Posted by g_g_g_unit on October 13, 2009, at 22:13:45
In reply to Re: question for brainbeard., posted by Brainbeard on October 13, 2009, at 11:36:17
> Right now, preserving sound cognitive functioning is not top priority for me, since I don't have a job (I'm in daytime treatment). I'm still able to read and understand Calvin's Institution.. (In a Dutch translation, I admit it.)
>
> >>my doc is pushing for me to try anafranil at the moment (he begrudgingly has me trialling parnate), but i'm scared off by the s/e's. did you ever try it for OCD? sounds promising, but sadly anything that numbs me/dumbs me down too much also saps my social/professional confidence >>etc.
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> It's a good suggestion by your doc. Clomipramine (Anafranil) is probably the best med around for OCD. The side-effects can admittedly be rather incovenient.
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> I did indeed try it for OCD and depression, and especially as an antidepressant, it was quite promising. I didn't reach a higher dose than 100mg. I was thrown off at last by one of the side-effects it caused me: severe and even painful sensitivity of my eyes to sunlight, which made me too anxious to continue using the drug. (Although perhaps I should have endured it long enough to overcome my anxiety).
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> Further, it made me constipated, but this could be solved by a simple and relatively harmless laxative (lactulose syrop). It also gave me a very dry mouth - at the higher dose, I was walking around with a bottle of water all day at work. Also, clomipramine was the heaviest SRI suppressor of sound sexual functioning I have ever taken. It seriously made me wonder while having sex what the hell I was doing - now that's a very unnatural thought for me.
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> The anticholinergic brain fog was indeed quite noticeable, but it came along with elevated mood and more, rather than less, self-confidence in social situations. As for the brain fog, one time I found myself in the shopping mall, and couldn't figure out why I was there...
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>hmm, thanks for your thoughts. pity about the brain fog. part of my self-confidence in social situations comes with verbal fluency, emotional expressiveness, etc. so SSRI's are just totally deleterious in that respect. they turn me into a glorified plank of wood. was Clomipramine at least less emotionally numbing?
man it's tough making med decisions because part of my 'recovery' would mean going back to grad school, meeting people etc. (not to mention a lil sexual functioning). when depressed, my OCD symptoms are actually near-dormant because i feel so foggy and anhedonic. i'm trying to find a balance between more executive functioning without turning up the anxiety-dial. i was considering the really low SRI prozac dose discussed here (5mg) if Parnate doesn't work, since higher gave me insomnia. could i expect very little anxiety relief at that dose?
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:919193
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20090701/msgs/920842.html