Confused over what to do

[MHealthJo]

So sorry you're suffering with this, Adaptive.

OCD is such an exhausting, cruel thing.

Wish strength to you to keep persevering, to find a helpful combination of meds and other tools.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

What's triggering the worry about Seroquel, adaptive1? Anything specific?

 

[adaptive1]

I don't know what it is exactly. All the scary potential side effects and having made the error of reading about them on the Internet. The weight gain also is another potential side effect. Then probably the stigma of the class of drug it is and seeing what it did to my brother, even though logically I know it is not the same dose. Other than that I don't know, maybe my OCD doesn't want me to take drugs because it doesn't want to be silenced.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

All the scary potential side effects and having made the error of reading about them on the Internet.

Never base anything having anything to do with medications on what you read on the internet. First, anectdotal reports are worthless in evaluating any medication. Second, the number of people happily benefiting from any given medication do not go to the internet to complain. Thus, the bottom line is that the information you find on the internet is going to be both invalid and heavily biased.

Additionally, you are not taking a high dose. The scary potential risks have been identified (at least so far) only with the much higher doses used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychotic illnesses. One characteristic of these patient groups is that they tend not to take their medications reliably as directed and they also tend to be lacking in insight. For those who are non-compliant with medications, they are also not infrequently reality-impaired. Would you consider anecdotal reports from this patient group to be reliable?

The weight gain also is another potential side effect.

Yes, that can be a side effect of the medication but it is by no means universal. I have some current clients who take it with no weight gain at doses within your dose range. Again, the risk for adverse side-effects for most medications increases with the dose.

Then probably the stigma of the class of drug it is and seeing what it did to my brother, even though logically I know it is not the same dose. Other than that I don't know, maybe my OCD doesn't want me to take drugs because it doesn't want to be silenced.

Whether your OCD wants to be silenced or not, YOU want to silence it and some type of antiobsessional medication is, in my opinion, essential to accomplish this.

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks Dr. Baxter. That makes me feel a lot better. I will keep on taking it despite my obsessive thoughts about it. I know if it doesn't work I can always try something another one if this doesn't work. I need to stop getting myself so worked about things.

 

[adaptive1]

I really wish these drugs would silence these thoughts just a little. i know I have to accept reality and the way things are, and I try to work around these obsessive thoughts. I would gladly let them come and go if they would go for more than a second. I wish I could be a Stronger and better person and just work around it without getting constantly upset that the thoughts are there one hundred percent of the time. The more I want things to change the more they stay the same.

I am already nervous about my next doctors visit in a week, I have no idea why seeing a doctor fills me with such dread or why I care what my doctor thinks so much, I know as soon as I leave his office he will be on to the next patient. If I had any kind of self insight into why I am obsessing so much it might help, but I can't come up with anything.

 

[Brendon]

When I first started my meds I felt nothing - I got myself all worked up and convinced myself they weren't going to work. After about a month though, I realized I had started ignoring things that normally would have set me off severely. There was really no point at which it took an obvious effect, but rather it slowly set in so gradually I didn't really feel it. I would give these meds more time, a lot of them function by slowly building up in your bloodstream, so the effect are not obvious for several weeks.

 

[adaptive1]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have been on them for almost two months. Hopefully I will notice a change soon as well.