Anafranil/clomipramine for anxiety/OCD?

[carfreemama]

Okay. I feel like I've tried everything.

I am on adrenal support, omega 3 and nicinamide under the care of a naturopath. I take Rescue Remedy.

I have a dog I love and walk several times a day.

I have a good counsellor.

I just.can't.do.it.anymore.

I have been too ill this summer to participate even in the anxious mamas support thread.

I work full-time and take care of my daughter. I am involved in my community and have lots of friends and family supports. I am happy but constantly freaked out. I hide it very well.

I am sitting here typing, convinced my in-laws will call any minute to tell me my daughter is sick. There was no indication at all of this when they picked her up yesterday, except she wasn't eating much (typical for her). It doesn't matter.

I panicked and went to the doctor for a bleeding mole yesterday, convinced it was stage IV melanoma and I would die. I missed almost the whole day of work. He said benign, is sending me to dermatologist anyway.

I cannot be comforted. I cannot calm down.

So I cry uncle. Will this medication help? I am on such a low dose the pharmacist had to order it in-10 mg, I think.

Can I still do all my homeopathic things?

The thing with me is, when the anxiety is bad I shut down. I stop eating and practicing all the anti-anxiety things I've painstakingly built up in my repertoire. They only help the baseline, not when there's a "blip."

Why isn't self-help working?

I just want someone to wrap me tight in a bear hug and tell me it's going to be okay. I cannot cry but I want to so badly. I am NOT suicidal. I passionately want to live and I am so very grateful for my life.

Is there hope?

[perl]

Who is prescribing the clomipramine? Just curious, as it's quite effective for OCD but also quite old school. A more current therapy regimen is usually a SSRI combined with short term benzos (eg ativan, xanax). The benzodiazepines are used to get you through the acute anxiety until the SSRI takes effect - usually at least 6-8 weeks and at a pretty high dose.

Interesting note - some people reported a side effect of Anafranil as orgasm while yawning. So watch out when you're tired!

Seriously, though, hope you find something that works for you. I've had OCD since I was a child and recently found much relief with SSRIs and Acceptance Commitment Therapy. Hope you feel better soon!

[carfreemama]

Thanks Perl! It's actually my daughter's paediatrician who prescribed the meds for me. He sees his patients' parents, too. He IS close to retirement; so maybe he's a bit old-school. However, I did try Celexa and had some long stretches of nighttime wakefulness, so I think that's part of the reason for trying this. He also said it's been particularly useful for treating trichotillomania. I also have Ativan 0.5 mg and I do find that most effective of all. In fact, if I take 0.5 mg every few days, it works better than anything and I wondered if I could take it like that long-term. Apparently not, though.

What is acceptance committment therapy?

[perl]

Oh, good! I hope it's working well for you!

We were discussing ACT awhile back...

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...itment+therapy