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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 13:20:02
Hi Everyone,
I am wondering if anyone else has either been prescribed Zonegran for OCD or anxiety disorders or has noticed an effect Zonegran had on OCD or anxiety, if Zonegran was prescribed for some other reason.
For the first time I have been prescribed Zonegran. My diagnoses are OCD with unipolar depression, PTSD, and general anxiety disorder. In my introduction (on another part of the board) I noted that I used to take 80 mg of Prozac daily but following gastric bypass surgery could no longer do so because the Prozac caused extreme nausea. Now I have a new psychiatrist and he has prescribed 100 mg of Zonegran nightly for 2 weeks then 200 mg nightly.
I am noticing a significant decrease in the "volume" of the anxiety and OCD. My thoughts typically race and are "loud" enough that they fill my conciousness. The analogy to volume is not a very good one, but it's the one that comes to mind most often. It's hard to explain how I experience my obsessions and my urges to perform my rituals. What I'm noticing today is that I am able to let go of the obsessions rather quickly. Considering my normal patterns, this is very rapid. For instance, I recently met someone on the internet and we were supposed to meet this week. All of a sudden, he won't return my calls and I know in the past he's told me this is his pattern, that he gets so close to someone then runs. Despite that confession, in the past I'd be obsessing about what I did, what I could do to get him to change his mind, I'd be calling him, emailing, etc. But after making a couple calls and sending one email, I'm thinking, "What the hell. I gave this my best shot. This is his problem. Not mine." And I *believe* this to be true! This has got to be the medication!
The downside of the Zonegran is that I'm incredibly spaced out today. I could just sit and stare into nothingness and let the hours pass by. Has anyone else experienced this side effect? Others have said they felt "doped" temporarily and it wore off. I'm hoping this is temporary too.
hollyocd
Posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 13:54:54
In reply to Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 13:20:02
Hi Holly - I read your post on the Newbies board. I too have OCD and its truly a living hell. Mine is also mainly ruminitive and its usually about my marriage. I feel like its a catch 22 - maybe there really is something wrong, or maybe its really just my "imagination." There were a few other things I used to obsess about, but those things have kind of faded. The marriage obsessions remain unfortunately. I've never heard of Zonegran, but if its working for you, be HAPPY! I'm taking 60 mg Celexa and 300 Wellbutrin XL, along with some klonopin when I feel I need it (which has been almost every day lately). Where do you live that you have to travel 2 hours to see a doctor? Just curious. Welcome to the board!
Posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 14:00:41
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 13:54:54
Hey there, Tampagirl, I live in NW Arkansas. It's not that there are no psychiatrists here. There are. It's my health plan. I have no out of network psych coverage. I pay all my counseling out my own pocket but psychiatrists charge considerably more "cash price" than my counselor charges. If I'd pay cash to see a local psychiatrist not in my network I'd be paying $300 for the initial visit and $100 each visit thereafter. I just can't afford that. It's a stretch to pay the $50 copay for the dr. who is 2 hrs away.
Holly
Posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 14:16:11
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 14:00:41
We're definitely between a rock and a hard place when it comes to doctors and health insurance. I guess it could be worse - I've heard some of the Brits on here talking about how they've had to wait 2 months or more to see a pdoc or therapist.
I used to know a Holly on another board a long time ago. Did you used to work in a lab with blood?
Posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 14:23:21
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 14:16:11
My apologies if I messed up posting just now. I tried to post a message saying that I don't work in a lab with blood and that it must have been someone else named Holly whom you met on another board. And you're right about health insurance problems. But after having had no insurance for many years, I'm glad I have coverage now.
Posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 14:44:13
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 14:23:21
I'm glad you're here on the board - It seems like there aren't many "thinking" OCDers here so its hard for people to relate to what we go through. Although compulsions can't be any fun either. I was diagnosed in 1998 but had problems before that and never knew what it was. I'm so glad I found out what I'm dealing with instead of thinking that what I was going through in my head was normal. How long have you been dealing with OCD?
Posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 15:01:15
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 14:44:13
I was diagnosed in 1995, when I was in grad school. At that time the OCD was moderate to severe, according to the YBOCS score. My OCD has always been more obsessional and less focused on compulsions. At the time I was diagnosed I was worried that I was missing information in books I was reading and I'd underline everything in case it was important. I was checking my watch every minute or so in case I would be late. It was awfu. My psychiatrist tried Luvox but I didn't have much luck with it. I tried Prozac next but never built up to a therapeutic dose and because I didn't have insurance I stopped seeking drug therapy. Now some people ask about the student health center at the university but they didn't have a good system to refer to a psychiatrist and didn't have a reliable psychiatrist at the time.
So I muddled along. In 1998 I got a job in another state, moved, and found I hated the job, it was too many hours (100+ per wk) and my OCD and depression became severe. I became non-functional and unable to do my work. I was faced with a choice of quit or be fired, so I quit and came back to Ark. to go to grad school where I intended to finish my Ph.D. But once here I found the mental illness was just as bad. I could not focus on my research, I could only work part time at a copy place and finally paid out of my pocket to see a psychiatrist, who got me on the 80 mg of Prozac. This helped me function well enough to work full time but the OCD remained a problem although my YBOCS score was down to a moderate level.
Since I've been off medication, my YBOCS score is back at the severe level. The thoughts go round and round in my head like a hampster on one of those wheels. They don't stop. They are always at the forefront of my mind and I find it very difficult to ignore them. The saving grace from the Prozac was that it lifted the depression. I have thoughts like "What will happen if I do X?" and it will go round and round in my head all the time. I balance my checkbook in my head too, I add and subtract money from my checking acct based on what I might buy. I spell words, I figure out acronyms, it just never stops. And the obsessions are frequently focused on catastrophes that might happen. I find it hard to drive sometimes because the car might blow up or go out of control and I might have a wreck. In recent years, I have been doing better with the obsessions regarding the car and now drive 40 minutes to work every day and 40 minutes home without much worry.
Lately I've been having trouble figuring out what's OCD and what's not. I met someone in 1995 on the OCD fairlight site and had a friendship with him. We've lost touch and I have tried calling his house a few times but he never returned my phone calls. Now I am thinking about him again and have considered calling him. I wonder if that's OCD or if it's just curiosity. I guess what I'm saying is that because I obsess about so many things I'm not always sure what a "normal" thought pattern is.
holly
Posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 15:30:51
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 15:01:15
I was on the Fairlite OCD site too, back in 2000 I think. I'm having the same problem you're talking about - not knowing if there's really a problem with my marriage or if its just OCD. I also count stuff and do other little things that could be considered compulsions, but nothing that takes up hours or even minutes of my time. When I first started obsessing in college, it was after I did something I wasn't proud of and felt really bad about myself. It went on for about 2 or 3 weeks, then it went away. That was in 1991. The next time it happened was in 1993 and I had just met my husband. We got engaged shortly after we met and I freaked out suddenly and had all of these thoughts and fears racing through my mind. What if I really don't love him? How do I know I love him? WHat if we're not supposed to be together? What if I don't like him in 2, 5 or 10 years/weeks/months? It just went on and on and was complete misery. Again, this lasted for a month or so and then it went away. The next time was in 1998 and it was obsessing about getting fired, getting a disease and then the whole love thing came into it, just for fun I guess (NOT!). That's when I was diagnosed and things were pretty calm until 2000 when I lost a job and then it got crazy again. From 2000 til this year has been pretty steady; I've had some minor obsessing and earlier this year tried going off my meds. That was a disaster and I quickly realized I need them. I hate to admit I need them, but I'm glad they're out there to help me. About a month ago I had a cold and was home from work watching TLC and A Wedding Story came on. Ever since then, I've been obsessing about my marriage and have been depressed for almost 3 weeks now. I was feeling much better last week, then Saturday afternoon I crashed and now am down again.
Instead of communicating this way, we can Babblemail. You have to turn it on in the Registration section. I'd love to "compare notes" with you some more.
Posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 15:41:32
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 15:30:51
I turned on Babblemail so we can take some of this off the board :-) However, I have a Zonegran update. It seems to wear off as the day goes on. And I think I may have caused this. I drank a diet Dr. Pepper because I was so spaced. Caffeine always makes my OCD much much worse. Now I am having more obsessions than earlier today. :-(
Posted by tampagirl70 on November 15, 2004, at 16:19:21
In reply to Re: Zonegran OCD/Anxiety, posted by hollyocd on November 15, 2004, at 15:41:32
Yikes, I'm sorry your obsessions have gotten worse. Usually I feel much better towards the end of the day - maybe its because I get to go home, but I've heard from a lot of people who have depression that evenings/nights are much better/easier for them.
I'm going to see a therapist tonight that I saw a couple months ago. I'm hoping he can help me sort some of this out. I got a list of doctors from the OC Foundation and I've seen one of them in my area. Frankly, I didn't find him to be that great, but I only saw him once and it was with a group of med students. This guy I'm seeing tonight is also a marriage counselor, so I'm hoping that he doesn't try to make it all about marriage, because I don't think its all about marriage, I think its both marriage and OCD. But what do I know??
This is the end of the thread.
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