Posted by Peter on August 16, 2003, at 6:40:25
In reply to Re: I'm scared-am I going insane?, posted by McPac on August 15, 2003, at 23:30:07
> "Not a day goes by when there isn't constant, obsessive, chatter in my head about all these morbid, shocking things; the inevitable death of my parents, since they're growing old; questions of my own sanity, sudden flashes of haunting memories - constant worry, self-criticizing;"
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sounds like obsessive thinking (OCD), taking an anti-obsessional could help GREATLY! Taking a stimulant could easily make you obsess even more; I'd stay away from the stimulants. Your own words echo this, "(unless i took higher doses - like I think the 35mg might have been too high a dose, since it caused me to hyperfocua on singular tasks and made me isolate". Get that obsessional thinking under control with an anti-obsessional and you'll likely feel MUCH better. Klonopin for the anxiety sounds very good (Klonopin is a good med to take along w/ an anti-ocd med, the combo works well for many. Take care Peter!!!!!!!!!
>>>Definitely a possible solution. But what counts as a n anti-obsessional drug other than moderate-to-high-doses of the SSRI"s?
I've tried every SSRI there is. Some have helped me for a short time with my anxiety, but, just about in every case, they ended up either : a) making me emotionally numb and more prone to drinking a lot; b) causing a mood switch toward hypomania-like behaviour.
So I never got passed the lowest possible therapuetic doses of SSRI's - I don't think high enough for OCD. Also, though, I don't have any ritualistic, compulsive behaviour that accompanies the obsessive thinking. Would that still count as a form of OCD?
As for the stimulant, what I was saying is that, yes, at higher doses it made me even more hyperfocused and obssesed with tasks, etc., but at lower doses it actually put a damper on my obsessionalism by calming me and helping me focus constructively on one or two things. It gave me an ability to be patient, and cross each bridge when I got to it. That's why maybe resuming the stimulant at the lower dose that my pdoc proposed might be beneficial; also, it lowered my impulsivity and, when taking it, I never craved excessive stimulation - I never felt the need for any alcohol or drugs.
I was actually asking to be put on an SSRI again this past week, but my pdoc said that it could activate me even more, and that's why he said it's not a good idea at this time, and that we should get my anxiety down now.
I'm really gonna try to not smoke any more pot in the meantime; it's just that when the klonopin make me so withdrawn and spaced-out, I feel like I need stimulation and thus the pot smoking. That's why maybe some of the adderall in a few days, after being further calmed, would also help the tiring side-effects of the klonopin.
Maybe when I get back to NY and my pdoc gets back from vacation, we could discuss resuming an SSRI or another antiobsessional, if another one exists.
thanks,
Peter
poster:Peter
thread:251194
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/251276.html