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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 20 to 44 of 44. Go back in thread:
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2002, at 1:20:29
In reply to Re: The bulldozers are here!! » BarbaraCat, posted by oona on May 18, 2002, at 0:15:35
>
> You can not give them the power over you, you can not let them pull your strings and that is what they are doing to you. You are the master of your own universe. OCD or no, Let it go.. (HEY, THAT WOULD BE A GREAT BUMPER STICKER)
> OCD OR NO...LET IT GO...
>
> Just to update you, I am on week three of Celexa and Risperadol... doing pretty good.. time will tell...
> oonaThanks, Oona, needed to hear that. I very much like your idea about the land use organisation. There are many neighbors here who feel the same way we do and want to do something. Any suggestions as to where to start looking for land use laws and other needed knowledge?
BTW, glad to hear that the Celexa and Ris are helping. Anything specific about the combo you like? I was on Celexa for a short time and don't recall anything about it one way or the other. - Barbara
Posted by Zo on May 18, 2002, at 4:24:12
In reply to The bulldozers are here!!, posted by BarbaraCat on May 17, 2002, at 15:53:06
Posted by tinker on May 18, 2002, at 7:36:40
In reply to The bulldozers are here!!, posted by BarbaraCat on May 17, 2002, at 15:53:06
How are you feeling today. In case moving doesnt work out, I thought I would tell you about the 20 ft hedge my mom has out of cedars. Its very private and the birds love it. Keep up your spirit. Hang in there.- Tinker
Posted by oona on May 18, 2002, at 9:26:25
In reply to Re: The bulldozers are here!!, posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2002, at 1:20:29
>
> >
> > You can not give them the power over you, you can not let them pull your strings and that is what they are doing to you. You are the master of your own universe. OCD or no, Let it go.. (HEY, THAT WOULD BE A GREAT BUMPER STICKER)
> > OCD OR NO...LET IT GO...
> >
> > Just to update you, I am on week three of Celexa and Risperadol... doing pretty good.. time will tell...
> > oona
>
> Thanks, Oona, needed to hear that. I very much like your idea about the land use organisation. There are many neighbors here who feel the same way we do and want to do something. Any suggestions as to where to start looking for land use laws and other needed knowledge?
>
> BTW, glad to hear that the Celexa and Ris are helping. Anything specific about the combo you like? I was on Celexa for a short time and don't recall anything about it one way or the other. - BarbaraNot sure I know yet about the Celexa, it does give me dry mouth but will give it another two months to see if that clears up. Have not been depressed or overly anxious (anymore than is usual) The Risperadol was different. Glad you mentioned the combo of AD and mood stabilizer to me. When the pdoc mentioned this to me, I felt more comfortable about it as had heard about combos here already. Sleep thru the night now on the Risperadol.
As far as the OCD goes, not sure I have that although I save all my dog food cans after I wash them! Not a hobby but hate to throw them away and hopefully one day will use them when we build our straw bale house. They say you can fill them with cement or mud and use them around the windows and doors for stabilization? So I built a big pen out of old pallets (recycle)and put them in there. Maybe RECYCLERS are all showing symptoms of OCD? ha ha ... No, really it would upset me if I had to throw away those cans and my husband is considerate enought to go along with me.
As far as land use orgs., make a friend of a realtor that knows your local laws. Go to meetings in your county that approves zoning and other changes. Find out what the permits and rules are as if "you were going to subdivide" and watch to see if your neighbor is paying attention. Call the local inspectors to see if your neighbor has "permits" when he starts with the bulldozer. Lastly, contact your local orgs that deal with "archeology" usually with local University. Nowadays if you dig up "anything" that has significance (depending) on where you live, the dig is usually stopped till research can be done. Those are just a few.
good luck,
oona
Posted by Sarahmarie on May 18, 2002, at 16:30:47
In reply to Re: Need OCD info and experiences, posted by fairnymph on May 17, 2002, at 4:32:29
I definitely have OCD because I have found that my thought pattern is much like you describe. My recently increased dose of Prozac really helps. I too notice that I can stop thinking about just one thought--its kind of amazing -- like a brand new experience.
It is good to know there are others who really know about OCD and can describe it so well as you did. Thanks
Posted by MomO3 on May 18, 2002, at 22:52:10
In reply to Re: Need OCD info and experiences » MomO3, posted by BarbaraCat on May 17, 2002, at 13:14:14
Barbara
LOL... maybe you should just show your husband all of the flaws on the ground, and you can sidetrack him for a while....
Posted by Iago Camboa on May 19, 2002, at 3:52:12
In reply to Re: The bulldozers are here!!, posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2002, at 1:20:29
Hi Barb,
Please tell me about all meds you are taking, in what doses and how you feel (in detail). Could not sleep during the whole night thinking you could need me (nonsense, I'm the other side of the Atlantic...)
I only hope you and your husband drove away and are spending the weekend somewhere far from that jumbly mess and you both dawned great this morning...Yours,
Iago
Posted by Sarahmarie on May 19, 2002, at 9:38:05
In reply to Re: Need OCD info and experiences, posted by fairnymph on May 17, 2002, at 4:32:29
> When I first went on prozac (which very effectively cured my OCD while I was on it), I noticed that my brain worked in a totally different way, and for the first time I truly understood what it is like for my brain to operate normally, and how different the functioning of the OCD brain is.
>
> The best way that I can explain it to you is thus:
> When you have OCD, and you are obsessing about something (and if you have it enough to be diagnosed, you will nearly always be obsessing about something, to some degree), then that train of thought (thinking about whatever it is) will persist from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep at night. An example -- let's say I have a test I am stressing about. Well, all day long I will be thinking about this test. No matter what I am doing -- eating, showering, having sex, studying, socializing, whatever -- I cannot stop thinking about that test. Even if I am thnking of other things, thinking/worrying about the test persists in the back of my mind and cannot be dispelled no matter how hard I try. Many such obsessive trains of thought can exist simultaneously, and they often change from day to day. But almost always, I am obsessing about SOMETHING.
>
> When I was on prozac, I began to observe that iinstead of my thoughts being one long drawn out thought (as in ocd world), I had SEPARATE thoughts! This was like a great revelation to me, that I could have different, separate thoughts; that I could think about something for a while and then STOP thinking about it and move on to an entirely different thought. There was this amazing FLUIDITY to my thought process that I had never experienced before. Thoughts came and went, there was none of this persistant worry and anxiety.
>
> As for treating OCD....I've tried Prozac, Remeron, Effexor, Reboxetine, and Tianeptine...and ONLY Prozac really helped my OCD. Unfortunately it had other side effects which I could not tolerate. :(
>
> ~fairnymph
>
>
> Hi All,
> > I'm here wondering about OCD and thinking 'hmmmm, maybe I need to look at this more closely'. So, I'd really appreciate some info from y'all who have experience with it.
> >
> > I think most of us are aware of the stereotypical symptoms - checking over and over, intrusive thoughts, washing till hands are raw, etc., but what does it feel like? How do the ruminative thoughts in OCD differ from those in major depression? How does obsessing about a problem or idea in OCD differ from excessive worry due to an anxiety disorder? Are there shades of hypomania? Basically, what's the gist of it and what's an effective treatment?I definitely have OCD, however it is not just limited to ruminating thoughts. When I am trying to figure something out I obssess on that for days and hours. I can be at work and my brain is spending a 50% of every hour thinking about the problem. I think about things when I go to bed and hope that somehow I will awake with an answer or a solution. I also have some physical OCD things that I do,but are rather embarrasing for me to discuss. I too am on Prozac and that seems to have helped the most particularly with the behaviors. I am still working on the thought issues, but I am improving. SarahMarie
Posted by Dinah1 on May 19, 2002, at 15:17:37
In reply to Re: Need OCD info and experiences » fairnymph, posted by Sarahmarie on May 19, 2002, at 9:38:05
My own OCD experience doesn't involve continuous ruminations, although there are on occasion days on end where I will ruminate about something. It's the intrusive (and often senseless) thoughts that usually have something to do with my fear of harming others. So I may have the thought "I left the dog in the car" and all the logical thought in the world that the dog is not in the car will not have any effect. Nor will checking that the dog is not in the car (unless I somehow "anchor" the checking). Or "the ant poison I just put down will be eaten by birds and the birds will be eaten by cats and the neighborhood cats will die because I put ant poison on the anthill". They aren't constant ruminations or worries about real life and real problems, they are intrusive and totally ridiculous thoughts and I never can anticipate where or when a new thought will crop up. Once I get an OCD fear about something it will usually come again and again in the same situation, (for example I still don't use ant poison). But I have learned through cognitive behavior techniques to recognize the thoughts and to laugh at them (at least a bit), because, darn it, they can be funny. One of the best tips I ever got for dealing with it is to sing the obsession. Set it to "Old McDonald had a Farm" or "It's a Small World After All".
But that's just my experience.
Posted by rainbowlight on May 19, 2002, at 19:43:00
In reply to Re: Need OCD info and experiences, posted by Dinah1 on May 19, 2002, at 15:17:37
I have been trying Zoloft, worked wonders for the first month for the OCD. Then I began to get physically ill from it. Pdoc cut my dose in half and I think it is worse. Do you guys have any ideas on what to try? I have tried Luvox and Paxil with no luck, too sedating.
Posted by Mair on May 19, 2002, at 21:38:34
In reply to Re: The bulldozers are here!!, posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2002, at 1:20:29
>
> >
>
Any suggestions as to where to start looking for land use laws and other needed knowledge?
>
Bob redirected your other thread on this - "I need that increase" to PSB. Go to my post there for some ideas of places to start.Mair
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 19, 2002, at 22:02:19
In reply to Re: The bulldozers are here!! » BarbaraCat, posted by Mair on May 19, 2002, at 21:38:34
I read your post, Mair, and thank you very much. It was very helpful and I'm going to start putting your suggestions into practice this coming week. Still feeling bummed out about it, like waiting for the inevitable but never knowing when. It's wearing on my fragile peace of mind. I'm going send out a thanks to everyone who responded. This was a time I didn't mind asking for help one bit - even though Dr. Bob's redirection sorta squelched it. - Barbara
> >
> > >
> >
> Any suggestions as to where to start looking for land use laws and other needed knowledge?
> >
> Bob redirected your other thread on this - "I need that increase" to PSB. Go to my post there for some ideas of places to start.
>
> Mair
Posted by Kat26 on May 19, 2002, at 23:00:25
In reply to Re: Need OCD info and experiences, posted by Dinah1 on May 19, 2002, at 15:17:37
Gosh, Dinah, I can really relate to those kinds of thoughts... the poison etc...
Kat26
Posted by Kat26 on May 19, 2002, at 23:01:31
In reply to What med can I try for OCD? Running out of ideas.., posted by rainbowlight on May 19, 2002, at 19:43:00
What about Prozac? Like Zoloft, it is more activating for most people.
Kat26
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 19, 2002, at 23:37:49
In reply to What med can I try for OCD? Running out of ideas.., posted by rainbowlight on May 19, 2002, at 19:43:00
RainbowLight,
Have you tried Remeron? It's rumored to be good for OCD. Of course, I'm taking it, so one has to wonder... Anyhow, I like Rem very much, even thought it's tough to get past the first week or so of zombie-dom. Higher doses, 45mg and up, kick in the NE and turn it into a completely different drug. European pdocs typically have their patients go up to 90mg, but you never see anyone in this country go past 30mg, and at that dosage it's a dud. The only drawback is weight gain, which can be excessive. I'm exercising way more than I have in a long time both to melt away the pudge, and also because I just can. Remeron has pretty much given me my life back, even though the f**cking bulldozers are putting the efficacy of these meds to the acid test.Oh, and something very important - are you taking any kind of mood stabilizer? That seems to be the magic ticket for many of us here. Without the lithium, the Remeron just doesn't work and I can literally feel my brain misfiring and hiccupping. - Barbara
> I have been trying Zoloft, worked wonders for the first month for the OCD. Then I began to get physically ill from it. Pdoc cut my dose in half and I think it is worse. Do you guys have any ideas on what to try? I have tried Luvox and Paxil with no luck, too sedating.
Posted by tinker on May 20, 2002, at 7:45:55
In reply to What med can I try for OCD? Running out of ideas.., posted by rainbowlight on May 19, 2002, at 19:43:00
Hi You might want to try clomapramine. It worked wonders for me. I was very unsuccessful with zoloft. I could go on for pages about the unpleasant side effects that didn't end when I stopped the drug. -Tinker
Posted by Marie416 on May 20, 2002, at 14:04:07
In reply to OCD Experiences » Marie416, posted by tinker on May 17, 2002, at 20:19:47
Hi Tinker,
I never took medication for it. No doctor ever recommended it, just said you have tinnitus. It has come and gone to a great degree. Got better, then worse. It's always worse in higher states of anxiety, so when I can control that, it gets better. If it's real quiet I can hear it or if I am in a loud night club when I get out, boy can I hear it. I think I always have it, it's just a degree of how badly and how badly I focus on it. How disruptive is it to you and is it primarily the tinnitus itself or your reaction to it?
Posted by Marie416 on May 20, 2002, at 14:13:38
In reply to What med can I try for OCD? Running out of ideas.., posted by rainbowlight on May 19, 2002, at 19:43:00
You can try effexor, worked well for mine and prozac too
Posted by tinker on May 20, 2002, at 15:30:56
In reply to Re: OCD Experiences, posted by Marie416 on May 20, 2002, at 14:04:07
Hi Marie, Thanks for writing back. I developed the tinnitus while I was taking zoloft. Its much better now, I have been off the drug since Sept., but when it was at is worst I couldn't sleep and would wake up terrified with it sounding like a jack hammer pounding in my head. Compared to that I just have a wispery pulsing noise that mostly pulses when I first wake up. At the sound of any noise I find myself in a panic attack, and if the pulsing doesnt settle down, I can become hysterical, crying for hours. I am taking doxepin for anxiety and lorazepam. The lorazepam helps with the crying spells. Everytime I have tried to go back to clomipramine, the noise would get louder. The drug company told me it was caused by elevated levels of seratonin. I wish they had warned me more. Tinnitus is hell for someone with ocd when you have avoid other meds that elevate seratonin. The rep told me this would happen with all ssri's. So my life has changed drastically. I have been off work for months, and very very depressed at times. All for now- Tinker.
Posted by katekite on May 20, 2002, at 21:16:10
In reply to Reply » Marie416, posted by tinker on May 20, 2002, at 15:30:56
I realize that for many people stimulants might make ocd worse.
But I thought I would relate my experience in the case someone out there hasn't even considered the idea.
I started pulling my hair out at 12. Not bad, mostly mild and not noticeable to others (except for a few stressful times in high school where I had to wear my hair different) just impossible to totally stop. Also I am the type who obsesses about things, especially in anticipation. Sort of anticipation anxiety: driving to the shrinks office thinking over and over about what to say, worrying. That type of thing. So soft ocd, I guess.
I stopped even trying to treat it, seemed like my depression episodes were worse and anxiety too and that was more important. Plus none of the twenty or so drugs I tried did much unless I was too sedated to direct my hand to my hair.
About 2 months ago got diagnosed as having ADD which surprised me, having gotten good grades through grad school.... I was more shocked to start ritalin and realize a week later I hadn't pulled out a single hair while the medication had effect. Not one. I am now off of ritalin for a week for some medical testing and the hair pulling urge is back. Like an on/off switch.
And with obsessing type thoughts: on ritalin I'm able to control things and say to myself, 'now is not the time', or, 'it won't make a difference if I obsess -- how bout listening to music instead'. I still find myself starting to think in circles, but I can mostly stop, its much more of a choice.
So -- hair pulling is considered by some to be an impulse control problem. Considered by others to be ocd.
So if you have impulse control issues where whatever you do you don't do for a reason, more of its an urge and traditional things haven't helped a whole lot -- maybe consider a trial of ritalin or another stimulant, both ritalin and dexedrine worked for me, although ritalin felt calmer to me.
Other impulsive traits are interupting, disliking standing in lines, impatience, liking things "your way"... or at least those are my traits, LOL.
Anyhow I was shocked that ritalin helped, I would have assumed it would make me more on edge or just would make my symptoms worse -- but it was the reverse.
kate
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 22, 2002, at 14:08:43
In reply to Need OCD info and experiences, posted by BarbaraCat on May 16, 2002, at 14:42:06
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped me though bulldozer hell. My husband certainly can relate and feels upset about it, but only friends like you all can understand how much more awful things can be when a mood disorder compounds things. You are all true friends! I'm putting your suggestions into action and am glad I've been increasing the Remeron prior to this. I'll be seeing my pdoc tomorrow and see what (if anything) he has to say about my volatility, especially during the week and a half I was without my lithium.
I think, after hearing your stories, that I have shades of OCD, but are secondary to Bipolar II and severe depressive ruminations. All of your OCD experiences have been very enlightening - and highly entertaining! When I think about my obsessing about going blind for no reason whatsoever, I just shake my head in amazement. It's hard to remember how bad it was when I'm feeling better - and vice versa! But no matter what my state of mind, I'll always get sad when I pass by a tank full of lobsters. - BarbaraCat
Posted by Marie416 on May 23, 2002, at 13:22:40
In reply to Reply » Marie416, posted by tinker on May 20, 2002, at 15:30:56
Tinker,
I wish I could say some grand thing to you so that you would never feel that panic again. I understand it, when the noises are loud I too was in a state of panic over them, feeling when will this end. The only thing I can tell you which you probably tell yourself is to hold on and be patient, This Too Shall Pass. Repeat it over and over if you have too, because it will go away. I've heard that Xanax is good for relief of tinnitus. I've never felt my tinnitus increase to an uncomfortable level when taking SSRI's but that's me. Be well
Posted by Kat26 on May 23, 2002, at 18:43:56
In reply to Re: Reply for Tinker, posted by Marie416 on May 23, 2002, at 13:22:40
You mean a tank full of LIVE lobsters, soon t be killed?
Makes me sad too.
I am a vegetarian.
Sometimes I tell the fish sellers to put the poor things back in the water instead of just letting them jump around on the trays.
:-(
Or chickens in little cages...
Oh well, I'm off the subject. This is NOT an OCD kind of concern!!Kat26
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 23, 2002, at 19:05:14
In reply to lobsters, posted by Kat26 on May 23, 2002, at 18:43:56
Yep. Live lobsters with rubber bands around their claws ready to go into the pot. I did hear a great story though which the person who told it to me swore is true - was in the newspapers and all. There was a HUGE lobster that was raffled off and some little boy won. He just wanted it as a pet and was horrified that people actually ate them. So his folks and a bunch of other people chipped in and bought the lobster a ticket back to Maine where another group of people took him to the ocean and set him free. Kind of Free Willie, lobster style.
So, sad stuff sometimes brings out the very best in people. It gives me hope, cause when I'm really down everything seems all bleak and doomed. Thanks for confirming that having extra strength compassion for our critter friends isn't OCD. - BCat
> You mean a tank full of LIVE lobsters, soon t be killed?
> Makes me sad too.
> I am a vegetarian.
> Sometimes I tell the fish sellers to put the poor things back in the water instead of just letting them jump around on the trays.
> :-(
> Or chickens in little cages...
> Oh well, I'm off the subject. This is NOT an OCD kind of concern!!
>
> Kat26
Posted by tinker on May 25, 2002, at 7:15:07
In reply to Re: Reply for Tinker, posted by Marie416 on May 23, 2002, at 13:22:40
This is the end of the thread.
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