Alternative Medicine / Treatment?

I’m not currently taking them since being pregnant and breastfeeding but prior to that I was. It’s so hard to tell if there was a significant reduction to be honest. I have a hard time quantifying my ocd sometimes because sometimes it seems to change for no reason week to week or month to month! So what is effecting what is sometimes so hard to tell. But it seemed for me personally to be a low risk option and a more natural option that didn’t seem to have any negatives for myself; so I figured it was worth trying even for a small improvement. As far as TMS I did the first round which was 36 sessions about 2 years ago. My YBOCS scores did improve significantly at the end of treatment. I think from severe to moderate or possibly even mild. 2nd time I did it was just this last November and recently finished. Again my scores did lower but not as significantly. I also did the TMS protocols for depression and anxiety and saw the most improvement in those areas. (I did TMS for all 3 which are done in the same session but target different areas of the brain). My GAD score went from 17 to 7 and my PHQ 9 went from 23 to 3. I will say however it was hard to know if it is truly the TMS that helped or something else. Both of those times I had been on a reduced amount of sertralene (prior to getting pregnant and after birth). So both of those times I started TMS I was also going up on the dose of my sertralene. So was it the sertralene increase or the TMS that helped? Or was it a combination of both? Ultimately I decided I didn’t care what was causing the improvement as long as I was seeing improvement. Sorry none of this is a very clear answer. I wish I could tell you something concrete. But hope this gives you something helpful at least!

I did IV (intravenous) and IM (intramuscular) Ketamine for over a year at Gupta Psychiatry for treatment resistant depression. It really helped but it was starting to feel like a crutch instead of a solution. I stopped because I got adjusted to the highest dose and couldn't go up (any higher and it would have to be for pain treatment) - therefore it wasn't very effective for me anymore. The pricing also went up (not covered by my insurance) and I would much rather find a more permanent solution like the right medication which in my case is Prozac and starting NOCD. Now, at the time I wasn't in NOCD so I wasn't able to properly manage the debilitating obsessions and compulsions even though it did help with it and even more so with depression. Your case is different as you're already being treated for OCD. Some info in case you didn't know: You'll probably have to get ketamine treatments 2-3 times a week at first (it takes time to get in your system and really start making a big difference) and then every couple weeks and eventually may only need it once every few months. It may be different at other clinics and it depends on how it affects you. After I stopped the IV and IM ketamine, I tried Spravato (esketamine in nose spray form) but that's a lot less strong especially if you're used to IV or IM ketamine so it didn't do anything for me. The Spravato was covered by insurance unlike the IV and IM so its something to consider trying before the other two options. I know this is really long, bear with me. I strongly recommend making sure you have been drinking enough fluids and eating enough before each treatment, especially if you have a medical condition that requires you to do that already. One time I didn't drink or eat much before IM ketamine so the affect was much stronger and I hallucinated/had a bad trip and it was very scary. That was the only time that happened, most of the time it was fine. At the time I truly did feel like the ketamine was the only reason I managed to do things that semester of college but once I learned I reached the max dosage, I knew it wasn't the right thing for me anymore. I wish you luck.

I haven’t tried ketamine but I have done two full rounds of Transcraniel Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and it helped me. I also had a psychiatrist recommend N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and another recommended a very high dose of Inositol, both are supplements. I’ve always been on 200 mg of Zoloft and have also done ERP therapy so those other things were also supplemental for me.

https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/over-the-counter-supplements-in-the-treatment-of-ocd/ I liked this article on iocdf website although it’s a bit old now.

https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/treatment/tms/ Another helpful article. I originally decided on tms after finding out more info at one of the iocdf conferences.

Normally your insurance has certain protocols though that have to be met. I think it was that you’ve tried the other evidence based treatments such as therapy and at least 2 or 3 different medications over your history.

Yes it was for me both times

Any new updates on ketamine treatments? Any progress? Thank you!