I am strong. But today is hard

@llalala Thank you for your honest experience. The SSRI i am on is the only one and first one i ever tried and i just got lucky that i responded really well to it. I really love the medication, it doesn’t numb my feelings out and i can enjoy things as a normal person would. It’s just not packing that full punch like it used to. I have also explored getting to the bottom of my gut health issues, as i think it plays a huge role in helping our brains work effectively. I hope you feel better soon as well!! Never give up!!

@bekind89 Sometimes i feel like our ocd gets in the way and the fear is so strong that it keeps us from even wanting to take the chance with another medication. Knowing that it truly might be amazing, i know people that have changed their meds and said why didn’t i do this sooner. Sometimes i build up the strength, but then i talk myself out of it. It’s hard enough as it is going up in dosage and having to level out even then. But we are strong and we can do hard things. I encourage you to atleast try!! I’m going to try too.

@bekind89 I understand. I’ve had success with Cymbalta in the past, but with this round of OCD I’ve been taking Luvox. Really wishing I would have stayed with Cymbalta. The switch scares me.

@Joey_867 I also take a pretty significant dose of buspar. I do some supplements as well, I’m wondering if i should switch to Luvox.

@bebecoll30 First, have you been diagnosed with OCD? Are you on Zoloft or Buspar? High doses are necessary for OCD. I learned that. You can take an adjunct medication to help supplement the Zoloft. Sadly, I also learned that it won’t make it completely disappear. At best, I see a 50% - 60% reduction. The rest is up to me to deal with it and fight it. That’s where the therapy comes in.

@Joey_867 I guess i was spoiled in the beginning and my ocd was cured at 100%, even at the first few years. it’s hard for me to lose hope in the fact that i could get back to that place. Medication has been such a game changer for me, i just feel like Even therapy once a week im still finding myself getting caught up in the chaos of my mind. Sometimes i just wish my brain would shut up. It can get overwhelming when your brain is going 100 miles an hour every minute of every day. my psychiatrist seems to think there’s room for medication improvement.

@bebecoll30 I hear you. I suffered from health OCD for three years. It sucked. I was absolutely sure that I had an incurable disease. Went to every doctor under the sun. Had every test…nothing. Yet, no one stopped to say, this is health OCD. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and put on every medication possible. I found Cymbalta helped me the most. Was on it for 10 years, symptom free. I thought I was cured from my anxiety for good and I didn’t need medicine anymore. No one suggested I would need it for the rest of my life. Welp, OCD came back and stronger - changed themes.

@Joey_867 I totally get that, 10 years with your meds working fully that is outstanding. I felt lucky to make it two years. I have came a long way in accepting that this is a chronic illness and considered a disability so we have to treat it as such which means that life may look a little different for us sometimes, and taking medication daily is a huge must. I had a little flare of health ocd when I first started showing symptoms. now my themes pertain to absolutely absurd things that i even look at myself in the mirror sometimes and think “wtf” lol

@bebecoll30 Yes, I’m right there with you. My theme - which scares the hell out of my OCD and it cannot unstuck itself, makes others laugh and chuckle. The fear has my OCD on high alert. Over a year of this now…. Has me up at 4am.

@secretlyobsessed2012 What is your next steps? Are you planning on switching?

@bebecoll30 Honestly I was fine for a while after the worst flare up of my life. I started to only take it every other day (I don’t recommend) but after research (cause we’re researchers lol) it actually can help it boost ya a little bit. But now that kind of warn off I think