I'm having some problems and I need outside perspective.

I have suffered from pretty severe OCD since I was about 8 (I am 20 years old now). I fall into bed every night completely exhausted from worrying and obsessing about EVERYTHING all day. I have tried both xanax and lexapro to help me relax, but both seem to make me too tired to function at the office, and I can't stand the "kick-in" period that lasts about 6 weeks.

I was recently prescribed percocet after a routine dental procedure, and the difference is AMAZING. I am completely at peace and relaxed, but still alert enough to function. The problem is that my boyfriend is convinced I am addicted to the pills and insists I throw them away. He's seen me get addicted to pills before, so his concern is not ridiculous, but how can I explain to him that I need some sort of chemical intervention to feel normal?

When I try to explain this, he rolls his eyes and says I'm just making excuses to indulge in an addiction. Is there any way I can bring up this subject without sounding like an addict?! I have only been taking percocet for the past 3 days, and I'm the happiest I have been in about 10 years.

J_9

Percocet is highly addictive. It is a narcotic and chances are it will not be prescribed again. It certainly won't be prescribed for OCD.

You do need an antidepressant for OCD. I have a feeling you have been prescribed a med that may not help you, thus you continued to have problems.

The six drugs shown to be effective in OCD include: fluvoxamine (Luvox), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), and clomipramine (Anafranil). Anafranil has been around the longest and is the best studied throughout the world. There is growing evidence that the other drugs are as effective. In addition to these carefully studied drugs, there are hundreds of case reports of other drugs being helpful. There are reports of small number of patients that suggest that venlafaxine (Effexor) may be effective; but there have been no large scale controlled trials done yet.

If you have not taken any of these six meds, you may want to bring it up with your doctor. most of these, while they have the 4-6 week waiting period for effectiveness, don't have the side effects that you have described with your other meds.

excon

Hello x:

Yeah, percocet's gooooood, ain't it? However, if you keep on taking it, you WILL become an addict.

Try eating pot. You can find a level where you don't feel loaded, but your OCD will be a thing of the past.

excon

J_9

LOL, here's my analytical medical brain kicking in.....

Did you know that pot actually INCREASES symptoms of OCD? Yep, causes the brain to keep on thinking.

xmarksthespotx

I know it's pretty addictive, which is probably why my boyfriend is so concerned. It just seems that the other anti-anxiety medications make me feel so tired and emotionally unstable ... right now, I feel like myself but with a little bit of the edge taken off. I do have to admit, though, that I hate the feeling of being addicted and wouldn't want to live life in that way.

I haven't tried any of the anti-depressants you listed. Have you had any personal experience with them? My main fear of taking SSRIs is that most people gain a considerable amount of weight. I am really active and work out about 6 times a week to stay in excellent shape. I would rather deal with anxiety than deal with excessive weight gain.

Do you think my boyfriend has a right to be upset that his once pill-free girlfriend is now in need of medication? I feel guilty even admitting this.

xmarksthespotx

Ironically, I am very anti-drug and alcohol. The majority of men in my family are alocholics and everyone in my family gets addicted to substances very, very easily. I've smoked pot exactly once in my life and hated the feeling of being "slowed down". Percocet is the first drug I've ever taken that seems to have no negative side effects! I'm not tired or confused or slowed down, I'm just ... relaaaaxed. I am so used to be stressed that this feels amazing.

I wish I could tell this all to a doctor and they'd just give me a permanent prescription! Not likely, I know. The SSRIs prescribed for OCD just seem to have so many negative side effects and turn you into someone you're not.

And this is all on top of the fact that my boyfriend thinks people that need pills are "psycho" and "screwed up" ...

J_9

Sounds like you need a new boyfriend if he thinks this.

Look, if he had high blood pressure would he take HPB meds or would he let his kidneys rot away and die of kidney failure, a stroke or heart attack? Nah, he'd take the meds.

OCD is a chemical imbalance in your body just like HBP is a chemical imbalance. The balance must be maintained to live a healthy and functional life.

Have I had experience with the meds? A little myself, but I don't have OCD. I used celexa and effexor to get me over the stress of a full time job, 4 kids (one was just a baby), and going back to college at the age of 38. It was a temporary fix for me.

But OCD can be managed with therapy and drug treatment. The meds do not have to be permanent, just used during therapy to learn to control the OCD.

Most of what I posted above I got out of my medical texts.

Greg Quinn

Yes, I agree with J9

J_9

That doctor is absolutely correct with ADHD. But OCD is a totally different animal.

ordinaryguy

If you haven't tried them, how can you know what their effect will be on you? Everybody's different.

About your boyfriend, I'd say your first allegiance has to be to yourself and your own health. If he can't understand or won't accept the need for pharmaceutical therapy for OCD, he's not the guy for you. He's right to be concerned about the Percocet, but it sounds like he's against all pills whatsoever, and that's just ignorance. You can try to educate him, but if he refuses to be educated, kick him to the curb.