Managing OCD without meds

Hi all, anyone here had success managing OCD without meds? I used to be on SSRIs but voluntarily quit due to side effects. I want to manage it holistically - Keto therapy, exercising and staying busy. I’m also learning ERP with my therapist now. Escapism to junk food, porn etc over the years has fried my dopamine. I’m trying to rebuild that too. I’m also willing to do any supplements or stimulants like NAC, Inositol, Nicotine & Modafinil occasionally, Saffron extract, Ashwagandha. I’m truly just trying to get to a stoic state of mind where I can stay consistent with my efforts towards my goals. If you are strictly pro meds and don’t agree with my approach, I’d rather you not share your experience here since I’m really counting on Keto intervention as my final hope at managing this. I’ve lost my spark in the past few years and I don’t recognise who I’ve become due to this disorder. I welcome any success stories from people who are in the same boat as I and have had success managing this. I’m a 6’3, athletic, decent looking man who has a lot to offer but my potential has been completely engulfed dealing with this debilitating disorder.

Raven_

Date posted: Yesterday

Neurofeedback has been life changing for me. However, it’s a long expensive process. Dumbing down my phone has also been huge for resetting my dopamine cycle. It was the hardest thing I had to do but I don’t have any social media or games on my phone. For a while I didn’t even have a web browser. I still would use these things, but if I wanted to use them I had to use a computer.

unslicedlemons

Date posted: Yesterday

yes i found restricting my phone to like the main essentials helped alot.

abbyg@tor

Date posted: Yesterday

@Raven_ Hi, wondering how you got into neurofeedback. Is this something insurance would cover? Could I ask my therapist about it or my pcp?

Raven_

Date posted: 22h

@abbyg@tor Unfortunately I’ve never seen an insurance company cover it except in certain seizure cases. I’ve heard some people get a superbill and file for reimbursement from their insurance but I’m not sure how well that goes. For the vast majority of people it’s going to be an out of pocket thing, and it ads up very quickly

abbyg@tor

Date posted: 21h

@Raven_ Ah, I see. I’ve also heard about TMS therapy. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried it but maybe there would be more luck with insurance that route?

Raven_

Date posted: 21h

@abbyg@tor Yes! TMS is fantastic it’s a quicker process too, and yes insurance covers it; although they usually want you to show that you’re treatment-resistant before they cover it. But that really depends on the insurance. The one downside is in almost half of the cases it’s only about a 1 year relief :/ but some people do get much longer relief.

unslicedlemons

Date posted: Yesterday

i found engaging with puzzles like a word search or sudoku etc was a big help for me whenever i was in a rumination spiral like "i'll continue to think about [obsession] after i finish this puzzle" and sometimes id forget about it all for a while

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