 1 xanax around 3-4pm, 1 50mg trazodone at night)3. Nutritional therapy
2 hours before noon
1 EFA fish oil tablet (1000 mg)
2 calcium/mag tablets
1 vitamin B complex tablet
2 bananas (for 5HTP and potassium)I have experienced "slightly and sometimes moderate improved symptoms".
Now the questions are,
1 if I double my dosage of nutritional therapy, will it help to eliminate the symptoms more significantly?2 How much dosage reduction can I achieved for drug therapy (expensive) if I increase my nutritional therapy instead?
3 What other nutrients should I add to my nutrition therapy? Is Vitamin C helpful?
For those who may be interested, I was completely symptom free during my college years when I took
Anlene milk Powder (mixture of vitamins and minerals)
Vitamin C (500mg)
OS Calcium + D (1000mg)Expert opinions are welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks.
Posted by Ed O`Flaherty on September 9, 2002, at 9:57:23
In reply to OCD Developments and Advice Needed, posted by freedom2001 on September 9, 2002, at 5:24:10
Your dose of omega-3 fish oil can be increased considerably.You are taking 1000mg of fish oil and if that is a fairly standard capsule it has around 300mg of EPA plus DHA.A dose of 10-30 times this much is occasioanally usefuly in OCD.Do not stop your regular meds-just increase the fish oil gradually and see what happens.See www.omega3.20megsfree.com.
Posted by madison88 on September 9, 2002, at 19:34:01
In reply to Re: OCD Developments and Advice Needed, posted by Ed O`Flaherty on September 9, 2002, at 9:57:23
Sorry to tell you this but i don't think that you are going to be able to become symptom free or even reduce dramatically your symptoms by meds or herbal supplements. According to De-VeaughGeiss et al., 1992 and Michelson & Marchione, 1991, the obsessions and compulsions of people on drugs can be reduced by 40 to 50 percent. Take the studies for what they are worth, but i think it is pretty clear that you can't expect to get to 90 or 100 percent by any combination. Life would be nice w/out OCD, esp if you got lucky and didn't notice any symtpoms till later in life, but that is not the case.
Beyond meds, there are therapies that can help a lot. Cognitive behavioral therapy worked very well for me. I believe the spiritual techniques are important for you too but such methods may become rituals and actually worsen your condition. You need an outside viewpoint to help you evaluate your thought processes and how to function WITH the disorder. Because that is what you need to face up to--learning to live with it. Gods knows i struggle to do this every day with OCD.
if you still want to try and dabble with meds beyond what you are doing now, inositol, a vitamen B complex, if taken by 18 grams a day, can help you get the most of the effects of your other mediciations. it can help with OCD, panic disorder, and depression. i haven't heard of any side effects of high doses, beyond increasing your sensitivity to your other meds. Good luck!
Posted by freedom2001 on September 9, 2002, at 21:03:03
In reply to Re: OCD Developments and Advice Needed, posted by Ed O`Flaherty on September 9, 2002, at 9:57:23
> Your dose of omega-3 fish oil can be increased considerably.You are taking 1000mg of fish oil and if that is a fairly standard capsule it has around 300mg of EPA plus DHA.A dose of 10-30 times this much is occasioanally usefuly in OCD.Do not stop your regular meds-just increase the fish oil gradually and see what happens.See www.omega3.20megsfree.com.
The 1000mg of fish oil that I'm taking includes about 500mg of EPA and 300+ of DHA. Is that enough? Each super strength NutriPlus EPA 2000 cost about a dollar each. Can I supplement my fish oils with flaxseed oil instead?
Posted by Ed O`Flaherty on September 10, 2002, at 3:16:02
In reply to Re: OCD Developments and Advice Needed » Ed O`Flaherty, posted by freedom2001 on September 9, 2002, at 21:03:03
> > Your dose of omega-3 fish oil can be increased considerably.You are taking 1000mg of fish oil and if that is a fairly standard capsule it has around 300mg of EPA plus DHA.A dose of 10-30 times this much is occasioanally usefuly in OCD.Do not stop your regular meds-just increase the fish oil gradually and see what happens.See www.omega3.20megsfree.com.
>
> The 1000mg of fish oil that I'm taking includes about 500mg of EPA and 300+ of DHA. Is that enough? Each super strength NutriPlus EPA 2000 cost about a dollar each. Can I supplement my fish oils with flaxseed oil instead?
>
> I am not too keen on flax-seed oil but others disagree.If the cost is a problem get omega-3 fish oil from Walmart and if your symptomas are bad take 10-30 of their capsules daily.I have seen it start to work in a few days.
Posted by bookgurl99 on September 10, 2002, at 22:43:14
In reply to OCD Developments and Advice Needed, posted by freedom2001 on September 9, 2002, at 5:24:10
At least the positive side of ocd is that it helps you to be organized and focused in dealing with managing it. I admire your thoroughness in pursuing a solution. It's also great that you're doing what you can on a multitude of levels.
When I had untreated hypothyroidism, I began experiencing ocd-style symptoms. I have read that thyroid problems, both either too high or too slow, can cause ocd for women. (Once my thyroid balanced out, my ocd symptoms improved greatly, btw.)
It seems like you're on an awful lot of stuff. I'll assume that this is because the OCD has been quite difficult to manage, and not because your doctor enjoys putting people on lots of pills. But yet, I wonder if it's necessary to be on so much?
Suggestions I'd have, from another armchair psychiatrist:
- get a physical, if you haven't already, getting thyroid, blood sugar levels, etc. checked.
- going to regular (rational-emotive) therapy, not just cog. behavioral. there may be roots to your feelings. i found that ocd made me very serious, and judgemental towards myself. therapy helped me to lighten up my attitude and enjoy life more.
- exercising regularly. you know, the academy for the sciences just upped its recommendation to an hour a day of aerobics. that exercise has gotta burn off some of that extra energy.
- giving up the caffeine. probably the hardest step, i know, but caffeine leeches your body of the precious magnesium/calcium you need in order to have calm nerves.
- visiting a naturopath (if you haven't already) in order to learn how these things work in combination. (I'd recommend one who went to a real naturopathic college such as national college of naturopathy in portland, rather than one that went to a mail-order program such as clayton college.)
- if possible, cut down on your xanax and trazodone. i think sometimes the body sets up a negative feedback loop -- not only will it become less sensitive to these, but over time it may become sensitive to your own natural self-calming substances. i know cutting down could take some doing.
- and, if it comes to it: experiment with something other than prozac. prozac is famous for making folks feel agitated; maybe you wouldn't need the benzo/trazodone without it. i would really suggest serzone, an SSNRI, which is what i originally took for ocd. it made me a little sleepy, but didn't cause a speedy ssri feeling. i know someone else who's had great success on luvox.
I'm not saying you should do all this at once -- it'd be quite a shock to your system. but if you do decide to try something, let me know how it goes.
Good luck!
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