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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tampagirl70 on June 24, 2004, at 11:09:18
background info: dx is ocd/depression, taking 40mg celexa and 300mg wellbutrin xl. quit meds approx. 35 days ago, restarted same meds 24 days ago.
maybe i'm still depressed and my meds haven't taken full effect, but my anxiety level right now is an 8 or 9 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest). i'm most comfortable when i'm home. getting out of bed in the morning is extremely hard. when i'm at work i'm tense, jumpy and feel like everyone around me has a perfect, happy life and i'm stuck on the outside looking in. i look at the people i work with and think "they love their spouse more than i love mine" (one of my obsessions is that i don't really love my husband, how do you verify that you do) or "they haven't done anything wrong or bad in their life and i have". i just feel like everyone is better than me and has no problems, and i'm weak and a failure.
my husband wants me to go to a social function tomorrow evening and i'm really worried about how i'll be. its for one of his co-workers and he really wants me to go. i'm afraid that i'll get there and be SOOOO uncomfortable and anxious and want to hide & cry. however, when i'm around my husband, i'm usually much less anxious and more relaxed than when he's not around. and i'm usually much less anxious in the evenings. i'm scared to go - and i've never been scared to go anywhere!
i also am not real excited about going to stores right now, or anywhere else that i don't have to go.
when i was on my meds and everything was as it should be, i didn't have these thoughts or feelings. now i'm taking xanax or klonopin to help with the anxiety and even though its helping, i'm afraid i'll become dependent on it to function. since ocd is an anxiety disorder, i'm hopeful that these issues will diminish as my meds continue to kick in. will they? is it just a matter of time?
help! what do i do, how do i handle this?
Posted by Dinah on June 24, 2004, at 12:41:41
In reply to HELP! - anxiety issues, posted by tampagirl70 on June 24, 2004, at 11:09:18
Have you read "Brain Lock" or "Stop Obsessing" ? I found them excellent sources of help for OCD. In fact, I find that my OCD is largely under control with cognitive therapy (delievered lightly and with humor with my usually wonderful therapist). When it flares up, I usually understand that it's an OCD flareup and minimize its importance to myself. But I still do have anxious moments, and that's what the occasional klonopin is for. Will a partial dose of klonopin or xanax before the party help? (Wouldn't want to see you falling face first in the avocado dip). I had a meeting today that I've been seriously dreading for a week, and I took a half klonopin before going. Turns out it was no big deal (most of the things I worry about turn out to be nowhere near as bad as I fear). But it was nice to have the assurance that if it was as bad as I feared, I probably would be able to function with the klonopin on board.
Posted by tampagirl70 on June 24, 2004, at 13:08:26
In reply to Re: HELP! - anxiety issues » tampagirl70, posted by Dinah on June 24, 2004, at 12:41:41
hi dinah - i've read parts of brain lock, but not cover to cover. i usually only look at it when i'm obsessing about something and its not very helpful then. when i'm not obsessing, i don't want to think about obsessing for fear that i'll start obsessing.
i saw a therapist for a while that tried the whole CBT thing with me, but i didn't get much benefit from it. i'm in the process of searching for a new therapist and have requested the referral list that the obsessive-compulsive foundation has. its a pain to "shop" for a therapist and have to start over each time you change, but finding the right one is crucial.
i forgot to mention that i usually wake up FULL of anxiety, which makes me not want to get out of bed. once i'm up and getting ready for work, its not as bad, but i don't want to be like this for the rest of my life.
once my meds are in full effect, won't this subside?
Posted by Dinah on June 24, 2004, at 20:54:45
In reply to Re: HELP! - anxiety issues, posted by tampagirl70 on June 24, 2004, at 13:08:26
I actually had complete relief from my OCD with Luvox. But the side effects eventually got me.
I don't actually have complete relief now, with just CBT therapy. But it's at a manageable level.
Posted by tampagirl70 on June 25, 2004, at 11:49:14
In reply to Re: HELP! - anxiety issues » tampagirl70, posted by Dinah on June 24, 2004, at 12:41:41
hi dinah - tonight is the party we're going to and i'm still a little worried about it. my husband knows that i may not want to stay very long and i think he's ok with that. of course, once we're out, he'll want to go to a movie or something. yikes!! right now, that scares me, but when i'm with him and if i'm not anxious, it may not be so scary. i'm afraid of how i'll feel when i'm around other people, when i see him, when he suggests doing something - i'm just full of anxiety right now. i'm also incredibly anxious at work and feel very inferior to most of the people around me. i wasn't this way before i went off my meds and had my setback, so i'm hoping that once my meds take full effect i'll be back to normal. i'm also worried that i'm going to become addicted to klonopin and won't be able to function without it.
This is the end of the thread.
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