Hard Time

Yeah, I just can't help but feel like I'm missing something. I took my previous recoveries for granted, so I don't really remember much about what I did right.

@McDucko I typically have a bad flare up when changing a dose, even if it’s up. It tends to last a couple weeks for me

@OCDMM I should know how to deal with this better than I am. I'm letting it get to me and I'm discouraged. Arg.

@McDucko It’s hard not to. Don’t beat yourself up. Things will get better soon

It helps with mood. If I don't do ERP it doesn't really do anything at all. Medication can be a huge help but it shouldn't be a crutch.

@McDucko - I just hate the side effects. If they didnt have any side effects id take them all day lol. We all would.

This past Monday. I'm just impatient.

@McDucko I get it, I would be too. But at least it gives you a little hope that you might feel better soon 🙏🏼

@jhbishop80@gmail.com My psychiatrist said Anafranil is really the best medicine for OCD but SSRI’s are more commonly prescribed because they have fewer side effects and that Anafranil is an older drug and most doctors aren’t really familiar with it. She said she sees more success with that one than with any but I’m really hesitant to try it because of the potential side effects. For the SSRI’s, she does the think the higher doses are the way to go but I can’t personally tolerate them, I get too much serotonin going around and I get a lot of muscle spasms

@OCDMM But everyone is different and responds to different medication. I do think seeing a psychiatrist over a primary doctor can be helpful if your primary care doctor since they aren’t as specialized but for many years I was fine on Paxil that my primary prescribed

@OCDMM - Yeah i cant stand the side effects. Weight gain, sleepiness, sexual side effects, etc. I think some patients just dont care about some of the side effects. The psychiatrists probably just think 'hey if you want to take them then take them. If you dont then dont.' Not whole lot they can do there. The pharm companies having made too many developments since the 80s with prozac. Just new ssris.

@jhbishop80@gmail.com Yep. I can’t quit them entirely or I can’t function so I’ve settled on a low dose of an SSRI and supplements that help. It’s not as effective as a high dose of an SSRi but the side effects are just too much. Sexual, digestive, dry mouth is crazy bad for me, constantly being hungry

@jhbishop80@gmail.com On Lexapro now. I was on Paxil forever at 20 and it helped a lot and then one day it didn’t work the same apparently and I ended up having to switch. I still had the same side effects on Paxil as all the others, except with Paxil I also got brain zaps, didn’t with the others. I tried Prozac and that one had all the same except whenever I’m on it (tried it twice) I can smell EVERYTHING. It’s weird. And it doesn’t make me hungry. Lexapro does make me hungry like the Paxil but it’s more effective than the Prozac was for me. Paxil was the hardest to get on and to get off of. I tried it more than once since going off with my long stretch of years on it. Looking back, I think the biggest issue with my Paxil is it was a very different experience with each manufacturer. When I would get a different generic it would be like starting a new pill. I was happiest on the name brand but it was insanely expensive

@OCDMM - I sometimes hate that i even got on them. I am 43 now and was put on them when i was 20 and sophmore in college. It wasnt for ocd i just told regular doc i wasnt feeling well. I went through probably 4 other ssri til i just stuck with paxil. Those were the dark ages of understanding ocd as well as the ssri side effects.

@jhbishop80@gmail.com They put me on it when I was about 12. I had bad OCD but was scared to tell anyone the truth. I stayed on the Paxil for the most part until I was in my early 30’s. Also didn’t tell anyone my tire symptoms until then once I had learned about what OCD really was. Now I’ve been jumping to different ones off an on. As much as I hate them, I don’t know how I would have finished middle school, high, school, college, jobs, relationships without them

@OCDMM - What happens if you go off them? The ocd gets very bad or depression?

@jhbishop80@gmail.com Crazy bad intrusive thoughts and hard to not engage with them. I can resist compulsions much better on them. I also get really paranoid off of them. I also do get kind of depressed when I come off but that seems to level out. I think it’s just the initial drop

@jhbishop80@gmail.com It was 1998. Yep, in the US. Yeah, they gave me a rubber band to snap on my wrist when I got nervous but I only shared that I was scared to go to school and not all the other stuff I was thinking because I thought they would put me in an institution or something. They diagnosed me with SAD and then they gave me the Paxil. Luckily Paxil also helps with OCD so that got much better even with the wrong diagnosis.

@OCDMM - I can definitely relate to the embarrasment and worry about telling a doctors about your specific obsessions and complusions. I was fearful to theyd think i was nuts lol. Sad the psychiatric community didnt understand it better. I still dont think they all have a strong understanding of it, at least not the importance of erp. Ashame insurance companies dont cover psychologists/psyciatrists like they do other doctors. Seems like the pharmaceutical companies are running the show.