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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on March 4, 2002, at 7:12:27
My OCD has reared it's ugly head in a way that it hasn't since before I started taking Luvox. It's making it difficult to sleep properly and I am aware that my thinking is distorted. It doesn't help that I recently came off an up period of my mood cycling and am now in a down one.
I have been off Luvox for a year but before that was on it for 4 years. It had an excellent effect on the obsessions, but it also had other effects that make me reluctant to wish to try it again, among them an increase in my cutting behavior. Besides it takes several weeks to work, and I'm hoping I'll feel better by then.
I'm trying to reduce the stress in my life, as I know that is a major contributor, but the stress is hard to reduce when you've been working as inconsistently as I have while having these problems. Deadlines are approaching and people are calling as I sit ruminating and crying.
Does anyone have suggestions for a med that won't make me groggy (I really have to get my work done) and that I can take for just long enough to get through this period?
I know that if I'm totally honest with my pdoc he will want to put me back on Luvox. And I really don't want that.
I am currently taking Depakote (usually 125 mg but I took 250 mg to get over the up period) and Klonopin (usually 1mg at night). My sleep has been very poor both getting asleep and staying asleep.
I may just be trying to avoid the unavoidable, but I've had almost a year off Luvox and no major flareups in that time. It seems such a shame to go back on a medicine that I really didn't like.
Thanks,
Dinah
Posted by Ritch on March 4, 2002, at 10:46:44
In reply to OCD Flareup - Med suggestions?, posted by Dinah on March 4, 2002, at 7:12:27
> My OCD has reared it's ugly head in a way that it hasn't since before I started taking Luvox. It's making it difficult to sleep properly and I am aware that my thinking is distorted. It doesn't help that I recently came off an up period of my mood cycling and am now in a down one.
>
> I have been off Luvox for a year but before that was on it for 4 years. It had an excellent effect on the obsessions, but it also had other effects that make me reluctant to wish to try it again, among them an increase in my cutting behavior. Besides it takes several weeks to work, and I'm hoping I'll feel better by then.
>
> I'm trying to reduce the stress in my life, as I know that is a major contributor, but the stress is hard to reduce when you've been working as inconsistently as I have while having these problems. Deadlines are approaching and people are calling as I sit ruminating and crying.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions for a med that won't make me groggy (I really have to get my work done) and that I can take for just long enough to get through this period?
>
> I know that if I'm totally honest with my pdoc he will want to put me back on Luvox. And I really don't want that.
>
> I am currently taking Depakote (usually 125 mg but I took 250 mg to get over the up period) and Klonopin (usually 1mg at night). My sleep has been very poor both getting asleep and staying asleep.
>
> I may just be trying to avoid the unavoidable, but I've had almost a year off Luvox and no major flareups in that time. It seems such a shame to go back on a medicine that I really didn't like.
>
> Thanks,
> Dinah
Dinah,You could ask your doc to add on some Neurontin 100-200mg 3x daily. I have bipolar/GAD/SP/ADHD with some obsessive personality traits and it helps a lot with that. I've tried Luvox before and it made me way too drowsy and nauseous. Maybe a *small* amt. of a more activating SSRI? Do you think your doc would trust a little Prozac, too?
I hope this helps.
good luck with your symptoms,Mitch
Posted by Alan on March 4, 2002, at 14:29:03
In reply to OCD Flareup - Med suggestions?, posted by Dinah on March 4, 2002, at 7:12:27
> My OCD has reared it's ugly head in a way that it hasn't since before I started taking Luvox. It's making it difficult to sleep properly and I am aware that my thinking is distorted. It doesn't help that I recently came off an up period of my mood cycling and am now in a down one.
>
> I have been off Luvox for a year but before that was on it for 4 years. It had an excellent effect on the obsessions, but it also had other effects that make me reluctant to wish to try it again, among them an increase in my cutting behavior. Besides it takes several weeks to work, and I'm hoping I'll feel better by then.
>
> I'm trying to reduce the stress in my life, as I know that is a major contributor, but the stress is hard to reduce when you've been working as inconsistently as I have while having these problems. Deadlines are approaching and people are calling as I sit ruminating and crying.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions for a med that won't make me groggy (I really have to get my work done) and that I can take for just long enough to get through this period?
>
> I know that if I'm totally honest with my pdoc he will want to put me back on Luvox. And I really don't want that.
>
> I am currently taking Depakote (usually 125 mg but I took 250 mg to get over the up period) and Klonopin (usually 1mg at night). My sleep has been very poor both getting asleep and staying asleep.
>
> I may just be trying to avoid the unavoidable, but I've had almost a year off Luvox and no major flareups in that time. It seems such a shame to go back on a medicine that I really didn't like.
>
> Thanks,
> Dinah
********************************************
The first that come to mind that may not be as "stimulating" as Luvox are the gold standard Anafranil (a TCA which you may have tried already) but it has a high side-effect profile for some people as many of the TCA's do at thereputic dosing levels. The other is Prozac but it can feel pretty "activating" too. It was for me. BZD's tend to help calm things depending on which one you react to more favorably and I see you're already on Klonopin. There's valium also.Hope this helps...
Alan
Posted by Dinah on March 4, 2002, at 14:50:59
In reply to OCD Flareup - Med suggestions?, posted by Dinah on March 4, 2002, at 7:12:27
I spoke to my pdoc and he thinks the safest thing to do is to go back on Luvox at a very low dose for one to two weeks until this little episode is over, due to the fact that it worked for me before. Hopefully I won't have to deal with withdrawal symptoms after being on it for that short a period of time.
I can't believe I feel so bad that I'm willing to go back on Luvox.
This is the end of the thread.
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