second opinions: xanax (smooth groove?)

[Mupepe]

so i was officially prescribed xanax for OCD and anxiety last week.  well today I talked to my friend who is an MD and he told me that he wouldn't recommend xanax for OCD and that it might actually make it worse.  anyone have any experience with OCD?  anyone know who is actually right?  i hear that differing opinions on drugs are not uncommon with medicine. 

help please.  i'm only actually worried because the guy who prescribed it kind of seemed off.

[Mr. Gundam]

I strongly recommend seeing a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist in combination with taking meds.

I'm of the belief that taking medication in isolation does no good.

[demi]

I recommend selling the Xanax to people who really need it, and buy yourself something nice

[Mupepe]

I strongly recommend seeing a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist in combination with taking meds.

I'm of the belief that taking medication in isolation does no good.

well yeah, i have weekly therapy sessions and that's where the recommendations came from for the prescription.  she says i'm depressed, anxious and borderline compulsive.   

I recommend selling the Xanax to people who really need it, and buy yourself something nice

5 dollars a bottle

[demi]

A bottle? Noooo

[MrAngryFace]

Everyones got something these days lol.

Ill stick to advil

[Mupepe]

maf, that's what i said.  she says i have depression but i REALLY don't think so.  maybe if she didn't ask about my love life so much, she'd realize i'm generally happy.  I'M EMO!  WHAT DO YOU WANT, BITCH? 

and tbh, i'm not nearly as emo in real life compared to online.  i'm pretty cold hearted actually.  she keeps thinking i'm not over my ex.  i really think she has no idea what she's talking about

[Van Cruncheon]

is your therapist hot?

if so, stick it where she poops

that'll fix what ails both of ya

[Smooth Groove]

According to the clinical references, Xanax is indicated for the teatment of anxiety disorder (GAD); panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia; anxiety associated with depression.  I looked up OCD also and Xanax is not one of the indicated drugs for OCD, which might be why you friend is worried. 

Physicians are advised to be careful about prescribing Xanax to patients w/depression.  So I'm not sure why you got Xanax even though your doctor thinks you have depression. 


Since I'm still only a student, it's probably best if you see another doctor if you want a 2nd opinion.  One thing I do know about Psychiatry is that a lot of it are subjective.  Research has also shown that it's better to have some kind of psychotherapy in addition to drug therapy.  In many cases, learning to relive your anxiety issues can do much more than drugs alone.  I've sent you some info about Xanax via PM so check it out.

[Van Cruncheon]

dr. groove

[MrAngryFace]

Im generally skeptical of everything, so you can ignore me. But even so, booze and advil does more than some happy pill.

[Ichirou]

Definitely get a second opinion, Moops. FWIW, you've never come across as depressed to me in our online chats.  But then, I dunno how your online persona compares to you IRL.

[Van Cruncheon]

also listen to some DRAGONFORCE while quaffing gin, and then punch your sister in the cunt before pushing over an suv and screaming I AM THOR, BRINGER OF THUNDER AND JUDGMENT

[brawndolicious]

Your therapist might be really new and rely a lot on drugs?

I'm not saying all of these drugs are absolutely wrong, but know that they are designed to change how you FEEL for the whole day so they can really fuck you up when you're wondering why simple things register different.

I recommend taking it for a few days to see how you feel.  She did recommend a pretty small dose right?

[BobbyRobby]

drinking on it can be fun, but be careful. you'll black out very easily, and get very clumsy.  even when i wasn't drinking, i noticed i would forget a lot of details, like entire class lectures.  i wouldn't want to have a perscription and be on it all the time, but i like it in moderation

[Mondain]

oh come the fuck on don't become addicted to such creepy pills that get prescribed on a whim; get a better diet, walk regularly and you'll feel much better

of course i cheat a few times a week, but the core of my diet consists of next to nothing but meat, eggs, fruits, nuts, almonds, and as for drinks, LOTS of water, milk, and pure orange juice; i walk/jog a few times a day

the improvement that this sort of thing does to your body is incredible

whenever you feel low psychologically, it's almost always directly related to your physical state, better improve that first

[ToxicAdam]

OCD could just be a manifestation of your anxiety. So, yea .. I would try the Xanax and see if that lessens your OCD problems. Because clearly you have anxiety issues and at least Xanax will take care of that.


Wuts your dosage?

[xnikki118x]

Definitely get a second opinion, Moops. FWIW, you've never come across as depressed to me in our online chats.  But then, I dunno how your online persona compares to you IRL.

I agree with this post.

I strongly recommend seeing a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist in combination with taking meds.

I'm of the belief that taking medication in isolation does no good.

Absolutely!



Mupepe: different meds do different things to different people. There's a reason you were prescribed Xanax and not something else. What it is, I don't know, but for what it's worth I'd try it out. Give it a month or so maybe--it's a type of benzodiazepine if I remember correctly, and I'm much more familiar with the activity of SSRIs as opposed to benzos, so take this with a grain of salt obviously. But my personal, semi-educated, non-professional opinion is to take it as directed for about a month and see how you feel. It might help, it might not, but you won't know unless you try.

Obviously, YMMV.

[Smooth Groove]

Definitely get a second opinion, Moops. FWIW, you've never come across as depressed to me in our online chats.  But then, I dunno how your online persona compares to you IRL.

I agree with this post.

I strongly recommend seeing a psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist in combination with taking meds.

I'm of the belief that taking medication in isolation does no good.

Absolutely!



Mupepe: different meds do different things to different people. There's a reason you were prescribed Xanax and not something else. What it is, I don't know, but for what it's worth I'd try it out. Give it a month or so maybe--it's a type of benzodiazepine if I remember correctly, and I'm much more familiar with the activity of SSRIs as opposed to benzos, so take this with a grain of salt obviously. But my personal, semi-educated, non-professional opinion is to take it as directed for about a month and see how you feel. It might help, it might not, but you won't know unless you try.

Obviously, YMMV.

Xanax is not a drug of choice for the treatment of OCD.  The doctor prescribed Xanax for the anxiety issues.

Suggested treatment for OCD is:

Adults with mild OCD should be referred to an OCD specialist for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with or without medication; alternatively, treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) alone can be offered to those who are unable to participate in CBT, or who have previously responded well to SSRI therapy, or who prefer treatment with an SSRI alone [18]. Moderate or severe cases require cognitive-behavioral therapy and treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or clomipramine.


Here is some info about the psychotherapy:

Psychotherapeutic measures include a combination of the behavioral therapy known as exposure and response prevention, and cognitive therapy. The efficacy of these approaches has been well established in patients with OCD.

Exposure capitalizes upon the fact that anxiety usually decreases after sufficient duration of contact with a feared stimulus. A patient with obsessions about contamination with germs, then, would remain in contact with a selected feared object or place that was considered contaminated until the anxiety was extinguished. Repeated multiple exposures eventually result in loss of fear of the targeted stimulus. Patients must concurrently avoid rituals or response behaviors until their anxiety disappears. The faulty estimation of danger or exaggerated sense of personal responsibility often seen in the patient with OCD is dealt with by using cognitive therapy.

In a 12-week randomized trial, OCD response rates were higher with psychotherapy (exposure and ritual prevention) than with clomipramine and were similar to response rates with the combination of psychotherapy and clomipramine; all three treatment arms were better than placebo (response rates of 62, 42, 70, and 8 percent, respectively). A meta-analysis found that patients with OCD who received various behavioral treatments, mostly variants of cognitive behavioral therapy, had significantly fewer symptoms than patients receiving usual care (standardized mean difference (SMD) -1.24, 95% CI -1.61 to -0.87) [22].

[Mupepe]

Thank you for the 98% real responses in this thread (a miracle for EB).

I was told about my OCD a loooong time ago but I ignored it until she brought it up.

I was prescribed 2 mg pills in the morning when i wake up and one right after dinner. 

i started it this morning it almost feels like i'm drunk.  but time is going by reaaaaaaaaaally fast.  like insanely fast (i'm liking this!  lol)

I've been told by everyone to get a second opinion about the depression.  I talked to my mom and I don't think Im depressed by any means.  In fact, I'm happier in my life now than I have been in years.

Smooth: Thanks for the info, I'll definitely get a second opinion.  But i"m going to take it for a month and see how I feel.  I don't know what I think of it so far. 

oh come the fuck on don't become addicted to such creepy pills that get prescribed on a whim; get a better diet, walk regularly and you'll feel much better

of course i cheat a few times a week, but the core of my diet consists of next to nothing but meat, eggs, fruits, nuts, almonds, and as for drinks, LOTS of water, milk, and pure orange juice; i walk/jog a few times a day

the improvement that this sort of thing does to your body is incredible

whenever you feel low psychologically, it's almost always directly related to your physical state, better improve that first

don't start with that for me please.  I eat better than almost anyone I know.

I don't touch fast food, I barely eat red meat (maybe once a week).  My diet mainly consists of wheat breads, fruit, vegetables and cereals (real oat and grain cereal, not manufactured crap). 

I exercise 3 times a week and have lost 35 pounds over the past 3 months.

Hell, I surprised the shit out of myself fucking a girl doggy style the other day and I was able to hold myself up with one hand and hold her up with one and fucked her mid-air.  I felt great about myself physically after that.

[Himu]

I took this medicine for my supposed depression and anxiety when I had a mental breakdown.

It didn't really help a bit. I think? You have to take it constantly for 2-3 weeks in order to work, but I didn't feel jack. But I dunno about you though. I hope everything is okay.  :'( I suggest just changing your outlook. It worked for me.

[Himu]

i really think she has no idea what she's talking about

They usually don't. I was diagnosed mild schizophrenia because a picture in my house freaks me out. Just one thing and they gave me a fucking record shitting diagnosis.

[MrAngryFace]

The thing is this. Everyone gets depressed. Most people can deal with it. The depression that REQUIRES drugs is the very private kind you dont talk to anyone about and is practically forced into the light during therapy. Most people who talk about being depressed with anyone, with minimal prodding, are actively coping with being depressed.

So when you are at the point where youre feeling down, but you are open to talk about it, talk about it. Also the fact that you can see the big picture allows you to act on it. Find what you enjoy, what you have passion in. Or even allow yourself to get caught up in something trivial. (like Evilbore)

What you don't want to do is become used to either depression or the drugs you may take to 'cope'. People like that eventually go out of their way to be depressed or doped up because its the only way they know how to live. For them living a full happy life is the most uncomfortable situation they could possibly be in.

[Smooth Groove]

Depression in the clinical setting is very different from what people think it is.  A doctor can't say that a patient is depressed just because the patient has been feeling a little down lately.  Just like any other disease, a patient has to have certain symptoms before he is to be diagnosed with that disease.  For major depression,
a patient has to present with at least 5 of the following symptoms:

Depressed mood
Loss of interests/pleasure
Change in sleep
Change in appetite or weight
Change in psychomotor activity
Loss of energy
Trouble concentrating
Thoughts of worthlessness or guilt
Thoughts about death or suicide



Also, Mondain needs to stop spouting his bullshit about how physicians give medications on a whim. If a doctor were to prescribe meds on a whim, his or her ass would be in jail very quickly. 

[Mupepe]

The thing is this. Everyone gets depressed. Most people can deal with it. The depression that REQUIRES drugs is the very private kind you dont talk to anyone about and is practically forced into the light during therapy. Most people who talk about being depressed with anyone, with minimal prodding, are actively coping with being depressed.

So when you are at the point where youre feeling down, but you are open to talk about it, talk about it. Also the fact that you can see the big picture allows you to act on it. Find what you enjoy, what you have passion in. Or even allow yourself to get caught up in something trivial. (like Evilbore)

What you don't want to do is become used to either depression or the drugs you may take to 'cope'. People like that eventually go out of their way to be depressed or doped up because its the only way they know how to live. For them living a full happy life is the most uncomfortable situation they could possibly be in.

I agree.  People who are truly depressed that require mental help usually don't seem to notice.  I have never been that bad.  I've been in ruts that I eventually snap out of and fix whatever has put me in that position.  And everyone I know has told me that my attitude has changed for the better lately and I seem like a healthier person in general.  I don't know where she's getting this shit from.

Depressed mood )Sure, I have my shitty days, but nothing where I cry myself to sleep and cut my wrists lolz)
Loss of interests/pleasure Actually, my interests have gone up.  I have taken more interests in things such a 3d modelling, art in general, quantum mechanics etc.  i'm actually broadening my horizons
Change in sleep (i used to sleep like 11 hours a day, now i'm down to 7 or 8.  no more bags under my eyes)
Change in appetite or weight (I'VE LOST WEIGHT BECAUSE I EAT LESS/BETTER AND EXERCISE!)
Change in psychomotor activity (don't know what this means)
Loss of energy I have more energy now.  hence why I go work out and stuff now)
Trouble concentrating (i do have this.  but i've always had this)
Thoughts of worthlessness or guilt My confidence has gone up considerably lately.  i've grown more balls when it comes to women and other stuff
Thoughts about death or suicide (I love my daughter way too much.)

to be honest, i've been drinking and other stuff lately.  'course i didn't tell my therapist that

[Mondain]

one shouldn't see a doctor unless it's necessary to survive or live normally; your example heralds that

[Mupepe]

one shouldn't see a doctor unless it's necessary to survive or live normally; your example heralds that

well in the US we're not dirty commies, so it's not as big of a hassle to see the doctor.


seriously though, i was urged to by EAP

[Synbios459]

one shouldn't see a doctor unless it's necessary to survive or live normally; your example heralds that

When will you Canadians realize socialism never works?

[Smooth Groove]

Mondain talks so much shit about doctors that he must have cured his tumor by himself.