Username: JKnapp11

Date posted: 1y ago

“Relapse” post going off medicine

Hi All - I have OCD, anxiety and depression but after a couple years on meds and therapy have been doing fairly well so decided to slowly go off my medicine. Well, I was doing really well and now five days post going off meds I’m really struggling today. Anxious, crying, panic mode intrusive thought triggers and overall overwhelming feeling. I’m almost wondering if my fears of going off medicine have just spilled over and my OCD is triggering this feeling. Or if I made the wrong decision and that going off medication to balance me out is just where I need to be right now. Just really hard to be present Anyone else been through this? Any advice or ways to process. Going to get back into therapy for sure and support groups.

Username: Mike1975Mike1975

Date posted: 1y ago

Anti-depressants mess your brain up so much that you can have lasting damage. You're probably going through withdrawal. But it will get better. Hang in there. Your brain will correct itself. I was on Paxil for 16 years and quit last year. It's been a living hell. It made my harm OCD worse and has given me all sorts of issues, including rage. But I have gotten better. Your experience probably wont' be as long as mine, but it will be bad. To help you get through withdrawal, take magnesium, l-theanine, and 5 htp.

Username: zalezale

Date posted: 1y ago

My OCD also got much worse after stopping sertraline last year (I had been on it for 10 years and felt that it wasn't working very well). I don't regret going off it but the withdrawal has been so hard, I'm afraid I won't ever be able to recover to the way I was before the medication.

Username: Mike1975Mike1975

Date posted: 1y ago

@zale - I worry about this too. I've felt like an alien for a year. I have improved on some things, but yes I feel like my brain broke last year. These drugs are extremely powerful and what alarms me is that doctors still don't know how they work. SSRIs were theorized to increase free serotonin in the brain by blocking reuptake inhibitors. BUT what they found is that a)the extra serotonin in the brain gets eliminated as waste, and the reuptake inhibitors die, because they're not being used. So when you come off the drug, and it doesn't matter how long you taper, you will have a lack of serotonin in the brain. Not to mention that since the brain craves homeostasis, when you take SSRIs, the brain will ramp up production of every other neurotransmitter, including dopamine, to balance everything. So when you get off your entire brain is a wreck, starving for neurotransmitters. They did work for me for a while, but I wanted off of them. I feel it is the way to go. I feel I've done permanent damage to my brain. But like you idk if I'll ever recover. Ps. A year ago I was put on Xanax to help me sleep. I was only on it 5 weeks. It didn't work, so I quit it. Worst withdrawal in my life. I think I'm still suffering from that too.

Username: Honeyshark Honeyshark

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

Although going off meds or changing doses makes things difficult the biggest thing is that the OCD my meds has been helping me comes back in full force. When I’m on meds I forget how hellish my life was without them. The meds make me feel “normal” but when i get off them i remember my normal is fucking horrible. 🥲

Username: EstridEstrid

Date posted: 1y ago

This is probably withdrawal effects!I was on Paxil for 9 years. I connected to a fb-group with knowledge about how to diminish the dose. It has to be MUCH slower than the prescriber tell you. It's very important. It took me almost a year to stop 10 mg Paxil. My doctor told me to do it in two weeks...I'm gkad I didn't listen.

Username: JKnapp11JKnapp11

Date posted: 1y ago

Thanks all. I was on Celexa/Citalopram. Worked with my psychiatrist to go down slowly from to 10 to 5 then zero. Two weeks at a time. I also see an OCD therapist but it’s been a bit. For me it’s been hey I’m doing really well maybe I can go off my meds and do just fine with all my other tools. Clearly I can’t do that right now

Username: Honeyshark Honeyshark

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@JKnapp11 It’s worth a try. I had to learn the hard way as well. I tried going off Zoloft and then suffered till I got on Prozac. It’s a bummer to be neurodivergent.

Username: EstridEstrid

Date posted: 1y ago

Sounds as you are tapering too fast. It's important to let the withdrawal symptoms fade out before taking a new step, and the speed demends on for how long you have been on that medication. The longer, the slower.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

Why don’t you try doing erp without meds? That ur brain adapts to it? I have horrible ocd and chose not to take medicine at all

Username: IfiknewthenIfiknewthen

Date posted: 1y ago

Erp is absolutely the most important part. Can be very challenging but you have to live with the anxiety it causes for a while. I don't get too bad of side effects from 20 MG Paxil but some people might. I guess it's all individual.

Username: IfiknewthenIfiknewthen

Date posted: 1y ago

I know a ton about ocd and depression. I take 20 MG Paxil. Never ever go off your prescribed medication without the consultation with a psychiatrist. And you should be seeing a psychiatrist for medication management as they are experts. Think about the logic here. You were doing well while on the meds and relapsed when you went off. Us with ocd are bad with logical decisions making. So go back on the medication and sit down with whatever current doctor you are seeing and discuss any concerns you have with him or her. Doctors are logical. Those of us with ocd are in the process of becoming logical lol. So relax and go back on your medication and also continue or start with an ocd specialist. You may have to take medication for rest of life. Sometimes we go off the medication BECAUSE of ocd. An obsession with being off all medication. Follow what your doctor and therapist tell you. I know it isn't easy but in the long run you will be happy you did.

Username: Mike1975Mike1975

Date posted: 1y ago

Many people go off of OCD meds for a lot of reasons that are logical. Nasty side effects, having to take pills every day, and the desire not to take a medicine that even doctors don't know exactly how they work. Also, many SSRIS/SSNIs stop working, so at a certain point you're just doing it for placebo. I went off medication after 16 years for all those reasons. I did it because I want to handle this naturally. Look up Dr. Peter Breggin.

Username: EstridEstrid

Date posted: 1y ago

@Mike1975 I agree with you! People with OCD aren't non logical in every way, there are plenty of sound reasons to stop medication.

Username: EstridEstrid

Date posted: 1y ago

One way to manage for you could be to take small dose of the medication and then begin a very slow release.

Username: MedStudentAn...

Date posted: 2y ago

I am struggling with a relapse of OCD after years of feeling much better with CBT and Sertraline. I took Sertraline for 7 years and stopped a few months ago, but found my OCD has come back as strong as ever. I have since resumed the medication by titrating back up to what will hopefully be a helpful dosage (under the supervision of my doctor), but I would like to know if anyone else has had a similar issue of relapse after stopping an SSRI. Additionally, did anyone find that resuming the same drug was effective in returning them to their previous baseline? I am new to NOCD and look forward to getting started with my new therapist in March. Thanks for any and all responses in advanced!

Username: breannan20

Date posted: 1y ago

Antidepressants and OCD

Has anyone had experience coming off an antidepressant and how it affects your OCD? I’ve been on antidepressants for years for depression and anxiety and recently made the decision to go off of them. It seems like since I’ve been working off of them, the intrusive thoughts and worries have been increasing. Another time when I previously tried stopping it the thoughts became so bad I was physically ill and ended up in the ER. I’ve seen before that SSRIs/SNRIs can be used too treat OCD, but I’ve never taken them for that purpose. Has anyone else had a similar experience of going off their antidepressant and their OCD symptoms increasing?

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 50w ago

Unmedicated?

Just curious if anyone here has any success recovering from OCD without medication? I'm about 3 months post meds and having a tough day and it's making me second guess my decision. I will say I'm 7 wk pregnant and think feeling so sick and anxious about having my first is playing a part.

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