Natural Remedies/Suppliments for OCD

[StillHopeful]

Hi -

 

I am trying to make a list of natural supplements for OCD. My DS12 has finally come off of Zoloft which wasn't helping with general anxiety/school phobia and not too much with his OCD. However, since being off of it for 4 weeks I have seen an uptick in contamination OCD symptoms.

 

I don't want to put him back on an SSRI. I started giving him inositol but he is not cooperating too much with drinking the powder mixed into his juice (even though you hardly taste it). Do you think I could put it in capsules and he could just swallow it and I don't have to mix it in liquid? We are starting very slowly w 1/4 tsp and working up to 1 tsp 3xs per day.

 

I can try NAC next, if the inositol doesn't work out. What else is good for OCD? Anyone doing homeopathy?

 

Right now he is on biaxin (strep,myco) and abilify. Tics are about 85% better since antibiotic started in Dec. Anxiety is high, OCD not getting better. Much thanks!

Edited March 10, 2013 by StillHopeful

[rowingmom]

Just a thought, as I know little about OCD; only that it seems to be associated with PANS the way ticcing is. I have seen some mention about using NAC (you said you may try that next) as well as l-carnitine, to help ticcing on the ACN Tourettes forum.

[MomWithOCDSon]

StillHopeful --

 

FWIW, Abilify just ramped up our DS's OCD symptoms, so you might want to keep an eye to see if you can tie any increases in behaviors to when you began Abilify or increased dosage, etc.

 

You can get inositol in gelcap form, so you might not necessarily have to package it yourself, unless you want to titer it up in sizes you can't find ready-made. Inositol didn't work for us, but I'm not sure we ever got it up to sufficient doses. I would suggest sticking with this, and so long as you don't get any negative results, see where the titering up will get you.

 

We use NAC and it does have some proven efficacy against OCD behaviors; we've been using it for years. Some people, however, experience a worsening of behaviors when trying NAC for some reason (if you do a search here for it, you'll find the threads relative to that. I guess you won't know until/unless you try it.

 

I don't know of any other "natural" or non-prescrip supplements/meds specifically for OCD, though there are some that help combat the anxiety that underlies the OCD behaviors, like valerian root, melatonin, antihistamines (quercitin, Pepcid).

 

Good luck!

[Mayzoo]

I am using Lemon Balm 500mg in the morning and the evening for my daughter's anxiety. It has helped her a lot so far, we started it on the 1st.

 

We do not have a lot of OCD, but here is a google search of homeopathic items for OCD: My link

[LNN]

You can buy inositol in capsule form. The only difficulty is that it makes it harder to titrate your dose upward in small increments. But once you reach target dose, you can give the capsule form. Alternatively, you can buy empty gel capsules and fill your own. I do this when I can only find a capsule supplement in X dose but only want to give half that much. I'll open the capsule and put half into an emtpy gel cap. Can get them at a health food store or on amazon.

 

When my DS took inositol for a few months, he got tired of being forced to drink the entire drink in order to get a full dose. So I ended up just dumping the tsp of powder onto his tongue and he'd wash it down with a swig of water. It has little taste, sorta like powdered sugar. It took the edge off his anxiety but didn't help his OCD. Maybe you'll have better luck. For us, only getting rid of the infection has put the OCD into remission.

[StillHopeful]

So far I have been able to sneak the insolitol into his drink but not sure how long that will last so I may have to buy either the empty or premade capsules. Not sure if he would let me dump the powder on to his tongue. Good idea though!

 

I was told to give it 3 times a day (eventually 3 tsp total). Is that what others are doing? Would rather divided it into two doses if possible.

 

Mayzoo, I am trying the Lemon Balm on my other son. He has a lot of anxiety that makes him very hyper esp at night when he is getting ready for bed. Only started it Thursday so I am not sure how well it is working yet. He does seem a bit more calmer overall. Less hyper, less teasing his brother .... The real test will be during the school week.

 

 

MomwithOCDson - Would love to take my son off the abilify but he is doing so well w/not ticking that the psychiatrist wants to leave it alone for now. He is only on 2 mg. I will look back in my notes to see if there is a correlation between the abilify and the ocd. Hadn't thought of that.

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

[smartyjones]

we use rescue remedy -- not a heavy hitter, just something that takes the edge off. i am a big believer in homeopathy - we have treated my pandas son for 3 years and he is - knock on wood! - at a very healthy point. rescue remedy is a different form of homeopathy -- it's a 'flower-essence' blend -- i know -- sounds wierd -- but both my boys say they like it and notice a difference either when they are upset and can't get it together or feeling nervous about something. i saw it the other day sold in CVS. the adult version has alcohol. there is a kid version w/o alcohol, but it is not as widely carried.

 

if you are interested in homeopathy - there are some homeopathic remedies that can help with anxiety. for someone with health issues such as pandas, i'd recommend working with a qualified homeopathy.

 

 

i myself like GABA. i have the most success with a lower dose -- 125mg and can take one or two. i once took a 500 of another brand at one time and felt very crabby. i took quite a few today b/c we hosted a pool party at a local indoor pool water park and we were responsible for 10 11-ish year old boys in the pool. they had a blast - but during i was thinking 'what was i thinking!'. they could all swim and there were lifeguards - but still very stressful - . -- but i think better with GABA.

 

my ds - pandas - has a paradoxical reaction to GABA. i've given it to him 2x, both with bad reactions. doc said no more -- that's proof enough of paradoxical reaction -- opposite ofwhat we were hoping. a small percentage of people will have such -- so i'd say if you try it -- do so at a time when it wouldn't matter so much to have trouble.

[MiniFigMom]

My DS 8 and I have both been taking inositol for obsessive thoughts and anxiety issues for about 3 months. I think it helps me more than him. I'm currently working on dose adjustments for him to see if the higher dose (3 grams) is what made him hyper/agitated. He's down to 2 grams again and seems to be doing better, not as hyper, not quite as anxious (no recent panic attacks).

 

I split the dose. I mix the powder in his morning juice or his lunch time applesauce and evening milk. He's hypersensitive to tastes but it doesn't bother him. I have also put the powder into capsules (I use the Capsule Machine, size 0) but he complained about taking so many pills that it's easier just to mix it in food. (He also takes magnesium that I have to crush because the pills are huge so I make smaller capsules. He notices the taste of Mag in his food and unfortunately can't stand the taste of Calm.)

 

I have read that Omega 3s, particularly high EPA, is helpful for anxiety but my son has just started that so it's too soon to tell (had to wait out the inositol dose change before upping the EPA).

 

I've been using powdered inositol by Life Extension because it's 1,000mg in 1/4 teaspoon, a small amount to mix in for a 1 gram dose.

[Pandasmex]

Hi

Three weeks ago, my 15 y/o son had an infection. He's had several the last months, even though he's receiving IVIG, so OCD was coming back and a lot of anxiety too.

DS told me for the first time in three years: help me, mom, please! I really need something for my stress.....it was heartbreaking!

 

Now, he's taking Valerian Root and something else that in Mexico we called Passiflora. He felt calm and in better mood just in one or two days.

It gave me the confidence to keep on using homeopathy...I'm using Ignatia, that really helped me. Starting DS carcinosinum for OCD though very low dose....and wait to see changes.

Definitely, he's better.

[StillHopeful]

My son didn't cooperate with the inositol and I was having trouble with increasing it up so I stopped. He also is hyper sensative to taste. What seems to be working is NAC. My 12 year old is saying and doing things that normally give him anxiety and he also likes that he has less congestion/mucus in the morning. He can get obsessed with it in the am and gags on his toothbrush sometimes. For my 15 year old, it is really taking the edge off of his night time anxiety. So far, so good. Keeping fingers crossed.