I have a fear of getting drugged/poisoned and becoming incapacitated. If I don’t know the exact origin of something as it came from the store, and where it has been at all points after that, I typically won’t ingest it/use it. I’m big into going to music festivals and concerts where acid and other drugs are typically present. My friends also sometimes do psychedelics and other drugs when we hang out on the weekend (I’m not a fan of them myself but it doesn’t bother me when other people do them). This usually leads to me believing that there’s a chance anything I had in the same vicinity as the people ingesting these substances has a chance of being laced and drugging me when I use it next. For example, if I had a bottle of ibuprofen or a bottle of lotion in my purse while hanging out with friends, I believe that if I use it I will become drugged and incapacitated because somehow some kind of drug could have ended up inside of the bottle. This ends in me throwing so many things away. I hardly ever use any of my things until theyre empty. Thinking back, I’ve wasted so much money because of this obsession/compulsion. Any tips on how to stop feeling this way?

i have an extreme fear of being poisoned. it has gotten really awful lately. i find it hard to shop for food and often go back to exchange items if i notice someone walking by with cleaners or other toxic things near me. the other night i was walking to the door of Trader Joe’s and a guy walked by with liquid plumber in his hand. it was sealed, but not bagged and he was kind of swinging it as he walked. it took every ounce of strength not to go home and wash my hands multiple times and come back. the thing that really bothers me is that i hate to waste food or water and there have been times when something just didn’t “feel right” so i threw it away. all i can think about is all the people starving and how valuable what i am throwing away would be for them.

It is also plausible to conceive that someone may develop iophobia as a consequence of them already suffering from a different anxiety disorder or phobia beforehand. For instance, someone with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) may develop an irrational fear of poison if they find themselves to be obsessed with the dangers of toxic materials. They may become so obsessed with their fear of poisons due to their OCD that they may spend a great deal of their day thinking of it. Thus, opening the door for them to develop full blown iophobia.

@justanotherpersonwithocd I understand how you feel! I do the same thing a lot of times. I end up wasting so much stuff, whether it be food or toiletries, because I think it will poison/drug me. I’m hoping I can learn to overcome this.

Hey how are you doing now?