Posted by thebends on August 29, 2005, at 20:20:24
Hello. I've been lurking for a while, and I decided that it's time to finally avail myself of the incredible amount of support and encouragement that members on this forum provide to one another. I'll try to keep this introductory post brief. Feel free to follow-up with questions or comments; I'm sure I left some things out. Here goes... I suffer from chronic, disabling OCD and comorbid social anxiety. I also suffer from frequent mood swings (often several times a day) that may be suggestive of a bipolar spectrum disorder, though I still can’t tell if the recurrent brief depressions and excited moods that I experience are better conceptualized as sequelae of the aforementioned conditions or discrete pathologies. Unfortunately, I've also begun to experience Male Pattern Baldness, and will not take any medication that could even possibly accelerate or exacerbate the condition (though my rapidly deteriorating condition has caused me to reconsider somewhat). Obviously, this greatly complicates my medication options. In the past, I've taken Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro, Anafranil, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Buspar and (probably one or two others that I'm forgetting), all with limited success. In fairness, the SSRIs did allow me to function (something I can't do right now), but they did little for my OCD. Right now, my treatment objective is to reduce my obsessions/compulsions and increase my sociability. My preference is for medications that can be taken on “as needed” basis (that way I don’t have to worry as much about a medication having a negative cumulative impact on hair loss), but at this point, I will consider medications that have to be taken daily. What do you guys think of the following:
Verapamil: Reputed to have an anti-anxiety effect and mood stabilizing effect, and there are actually theoretical reasons that it might help re-grow hair.
Lamictal: Would probably work well for my recurrent depressions.
Dexedrine: Might help with my anhedonia and increase my sociability.
Morphine: Taken once-weekly for OCD? Did anyone actually try this?
Buprenorphine: I haven’t heard anything about this drug for OCD in a while.
Deprenyl: Again, might help with stimulation/sociability.
Klonopin: Appears to work well for social anxiety, but I’m worried that it may cause depression.
Xanax: I like that some people find it stimulating, but there's not as much support for its use in social anxiety.Thanks so much in advance for any feedback. I look forward to hearing from you guys and contributing to the board in the future.
poster:thebends
thread:548473
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050827/msgs/548473.html