bkm4673
09-15-2005, 08:06 PM
HAS ANYONE HEARD IF ST.JOHNS wort is good for ocd because it is an SSRI so it may be able not work im thinking without the bad side effects of meds anybody know?/////////// thanks alot........
Sponsor
hry33
09-16-2005, 05:17 PM
theres a conflict in study results but try it, as it may help, makes ure you get full strength good quality tablets
ironically its quite expensive here, despite the SJW plant growing wild as a weed
ironically its quite expensive here, despite the SJW plant growing wild as a weed
bkm4673
09-16-2005, 06:04 PM
yeah theres a few websites that sell very good quality st johns im gonna try my lexapro first though. thxs
rasaht
09-25-2005, 10:56 AM
I've never been on any "real" meds, but I do take St Johns wort in times of particular anxiety. I find it works quite quickly and calms my mind to the point where I just can't be bothered dwelling on things. But after a few days of taking it I find I'm feeling numb and sad at the same time... altho i've heard that all anti-depressant/anxiety meds have that effect.
Of course St john's not that strong. It doesn't stop my general worrying but it certainly helps during those times that your mind just won't shut up and let you get on with things!
Of course St john's not that strong. It doesn't stop my general worrying but it certainly helps during those times that your mind just won't shut up and let you get on with things!
sinnister81
09-27-2005, 07:49 PM
St johns wort is a serotonin norepinephrine dopamine and gaba reuptake inhibitor. It just happens to be natural. If you take SJW chances are u wont feel anything for a few weeks other than placebo effect or maybe some slight jitters. Its basicallly a natural form of antidepressant
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-27-2005, 08:50 PM
I'm sure that out of the natural treatments, it's one of the better ones, but just be careful- it can be notorious for messing up the effects of other medications (if you're taking any) or create adverse interactions with other drugs. I hope it works for you, but just be sure to tell your doctor, just in case you need future medications for whatever reason. Oh, starting CBT Thursday and weaning off Zoloft/starting Prozac in two weeks! Yes! Might also get started on a VERY low dose of Lamictal b/c yet another person thinks that I'm cyclothymic, which I've expected for about three years... :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 12:48 AM
i should do cbt. bye the way what is cyclothymic? im not gonna take st johns im starting my lexapro tonight...............
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 12:48 AM
i should do cbt. bye the way what is cyclothymic? im not gonna take st johns im starting my lexapro tonight...............good luck on the prozac
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 12:49 AM
i should do cbt. bye the way what is cyclothymic? im not gonna take st johns im starting my lexapro tonight...............good luck on the prozac
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 12:49 AM
i should do cbt. bye the way what is cyclothymic? im not gonna take st johns im starting my lexapro tonight...............good luck on the prozac
brainchild
09-28-2005, 12:53 PM
wow! really?? i have always wondered if there is a natural form of medication for ocd!! and does it really help to calm the nerves when ur really feeling axious and stressed over things? where do you get it from? likea herbal remedy store? can you take it all the time? (apart from when ur preggers obv!) and also does it have any long term damage side effects or is it totally safe? if it could make me not be bothered to worry about the things i worry about then that would be a great help im sure!! :-D
brainchild
09-28-2005, 12:59 PM
oh and also, when i mean totally natural is it just from a plant? no dodgy chemicals or animal stuff in it? do boots sell it? or any other chemists?
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 01:12 PM
it is fully natural if u goto st.johns wort online you can find some quality stuff called hypercin which is st.johns wort...........good luck
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-28-2005, 02:07 PM
Hey, bkm! Cyclothymia is a very, very mild form of bipolar disorder, where the person has rapidly changing mood swings throughout the day, but much less severe than bipolar disorder. For example, I can be happy one hour and want to just beat some sense into people the next. My mom's always said that I can be miserable one minute and giddy the next, pretty much the definition of cyclothymia. I just read an article last night that said that there actually might be a subset called cyclothymic OCD, and God, did that fit me! ;)
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 02:42 PM
wow gatsby that is way to interesting ...........ive never heard of that so u think u have that? i feel like smakin people upside the head alot maybe i have that too.....im starting my lexapro after i eat lunch im gonna keep informing u on how its working ok. bye gatsby
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-28-2005, 04:22 PM
Yeah, I do think I have it. I was having a very "hypomanic"-like episode yesterday- happy, laughing, wanted to talk about chemistry- and today is horrible. I knew the material on the exam better than anyone; I was teaching others. However, damn OCD made me question the answers I knew were right, and I probably failed, despite knowing what I was doing. :( Made me burst into frustrated tears- today would be a dysthymic (mild depression) day and yesterday was a mild "hypomanic" day. Also, last night, after I was really happy studying one-on-one with one of the few people I like here, I got back to my room, and was miserable, b/c I had to be surrounded by my roommate and all of her friends. I simply just cannot take their immaturity and self-centeredness... :mad:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 04:35 PM
gatsby dont let them get to u i know its easier said then done but be yourself
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-28-2005, 11:19 PM
bkm- You don't have to worry; I always act like the true me. What you see is what you get, and I'm forthright and honest about my quirky interests. Why hide it? If you don't like me, then, hey, that's your loss. Go be a clone, like all of the others- you'll find out some day in the near future that it's not rewarding to hide your true self and put on some act in order to "fit in" and be accepted. I've asserted my independence ever since elementary school, and yes, of course I got my fair share of teasing in middle school for not wearing the "in" thing, but who cares? Let them follow the herds and be chameleons, transforming with every fad. What kills me though, is that "vintage" is coming back, and I'm seeing certain clothes that are MY style, and I've heard many people say, "I like Frank Sinatra's music." Do they even know who he is?! People are just realizing that today's music is horrible, and there's no other choice than to sing the standards, but these few kids don't really LIKE Frank. I, however, have been a devoted fan for five years, since I was 13, and I highly doubt that they can name his first recording at Capitol, his first recording at Reprise, when he left Tommy Dorsey's orchestra, or differentiate between his styles through the years. The obsessiveness, I'm sure, but I can listen to a song, and judging by his phrasing, enunciation, and certain sounds of notes, I can pretty much tell you within a year, when the song was recorded... '55-'56 were much different from '57-'59, and '60-62 were, in my opinion, the best. Take that clones! ;)
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
09-28-2005, 11:41 PM
go be a clone thats too funny....i can do that with oasis and stone tenple pilots music . ive always like hearing sinatras voice in his songs but i dont know much about him besides the brat pack ordeal...........go be a clone im still laughing.
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-29-2005, 10:17 AM
I'm glad I made you laugh! Listening to Frank right now, in fact! :D Just had a physio psych exam all about neurotransmitters, synapses, and the anatomy of the brain- my passion! ;) Figure I need some time for relaxation before I have to go to CBT for the first time this afternoon... Let you know how that goes! Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
09-29-2005, 01:25 PM
hey gatsby i took a lexapro but not sure if i notice anything, i know it can take a few weeks to start working. i enjoy studying nuerotransmitters also but im not in school anymore.ill write again but im running late and im going to get my haircut, bye gatsby
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-29-2005, 09:39 PM
Hey, bkm! Went to the CBT, and had a mini-breakdown (my mom was with me just for the first time, though). The therapist said that just the crap I told her about school alone and my frustrations/obsessions was intense, so I figure if SHE thought it was bad and she sees OCD-ers every day, it MUST be pretty bad! lol! ;) Have a math test tomorrow that I'll surely fail because it's all review, and we all know what happens when I know something 100% and take a test: obsessive ruminations of uncertainty! Yeah! :D Write back soon!
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
09-30-2005, 12:00 AM
u poor thing that sucks u had a breakdown i have them sometimes but i dont let people notice i kind of do it on my own. i hope this lexapro helps me i notice something different in y system im very sensitive to taking medications. gatsby i am getting an mri tomorrow i guess my ocd convinced the drs that i need one im just trying to rule out something majorly wrong with me.......good luck on your test.........
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-30-2005, 07:32 PM
I'm sorry you're having a tough time, too. I'm still pretty bad today- my whole body (legs, torso, and especially my hands) are shaking... I wish you plenty of luck on the MRI. I highly doubt you have anything else wrong with you, but it will be nice to just be reassured and set your mind at ease. I bet you any money this is what they'll find: you have an overactive/dysfunctional basal ganglia, thalamus, and orbitofrontal cortex, all the areas involved in OCD! ;) Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
09-30-2005, 10:26 PM
wow gatsby u know your stuff obviously u have researched it well or u just r interested in it and like learning it. im hoping the lexapro helps me....what happened at your cbt?
GatsbyLuvr1920
09-30-2005, 11:46 PM
Well, I've done extensive research on it on my own accord b/c I'm sooo interested in it. What can I say? I'm a nerd! ;) I get to start working with my FS advisor/Physiological Psych teacher on my research proposal. I'll actually get to test my OCD theories in the lab! Yeah! :D It's really neat that I'll be able to do what I want to do for my future job my freshman year. Not many freshman get to have actual lab experience b/c they all take "Fundamentals of Psychology", which I skipped for many reasons: it wasn't a pre-requisite for the class I'm in now, I took an intro psych class in high school, theories of psychologists, especially Freudian BS, bores me, and I've done enough research on my own that I knew the class would be boring... Needless to say, I was right- my roommate wants to be a psych minor (I'm majoring in neuroscience and minoring in history), and she's taking "Fundamentals of Psych", and from what I've seen of her text, it's as dull and general as I expected! I really hope that I'll be able to discover something somewhat monumental; I just want to find a cure, or at least some better treatments, not only for OCD, but for mental illnesses in general. I didn't do much in CBT yesterday b/c the first session was reserved for her just getting an overview of my major problems- let's just say that I used up the whole hour telling her about my recent collegiate problems, which only scratches the surface of my OCD struggles! lol! I'll actually start the exercises with her next week on. I can tell that I'm getting sick, a cold, I'm sure. I don't mind being sick; I used to get sick a lot as a kid, but what sucks is that the day before I get congestion, which is tonight, all of my teeth hurt, which just feeds into my cavity obsession... Have to go to the dentist in two weeks, and I've already been counting down the days... :eek: Hope all is well with you, and write back soon! I enjoy talking with you! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-01-2005, 01:31 AM
thx gatsby i really like talking to u too you are a very intriguing young women. im like that too i use to study vitamins and the way they affect people and the body and brain just because it interested me. my best friend will be a dr. in 1 yr and hes always amazed at how i know so much its just bec ause i like to about the body and brain etc..i could only imagine if i had to restart to explain to a counselor it starts to get irritating..my brother Billy was murdered aug. 28, 2004 and i started counseling then and my dad told me to start talking to them about my ocd, i slowly did but was embarassed just because i felt like its odd but ive learned to cope with ocd which sucks though. im gonna stick out the lexapro for a bit to see if it helps...the mri was easy i actually didnt mind being in the small tube i kept my eyes closed the whole time trying sleep.........well talk to u soon gatsby..............wish u the best with the cbt.........
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-01-2005, 10:48 AM
Thanks- I've never thought of myself as "intriguing"! :D I didn't know that your MRI was already completed; I'm glad you didn't have a problem with it- the claustrophobia issue is a struggle for many (don't think I'd have a problem, though). Take back what I said about getting sick. I think it was just really bad physical symptoms from all the stress of yesterday, and the sore throat was just a painful ulcer on the back of my tongue. Not much to report today... Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-01-2005, 09:37 PM
hey gatsby i just watched some college football w/my dad and uncle and cousins eve though im not the biggest fan of watching college football but i had a few beers and ate. and YES u r intruiging i think and im sure lots of others feel the same.i dont have the results to my mri yet but i didnt mind being in the tunnel i could of feel asleep except the pounding noises keep u up a bit. hey gatsby know omegas 3 complex and vitamin e can help with any skin disorders i saw u on the other thread they r also good for the brain , just a suggestion. take care gatsby i always enjoy your responses.
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-01-2005, 11:48 PM
Hey, bkm! I know most ADULTS think I'm intriguing, but few of my peers do! lol! :D They just see me as "weird" and "uncool"... Oh, well- remember, they're clones! ;) Don't really have much to report right at this moment, but still write back soon b/c I'm sure there will be something OCD-related in the very near future! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-02-2005, 01:23 AM
well gatsby let the clones go cloning, u just seem cool 2 thats y i said that too ud be just cool to be around i can tell..adults think your intriguing well u r an adult to correct? arent u like 19? well talk to u soon have a good evening gatsby
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-02-2005, 04:41 PM
I'm 18, so, yes, technically, I'm an adult, but I just don't think I'm destined to click with my peers... Oh, well! "Let the clones go cloning"- love it! Can see them going in a pod like Dolly the sheep! lol! :D Down to 150 mg of Zoloft; don't start Prozac until this coming Saturday. I hope I can make it through this next week and be able to tolerate the obnoxious five-year-olds...Not really much to report today. Gonna take it easy because I have absolutely no homework since all of my exams were last week. Yeah! Thanks by the way- you seem like you'd be cool to hang around, too! I think a lot of us on here would be good friends- let's face it, we're the only ones who truly understand the torments of OCD! ;) Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-02-2005, 11:30 PM
very true gatsby we r the only ones who truly understand the torment of ocd it can SUCK.........yeah i dont have alot to say tonight im not in the best mood and i have no idea why, oh well...if it wasnt for me excersizing i would feel absolutely nuts thats one thing that has helped my anxiety with ocd..im gonna be gone for 2 days so i hope all is good with u gatsby between now and then, bye gatsby......
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-03-2005, 12:54 AM
Well, bkm, I'm glad that you have found something to help your OCD. I hope you're using these next two days to relax! :D I'll talk to you soon! Enjoy yourself- you deserve it after dealing with the "demons in your head"! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-05-2005, 01:11 AM
i was working ughhhh....i just wanted to say hello.........i am going to bed now but how r u doing when did u say u start your prozac? u think thats gonna help? i hope it helps u alot..
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-05-2005, 02:20 AM
Hey, bkm! We missed you on the boards! :D I start my Prozac this Saturday. Hope it will do some good! lol! Just had an obsession about five minutes ago because of typing my response to rosequartz and I haven't been able to properly do my praying compulsion because my roommate kept talking...she just went to get her shower, so once I'm done typing this, I can do it "right"! ;) I wish I had more exciting news to tell you- I did get a 96% on my Physiological Psych test! :bouncing: But, then again, that's my thing- if I bombed that, then I guess I could say "bye-bye" to my future career! Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-05-2005, 04:35 PM
good job on your test gatsby thats a great score u got....i pray alot i say the rosary for my brother Billy who was murdered last yr. my nuerologist told me to stop the lexapro until he is fully done with his test and i wanted to keep taking them but im gonna stop so they can see if theres any problems but then i will start again. thx for sayin i was missed on here that was nice to hear. my intruitive thoughts r seeming to bug me and i feel the lexapro may have been about to start to work idk. write back gatsby ................
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-05-2005, 07:58 PM
Hey, bkm! Thanks for the congrats! And, of course you were missed! lol! :D Nothing really to say today...Have CBT tomorrow and an appointment with the college psychiatrist (a second time) on Friday. He just wants to check with me the day before I start my Prozac, I guess. Thank God I have very little school stress this week b/c I could barely handle all of my exams on the 200 mg I was on last week, let alone this week's 150 mg... :rolleyes: I really hope that the Prozac works, but the psychiatrist says that it's usually a good SSRI for OCD, so I guess we'll see. I'm just thankful that I don't have to start an atypical anti-psychotic, which I'm not really an advocate for the usage in OCD, unless it's refractory OCD (psychotic- believe their obsessions are real, even when not obsessing). After a few weeks on the Prozac, if I'm still having my possible cyclothymic mood swings, I'll probably be put on a VERY low dose of Lamictal, a mood stabilizer, which I think is probably a good idea, just in case I do have cyclothymia b/c a person with any version of bipolar disorder (even that as mild as cyclothymia) should never be on an anti-depressant alone. Nothing much else to say except write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-05-2005, 08:13 PM
hey there gatsby my brother was told he was bipolar and they gave him lithium and paxil he didnt like the paxil at all. i should try cbt..i may have found a support group for ocd in my neighborhood so that would be very interesting...my brain is getting some major anxiety today along with intruitive thoughts which sucks but i cant wait to get all my test done because i feel meds could help me, i never even told the nuerologist exactly how bad my ocd can get. well till next time gatsby, oh and watch out for those clones...lol..bye gatsby take care of yourself
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-05-2005, 11:45 PM
Thanks, bkm- I'll be sure to keep a close look-out for any suspicious "clone" activity! Ha! Here's something I created on my posts to rosequartz while you were gone a couple days ago, that I thought you might enjoy: so, obviously, the kids here are followers, and a common euphemistic analogy for "follower" is "sheep." Don't you find it rather amusing in an ironic sort of way that I labeled these kids "clones" and they're also "sheep", which of course was the first animal that WAS cloned, a la Dolly?! :D The clones haven't been quite as bad lately because, after the first round of exams last week, they suddenly realized (gasp!) that they're at a college and actually are paying 30 grand a year to do academics! So, yes, they're still procrastinating (and doing a poor job, I might add- they can't even get all of the crap they put off completed! I am the EXPERT in productive procrastination! ;) ), but at least they're doing it in their own room and not squealing like immature children in the hall...Oh, last week, one girl had a birthday, and you wouldn't have thought the girl was turning 18- more like turning "8-1" the way they were acting. Got a cake with this disgusting, tacky bright blue icing that they proceeded in scraping off and smearing on their lips to make a flourescent, gaudy "lipstick" of sorts...Can you believe it?! :rolleyes: Of course, I wasn't a member at this little "make-up party" that was going on in the middle of the hallway, but since they were blocking the main causeway, there they were when I came back from dinner. Also heard they had a mini foodfight, proceeded to wipe the icing on each other, and of course they took digital pictures of the idiotic behavior. :mad: Anyway, I'm in my room, just chilling and reading my physio psych book- fun! NOT sarcasm, by the way, as I'm sure you already knew! lol! :D Oh, one more anecdote I think you'll enjoy- last Saturday, my roommate asked if she could "talk" to me. She had a list of two "complaints" (I'm using this word VERY loosely, by the way)- the one didn't even make sense, and I STILL don't understand it. She said that sometimes I talk loudly and that it's like I'm projecting my voice, as if I were giving a speech. What does that even freakin' mean, and what the hell do you want me to do about it?! That's my voice- I can't very well go to Wal-Mart and buy a new one on sale! I've always spoken loudly, but nowhere near an obnoxious level- blame it on my overenthusiasms and the possible hypomania! That really burned me...Still is...Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-05-2005, 11:55 PM
u r too funny gatsby your letters seem to keep me interested u and the sheep thats funny...my brother use to call people sheep or lambs its funny.well your voice im sure its nice maybe shes jealous who knows...i enjoy reading phsychology books too they can be interesting especially if u have phsych issues yourself lol..like myself and my ocd it can run my life at times...sometimes i wash my clothes over and over and over because i think they got contaminated from somewhere i was and i end up ruining my good clothes its so ridiculous...i could only imagine if i didnt have ocd life would be so much less hectic..hope to talk to u soon..watch out for the sheep...
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-06-2005, 11:35 PM
Hey, bkm! I'm still watching out for "clone activity"- maybe I should put a sign on my door that says "Sheep Xing" because so many of them pop in univited to see my roommate... :rolleyes: Started my CBT today, and this week, for my first "homework assignment", I have to force myself to have obsessions on one of my lower-level topics of worry. This week is the obsession (have it very infrequently now, but had it almost constantly at 12) about being bisexual (at 12, it was being a lesbian, which has gone away completely with my Leo***** DiCaprio obsession! ;) ), so the therapist wants me to imagine me making out with girls and, like, drawing sexual situations- amusing because she wants me to do make-shift porn- me! The girl who has never even been kissed! lol! Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-07-2005, 12:29 AM
wow gatsby ur dr wants u to draw pics of nude women or u hooking up w/them? damn not sure where shes going with that...so u have never been kissed? have u just not met anyone who u wanted to kiss or something like that because im sure guys or girls..lol.. have wanted to kiss u at one time or another..i wanted to tell u that i was just at my friends house and he was spraying tinactin athletes foot spray and i walked into the mist and my ocd went nuts thinking omg i need to wash my clothes and i had a little mental anxiety my friend never knew but my mind was trippin basically my ocd was buggin...just thought id share that........hope u r doing ok even with being around all those sheep..bye gatsby
GatsbyLuvr1920
10-08-2005, 12:05 AM
Hey, bkm! Yeah, it's supposed to help you "visualize" your obsession to produce anxiety, so that way, you can learn to sit with your fear and not do a compulsion. However, I can't just freakin' make up an obsession out of the blue, so don't think that technique's gonna work very well! ;) My psych teacher (who knows about all of my problems) and I both agree that, since I'm a pure O, it's best to just "talk back" to the obsessions when they occur, rather than trying to think of something that will only artificially produce little, if any, anxiety whatsoever. How the hell do you make yourself afraid unless the situation happens?! Anyway, last night, rather than trying to think up bisexual obsessions, which I don't get very frequently in the first place, I was ruminating about (get this) not doing my "CBT homework" correctly and not trying hard enough to do the therapy! :rolleyes: Isn't that twisted, sick, and just plain ironic?! :dizzy: So, I'm going to try the approach that I think will work best for me, and try not to worry about what the therapist says about me not doing my homework for a specific obsession every day, so we'll see...I'd much rather take each obsession one at a time and analyze its stupidity than to create another obsession of ruminating guilt because I didn't do something "right"...Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
bkm4673
10-08-2005, 01:58 AM
gatsby i think u know what u r doing u seem to know what right for u and whats not so keep going with your gut instincts they r obviously correct.........write bak gatsby i really enjoy your convos......................Brandon