Anyone scared of meds for OCD treatment?

I had a bad experience w/ overdosing on my anxiety meds and panic attack reaction to hydrocodone after wisdom teeth removal and ever since I have a lot of fear around meds in general. I always check interactions with my medications and won’t even take ibuprofen and I have to check my bottle a bunch of times to make sure I only took my meds once. I have an upcoming appointment to discuss medications since I’m a newbie and haven’t even gotten a full diagnosis but lots of pointers from therapists (I feel guilty about not being diagnosed.. anyway..) but I’m too scared about side effects to take meds even tho I know it will really help. I’ve researched but idk I don’t like being out of control of what my body does.

JS55555

Date posted: Yesterday

I think that this would be a great thing to talk to your therapist about and don't hold back. They are professionals and will discuss your concerns with you. That being said, I believe that your OCD may be latching onto this. Either way, when I feel my OCD start to maybe be latching on to something, I stop thinking it through for 15 minutes.

oliviabroewn

Date posted: Yesterday

@JS55555 Yeah I definitely noticed it latching onto this. I’ll tell them about my fears especially toward GI side effects. I’m sure they’ll help. Thank you :)

JS55555

Date posted: 22h

@oliviabroewn No problem! Hope you feel better!

[Deleted]

Date posted: Yesterday

Comment deleted by user

oliviabroewn

Date posted: Yesterday

@MistyBlue48 I’m glad you understand. So many ppl talk about meds for their ocd but it feels like a lot of them don’t talk about the fear of them lol.

Tea and Honey

Date posted: Yesterday

I think everyone with OCD needs meds. I think it's an important part of treatment. Treatment for OCD has three sides: 1.) The physical side where the brain is not functioning properly. This is handled with medication.I tried to go off medication once, but I really couldn't handle everything without the meds. I went back on quickly. 2.) The spiritual side There is a definite element of spiritual attack here with OCD. But God wants us to live in freedom 3.) The mental side This is where psychologists can really help. They have learned a LOT about OCD over the years. They have developed treatment that is VERY GOOD. I'm a Christian, and God has been helping me get better on this journey with OCD for many years now. I was surprised to learn that many of the things that I learned coincided with ERP therapy. You won't always get the right therapist, but if you get a good one, you can make a TON of progress with ERP therapy. Some people who have been struck in their houses and trapped by OCD, but once they started ERP therapy they got their lives back. I would love to help you! I know that you are new, and I've learned so much over the past 20 years. Do you have religious OCD? Do you know what theme you have? Do you have any questions? Is there anything bothering you that you want to talk about?

oliviabroewn

Date posted: 13h

@Tea and Honey Aw thank you so much :) I think meds will be very good for me, I feel like I trust doctors a little more knowing they have research. It just felt funny that it’s something to help us but also something that can bring fear with OCD. And yes, do have religious OCD and it has made it very difficult for me to be truly close to God. I feel like I’m being punished a lot and I morally question everything I do. I had to push away religion and it brought lots of guilt, and now that I’m experiencing my first strong flareup in a few years I feel like it’s punishment even though I’ve only been Christian for 2ish years. It’s affected my spiritual life a lot. I don’t feel religious enough and feel like I’ve blasphemed or I will have intrusive thoughts and guilt about sin :,) I’ve never really told anyone about it because I felt like if you’re not a good enough believer you’d have these thoughts.

Tea and Honey

Date posted: 12h

@oliviabroewn I once read a book called "Can Christianity Cure Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" by Dr. Ian Osborn. Here's the Amazon link if you are interested in it. https://www.amazon.com/Can-Christianity-Cure-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder/dp/1587432064/ref=asc_df_1587432064?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79852242640748&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=111452&hvtargid=pla-4583451725440237&psc=1&hvocijid=15003228402219741823-1587432064-&hvexpln=0 The This book was was really good foundational book for me. The author is a Christian who has OCD himself, and he did research over history about other Christians with OCD. He realized that many of God's special people in history actually had OCD, including John Bunyan, the man who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, and others (maybe even Martin Luther, who is very, very famous). I don't know if you have read Pilgrim's Progress, but during its time, it was second only to the Bible in popularity. I realized when I read this book that it is not punishment to have OCD. Some of God's choice Saints have experienced it all through history. I also realized something else. The fear of blasphemy is really really common. I thought I was the only person who ever struggled with that. But it's very common for people who have religious OCD!!! I have so much more to say!!! You are not being punished !!! And you are not alone!! In fact, your journey of getting better from OCD will make you faith STRONGER than it ever has been.

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User type: Staff

Date posted: Yesterday

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