Posted by g_g_g_unit on December 10, 2011, at 7:24:01
In reply to Re: question for phidippus » g_g_g_unit, posted by Phidippus on December 7, 2011, at 15:57:42
> There have been three ADs I have taken which have provided about equivalent relief from my OCD symptoms: Clomipramine, Mirtazapine and Viibryd. Clomipramine is by far the most effective, but had the most side effects. Mirtazapine provided effective relief, but made me manic. Viibryd has had a nice soothing effect, but has fallen short in some areas.
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> Now, I have severe OCD, so I had to augment my treatment with other medications. I went through all the atypicals and finally settled Invega for a while, which really helped with intrusive thoughts. Akathisia drove me to Latuda and I've been very happpy with it. Keeps me from going manic from AD therapy and calms the OCD.
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> What's left over is a lot of intrusive suicidal thinking and I aim to treat that by further augmenting my OCD treatment. Of these augmentation strategies, Lyrica and Prazosin have worked best. Namenda doesn't seem to be strong enough.
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> I know you're having a hard time getting your anxiety under control and it seems like I'm dogging you, but I have the best intentions. I want you to get better.
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> Concentrate on sticking to the Lexapro and continue raising the dose. If anxiety remains, find an AAP that works for you-something with a stronge dopamine profile.
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> EricThanks for your help, Eric. Unfortunately, Clomipramine caused intolerable anxiety and agitation .. if all else fails, it may be worth revisiting with something to smooth out the SE's.
Mirtazapine, on the other hand, was hands down the most excruciating experience I've had on a med. It make me dysphoric, anxious, ratcheted up my OCD to unbearable proportions. I was so young at the time - 18 or so - and had been left home alone by my parents for two weeks. I was quite new to medication at that stage and not particularly adept at linking a worsening in my condition to a particular medication, dose increase, etc. All I remember is making arrangements to have myself institutionalized, which thankfully never materialized. Anyway, did you take it in combination with an SRI? I was on it as monotherapy.
I know you're looking out for me and I appreciate it. You just have to understand that I'm still at a formative age (26) and I'm scared. I avoided medication and kept myself in a state of near-insanity for years because I was trying to preserve a career as a writer; I just can't write on meds, nor do I think I could to do something requiring the intellectual heavy-lifting of post-graduate... at least not on SSRIs alone, which really do make my ADD a nightmare (brain fog, spaciness), and I'm really not exaggerating there. Maybe you could correct me on my hesitation about meds. I just feel stuck .. new country, no friends other than one I knew from where I previously lived, no real prospects at this point .. I know I am really, really sick but I just don't see meds as enabling me. Again, I'm fully copping to the fact that I may have some bias which needs correcting. But I've just been filled with thoughts of suicide as of late. I know there's an OC-component to them - like you perhaps - because I find myself weighing up, almost mathematically, whether it's worth living or dying, like it's an equation that could be solved.
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:1004285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111208/msgs/1004576.html