I need an opinion about Luvox on my OCD

[Klonopin]

I was diagnosed OCD when I was 19, now I am 30, even the main diagnose was ocd, i also showed symptoms of other issues such as panic attacks, and depression. I was even thru ECT. In 2002 I started taking luvox 300mg a day. Also clonazepam, and valproic acid. I was 22 in that time, and I did well for a while, even a couple of years ago I started taking only 150mg luvox. Now my OCD symptoms are still low, but the panic attacks specially when I go out to the street or a public place are greater than ever. Is it possible that medications stop making effect, or that the biological changes in our body due to normal growing make the dose become less than required? Any comment would be nice to hear.

[flob]

well from experience the effects of meds can change. generally i've seen things simply stop working for people...but it doesn't happen very often and i've always wondered if the med was truly working to begin with.

are you going to therapy for your anxiety attacks? as you probably know by now...that's very important for both ocd and anxiety. the 2 go hand in hand for me. anxiety is always the most unpleasant symptom, but it's usually caused by the obsessions that go along with ocd. generally obsessions with health or money or whatever.

i'm not entirely sure of what can happen if you take meds for that many years. i only know my experiences and what little i've read of other's experiences from visiting these forums. i do know that even on meds, there are still ups and downs. you can go 5 or 10 years and do "good" and then bam...out of the blue you're not doing so good anymore. this happens to everyone, so i wouldn't let the anxiety itself cause even more anxiety.

[Klonopin]

Thanks for reply. I started luvox in 2002, 300mg a day. OCD thoughts were really intense and were on me all the time. I would say it took maybe 3 months for the luvox to start working, and 6 months to work better, i say this because this is the time that it took me to start having a life almost as normal as possible. Then luvox was out of market here in my country, and my dr put me on lexapro, that was in 2005, then luvox was again for sale and i got back to it, but this time in a 150mg dose, i was also taking this along with clonazepam and valproic acid. From 2005 to this days i would say everything was good, not as before, but good, but i stopped going to the dr as often, and i stopped the psychotherapy. 2009 i am feeling is sort of a difficult year, but I am on panic attacks now, but only when i go out to the streets or public places, i am afraid of doing something embarassing. The only one great thing i can tell from 2002 up to these days is that most if not all of the intrusive thoughts i used to have are gone. I started psychology treatment again last friday.
I hope it helps. What i really hate is the feeling of anxiety when i go out, it becomes so strong, that i usually have to take 1 mg of clonazepam at least.

[flob]

well it's good to know that you've seen improvement. i'm not sure what intrusive thoughts you're referring to...each person has different ones...but mine are pretty much gone also. now i mostly deal with 2 things...anxiety and fear of death. it does cause me a lot of stress but i'm glad i only deal with those 2 things and not all the things i COULD be dealing with.

sounds like you have some social anxiety? i don't think it's uncommon for people with ocd or anxiety disorders to have some form of social anxiety also. i do. i hate large crowds...i especially hate talking to people i don't know. i'm REALLY bad at it and knowing that makes me even worse. the thing is i've mellowed out a little on how much i actually let it bother me. it doesn't bother me like it used to...mainly because i got tired of letting it. thats not to say i just decided i wouldn't let it happen anymore....that's not really possible. but i decided i was going to ignor it for the most part and slowly i've gotten past alot of the anxiety. the reason i decided that is because whatever people may or may not think of me...odds are it's NEVER going to be what i want them to think about me...even if they're thinking good things. ha.

but anyway...i'd start back on therapy if you haven't already. you really don't want to let social anxiety devlop too much or eventually you'll never leave the house.

[Klonopin]

well i was 19, and started having thoughts about harming myself or others, i was also afraid of losing control, of course this brought a lot of adrenaline rushes and panic attacks, as you said, i got the combo, hehe, it really sucked. But as all conditions i started treatment and research, one thing that was very 'interesting' was that i culd notice i was 'pure-o' ocd type. When i started research for ocd it seemed everybody had problems with bacteria and washing hands, and i was, hey that is not what happens to me, hehe, but it was 'good' to know my condition fell on another category. To me it is incredible how some people need to check their locks many times, and I am ocd myself!! When i noticed that i realized how impressive the mind can be.

I have had many different of intrusive thoughts, some about harm, some others about making embarassing things, and for periods, i mean, lets say 6 months i think i could do one thing, then the next 6 months i am obsessed with another embarassing act i could do, etc etc.

I dont know if social anxiety would be the best term for my problem, i totally think i am afraid of doing some embarassing act in public, so when i go out i got anxiety crisis, and it feels horrible, so, what i do is try to go out the least so i dont experience this emtremely and stressing discomfort episodes, but of course, i would not get my life normal if i continue like that, it is just hard.

You mention you were afraid of talking to people,.. well, as i said before it is really hard to understand why some things are very hard to do for some people, i am very confident about talking to people, and i am not afraid of germs at all, but whenit comes about going by myself to the mall, take a walk or something, is becoming a very uncomfortable thing since last August.

[flob]

with my ocd...i certainly lean more towards the obsessive rather than compulsive side of the disorder. it is also hard for me to understand why some people engage in certain compulsions...however, when i really examine certain actions of mine, there is some compulsive behavior there, although it's quite mild compared to others and almost completely unnoticeable by anyone but me.

as far as social anxiety...for me, it's kind of a general term that covers all the reasons one may have problems with going out and interacting with the world. but i think the most common form of treatment is obviously therapy, but also exposure. making sure you're exposed to it.  if you've delt with ocd for as long as you have, you probably already know that.

i used to wonder if i really had ocd just because i never had major compulsions like everyone else....but the obsessions certainly were there and they were bad. i thought i was just psychotic. looking back after being on meds and getting to a much more healthy mental state, i see clearly that ocd was the problem...although as you said, it was a different form than the type most people call ocd. anyway, i'm just glad i don't deal with many obsessions anymore or intrusive thoughts. you know it's odd that so many people with ocd fear harming themselves or others...i've never heard of someone actually doing it and yet we fear it as though it's a real possibility. it makes me wonder why.

[Klonopin]

Well, i remember a couple of websites that i read in which i learned about pure-o by first time, i cant deny i felt a lot of reliefe to know it was a condition that was known, pretty much in the health community but known. I dont really think I have compulsions. One thing for sure is that all my life i have felt more comfortable when what i see 'fits', i mean, geometrically, categorizing things, and being very analitical, i guess that is one obsession that has been with me always, but it has never made me feel emtremely anxious, when i cant make something fit, i just let go without noticing, maybe that obsession with things has some advantages, up to point.

I have anxiety, but it is only when i go out of my house, and i started to feel it again since last august, it is very 'strange' but i was able to go out of my country by myself in june and august. I am starting to expose myself again. I have no choice, and i guess it is good, because if i had i would avoid a problem and that would not be good.

I have had maybe more than 10 drs before i found what i could call the best one. You said you thought you were psychotic but as far as i know psychotics are not able to know they are psychotics.

About agressive thoughts, it is quite true, people with agressive thoughts on ocd seems to be actually non-violent people, (maybe thats the reason violent thoughts cause so much distress). The harmful thoughts are prety much gone anyway compared when this started, now as i said are thoughts of losing control and doing something embarassing, but that is still extremely stressful too. But that is prett much with what i have to deal these days.

[flob]

yeah, i know it wasn't phsychosis for me. at least, not by the medical standard. but it was obsessions at their very worst....and to be honest, i'm not so sure i'd prefer the obsessions and the extreme anxiety that goes along with them over actual temporary psychosis.

out of curiosity...how often to you leave your house and how often do you interact with other people? how much is it intruding on your life?

[Klonopin]

My situation at this moment is kind of particular, I dont have a job, but that 'makes sence' because i am working on the project that will help me get my degree, and i need time for that, but most of that work is computer and book based. I am still looking everyday for a job though, but there are not many jobs at least in the newspaper for my profile i guess. So that means that when i go out is for a very specified reason, such as hand in papers at college weekly, some other times some friend calls me go out for a coffee. (decaf i mean hehe).  I am looking for an activity such as a job or start a masters degree so i have a routine to force myself do the activities that are considered to be done in a normal life.
This is kind of strange, but in april, june and august i traveled by myself to dfferent places and had very little discomfort, two of those times were out of my country, it was since august that i think i started having stronger anxiety crisis.

It is obvious that health is the most important thing, i am not sure i would pick a psychotic condition instead of anxiety or anything, any conditions regarding the CNS are not good. I have had great great great moments after i was diagnosed that you could even say, 'i am cured' but that would not be prudent to think.