It’s a very small study but a 35% reduction of symptoms in, so far, treatment refractory patients is pretty impressive.
6 Responses to “New OCD Medication?”
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Jul
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2005
Matty on Aug 10 2005 at 5:33 pm
Good news in a way - but also disturbing proof in those stats of just how fluctuating and non-guaranteed treatment of OCD really is.
Inc, what tickles me is the side-effects of our meds - just started on Zoloft after an unsuccessful stint on Efexor (venlafaxine) and the side-effects amost all mirror the symptoms I have anyway! Ho hum…
Matty
Incertus on Aug 11 2005 at 8:40 am
Ah yes, side effects. My experience with Zoloft was that it was important to keep some Imodium around or not get too far from a bathroom…
My biggest complaint about side effects other then the usual ones was the blunting of perception or a slowing, distancing of thinking and of energy levels in general and a loss of interest in doing things. In many ways they make me feel depressed even though I wasn’t. That’s probably a function of the much higher dosage then is used for treating things other the OCD.
Of course if any of the medications I have tried had worked for me that would have made the side effects much more tolerable.
Kevin on Dec 03 2006 at 2:27 am
I’m hoping that the science/medical community can get with it finally when it comes to OCD treatment. The SSRI’s are not all that great. The reason they work at high doses on OCD is because at those dose levels they screw with about every neurotransmitter in your brain. Unfortunately, they also generally screw with several other systems throughout the body. I have a feeling that as more research emerges about the SSRI meds a likely conclusion may be drawn that they aren’t all that much better than the older meds in the tricyclic class. I’ve taken the SSRIs for years for OCD, and now 45 lbs heavier with no sex drive and a host of other issues I can only hope the Riluzole is a step in the right direction towards better drugs with a more favorable side effect profile.
Elaine on Mar 16 2007 at 12:21 am
I feel your pain Kevin. I’ve taken about every SSRI known to man. I used to be a svelte size 4, and now I’m up to almost a 14 on a good day. You do the math. I’ve been doing some research of my own, and it seems that any SSRI will increase cortsiol. In one item I found it stated that one 30MG dose of Prozac increase cortisol x3!!! It’s no wonder I’ve got a stomach that hangs, and stretch marks all over. I look like someone with Cushing’s Syndrome. If SSRIs cause some kind of Cushing’s type of problem, then well… that’s a big no-no. That much cortisol floating around your body is bound to cause damage (including weight gain, blood sugar issues… all of that stuff that we see as side-effects of our meds.) Have you considered going on of the olders meds (tri class?) They cause weight gain too, but not because a damaging hormone is freely circulating through your body. I think it’s more of an appetite issue. I’m seeing my doc about it next week. They’re cheaper too :-) Good luck!
jessica o'loughlin on Aug 23 2007 at 12:36 pm
I have had OCD since I was 15. I am 56 now. Its been a long, slow, road. Having this illness has really slowed me down, along with the chronic depression that goes with it. I also have tried many anti-depressants. I used to weigh 115lbs. now, 160. It was stopping smoking that also caused weight gain over 10yrs. I take Lexapro. 10mg. It helps for depression, not the ocd. I guess I have just learned to live with it & work around it. I am greatly oppressed with checking & some hoarding compulsions. A good book to read is Brain Lock by Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz. He is a psychiatrist at UCLA Medical Center in CA. Sincerely & I share your pain. I pray for you all because I know exactly what you feel & go through every day!
Jessica O’Loughlin
Stephen on Aug 26 2008 at 1:55 pm
Does anyone take Effexor XR? If so, have you had an increase in heart rate? I’ve been on Effexor XR to treat my OCD for 5 or 6 years now. Just recently, I’ve been experiencing increased heart rate in the mornings. I’ve been to the doctor and they told me I just have a high heart rate, but studies show that patients on high doses of Effexor experience increased heart rate. So, I’ve scheduled an appointment with a cardiac specialist.