Scared of taking meds: Hi there, I have... - OCD Support

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Scared of taking meds

5 years ago•9 Replies

Hi there,

I have developed a form of OCD which gives me repetitive thoughts. It's mostly names and songs I play back and fourth in my head. I was on medication 5 months ago and took 1 pill and it gave me serious side effects. Which has frightened me to use another pill again.

Is anyone who has these symptoms on medication for their OCD?

I am currently going through another dose of CBT with another therapist under the NHS. I had repetitive thoughts before I went for my new session and the new session with the new therapist made me feel worse, I wish I never went for it. I had intrusive thoughts that lasted for ages yesterday.

Today I am trying to keep it all together but finding it a struggle every day.

Can you all please tell me how you keep it together every day? do you have good and bad days?

Thanks x

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Surreylady

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9 Replies

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Moon_B5 years ago

It is normal to have bad days and good days. Sometimes I feel like I will never feel good ever again but things are never static, they change with time.

I try to change my environment when I feel I am having to much anxiety, like going out for a walk or just changing room and doing something new or different. I think it helps me to not give in totally to my OCD.

Accept the intrusive thoughts and try as much as you can to not give it too much time or attention. Do things, keep yourself occupied and your mind might follow.

The hardest time for me is bedtime since I have nothing but my thoughts.

Therapy tends to make us face the OCD which can be triggering but in the long run it will help you.

Moon_B• in reply toMoon_B5 years ago

I forgot to mention that finding the right med can be difficult to some but it is normal to have some side effects to a certain extent. If you react badly you should let your doctor know so he can suggest something else.

5 years ago

All of us have good and bad days that's human. It's what we choose to do with it determines how we can make ourselves feel. There is always a positive in the negative. I choose to let the words ' the numbers ' the phrases ' all the constant chatter play out instead of fighting it. It works for me because I soon change the channels in my head without even knowing it. I feel relief for some time until it starts again. I take medication ' conventional and non conventional ' I see the doctor every 2 weeks. I also use animals to redirect my thoughts to a unconditionally loving doggie who is part of my family. I turn to my partner for empathy not sympathy ' that's in the dictionary between suicide and syphilis. There are many different options for us to explore 'I have not given up yet! Johnny

Surreylady• in reply to5 years ago

very interesting response, thank you

Gimi445 years ago

Hi There. This is very personal so please do not take this as the definite truth, it's only my experience. Because I have a severe case of health anxiety disorder/OCD linked to my parents dead of cancer I didn't want try meds. For 7 years I tried to fight this little bastard on my own. Therapy is really bad where I live. Finally, when I was close to finish with everything, I gave meds(ISRS) a try. And I am functional and quite happy since then. I had side effects,yes. And I had to change of specialist several times. I have said NO to different meds and I usually take less dosis than they suggest. But I can tell you that all the hard work I've done so far(ERP, meditation,ACT...by myself) I have been able to do it because of Meds. I am in a small dosis now and thinking to quit it all But I also realized that I have lost my 30s because of this OCD asshole and in my case I should've started long before. But that's only my experience. Be strong. We're the best💪

Sallyskins5 years ago

I too have things going over and over in my head! I've been taking medication since I was 21 and found it helps enormously. I took clomipramine for many years, which worked well but made me feel constantly drowsy, but I sort of got accustomed to that! Then some years ago I switched to sertraline, which suits me better as it doesn't have the drowsy side effects.

Medication is a personal thing, and what suits one might not suit another. Often the side effects wear off after about a month. I remember first taking medication and for a couple of weeks I felt as though my head had been removed, stuffed with cotton wool and put back on upside down. Then I began to feel better.

So have a chat with your doctor or psychiatrist about the side effects. It could be that the side effects do wear off, or another medication might help. I can't say as I'm not qualified!

It's a pity the new therapist isn't good for you. Like medication, a therapist can suit some people but not others. Perhaps talk to your mental health team and ask for a referral to someone else, if they can do that.

I think most of us have good and bad days. Don't be put off by the bad days, as you will have good ones as well. I practice the CBT techniques I've been taught constantly, not always successfully, but they do help me to manage.

Surreylady• in reply toSallyskins5 years ago

That is what I am afraid of, having that affect with what you experienced, the feeling in your head like the cotton wool stuck in your head, it sounds scary. I have a fear of taking another pill lol

Sallyskins• in reply toSurreylady5 years ago

It sounds much worse than it is. It simply meant that I went about feeling pretty dopey for a couple of weeks. It did wear off, and it was as though a big cloud had lifted as I began to feel better for the medication.

Remember too that this was clomipramine, an older medication which works well but does have a lot of side effects. I switched to sertraline gradually and didn't notice any side effects.

Do have a word with your prescriber, If it's a GP then perhaps ask to be referred to a psychiatrist as they have better and more detailed knowledge of meds.

Meds aren't compulsory, but they can help a lot.

OpieD5 years ago

Funny but the "song stuck in my head" is one of the few effects of OCD I've never quite got rid of . When it happens, I picture needle of the record player lifting up off the record and it stops. Tells you how old I am too lol.

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