I am 36 years old male. I have been suffering from ocd for last 14 years. I consulted with many psychiatrists and took treatment from them. I just got 50% relief and still suffering from the disease. If I quit taking medicines, my problem deteriorates. So, I am taking 1 tablet of sertraline 100 mg daily at night for last 1 year without going to doctor for last 1 year. This is the medicine which my last doctor prescribed me when I used to visit her 1 year back. Can there be any side effects of taking medicine in this manner?
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Dear user 1) it is unwise to self medicate. 2) if you take medication without consultation there are more chances of side effect 3) the dose you are taking is not sufficient for ocd.
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Please read about the side effects of chronic use of sertraline or other ssri drugs which may include irritability, overconfidence, hyperreligiousness, decreased sleep, occasionally sexual dysfunction, etc. For your problem, drugs surely improve 50% of ocd symptoms, but the other 50% needs simultaneous psychotherapy (ocd specific). Otherwise be prepared for a lifelong need to be on drugs. Psychotherapy in this case is simple but takes quite a few sessions and if you follow the psychiatrist's instructions and perspectives you can be a freebies in a few months. Best of luck*
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Although sertraline is helpful, you seem to be taking it without a prescription for the same for the last one year. You also report that your condition is only 50% better and your ocd is longstanding i.e. About 14 years. We would really consider you medications for an overhaul. I suggest that you book an appointment with us so that we explore other and better options. Look forward to hearing from you. If you need help with booking an appointment online with me on this website either text, an appointment for a confidential and private consultation you may do so by contacting the help desk of Lybrate.
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Write down your obsessive thoughts or worries. Keep a pad and pencil on you, or type on a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. When you begin to obsess, write down all your thoughts or compulsions. Keep writing as the OCD urges continue, aiming to record exactly what you’re thinking, even if you’re repeating the same phrases or the same urges over and over. Writing it all down will help you see just how repetitive your obsessions are. Writing down the same phrase or urge hundreds of times will help it lose its power. Writing thoughts down is much harder work than simply thinking them, so your obsessive thoughts are likely to disappear sooner.
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Ocd is a psychological problem and since you are not getting permanent relief from medications and also a dependency on them has been developed you will need to consult a good therapist. Psychotherapy with clinical hypnotherapy can help you in getting long lasting changes without any dependency. Also to taper off the medication you will need to consult a psychiatrist. We have had many cases where ocd (which was there since more than a decade) is no longer there.
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Sir, please do not take medication without supervision. This medication have to be carefully monitored and the dosage may have to be corrected periodically; only a doctor can do this perfectly. You must also consult a counselor because you can learn new skills and tools to handle your problems. Meet with a counselor first and then if that person recommends a psychiatrist to deal with this issue, do visit one as soon as possible. Please take your parents with you to determine the possible developmental issues that may have contributed to this condition. This is a fear-based condition and for some reason you have not been dealing with this childhood fear which has now developed unto these repetitive adaptations to seem to need it for normal functioning. The behavior will then become based on magical thinking and certain rituals will become necessary to do normal things making you believe that either the frequency or the ritual is important to its success. This of course is a fallacy but there will come a time that even if told the truth, your belief will defy any logic and you will continue behaving like that even if it cripples you in your daily routines. It only appears as though some other force is behind these behaviors and that you are compelled to act in this fashion. That is obviously not true but no one can convince you of anything different. The obsession is a repeating thought pattern with no meaningful outcome; and the compulsiveness is the need to act on those obsessions also in a repeated behavior pattern as though you just cannot help yourself. This is all driven by fear and when you are frustrated with it, you will escalate anger over it. Doubt, insecurity, uncertainty, and lack of firm memory will all plague you and increase stress. There are certain behavioral techniques to be implemented and if they work you may get out of this condition rather easily. If that does not work as desired, then medication has to be introduced, and in combination with counseling much work can be achieved.
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