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Anxiety, OCD and depression reommendations?

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#1 ViolettVol

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 09:50 AM


So I've been suffering from depression for about 4 years now, anxiety joined in about a year ago. Am currently taking Zoloft, but with rather little improvement on depression, works on OCD though. Have been in therapy, but the therapist mostly made me think I';m to blame for my problems and ffailed to improve anything. I have trouble with motivation to do the simplest tasks and can't concentrate. I worry constantly.

I've decided to try noootropics and read around this forum, but I'm confused what would be best for me. For now, I"m considering Aniracetam, although my anxiety is not social, more like general. I also really need help concentrating and not feeling like every task is too difficult. Please help.
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#2 Geovicsha

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 10:26 AM

Hey ViolettVol.

I got Aniracetam for its potential on mitigating social anxiety and making tasks seem easier, rather than putting them on impossible pedasatal in my brain. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Other times, especially if I take too much, it makes me so sluggish that it heightens my anxiety. Or the apathy and lack of anxiety creates a sort of meta anxiety, for I begin to worry that a serenity has dissolved into mere laziness. It just seems to be a bit of a gamble. Sometimes, perhaps due to the release of Dopamine D2, I feel content and satisfied with life a tad more.

Pramiracetam, however, seems to be great when it comes with depression -- and to a lesser extent anxiety. People always say that Pramiracetam diminishes emotions, making you almost robotic; for me, however, it creates an almost Buddhist esque view on your emotions, allowing you to more clearly see how thoughts can lead to emotions. Rationally certainly increases, and with this excelled rationality one has the power to control the thoughts that lead to whatever emotion.

For example, in a social situation: I went out and had a couple of drinks after dosing 600mg, and it created this concurrent confidence that usually 6+ drinks is needed, but still retained the lucidity -- and indeed hyper lucidity -- that one has when sober. I can be anxious about approaching an attractive girl, which will in turn create passive and self-conscious actions; or alternatively, I can control my thoughts and obtain a general confidence.

This is not to say my previous bouts of depression have not completely been gone while on Pramiracetam. Seems to have resurfaced within the past week. But Pramiracetam certainly allows you to logicise things in greater depth, including how you approach things -- this would potentially work for both anxiety and depression. I'm not sure about OCD for I haven't experienced that first hand, and thus haven't experienced any benefits.

I have been intrigued in the potential benefits of Rhodiola Rosea, St. John Of Wort, and 5-HTP in regards to both anxiety and depression. I don't know enough about them and how they differ, or potentially stacking them, to offer any more insight. But I suggest looking into them as well. Hopefully another member has had experience with one or more of them.

But, especially as I am in a bout of depression and anxiety lately myself, I think three factors are essential and no drug or nootropic will be of much good if you aren't exercising, getting up early, and having a good diet. And trying to be social. I think, ultimately, you can take any drug you want, but the thoughts, and actions that follow, ultimately are upto you.

Good luck!

Edited by Geovicsha, 10 October 2011 - 10:31 AM.


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#3 MrHappy

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 11:21 AM

OCD and yet unmotivated is an interesting combination.

Perhaps a little more background could be helpful to give more accurate suggestions:
Age

Medical history - what medications have you ever taken, including prior to zoloft, also any recreational drugs

Any known diseases or ailments

Blood pressure stats

Allergies

Edited by MrHappy, 10 October 2011 - 11:24 AM.


#4 Ampa-omega

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 12:16 PM

if the depression is a result of bad memories you could give cycloserine a try.

#5 chrono

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 01:26 PM

Searching this site using google will help a lot with finding previous recommendations: site:longecity.org social anxiety, for instance. Use other terms like anxiety, depression, OCD. The thread index is a good starting point for researching specific substances.

TBH, all three of these together (at clinical levels?) is a little out of the league of more general nootropics, and the more serious or esoteric ones will require some research on your part to make an informed choice regarding effects and safety.

Which isn't to say that there aren't things here which could improve your life and state of mind, but more serious measure are probably necessary to effect a dramatic change. A good therapist can be very hard to find, but don't let one bad one turn you off to the whole process. I'd highly recommend finding someone who practices ACT; it's a very progressive and well-studied therapy, which is sort of a mix of CBT with mindfulness. And I feel like people who choose this modality are much less likely to be the kind who peer down their nose at you.

if the depression is a result of bad memories you could give cycloserine a try.

This is an almost impossibly specific mechanism, for a drug which is fairly uncommon. Why do you say this?

Edited by chrono, 10 October 2011 - 01:32 PM.

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#6 MrHappy

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 07:25 PM

I think it could be multi-factoral / separate issues.

Eg. OP may be 'naturally' OCD, but the anxiety and lack of motivation may stem from a food allergy, environmental toxicity or latent disease progression. It'd be useful to know how long the OCD has been noticed relative to the other symptoms.
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#7 hippocampus

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 09:12 PM

(1) use cron-o-meter at least for a month and fix your nutrition or supplement. maybe you need more omega 3, zinc, follic acid (which I wouldn't supplement), vitamin D, magnesium or anything else
(2) fix your lifestyle: exercise, go for a walk, be with friends, meditate, enough sleep and so on
(3) psychotherapy is better than AD long-term
(4) try elimination diet: go one month gluten-free and if you don't see any difference go next month lactose-free and so on (start with common allergens)
or you can go just straight paleo (although I think this is not the best option if you have SA)
(5) psilocybe mushrooms and similar psychedelics are very good for OCD but I wouldn't recommend it to you if you are depressed or don't know much about psychedelics (read read read! and then try)

these things worked for me, especially psychotherapy and omega 3 but also overall change in my lifestyle. it is curable (at least 90 % based on my experience)!

#8 noos

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Posted 10 October 2011 - 11:56 PM

these things worked for me, especially psychotherapy and omega 3 but also overall change in my lifestyle. it is curable (at least 90 % based on my experience)!


What kind of psychotherapy?

#9 hippocampus

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Posted 11 October 2011 - 08:37 AM

my psychotherapist was trained in transactional analysis but also use cognitive-behavioral and other techniques. but it doesn't really matter which kind is, the relationship is more important
http://en.wikipedia....g_effectiveness

#10 ViolettVol

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Posted 11 October 2011 - 10:08 AM

OCD and yet unmotivated is an interesting combination.

Perhaps a little more background could be helpful to give more accurate suggestions:
Age

Medical history - what medications have you ever taken, including prior to zoloft, also any recreational drugs

Any known diseases or ailments

Blood pressure stats

Allergies


You're right, I should provide more info. I'm recently 28 - no significant problems in my medical history - physically I've always been healthy - rarely got even colds, sometimes mild stomach problems etc.
Mentally- i always tended to be nervous and shy, but not overly so and I managed it.
A few years ago, my mother, who hasnt beeen drinking for many years, went into alcohol again. This threw me into a terrible depression. I was prescribed citalopram, then zoloft. It was a very stressful time for me because i was finishing uni.

I've never taken rereational drugs.
Blood pressure has always been fine.
I drank quite a lot during my uni years.
Known diseases aside from the anxiety and depression is elevated level of dhea - it causes hairloss. Havent checked other hormones yet.
The anxiety and depression impair my functioning - prevent me from making proper decisions and make life very difficult.

OCD is a very difficult subject for me - it started when I had a break from zoloft and it was based on superstitions - my granma fed me a lot of superstitions and religious warnings when I was little. I did not think much of them as a child, but when a trauma struck in my adult life, sufddenly all of those superstitions seemed like an enormous danger and as if GOd himself was angry with me. So I developed rituals to appease them, but as is the case with OCD, no ritual seems good enough, so you become more and more desperate. I realized I was on my way to a psych ward unless I helped myself, so I went back to zoloft with a psychiatrist and rationalized the OCD fears with cognitive therapy books. OCD re-emerges from time to time mildly and its not fully healed/rationalized, but I manage it for now, mostly by compartentalizisng and not thinking about it. I think I"m still afraid of it a little.
However, the depression and anxiety seem to be the baseline problems - they started fiirst and led to other problems. You feel anxious, you seek the reason for it, and that produces more anxiety...
Anything that could help ??

Edited by ViolettVol, 11 October 2011 - 10:33 AM.


#11 MrHappy

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Posted 11 October 2011 - 10:58 AM

Tell me, when you stopped Zoloft, did you taper down gradually or just stop? Also, what dose were you taking?

Also - mild stomach problems, can you elaborate on that a little - when and what?

The most common Zoloft side effects, according to the Zoloft web site are dry mouth, upset stomach, decreased appetite, fatigue, trouble sleeping, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea, tremor, feelings of agitation, indigestion, and increased perspiration. Any Zoloft side effects may appear more pronounced in children, who are also susceptible to such Zoloft side effects as excessive movement or twitching, malaise, trouble concentrating, abnormal thinking, nosebleeds, weight loss, manic or excited behavior, or rapid mood swings.

My wife came off Zoloft cold turkey and she went through very similar symptoms. It took well over 6 months to get to within 75% of her normal self.

Additionally, since Zoloft can (rarely) cause problems for your liver, if you were drinking a lot at the same time, you may have created some liver disfunction.
Now, if you had any allergies that were previously latent, you'll find that poor liver function can cause those allergies to become quite noticeable. (Personally, I develop an obvious wheat / gluten intolerance when my liver isn't functioning well, bordering on celiac's disease. This goes away when my liver is healthy again.)

I'm not saying you have a food allergy - I'm just detailing a way that your diet, which may have previously been OK, *could* be causing anxiety and lack of motivation.

My money's on the Zoloft. It's effective, but it's a disaster to withdraw from.
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#12 ViolettVol

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Posted 11 October 2011 - 04:39 PM

Tell me, when you stopped Zoloft, did you taper down gradually or just stop? Also, what dose were you taking?

Also - mild stomach problems, can you elaborate on that a little - when and what?

The most common Zoloft side effects, according to the Zoloft web site are dry mouth, upset stomach, decreased appetite, fatigue, trouble sleeping, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea, tremor, feelings of agitation, indigestion, and increased perspiration. Any Zoloft side effects may appear more pronounced in children, who are also susceptible to such Zoloft side effects as excessive movement or twitching, malaise, trouble concentrating, abnormal thinking, nosebleeds, weight loss, manic or excited behavior, or rapid mood swings.

My wife came off Zoloft cold turkey and she went through very similar symptoms. It took well over 6 months to get to within 75% of her normal self.

Additionally, since Zoloft can (rarely) cause problems for your liver, if you were drinking a lot at the same time, you may have created some liver disfunction.
Now, if you had any allergies that were previously latent, you'll find that poor liver function can cause those allergies to become quite noticeable. (Personally, I develop an obvious wheat / gluten intolerance when my liver isn't functioning well, bordering on celiac's disease. This goes away when my liver is healthy again.)

I'm not saying you have a food allergy - I'm just detailing a way that your diet, which may have previously been OK, *could* be causing anxiety and lack of motivation.

My money's on the Zoloft. It's effective, but it's a disaster to withdraw from.


I started zoloft in my early twenties after that depression hit in, never took any psychotropics as a child. The funny thing is, the problems started when I went off it cold turkey and then even though i started it again, i did not feel as good as when i took it first time. When i first took zoloft there was no side effects. it was my seconfd anti-depressant med ever (ater citalopram) and i tolerated it well. I went off it myself because i was feeling good and decided I didnt want any chemials in my body any longer. after i went off it i had a short mani phase - life seemed wonderful and i wanted to do everythng at once, then came a total breakdown into depression and ocd. Aftr starting zoloft again the OCD calmed with therapy, but i was never myself. I did not avoid alcohol during the secod time treatment with zoloft because it helped with the resudie stress from the breakdown.
I also had a short bout of bingeing on sweets to lift my low mood at that time. it was like i had to do everything in extemes. I also went amost completly vegetarian for that time. Nowfor the past year i eat a very balanced diet lots of veggies, fruit, nits, seeds, moderate amounts of meat, mostly chicken, some dairy. Never had any known food allergies.
The anxiety and depression stem mostly fro the fact that the past 4 years of my life have been dominated by the various depression states wich destroyed my motivation and totally halted my career -I had to drop out of performing arts school, I stopped dopint the things I love to "punish myself" during the ocd phase and because I did not have the energy. Now suddenl;y Im 28 and feel its too late for anything which increases the anxiety. I've always been ambitious ad imagined myself making steady progeress towards my goal but i seem to be sinking lower and lowrr and time is running out every year. :(

#13 MrHappy

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Posted 11 October 2011 - 09:41 PM

That is hauntingly familiar to my wife's behaviour after stopping zoloft cold turkey about 15 months ago.


Most of the time she feels normal now (much better than when she was on zoloft), but certain stresses will very occasionally bring out that side of her again. She believes she possibly hasn't dealt with the events that lead up to her taking zoloft in the first place, but I also wonder whether it could be still be zoloft related.

I think slowly tapering off the zoloft at 5% per week and trying to assist the rebuild/rebalance of the brain chemistry by taking alpha-gpc, uridine and DHA could be something worth trying. Those nootropics will have a natural antidepressant effect, as well as helping you to regrow neurons and dendrites. Your 5-HT / 5HT1A autoreceptors are the issue here.

You could also try taking a different SSRI like fluoxetine or citalopram and slowly tapering that off + take the noots.

Be aware you'll still have to deal with the withdrawal, you'll just have a much, much easier process and hopefully significantly better results than cold turkey.

You can get bulk uridine, DHA and alpha-gpc on ebay quite cheaply. I'd be very interested to hear how you go, if you decide to try this.

Likewise, my first bulk order has partially arrived, so it'll be interesting to see if it still helps SSRI withdrawal syndrome relapses 15 months after withdrawing or not. Retraining the brain and therapy could be helpful, too.

Edited by MrHappy, 11 October 2011 - 09:43 PM.

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#14 ViolettVol

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 10:21 AM

That is hauntingly familiar to my wife's behaviour after stopping zoloft cold turkey about 15 months ago.


Most of the time she feels normal now (much better than when she was on zoloft), but certain stresses will very occasionally bring out that side of her again. She believes she possibly hasn't dealt with the events that lead up to her taking zoloft in the first place, but I also wonder whether it could be still be zoloft related.

I think slowly tapering off the zoloft at 5% per week and trying to assist the rebuild/rebalance of the brain chemistry by taking alpha-gpc, uridine and DHA could be something worth trying. Those nootropics will have a natural antidepressant effect, as well as helping you to regrow neurons and dendrites. Your 5-HT / 5HT1A autoreceptors are the issue here.

You could also try taking a different SSRI like fluoxetine or citalopram and slowly tapering that off + take the noots.

Be aware you'll still have to deal with the withdrawal, you'll just have a much, much easier process and hopefully significantly better results than cold turkey.

You can get bulk uridine, DHA and alpha-gpc on ebay quite cheaply. I'd be very interested to hear how you go, if you decide to try this.

Likewise, my first bulk order has partially arrived, so it'll be interesting to see if it still helps SSRI withdrawal syndrome relapses 15 months after withdrawing or not. Retraining the brain and therapy could be helpful, too.


This sounds like a good routine to get off Zoloft and its side effects, but I am worried about my OCD. So far, zoloft has been the only thing that held it at bay and before I combat anxiety/ depression with some good therapy or meds I don;t feel strong enough to face the OCD returning full force on me, it;s by far the wost thing that happened to me - initially i think it was caused by anxiety and then it became a deadly cirle because it started ausing anxiety itself, so the two are sort of codependent sometimes. I just dont recognize myself, I want to live my life, fulfill my dreams, and not be trapped in this nightmare :(
BTW, MrHappy, your avatar makes me smile everytime, which is so rare nowadays :)

Edited by ViolettVol, 12 October 2011 - 10:22 AM.


#15 MrHappy

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 11:30 AM

Yes, it's a vicious circle.. <sigh>

The thing is - if the OCD and anxiety are actually symptoms of rapid withdrawal from zoloft, not a pre-existing issue, it means you are going to need to confront it at some point when you feel ready.

The longer you are on it, the harder it will become. Switching SSRIs will help a lot, though.

Also, it's best to have someone you trust around, who can help keep you grounded during the process. When withdrawing, it's like you've lost the 'buffer' between you and reality and you'll need to relearn how to appropriately interact and respond to external stimulus eg. People.

It won't be a walk in the sunshine at first, but it will get a lot better!

PS. That kitten makes me smile everytime, too! :)

#16 thedevinroy

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 03:19 PM

SSRI's seem to be your happy pill, but I agree medication with them is not so good long term and understand that you want to rid yourself of the chemicals. Luckily some nootropics are serotonergic either directly or indirectly. For instance, a combination of Folic Acid (B9) with lecithin, TMG, or another choline source will boost your monoamines indirectly through the methylation cycle. Bacopa increases production and uptake of serotonin, basically dumping a whole bunch into your blood stream. Then there are all the MAO inhibitors out there too like Rhodiola, Cat's Claw, Selegiline, and even Methylene Blue at or above 1mg. Catuaba seems to have a release and uptake inhibition effect. Pick and choose.

Have you tried any of those?

#17 hippocampus

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Posted 12 October 2011 - 06:06 PM

you should be using fish oil anyway even if you weren't depressed. I once tried one with more DHA than EPA (usually it's the opposite) and I felt weird, I was confused and depressed. I also tried one with high EPA: DHA ratio but I didn't really notice big difference (EPA are better for depression than DHA according to studies I know).

#18 nito

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Posted 13 October 2011 - 10:32 AM

I have social anxiety and it makes me really distracted. If I sit in school and read then my mind cant comprehend what it is that Im reading. Instead its scanning the people around me and the environment--what people are saying and if anyone is talking about me. It drains me of energy. If Im at home and try to read it still takes a lot of effort. My mind always wants to be somewhere else even if I dont want to.

Does anyone have any suggestions?


Wow i could have written this myself as i have had the exact same problems for years. You suspect people to be thinking something about you, whether its the way you are walking, sitting, moving or eating. Sometimes you think they are thinking about you all the time, it's crazy.

Edited by nito, 13 October 2011 - 10:32 AM.


#19 Geovicsha

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Posted 13 October 2011 - 01:16 PM

I have social anxiety and it makes me really distracted. If I sit in school and read then my mind cant comprehend what it is that Im reading. Instead its scanning the people around me and the environment--what people are saying and if anyone is talking about me. It drains me of energy. If Im at home and try to read it still takes a lot of effort. My mind always wants to be somewhere else even if I dont want to.

Does anyone have any suggestions?


Wow i could have written this myself as i have had the exact same problems for years. You suspect people to be thinking something about you, whether its the way you are walking, sitting, moving or eating. Sometimes you think they are thinking about you all the time, it's crazy.


Add me to the mix.

It really crippled me in my studies, especially during exams, after Year 8-9.

I love you guys.

#20 Raptor87

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Posted 13 October 2011 - 05:05 PM

Question is what the hell is it and what can you do about it?

It´s like you dont live your life in a way.

#21 MrHappy

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Posted 13 October 2011 - 09:47 PM

I was like that at school, but school really IS like that - people, other kids in particular, are judging you all the time! A lot of women also judge other women in social situations, I've noticed.

My social anxiety disappeared entirely when I left school. After finding out my strengths and weaknesses - by comparing myself to work colleagues - I realised that many full-grown adults were not significantly smarter or more mature and some were socially awkward, even in their 50s. The older people had more depth of knowledge, owing to years of accumulated experiences, but I was able to quickly catch up and pass them in productivity, in a very technical industry.

Once I had discovered that I wasn't socially unusual and that I could really contribute extra value to those around me, my social anxiety disappeared.

These days I'm actually quite extroverted and I care a lot about other people, but I'm not really concerned what other people may be thinking about me.

In an nutshell, you can people some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time. You can't please all of the people all of the time, so if they don't like you or something you did, as long as you did your best, f&ck them, it's their problem, not yours.

As far as general anxiety goes, I've also found the 2 basket theory serves me well. If I have a problem, it goes in one of 2 baskets:

1. Things I can do something about
or
2. Things I can't do anything about

Things I can do something about - I do it and stop worrying about it.

Things I can't do anything about - well I can't do anything about it, so there's no point worrying about it. Accept it. Learn from it or delegate it to fate or a higher power, as you prefer. Frees up my headspace for things I can actually take care of.

#22 longevitynow

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 02:28 AM

5-HTP is the bomb for all these conditions. IMO works as well as the SSRIs without the side effects, and as quickly. I'd recommend starting at 50mg before bed and you can increase slowly by 50 mgs until you get up to 200. That is enough for most. Take on an empty stomach before bed. Helps you stay asleep much better. And cures those other symptoms. If on an SSRI, my experience is 5-HTP can help you get off them, but start 5-HTP very slowly and then as you increase 5-HTP, lower SSRI very slowly. This should not be construed as medical advice even if it works...

#23 MrHappy

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 05:01 AM

Hmm cant edit my last post. I meant to say you can *please* some of the people all of the time.. <chuckle>

#24 abelard lindsay

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 05:45 AM

Try some GABA increasing supplements: GABA, Valerian, Inositol are usually good bets. GPLC is good too. These dampen down the racing OCD and Anxiety causing thoughts in the brain as GABA is the inhibitory neurotransmitter system. It's like turning up the squelch knob on your brain.
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#25 ViolettVol

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 10:02 AM

Yes, it's a vicious circle.. <sigh>

The thing is - if the OCD and anxiety are actually symptoms of rapid withdrawal from zoloft, not a pre-existing issue, it means you are going to need to confront it at some point when you feel ready.

The longer you are on it, the harder it will become. Switching SSRIs will help a lot, though.

Also, it's best to have someone you trust around, who can help keep you grounded during the process. When withdrawing, it's like you've lost the 'buffer' between you and reality and you'll need to relearn how to appropriately interact and respond to external stimulus eg. People.

It won't be a walk in the sunshine at first, but it will get a lot better!

PS. That kitten makes me smile everytime, too! :)


I thnk my OCD has deeper roorts than just the withdrawal from zoloft. I was sort of partly raised by an OCD person - my grandma - and I onl;y recently realized some of her behaviors in my childhhoood were ocd and the suoerstitions she taught me were the results of that. Hers never escalated as much as mine, but continued on throughout her life and made her really difficult to live with. She had other problems as well and it would be a totally different topic. I rarely see her now, partly for my own well-being.
Anyways, as I've read a lot about OCD, it can start very innocently even in childhood and early teenage years and stay innoecent until a serious trauma hits you. I remember having a slight ritual on my gym calass in high school - if I jum up thereee times before throwing the ball, I'll hit the basket or some such. But it was never very iportant or painful, just a small ritual. Then in highschool I went into Wicca for a little bit with my friennds and we learned all sorts of symbols -like, this color symbolises tis, that color symbolises that -- some good some bad.
When my mom started drinking, it was like a nightmare I could not wake up from.Everything about the day she first came home drunk became vivid in my mind, for example, I couldn;t wear my blouse from that day eve again or shed get drunk again. It came in weird moments and not always. I did not even recognize it as ear;ly ocd, just nerves. Got the zoloft things were fine..Then the zoloft break and full on OCD - My mind went into these weird assoiations - if I eat this and not that, my mom will wight with me for example. There were also lots of horrific cosequences for lack of various things of associated with colors, letters, numbers. AWFUL.
I scrambled out if by taking zoloft, but also using Cognitive therapy books to retrain myself. It has not been easy and the obsessions can still rear their ugly heads now and again even though i am on zoloft. tried not taking it for a week this summer - was a basketcase. Thing is, my anxiety over the past year has increased like 300 percent from before. and its connected to issues not even related with ocd. I get palpitations in the morning when i have to get up and dont know hwat to do with myself, i get palpitations when i have to work, sometimes i even get these when i have to go shopping. Or I can get teary suddenly if a situation or cnversation brings me t a sad thought. The worst part is i regrt those years wasted on this disease and now this seems to be the leading depression and anxiety triggering factor - I'm 28 and am a wreck instead of being something I always imagined myself to be, insttead of striving for my goals...
.

#26 MrHappy

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 10:25 AM

Yeah, that's not fun... And still has many parallels to my wife.

I think it's still worth a try... Or else stay in contact and I'll let you know how my wife goes on the noots. Day 3 so far. :)

#27 thedevinroy

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 08:18 PM

http://www.google.co...7l694l0.3.1l4l0

It's a google search for EFT therapy. I had some with "approach anxiety". Helped me out a lot. You basically dig up deep dark emotions while doing this "tapping" exercise, and it relieves the nervous tension built up. It's creepy that it worked, but it definitely did. It's not nootropics... I don't believe that nootropics will fix OCD.

Search youtube for some demos where you can do it with the instructor via video and replay the video as many times as you need it. Once you get it memorized, it becomes almost OCD to do it in certain instances. I say "almost" because once the negative emotions have passed on and have gotten out of your system, there is really no need to do it again in that situation. The end-all OCD routine.

It's loosely based on eastern medicine. I'm sure you can find a therapist that practices it, too.
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#28 manic_racetam

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 08:37 PM

http://www.google.co...7l694l0.3.1l4l0

It's a google search for EFT therapy. I had some with "approach anxiety". Helped me out a lot. You basically dig up deep dark emotions while doing this "tapping" exercise, and it relieves the nervous tension built up. It's creepy that it worked, but it definitely did. It's not nootropics... I don't believe that nootropics will fix OCD.

Search youtube for some demos where you can do it with the instructor via video and replay the video as many times as you need it. Once you get it memorized, it becomes almost OCD to do it in certain instances. I say "almost" because once the negative emotions have passed on and have gotten out of your system, there is really no need to do it again in that situation. The end-all OCD routine.

It's loosely based on eastern medicine. I'm sure you can find a therapist that practices it, too.


Yeah, EFT is awesome. I was able to find a local practitioner in my area about 7 months ago. I've gone to two sessions with him. It's crazy how well and quickly it works (not specifically for OCD in my case). You can follow along with the videos but for some reason I found little benefit while doing the technique solo. You can search meetup(dot)com as well and see if they've got an EFT meetup in your area.

I'd also recommend the video "EFT... Try it on everything". That's a great overview of the basic concepts and has some great examples of how it works in practice.

#29 Ampa-omega

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 10:33 PM

if the depression is a result of bad memories you could give cycloserine a try.

This is an almost impossibly specific mechanism, for a drug which is fairly uncommon. Why do you say this?


heres a study,
http://etkinlab.stan...rse/Ressler.pdf

http://www.economist.com/node/11402761

http://www.theatlant...ould-we/238444/

43. Miserendino MJD, Sananes CB, Melia KR, Davis M. Blocking of acquisition but
not expression of conditioned fear-potentiated startle by NMDA antagonists in
the amygdala. Nature. 1990;345:716-718.

44. Kim J, DeCola J, Landeira-Fernandez J, Fanselow M. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor
antagonist APV blocks acquisition but not expression of fear conditioning.
Behav Neurosci. 1991;105:126-133.


2. Otto M. Learning and “unlearning” fears: preparedness, neural pathways, and
patients. Biol Psychiatry. 2002;52:917-920.


13. Walker DL, Ressler KJ, Lu KT, Davis M. Facilitation of conditioned fear extinction
by systemic administration or intra-amygdala infusions of D-cycloserine as
assessed with fear-potentiated startle in rats. J Neurosci. 2002;22:2343-2351

it is worth a mention shown to benefit phobic memory extinction, but i agree with what you said.

Edited by Ampa-omega, 14 October 2011 - 11:12 PM.


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#30 MrHappy

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Posted 14 October 2011 - 10:37 PM

Looks really interesting. Thanks guys!
Here's a how-to I found:
http://www.eft-alive...-to-do-EFT.html
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