Posted by madison88 on September 9, 2002, at 19:34:01
In reply to Re: OCD Developments and Advice Needed, posted by Ed O`Flaherty on September 9, 2002, at 9:57:23
Sorry to tell you this but i don't think that you are going to be able to become symptom free or even reduce dramatically your symptoms by meds or herbal supplements. According to De-VeaughGeiss et al., 1992 and Michelson & Marchione, 1991, the obsessions and compulsions of people on drugs can be reduced by 40 to 50 percent. Take the studies for what they are worth, but i think it is pretty clear that you can't expect to get to 90 or 100 percent by any combination. Life would be nice w/out OCD, esp if you got lucky and didn't notice any symtpoms till later in life, but that is not the case.
Beyond meds, there are therapies that can help a lot. Cognitive behavioral therapy worked very well for me. I believe the spiritual techniques are important for you too but such methods may become rituals and actually worsen your condition. You need an outside viewpoint to help you evaluate your thought processes and how to function WITH the disorder. Because that is what you need to face up to--learning to live with it. Gods knows i struggle to do this every day with OCD.
if you still want to try and dabble with meds beyond what you are doing now, inositol, a vitamen B complex, if taken by 18 grams a day, can help you get the most of the effects of your other mediciations. it can help with OCD, panic disorder, and depression. i haven't heard of any side effects of high doses, beyond increasing your sensitivity to your other meds. Good luck!
poster:madison88
thread:119340
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020906/msgs/119406.html