Posted by metazone on October 9, 2007, at 9:18:52
I have OCD with a strong fear of loss of brain functionality and a fear of meds. I also have panic disorder and unrelated depression. I'm a 42 y.o. 220lb male and 12 years ago used a form of Cogn Beh Therapy and Zoloft (100mg) successfully; I never felt better - mentally sharp, etc.. I then let the CBT tools go; fear of meds became dominant and I went off them. Panic returned and I've been going on/off them, increasing/decreasing the dose over a period of 5 years. I'm now on 25mg Zoloft and 1/4mg Klonopin & now experience slowed thinking, sporadic chills, needles and pins (not the kind you get from hyperventilation), sharp pains, itching, I feel less sharp & less able to formulate thoughts, less able to follow movies, sensations of speech slurring, sensations of numbness. These symptoms wax and wane; the needles and pins and sharp pains went away but then came back after I skipped a dose and felt sharper the next day (when I went back to taking the meds, the negative symptoms returned). I don't know if this is all due to a) stress/depression in my life; b) the disorder itself (psychosomatic response); c) the medications; d) the starting/stopping/starting of the medication (e.g. there's a mechanism with an HIV med where going off the med and restarting it is potentially lethal; not saying this is lethal but the start/stop/start mechanism may have negative effects on the body?). I've tried Lexapro and felt the veil and slowed thinking as well (but only stayed on it for 6 weeks at a 10mg dose). I tried Cymbalta at a low dose and didn't have the side effects but had depression; when I increased it, I had the spaceyness. I didn't allow for the an adjustment period with it and went off it. Any help here? Note: I am looking into a resonant breathing technique that's being researched for depression and panic. I'm also going to see a CBT/ERP-trained psychologist (she trained under Dr. Barlow) next week. Thanks --
poster:metazone
thread:788054
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071009/msgs/788054.html