I am really struggling today and have been the last couple of days. Does anyone on here struggle with fear of eating/ taking meds because you’re afraid of the side effects/ what could happen once you ingest something?
I have had similar fears, fear of a specific thing being contaminated and something happening. It’s all about embracing the uncertainty though. For me, it’s possible that whatever I’m afraid of being contaminated is, and what I fear could happen. Acknowledging that and then telling myself I’m willing to live with it (without doing compulsions) can help. OCD will try to acquire that 100% certainty where that isn’t possible. If you can, getting a therapist may help (it did for me). Their knowledge of the different themes allow them to design specific ERP exercises tailored to the person. It really helped me!
@Anon. Thanks!
I agree with the alumni’s advice. I was afraid of eating a lot of foods because I thought they would make my trip to the restroom worse (contamination OCD) and ended up eating only 11 foods for years. I don’t want to take meds because of side effects. I ended up malnourished and in the hospital. But the upside is that with treatment for OCD- related ARFID (fear of food) and my other OCD subtypes. I am on the meds I need to be on and can eat almost all foods. ERP saved my life.
@Erin P That’s awesome!
@KKGM You can do it too
6 months ago I had a severe panic attack and it’s changed my life. Scared of 99% of foods, can’t take meds out of fear, been hospitalized a few times cause of blood sugar drops and other health scares due to poor eating. I’m constantly scanning my body finding any little thing that’s uncomfortable and then fixate and panic over the smallest things. Whether be a smell I’m unfamiliar with, a weird sensation in my arm literally anything freaks me out….. who has had success with exposure or has dealt with similar issues. I feel like I’m unintentionally slowly killing myself but I’m too scared for meds and therapy doesn’t seem to make much of a dent right now. Please share some success stories I need hope.
So i have an appointment with a doctor in 2 days, but im terrified of taking medication for anxiety, i tried it twice at 15 and would immediately stop taking them after a week or 2 because I was so scared of the side effects, then I tried fluoxetine at 18 and it gave me such bad anxiety with even the first 2 pills that I stopped that as well, now I'm 25 and im willing to try again and stick to it but my mind keeps bringing up all the reasons why I shouldn't and that it could make me worse, make me manic, make me numb, change me etc. Any help or advice welcome
Recently, I’ve been struggling a ton with what I eat/put into my body? I’m a first year college student with a few different health issues (including IBS), and lately it’s been hard for me to find food on campus that doesn’t upset my stomach. I also have pretty severe emetophobia, and feel extremely anxious when I feel sick. The ironic thing is that being anxious makes me feel even worse, so I end up sticking myself in an impossible loophole. My OCD has taken hold of these fears over the past few months, and it’s been such a struggle. Especially since people have been getting food poisoning from various dining halls on my campus lately. My OCD has gotten so bad that sometimes I’m too afraid to eat food other than what I buy myself. I feel so trapped. I don’t want my OCD to affect my physical health or prevent me from eating, bc I love eating!! It’s the fear of getting sick that’s the problem. And it’s even harder when everything is so unfamiliar. Just wondering if anyone could relate. Advice is appreciated!
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