What helps the most for OCD?

[ilovedogs]

So, I figured I'd post here about the OCD that my ds has started exhibiting. What supplements/diet changes have helped the OCD for your child the most? I know some of you have kids that have both tics and OCD/anxiety. I've finally come to the conclusion that my ds's anxiety is OCD. It has really peaked lately and I feel like I'm constantly calming his fears. Most of his OCD is thought driven, not compulsions; that's why I kept thinking it was anxiety. But, he's been complaining about his thoughts getting 'stuck' in his mind and he cries about it. I've thought about the CBT, but my dh wants to start with pastoral counseling. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[emma1]

OK -- I can totally relate to this! My daughter had repetitive thoughts that were making it difficult for her to participate in life (couldn't listen in class because of the same thoughts -- not class related -- going through her mind, etc.) It was making her very unhappy.

 

Our symptoms started with strep -- so we switched to zithromax, but that did not seem to solve our issues (completely) this time.

 

Chemar is the expert on this. She turned me on to Sam-E and inositol and cognitive behavior training. We tried them all, and I don't know specifically what helped because I didn't do what you are supposed to do (try one thing -- wait -- try another) -- but something, or the combo, did help a lot.

[ilovedogs]

OK -- I can totally relate to this! My daughter had repetitive thoughts that were making it difficult for her to participate in life (couldn't listen in class because of the same thoughts -- not class related -- going through her mind, etc.) It was making her very unhappy.

 

Our symptoms started with strep -- so we switched to zithromax, but that did not seem to solve our issues (completely) this time.

 

Chemar is the expert on this. She turned me on to Sam-E and inositol and cognitive behavior training. We tried them all, and I don't know specifically what helped because I didn't do what you are supposed to do (try one thing -- wait -- try another) -- but something, or the combo, did help a lot.

Our symptoms are not PANDAs, though. Don't know if that makes a difference. My ds doesn't get stuck on his thoughts that much, where it interferes with his daily life or social activities. He just gets overly worried about stuff and can't NOT think about it. But, it usually doesn't last more than a 1/2 hr or so. He doesn't get consumed by it, but it does cause him distress in the form of crying, worrying more about the fact that he's worrying, and even physical symptoms like chest pain and nausea.

So, I'm going to try the GABA first but I'd love to hear about whether folks have had success with the inositol and SamE.

[lurker]

Ilovedogs,

 

I'm no expert, but you might want to Google generalized anxiety disorder. Your last description sounds more like this to me. I think it is a milder situation where you worry for longer than normal periods of time over things that don't really warrant it, but don't exhibit any of the ritualistic or quantifying behaviors seen in OCD.

 

Tami

[Chemar]

we did find that my son's anxiety was primarily OCD related

 

there's a link in the "essential threads" sticky to good OCD info

 

my son had most benefit from 5HTP when it was severe tho some people respond better to tryptophan

 

for maintenance he used inositol & methionine (samE is best but pricey)

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is IMHO a really valuable treatment for all things related to not only OCD but also anxiety, depression. It helps with understanding and with coping skills and really is IMHO important in addition to the supps that help with the chemical imbalances

[ilovedogs]

Ilovedogs,

 

I'm no expert, but you might want to Google generalized anxiety disorder. Your last description sounds more like this to me. I think it is a milder situation where you worry for longer than normal periods of time over things that don't really warrant it, but don't exhibit any of the ritualistic or quantifying behaviors seen in OCD.

 

Tami

Hey Tami!

I am currently researching the difference between GAD and OCD. Basically, they are both anxiety disorders anyway so I'm hoping that CBT and certain supplements will help with both of those things! I also have been steering more toward the GAD after researching but either way I still know I need to help my son! It's weird b/c OCD runs in my dh's family(repetitive behaviors more than thoughts) but my family has panic disorders and phobias and anxiety in general. The poor kid, genetics definitely don't help him here! On the brighter side, both my dh and my family don't have any serious hereditary diseases so I guess we're all just mental!

Bonnie

[Dedee]

Bonnie,

 

You are right, as my sons psychiatrist tells us, OCD is simply a form or extension of anxiety disorder. When my son first began showing OCD symptoms they were coupled with extreme anxiety. He said he had these thoughts all the time and he couldn't make them stop. He actually stopped eating for about two days because of his fear of comtamination from dirty plates, etc. His symptoms were very debilitating in the beginning so we did end up using medication (SSRI's) to help him through the initial trauma. This did work very well for a while, and as he has shown improvement over the years we have weaned him off of the SSRI's. We also treated his underlying cause (PANDAS), so that is a factor as well. One of his physicians recommended fish oil, which seems to have helped with his anxiety also. I was not able to get his symptoms under control with supplements alone, and only saw great results with the antibiotics for his PANDAS. I have had some minor improvements with supplements since then and mostly the supplements have helped with his tic disorder. He takes probiotics, cal/mag, fish oil, multivitamin, extra vit C, and amoxicillin. As some of the others have stated, you may have to work with a few and see what kind of results you get. Each child's response is so individualized. I hope you are able to find the right answers for your son. It is a terrible thing for a mother to watch her child struggle and suffer. Good luck, and hang around here, you will get some great information from some great people.

 

Dedee

[ilovedogs]

Bonnie,

 

You are right, as my sons psychiatrist tells us, OCD is simply a form or extension of anxiety disorder. When my son first began showing OCD symptoms they were coupled with extreme anxiety. He said he had these thoughts all the time and he couldn't make them stop. He actually stopped eating for about two days because of his fear of comtamination from dirty plates, etc. His symptoms were very debilitating in the beginning so we did end up using medication (SSRI's) to help him through the initial trauma. This did work very well for a while, and as he has shown improvement over the years we have weaned him off of the SSRI's. We also treated his underlying cause (PANDAS), so that is a factor as well. One of his physicians recommended fish oil, which seems to have helped with his anxiety also. I was not able to get his symptoms under control with supplements alone, and only saw great results with the antibiotics for his PANDAS. I have had some minor improvements with supplements since then and mostly the supplements have helped with his tic disorder. He takes probiotics, cal/mag, fish oil, multivitamin, extra vit C, and amoxicillin. As some of the others have stated, you may have to work with a few and see what kind of results you get. Each child's response is so individualized. I hope you are able to find the right answers for your son. It is a terrible thing for a mother to watch her child struggle and suffer. Good luck, and hang around here, you will get some great information from some great people.

 

Dedee

I keep forgetting to respond DeeDee. Thank you for your input! We are checking out a counselor who does CBT today so we'll see what he has to say. I'm still sitting on the fence of the OCD vs GAD thing, too. Right now ds walks around all day and says: You know what my brain is thinking now? And, it seems to change from one subject to another(they are all religion based, btw....am I really a Christian, am I going to heaven, etc...) Then he also has sporadic worries where he worries about the future like: What if I can't say no to illegal drugs when I'm a teenager? What if I don't know how to write a check when I have to pay bills?

Sometimes it cracks me up, other times it drives me crazy. He does say that his thoughts drive him crazy, too. He's actually looking forward to trying therapy and he works on the relaxation techniques I've taught him too.

 

So, since he has no compulsive behaviors, I keep wondering about the OCD. I'm hoping we don't have to go the SSRI route and that our naturopath can help us get a handle on it!

 

Bonnie

[emma1]

For those with ocd issues, I would love to know what the therapist recommended re: these kind of thoughts. Our therapist is not telling our daughter to fight the thoughts, which I thought was pretty standard. He is telling her to confront the thought, and try to figure out why she is thinking the thought and/or why she is upset by the thought. This seems to have her spend more time on the thought, not less. What do you think?

[Chemar]

Hi Emma

yes, that is what the cognitive behavioral therapy focus is...to understand and so learn to cope.

It actually helped my son very much as he was not obsessing over it but coming to terms with it and learning how to deal with it

[emma1]

Thanks Cheri! Just wasn't sure we were on the right track.