As some of ya’ll know, I have repetitive thoughts. The doctor calls them obsessive, but to me that word implies that I’m worrying about something. Or that the thoughts elicit anxiety. But my thoughts fail on both of these. It’s more akin to “nonsensical background chatter”. I realize that my brain is producing it, but I don’t have any emotional connection to it other than when it’s distracting. Sometimes I find it soothing, almost pleasurable. But when it’s bad, it’s really bad.
He wants to put me on an anti-psychotic (Seroquel). I told him that perhaps I could learn to cope with the “noise” on the current medical regiment that I’m on. But he wants to alleviate the thoughts all together.
If I could take the drug on an “as needed basis” (like around PMS time), then I would. But from what I’ve read, this only works with insomnia. With anything else, you’ve got to take the pill everyday–damn the side effects. It’s not worth it to me. I mean, the thoughts certainly suck, but constant drowsiness, weight gain, tardive dyskinesia, and athasthia sound a lot worse, especially since the last two would be added on top of similar symptoms that I’m already dealing with.
Anyone had any luck with something else? Vitamin D or Omega-3s? I do exercise a lot and I think that helps some–almost three hours of exercise a day. I do yoga every day. So I don’t think I can add any activities. It’s not that I’m not anti-meds–I’m still taking the stuff that I know is doing something. I’m just not thrilled about experimenting with something else, on the off-hand chance that symptoms that only bother me occasionally will go away and that the side effects won’t worsen my quality of life.
I understand your reticence, but not every pill has side effects for everybody. Why can’t you try it for a couple weeks and see what happens? If it’s terrible, just taper back off it. Personally, I’d trade my intrusive thoughts for 15 or 20 pounds np, but it’s all up to how badly it’s affecting you.
Meditation is the only thing that has worked for me, but I’m not on any meds.
My opinion is that you are in charge of your body and mind. You have to find what works for you. A professional can’t understand from your prospective. I’m anti-doctor, pills, whatever unless I feel compelled to use them. I really push the envelope too. With that as a backdrop, apparently you can live with these thoughts short term. They are annoying, but you have the opportunity to work with them seeking a remedy. If I could not disassociate from them, I would try embracing them and altering them. Modify the thought and attempt to fixate on a new positive variation. With an OCD personality, it might work. At least you would feel like you are working on something.
I have found that too much chocolate tends to give me wild dreams, not daytime thoughts. Some of those dreams are uncomfortable. So I know in some cases that simple foods and herbs can affect our thoughts. Do some research and experiment.
Nah. In medical terms, obsessive means constant and repetitive. Which your thoughts are. It’s not a judgement term in the way you seem to think.
Do your thoughts loop (same phrase or whatever over and over and overandoverandover) or is it more of a constant stream (going from one phrase or thought to another)?
I’ve got that… One particular thought, or phrase, will cycle and cycle and cycle through my mind for hours. I’ve spent hours at night listening to “the music you can’t get out of your head.”
For me, the answer was good old-fashioned Thorazine, the classic anti-psychotic.
I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone… (Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone!) But it works. It allows me to break the cycle of repetitious thoughts; it lets me think about something else, thank you!
I could live with the other (temporary) side effects, but from what I understand about Tardive Dyskinesia, the effects are permanent. That would be a deal breaker for me. (I could be wrong, but I would certainly check into the likelihood of developing it first.)
needscoffee, it is usually a dealbreaker for me too. It is why I have stayed away from anti-psychs. My run with Abilify stopped because of TD. Maybe I could handle being 100 lbs heavier, but becoming obese and having TD? Depressing doesn’t even begin to describe what that would be like.
I would criticize my doctor for being insensitive about this. But meh. What’s the point? It’s not his fault the craziness has dipped into that confusing realm of pain mixed with pleasure, which makes weighing the pros and cons of inaction hard to do.
Well, yeah: I mean, I’m not smuggling the meds in from Guatemala and self-medicating. I went to a shrink, and we tried lots and lots of things. Thorazine is the only thing that ever really made a positive difference.
(Now, okay, I’m not gonna say that I went to the best shrink. He was an unreconstructed Freudian, for one thing… But that’s okay, 'cause I’m one also…)
I wasn’t implying that you were doping up illegally. I was just being nosy about your diagnosis. I’ve had tons of meds thrown at me, but no firm diagnosis about what’s driving the activity in my head.
My apologies… I was trying to be funny, but it came over a bit flat… (The eternal problem of whimsy, expressed in flat text format. The “tone of voice” doesn’t convey, and it just looks like snark. Some day I’ll learn!)
Technically, no, my psychiatrist didn’t provide a formal diagnosis. It was all on a rough basis. “You seem to have a problem. Okay, let’s try this med. Doesn’t work? Well, okay, I’ve got more. Ah! That seems to work? Great.”
I guess the only real thing I want to offer to the discussion is: sometimes, there are treatments that really do work. A variant on the “It Gets Better” moral support motif.
Just remember that it’s your body, not your doctor’s. If you think that the side effects will be worse than the problem you’re treating, you have the right to say no. Now, it would be prudent to heed and consider the doctor’s advice, but ultimately it’s your decision.