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.
Overall I feel I have a good quality of life without medication. I manage my OCD and GAD through healthy diet , vitamins and supplements, exercise, meditation, self help books and videos and occasional ERP and CBT sessions when able to . I feel everything waxes and wanes over periods of time and I try to roll with the ups and downs. Both of my conditions can be improved and managed in the long term to a high standard . My goal is making my peace with these conditions and having a good life .
Thank you! That's one of my biggest issues..being able to accept the bad with the good. I have such a low tolerance for any negative emotions or feelings. It's almost like I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my mood. I'm not sure why though. So acceptance is something I need to work towards! Thanks again
Yes indeedy. No meds works on me so I did it all on my own.
@Nica question. what is recovery like for you? i was in remission for 4ish years where mine was only really focused on health concerns so i didn’t experience debilitating anxiety for the most part but would still have thoughts. do you find that yours has just switched themes or are the thoughts less?
@kodyisland The thoughts will always be there; recovery is not caring about your OCD and therefore, no interacting with it, no actual obsessions, no compulsions.
@Nica did you work with NOCD/do ERP?
@kodyisland I worked with my own therapist who does ERP. Not on here.
I just want to contribute that there’s also no shame in using meds to augment treatment too. I know that I wouldn’t be where I am (40% on bad days to 70% on good days improved) without meds and NOCD’s help. If you can do it on your own with ERP awesome, but many of us need help too.
Oh absolutely no shame! I was on medications for 12 yrs and only recently stopped to see what differences I noticed if any! I'm so glad medicine has helped you. Do you mind if I ask which oneM
@Anonymous Well, it’s a long story…but I was on Cymbalta for 12 years (after trying a variety of meds but was never diagnosed with OCD (health), they said it was GAD). It absolutely was this b*tch of a disease. So, I never received ERP or anything other than CBT and Cymbalta. Then, because I had no issues for over a decade I quit cold turkey Jan 2023. No bueno! OCD came back with vengeance and brought a new theme. I’ve read all the authors and books…I tried doing it on my own, then with ERP and NOCD too. I couldn’t gain. This time they put me on high dose of Luvox and Buspar. But, I really wonder if I should be on Cymbalta (it worked for me before), but I’m scared to switch and go back down that hole. I was thinking of getting that genetic test to see what meds would metabolize the best, least side effects, etc. What were you taking?
@Joey_867 I hear you. I've heard good things about luvox!! I was on sertraline for many years and only a few months ago tried prozac just to see if it was better. Big mistake. It was a nightmare, never really experienced such emotional disturbances before! Not gonna try that one again lol
I’m not recovered yet but I’ve made HUGE progress and I’m not on any medication
That makes me so happy and hopeful 😊
Recovery without medication is 100% possible in my experience.
Thank you. Love hearing that!! Do you mind if I ask if you're in erp?
@Anonymous ERP, yes. I'm also starting to dabble in ACT as well. Not able to speak on its effectiveness as of yet, but I'm hopeful!
I feel I am recovering slowly for the most part without meds but there are times where I have rough patches for sure. It’s all about taking time and what makes it tough for all of us with OCD is that we want it gone now. I personally think medicine is mainly to address the depression feelings and things like that. However, i don’t think it will suppress the process of people ruminating or having OCD thoughts. Normally it is recommended if you are doing meds to do that in collaboration with going to a therapist while also on your own time reading to understand OCD further. I am still reading through “Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”, by Jonathan Grayson, PHD and I am learning so much. It even goes into slight detail about medicine. I pray that you do great, and that you continue to recover however fits you best 🙂.
I’m still in erp treatment, but making good progress without meds. It may make treatment more prolonged and difficult but if you’re willing to accept that and put in the work then it’s worth a go without meds.
I’m seriously considering taking lexapro. I’m having a hard time right now. But I’m curious if anyone has gotten into recovery without medication. Anyone with depression disorder and ocd. And not need medication?
I have been on ssri since i was 19 i am 37 now... i never really noticed a true improvement, of course much less anxiety etc, but never got to the root of the problem, im thinking about maybe stopping the medication and really facing anxiety to get to the root? What do you think about that?
Hi guys, do some people with ocd not take any medication ? Do you just manage it with ERP? Or do you have any supplements you use that can help instead? Thanks :)
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