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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by binarywoman on January 15, 2008, at 16:35:56
I'm pulling my hair out (not literally). I have a 24 year old son who is totally obsessed with Mad Cow Disease. He stopped taking his clomipramine a month ago cold turkey because he found out that the capsules were made of bovine gelatin.
Now he only wants to eat organic meat but he's finding out that brands of chicken like Murray's and Bell & Evans that we both thought were organic are not.
He's on a ton of meds..luvox, seroquel, tegretol, tenex, klonopin, and lithium. His doc just raised his seroquel in the AM.
I understand that Mad Cow is a real concern and that it has a long incubation period, but it's not taking over my life.
Any ideas folks?
Karen in NY
Posted by Phillipa on January 15, 2008, at 17:59:13
In reply to OCD and mad cow disease, posted by binarywoman on January 15, 2008, at 16:35:56
So switching from chlomipramine caused this to happen? Anyway to get a different type of capsule that is not a bovine product? It sounds like it worked better than luvox for him. Maybe a compounding pharmacy would have a natural ingrediant capsule. I really don't what else to suggest is he in any type of theraphy? Phillipa
Posted by binarywoman on January 15, 2008, at 19:34:53
In reply to Re: OCD and mad cow disease » binarywoman, posted by Phillipa on January 15, 2008, at 17:59:13
No he was already on clomipramine when he started having the meltdown so it seems it wasn't doing what it was supposed to do.
Posted by Phillipa on January 15, 2008, at 20:48:43
In reply to Re: OCD and mad cow disease, posted by binarywoman on January 15, 2008, at 19:34:53
Hopefully someone with some more knowledge will answer your thread. Sorry it must be hard. Love Phillipa
Posted by tecknohed on January 15, 2008, at 22:26:16
In reply to OCD and mad cow disease, posted by binarywoman on January 15, 2008, at 16:35:56
Couldn't he just empty the capsule contents into a drink & stir? Throw away the capsule.
Posted by foreigner on January 16, 2008, at 1:58:07
In reply to OCD and mad cow disease, posted by binarywoman on January 15, 2008, at 16:35:56
If the main obsessive is cow dissease than I think he should resist against that obsession by his own. Of course he should use some drugs but not so many as u said. You should tell him that main problem is in his mind. You should always repeat this. I know It is hard, but If he can be successful in this obsession he will be much encouraged and his life will be easy. OCD main treatment is CBT and being busy(hobbies, work) all the time.
Posted by binarywoman on January 16, 2008, at 7:22:49
In reply to Re: OCD and mad cow disease » binarywoman, posted by tecknohed on January 15, 2008, at 22:26:16
I thought about that but he said it touched the capsule.
When he first stopped taking it cold turkey and I was desperate and opened 2 capsules and put it in his chicken soup. He said it tasted funny and wouldn't eat it.
The problem is not so much not taking the clomipramine but the thinking that led to it.
Posted by binarywoman on January 16, 2008, at 7:28:50
In reply to Re: OCD and mad cow disease, posted by foreigner on January 16, 2008, at 1:58:07
You're right. The thinking has to change.
But there are leading scientists at the NIH and other prestigious institutions that are saying what he says. And beef by-products are allowed into this country from the 30 countries who have BSE. Scientists are wondering if this is going to be a problem. The waiting period for BSE is 7 to 8 years.
Now I have told him that only 3 people have contracted BSE(mad cow) in the US in the history of the world and none of them were US nationals so it is believed that it was contracted elsewhere.
I agree that getting his mind onto other things might help but with OCD and Aspergers, change doesn't come easily to him.
I'm seeing my shrink this morning, so I'll try to pick her brain.
Posted by yxibow on January 19, 2008, at 23:47:45
In reply to Re: OCD and mad cow disease, posted by binarywoman on January 16, 2008, at 7:28:50
> You're right. The thinking has to change.
>
> But there are leading scientists at the NIH and other prestigious institutions that are saying what he says. And beef by-products are allowed into this country from the 30 countries who have BSE. Scientists are wondering if this is going to be a problem. The waiting period for BSE is 7 to 8 years.
>
> Now I have told him that only 3 people have contracted BSE(mad cow) in the US in the history of the world and none of them were US nationals so it is believed that it was contracted elsewhere.
>
> I agree that getting his mind onto other things might help but with OCD and Aspergers, change doesn't come easily to him.
>
> I'm seeing my shrink this morning, so I'll try to pick her brain.
I was going to say that is a heck of a lot of medication for someone with OCD, even bad OCD, but now you mention the Asperger's so I understand the rest.Its rather unusual though to have Seroquel in the morning but if he can stand the drowsiness than I suppose the doctor knows best. Trileptal is a little bit safer than Tegretol but if there's no other reason for changing that's okay I suppose. I'm not sure what the guanfacine (Tenex) is for other than ADHD agitation, clonidine is another option. Luvox and Anafranil seems to be a bit much together. Luvox is very good for OCD, and can be dosed at 400-450, considerably above the normal range if tolerated.
I'm a vegetarian and when I first came out of the hospital for OCD, I took liquid Prozac because of the gelatin in the capsules. But gradually I just gave in to the fact that it was more important to get on with things and just about every medication out there if it isn't a tablet is in a gelatin capsule, almost always from beef source.
But the gelatin is so rendered (yuck) and removed from the animal that it is really a chemical at that point.
If anything can be done to reiterate the above to your son, the better. This is a world of bi-products. Gelatin is mixed in as a coating on photograph paper as it has been done for more than 150 years. Even inkjet paper I think probably has a little. I don't know what magazine coating is but it probably has a faint amount, or some petroleum product. Somewhere we have to find a balance to live in a modern society. There's no way to microanalyze blah-steroyl-etc because stearate can be an animal byproduct.
Anyhow I wish the best.
-- Jay
Posted by binarywoman on January 20, 2008, at 8:46:44
In reply to Re: OCD and mad cow disease » binarywoman, posted by yxibow on January 19, 2008, at 23:47:45
He's not on anafranil anymore. Anafranil only comes in a capsule in this country and so he stopped taking it a few weeks ago. He's on 350mg of Luvox now. He'll now only takes meds in tablet form.
The tenex is for the OCD. He takes a tiny amount, .025mg twice a day.
I know about trileptal and a few years ago he was taken off tegretol and put on trileptal. It made him physically sick and for the entire 3 weeks that the doctor tried to raise and lower it, he was so sick that he was not functional. It didn't make sense to anyone, because both drugs are made by Novartis and trileptal is a clean version of tegretol.
It is amazing how many things are made from beef by-products. I guess it must be cheap.
Maybe if we can get him to relax a little, he may become more reasonable.
Thanks for your input:)
Karen
This is the end of the thread.
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