I'm curious how often people are able to taper off their meds after they get a handle on their erp? For those comfortable sharing, I would be grateful to learn how common it is to come off meds after achieving success with erp.
I’ve tried but I found I need meds just to be able to do ERP successfully. I think it might be like diabetes - we gotta exercise and take meds to manage it. Life becomes really off meds for me even with ERP.
For me the end goal is reduced meds, not no meds. I had been going through a tough time due to some external stressors, so it’s made sense to increase my doses and add some additional medications in to help, but I imagine I’ll eventually be able to go back down to my “normal.” Without the medication I wouldn’t be able to get as much out of the work I’m doing with CBT/DBT (soon to add in ERP).
I still haven’t found the right meds for me without intolerable side effects so unfortunately I have tried for up to a few weeks and had ocd relief but it came back immediately after I got off.
@Marni Sucher That said I literally just started and haven’t yet had my first session so I couldn’t say.
@Marni Sucher Thank you for this feedback.
You can’t ERP a chemical imbalance, I wouldn’t make the goal to come off of meds, I would make my goal to continue working on getting better and medication has a role in that.
I'm not sure I want to start a medication, but I've heard that it might help me improve my success with erp, and once I'm doing better that maybe I can taper off. I really want to do this without meds, but I have so many rituals and they've gone on for so long that they've become quite complicated. I've already made progress, and to be honest the progress has been some pretty big steps, with some pretty big effort, but there is lots and lots and lots more to go.
@Student of my mind 🧘♂️ Of course medication is person by person basis! I know that I was saved by medication but some people don’t enjoy or don’t react well to medication! But there’s all kinds that are helpful! Even as needed, or maybe ask your doctor about herbs and teas!
Hey friends, I hope you all are well. I just wanted to check in and ask people's experiences about being on medication. I have had OCD pretty much my whole life, just got recently diagnosed 4 months ago and my therapist recommended that I get on meds for it so I have a psychiatrist appointment set up. I'm a little apprehensive about getting on them, but I've realized that I do have some sort of chemical imbalance in my brain that plays a part in my OCD and anxiety. I would love to hear anyones experiences or words of encouragement. Thank you, I hope you all are well.
Sometimes I notice my intrusive thoughts cause me to spiral and sometimes not. I've been practicing ERP for quite a while so it's a bit easier for me to not spiral. But I wonder why that happens. Does anyone else have it? Also I'm on medication idk if that plays a role.
I’m starting NOCD. I had several years of cbt as a child (well over 20 years ago) and I see a trauma therapist. But now I’ll be seeking further help for OCD and just really scared. CBT wasn’t helpful for me. How has ERP been helpful for you? Do you feel like you’ll finally get your life back? I’m consumed by my obsessions 😢 Would love others feedback if ERP helped you ❤️
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