Posted by Cindy W on October 14, 2000, at 22:37:44
In reply to Re: OCD medications?, posted by JohnL on October 14, 2000, at 5:23:05
> > I am wondering if there is anyone who has had any luck with medication,for treating ocd symptoms? I have unwanted, disturbing thoughts that i just cant get rid of . my doctor has put me on luvox which has made it worse(more anxiety) he had talked about a neuroleptic? but i dont know how safe they are. I am still waiting for a reply from a doctor about some amisulpiride. any help or suggestions would be great! rog
>
> I'm not real experienced with OCD, but I can share some of my thoughts.
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> I think one of the ways OCD is fixed is by anesthetizing the brain, squashing the emotional spectrum. This is a frequent result of elevated serotonin levels over time. Often we see people who are treated for depression with SSRIs where their depression goes away, but they never regain the ups in life either. Very flat. Cocoon-like. That's not uncommon with SSRIs, and I think that's how they work in OCD. However, I don't like this fix, because it's not really a fix. It is a way to anesthetize all emotions, not just the ones you are concerned about.
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> Your doctor mentioned neuroleptics. I like that option much better. That's because they are much more likely to target just the emotions that are plaguing you. Basically what they do is reduce elevated dopamine function. With SSRIs OCD usually requires large doses...like I said, lots and lots of serotonin to numb everything. But with neuroleptics you are likely to find relief with much smaller doses.
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> Which one to try is a flip of the coin. One may work where others don't. Statistically the odds are probably better for Zyprexa. But good options could also include Risperdal, Haldol, or Stelazine.
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> Most doctors I think would go the SSRI route. But that's because they themselves have never tried an SSRI on themselves! They don't realize how numbing they can be to someone who doesn't have low serotonin to begin with. A basically normal undepressed person who takes an SSRI for a few weeks will experience emotional flattening. In one doctors office during a year, neuroleptics worked 65% of the time, while SSRIs worked 27% of the time. Just something to think about.
> JohnJohn, you mention Zyprexa for OCD...are there any studies comparing Zyprexa vs. an SSRI or Anafranil, or Clozapine vs. an SSRI or Anafranil, for OCD? I've read that they primarily affect serotonin (HT2) so don't understand why they would not give the "emotional flattening" or numbness (which I've experienced with every AD I've ever tried). Also, from what I've read about OCD (having OCD myself also), emotions are not the problem; anxiety which is negatively reinforced by compulsive acts is the problem, or in some cases, a "brain lock" of obsessive thoughts which are overvalued. ??--Cindy W
poster:Cindy W
thread:46205
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001012/msgs/46378.html