Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 282607

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LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted

Posted by Janelle on November 22, 2003, at 18:46:05

I have developed horrible OCD and have heard that aside from the tricyclic Anafranil, that Luvox (an SSRI) is the med for this ailment. Has anyone had any experience with it or any other of the newer meds, heck even Anafranil? Thanks.

 

Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Janelle

Posted by Elle2021 on November 22, 2003, at 20:06:18

In reply to LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted, posted by Janelle on November 22, 2003, at 18:46:05

> I have developed horrible OCD and have heard that aside from the tricyclic Anafranil, that Luvox (an SSRI) is the med for this ailment. Has anyone had any experience with it or any other of the newer meds, heck even Anafranil? Thanks.


My OCD is considered severe and so far untreatable.
I'm trying to think of a med I haven't tried... Actually I haven't tried Luvox. I did the Anafranil thing, it didn't help me to much, may have needed a higher dosage. I have tried Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Risperidol, Geodon, a number of Benzos, and Klonopin. Right now I'm doing the Paxil thing for the second time around. It is helping some. I suggest you stay on the Anafranil. I'm suppose to start Exposure Response therapy soon...I will let you know how that turns out.

 

OCD meds, etc. » Elle2021

Posted by Janelle on November 22, 2003, at 20:41:51

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Janelle, posted by Elle2021 on November 22, 2003, at 20:06:18

I'm sorry to hear that your OCD is considered severe and so far untreatable. Plus you have really gone through the mill trying different meds - me, I've tried Paxil, Effexor and now Celexa, but all for depression and they haven't done diddly squat for my OCD even though the COMMERCIALS for them claim to help OCD.

I think I may not have made myself clear - I am NOT on Anafranil, I've just HEARD ABOUT IT - it was one of the earlier meds for OCD, but has a lot of unpleasant side effects that the newer one, Luvox, does not have.

What is Exposure Response therapy?

Please do let me know how that turns out.

all the best,
Janelle
>

 

Re: OCD meds, etc.

Posted by sarita0001 on November 22, 2003, at 21:01:03

In reply to OCD meds, etc. » Elle2021, posted by Janelle on November 22, 2003, at 20:41:51

Hi,

I have OCD too- and have been taking Prozac for about 3 weeks. How do you know if it is working? How long does it take to work? I'm on a pretty low dose 20mg. I noticed it worked the first few days but I still have a lot of anxiety. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

Sara

 

Re: OCD meds, etc. » Janelle

Posted by Elle2021 on November 22, 2003, at 21:14:36

In reply to OCD meds, etc. » Elle2021, posted by Janelle on November 22, 2003, at 20:41:51

I tried Effexor, but it gave me severe side effects. I agree, I am beginning to despise those commercials claiming to help OCD and then they don't help me. I suppose they probably do help others.

I think trying Anafranil would be beneficial to you. It did help some of my obsessions.

Exposure Response Therapy is when you are exposed to something that sets off your OCD. Then instead of doing the ritual to make the anxiety go away, you sit there and experience as much of the anxiety as possible. This does not mean by distracting yourself, but FOCUSING on the uncomfortable thought/situation. Supposedly, it is suppose to gradually decrease the need to perform rituals. I hope it works. I will let you know how it turns out. :) God bless you.
Elle

 

Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Elle2021

Posted by Stavros on November 22, 2003, at 22:17:46

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Janelle, posted by Elle2021 on November 22, 2003, at 20:06:18

Elle,

I have been Dxed with OCD or more like ruminations but I am not convinced that actually right. Somaticaly i present with tightness in the face and shoulders. My mind want to figure out what it is that prevents me from feeling or going forward. There is something blocking me and my mind doesn't want to do anything until i can figure that out. So all my mind does is try and make sense of this. The best i can do is distract but it feels like i am ignoring an open wound. THis has been happening for 10 years. How does you OCD manifest itself? "Stop Obsessing!" by Reid Wilson is supposested to be a standard book i dealing with OCD? Let me know your thoughts

S

> > I have developed horrible OCD and have heard that aside from the tricyclic Anafranil, that Luvox (an SSRI) is the med for this ailment. Has anyone had any experience with it or any other of the newer meds, heck even Anafranil? Thanks.
>
>
> My OCD is considered severe and so far untreatable.
> I'm trying to think of a med I haven't tried... Actually I haven't tried Luvox. I did the Anafranil thing, it didn't help me to much, may have needed a higher dosage. I have tried Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Risperidol, Geodon, a number of Benzos, and Klonopin. Right now I'm doing the Paxil thing for the second time around. It is helping some. I suggest you stay on the Anafranil. I'm suppose to start Exposure Response therapy soon...I will let you know how that turns out.
>

 

Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Janelle

Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 13:49:18

In reply to LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted, posted by Janelle on November 22, 2003, at 18:46:05

I had a fair amount of luck with Luvox. It helped me control the symptoms to the point that I could use CBT to bring the OCD pretty much under control. Once I did, I was able to discontinue the Luvox. I still have flareups from time to time but find them tolerable. The book Stavros mentioned "Stop Obsessing" is the one I liked best, although many prefer "Brain Lock". CBT has a pretty good success rate with OCD, but I found it worked better when the anxiety was enough under control to concentrate.

I don't know that Luvox has any more effect on OCD than the other SSRI's though. It was just the first to seek FDA approval for that rather than depression.

 

Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa

Posted by Luxy on November 23, 2003, at 17:43:44

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Janelle, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 13:49:18

Hi
My partner (male, 32) has taken Luvox for 5 years now to treat OCD. he suffered major depression in his late teens, early 20s, characterised by obsessive thinking (ie. concerned he had AIDS and would pass it on to someone, concerned he was a child molester, that he would die, make someone else ill) which developed into OCD and handwashing, fear of asbestos in roofing (and any other dust in ceiling), fear of coldsores. I think they are the main ones!!
He was treated with Anafranil early on, which I think supressed his dreams, kind of flattened his mental processes. I think he needed to take Valium with it, at times.
Then tried Luvox, 7-8 years ago, and would use over summer and in stressfu times, then ween off. 5 years ago started taking it continuously, and has been calmer, much success in career, but has gained 60-70lbs.
This is a common side effect (for more info, see Prozactruth website).
At the moment we are tapering his dose (100mg), with a view to quitting.
Long-term efficacy with SSRI's is not proven, beyond 6-8 weeks, which has lead me to believe that he has largely taken care of his own problems (cogntivie therapy, trusting me to make 'reasonable' decisions about coldsore/disease danger, more stable/relaxed lifestyle) and the Luvox can e dispensed with.
Missing a dose can cause bad withdrawal feelings which ARE NOT necessarily what your 'steady state' is, although they may feel like that.
I hope this is helpful. His 'worries' haven't been bad for a long time now, and they used to be quite debilitating, so I would have to say that the Luvox made quite a difference in giving him enough relief from anxiety to find ways to mental health.
Luxy

 

Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa

Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 19:31:12

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa, posted by Luxy on November 23, 2003, at 17:43:44

> Long-term efficacy with SSRI's is not proven, beyond 6-8 weeks, which has lead me to believe that he has largely taken care of his own problems (cogntivie therapy, trusting me to make 'reasonable' decisions about coldsore/disease danger, more stable/relaxed lifestyle) and the Luvox can e dispensed with.

I hope it works that way for you. And I did taper off Luvox and found my remaining symptoms were controllable. But I wouldn't say that the Luvox had ceased to have an effect. I went from every other week therapy to twice a week therapy off the Luvox. The apathy that caused me to go off the drug also gave me some stability. It had ceased to be a good tradeoff for me, but don't be disappointed if he needs to continue on it, possibly for a lifetime. That was the plan for me when I went on it.

Moreover, the weight gain didn't go off when I stopped the Luvox. I seemed to have a new weight set point afterwards.

I don't mean to discourage you, but hate for you to be surprised too.

There was a fabulous link about the general effect of SSRI's and how they helped a wide range of disorders through this common mechanism of action. Someone posted it at one point, but I can't find it. I can only think that the link is no longer valid. :(

 

Re: Above ^^^ for (nm) » Luxy

Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 19:32:23

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa, posted by Luxy on November 23, 2003, at 17:43:44

 

Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa » Luxy

Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 19:52:54

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa, posted by Luxy on November 23, 2003, at 17:43:44

Here is the link:

http://www.geocities.com/ss06470/index.htm

And the reason I'm giving it is that I think it makes a valid point. There is an overall effect that come with these drugs, and it doesn't really wear off (or it didn't for me anyway). It certainly is possible that you can learn coping skills while on the drugs that may make them unneccessary, but some people will continue to need the effect that the drugs provide.

Ohhhh. I'm not saying it well.

It's a good article though.

 

For Stavros » Stavros

Posted by Elle2021 on November 24, 2003, at 0:12:48

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Elle2021, posted by Stavros on November 22, 2003, at 22:17:46

Hi Stavros, good to hear from you.
I guess I will start out with how my OCD started.
I was about 10 when I started noticing some odd thoughts I was having. At first I thought I was OVERLY superstitious. Then, I started assigning inanimate objects with feelings. For example, I would sit on the couch as gently as possible for fear I would somehow "hurt" the couch. If I felt I had wounded the couch, I would do repeated tapping on it, until I felt it was "fixed" or "healed." I don't have this particular obsession anymore, but numerous others have developed.
The most common, overwhelming, and most anxiety causing is the obsession that in some way I may have been infected with AIDS. Logically, I know I don't have AIDS, but the obsession is there. Other times I worry about getting herpes. I completely REFRAIN from using anyone elses chapstick, drinking after them, sometimes even a handshake is difficult to manage. I bleach just about *everything*, especially towels. I also do not share my towels with anyone. Another thing I can't share is a razor. Basically, I can't share anything. For a while, it was impossible for me to imagine myself ever having a boyfriend because the thought of kissing another person was terrifying. What if I caught a disease??
If I tried to list every ritual I have, and how they go, it would take at least 2 pages. And, to be completely honest, discussing my rituals has BECOME a taboo ritual, if that makes sense. In other words, it causes me anxiety to talk about them, making me do the rituals. This is a great cause of frustration for my psychiatrist.
I haven't read Stop Obsessing, but I have read tons of articles on OCD, in an effort to cure myself. I haven't done it yet. I have been struggling with it for years, but I still have hope. A site I find helpful (although directed towards teens is Organized Chaos. You have to register to access it, but it is completely free. I highly suggest it. What medications have you tried for your OCD? A brief list of the ones I have tried are:
Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, Anafranil, Lithium, Risperidol, Geodon, Effexor, Ativan, Klonopin, Trazedone, and others... Right now I'm taking Endocet, a opiate pain med, it completely relaxes me and makes a huge difference in my need to perform rituals. I'm going to talk to my doctor about taking it on a regular basis, but something tells me he isn't going to fancy that idea. :)
I'm going to start Exposure Response therapy soon hopefully. I haven't ever tried it, so hopefully it will work. There is a great article on it on the Organized Chaos website. If you want to register for that one go to: www.ocfoundation.org
Love to hear from you!
Elle
> Elle,
>
> I have been Dxed with OCD or more like ruminations but I am not convinced that actually right. Somaticaly i present with tightness in the face and shoulders. My mind want to figure out what it is that prevents me from feeling or going forward. There is something blocking me and my mind doesn't want to do anything until i can figure that out. So all my mind does is try and make sense of this. The best i can do is distract but it feels like i am ignoring an open wound. THis has been happening for 10 years. How does you OCD manifest itself? "Stop Obsessing!" by Reid Wilson is supposested to be a standard book i dealing with OCD? Let me know your thoughts
>
> S

 

Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa

Posted by Luxy on November 24, 2003, at 16:14:57

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 19:31:12

Hi Dinah,

Thanks for your info, I'm keen for any advice.
I'm just starting to put together information on these drugs. I'll check out that link. He's down to 75mg from 100mg at the moment, and feeling really good. So fingers crossed!
I'm glad it worked for you. I cant say my partner is apathetic, but he is definitely calmer and more content than ever before. But we think (?) that is less about losing the 'fire within' and more about being able to manage life/ social environment/self ( and maybe growing out of the intense angstiness of teens/early 20s??). We'll see!!
thanks again.
Luxy

 

Re: LUVOX or any other Dinah

Posted by Luxy on November 24, 2003, at 17:24:52

In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wa » Luxy, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 19:52:54

Dinah,

Thanks for that article - it does make a really good argument. Its a good bridge between strongly 'no proven physical basis for psychiatry' camps and pill-happy doctors - I haven't heard it so clearly explained before. I'm going to pass it on to some friends.
Ta
Luxy

 

Re: For Stavros » Elle2021

Posted by Stavros on November 26, 2003, at 1:37:06

In reply to For Stavros » Stavros, posted by Elle2021 on November 24, 2003, at 0:12:48

Elle,

Thank you for your thorough response. I have been struggling coming off Wellbutrin and going on Strattera so I have not had much energy. Your situation seems to be a more defined Dxes of OCD than I. I know that OCD is a beast to tackle and I wish you luck and prayer in the battle. I am interested in how you respond to exposure therapy as well. Comparitively I don't relate with the points you mentioned in your post, that must be so difficult. For me I guess i just have some sort of anxiety disorder that i have chosen to not fight any longer. I am tired of distracting myslelf, rising to the occasion for all occasions and plain old not enjoying myself. I wanted to respond to you but I cannot get my brain to describe right now.
I have taken Wellbutrin 6 differetn xs, parnate, Adderal,(several stimulants) Neurontin, Depakote, Lamictal, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, Anafranil, Lithium, Risperidal, Geodon, Effexor 2xs, Ativan, Klonopin, Remeraon, and I know I am forgeting some too. This makes me crazy as one med helps with one area but adds 3 other issues to deal with. I think God and a miracle is my only hope. I am on my second week of Strattera with some results but my mind gets going and i cannot get away from myself which cause me to get anxious and lose the pleasures in life? I am so close but so far away from living again. I stopped working to try and get to the bottom of this so i can go back to my life but i am doubtful and feeling somewhat hopeless currently. I hope you have an enjoyable Thankgiving

S


> Hi Stavros, good to hear from you.
> I guess I will start out with how my OCD started.
> I was about 10 when I started noticing some odd thoughts I was having. At first I thought I was OVERLY superstitious. Then, I started assigning inanimate objects with feelings. For example, I would sit on the couch as gently as possible for fear I would somehow "hurt" the couch. If I felt I had wounded the couch, I would do repeated tapping on it, until I felt it was "fixed" or "healed." I don't have this particular obsession anymore, but numerous others have developed.
> The most common, overwhelming, and most anxiety causing is the obsession that in some way I may have been infected with AIDS. Logically, I know I don't have AIDS, but the obsession is there. Other times I worry about getting herpes. I completely REFRAIN from using anyone elses chapstick, drinking after them, sometimes even a handshake is difficult to manage. I bleach just about *everything*, especially towels. I also do not share my towels with anyone. Another thing I can't share is a razor. Basically, I can't share anything. For a while, it was impossible for me to imagine myself ever having a boyfriend because the thought of kissing another person was terrifying. What if I caught a disease??
> If I tried to list every ritual I have, and how they go, it would take at least 2 pages. And, to be completely honest, discussing my rituals has BECOME a taboo ritual, if that makes sense. In other words, it causes me anxiety to talk about them, making me do the rituals. This is a great cause of frustration for my psychiatrist.
> I haven't read Stop Obsessing, but I have read tons of articles on OCD, in an effort to cure myself. I haven't done it yet. I have been struggling with it for years, but I still have hope. A site I find helpful (although directed towards teens is Organized Chaos. You have to register to access it, but it is completely free. I highly suggest it. What medications have you tried for your OCD? A brief list of the ones I have tried are:
> Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, Anafranil, Lithium, Risperidol, Geodon, Effexor, Ativan, Klonopin, Trazedone, and others... Right now I'm taking Endocet, a opiate pain med, it completely relaxes me and makes a huge difference in my need to perform rituals. I'm going to talk to my doctor about taking it on a regular basis, but something tells me he isn't going to fancy that idea. :)
> I'm going to start Exposure Response therapy soon hopefully. I haven't ever tried it, so hopefully it will work. There is a great article on it on the Organized Chaos website. If you want to register for that one go to: www.ocfoundation.org
> Love to hear from you!
> Elle
> > Elle,
> >
> > I have been Dxed with OCD or more like ruminations but I am not convinced that actually right. Somaticaly i present with tightness in the face and shoulders. My mind want to figure out what it is that prevents me from feeling or going forward. There is something blocking me and my mind doesn't want to do anything until i can figure that out. So all my mind does is try and make sense of this. The best i can do is distract but it feels like i am ignoring an open wound. THis has been happening for 10 years. How does you OCD manifest itself? "Stop Obsessing!" by Reid Wilson is supposested to be a standard book i dealing with OCD? Let me know your thoughts
> >
> > S
>


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