Medication 101?

Question

I was diagnosed with OCD and Depression in April this year. I have been on Aropax, Luvox, Zoloft. None of these helped. In fact, the Zoloft magnified my rituals and compulsions to the point of taking 9 hours to complete them. I was only on Zoloft for 10 days(100mg a day for 7 days, and 200mg for 3 days) I had possibly psychotic/schizophrenic symtoms on the Zoloft. I thought they would go way after I terminated the medication. They didn't. Now, I've been on Clomipramine(200mg a day) for over 4 weeks. Again, to no avail. Instead, I've developed hypomania and agoraphobia on top of the psychotic/scizophrenic stuff. Has the Zoloft messed around with the chemicals in my head and given me irreversible, permanant brain damage? Why is the Clomipramine making things 10 times worse?, keeping in mind that I already have bad side effects.
I mean, every medication I go on I just get get worse. Can someone recommend a drug for OCD that I haven't mentioned? Combinations of drugs? I really need help

Answer 1

Don't trust anyone on this site to help you with this. NO ONE knows this stuff, except for a full-on psychiatrist. Don't talk to your regular doctor, don't talk to a psychologist. You need a psychiatrist--and if you have one currently and they can't help you with this, you need a new one. Obviously your case is unique and complex, and only a highly trained professional should be working with you. Don't wait to get this figured out, because if these chemicals aren't right for you, you really shouldn't be taking them! You want to be healthy, not drugged, droning, and getting worse.

Edit: DONT LISTEN TO THE GUY ABOVE ME--you obviously have several mental disorders and it is folk psychology to believe that 9 hours of ritual compulsions and delusions from schizophrenia can be cured by going for a run or taking vitamins (or anything else that someone tells you can take the place of medication). There ARE things out there that can help you, you're just not quite there in finding the meds for you.

Answer 2

It seems to me that the dr you have now has tried you on several different medications and none of them have helped you. Maybe it's time to find a new doctor. Some doctors stick to the tried and true but that may not be what is right for you. I would speak to my doctor about getting a second opinion. New treatments come out everyday but not all doctors keep up on them because they either don't have the time or they have too many patients. I doubt that you have irreversible brain damage. Usually after a drug is stopped and the medication leaves your system you will be the same as you were before the Zoloft plus it doesn't sound like you took it long enough to cause brain damage. These drugs were not created to cause brain damage so don't let that worry you, just think about seeing a new doctor.Good Luck.

Answer 3

It can be very frustrating trying to find the drug that works well for you. There are many drugs available, and the reason for that is because everyone is different and responds differently to medications. So it is trial and error to find the right one for you. One drug that I know of that you could give a try is Paxil. Keep good communication going between you and your doctor. Be sure to report all your side effects and changes that happen with each drug. It has been my experience that if a drug is going to work for you, it will start working and helping you within the first few days. Also, if you've been on a drug for longer than about a week, it's likely you will experience withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop take the drug.

Answer 4

Ever thought of using a non-drug treatment for OCD?

I mean, the drugs haven't helped.

Non-drug treatments are difficult and require you to do some work. Accordingly most people want their doctor to prescribe them a pill to make everything okay, but in your case I think you might need something different.

You might not even have OCD in the conventional sense of the term.

Wiki says "Research has generally shown that psychotherapy in combination with psychotropic medication is more effective than either option alone."