Obsessions vs. Compulsions

[Guest searching]

I'd like to thank the forum for recommending 5-htp for OCD. I've been taking it for around two months and I've noticed drastic improvements with my compulsions (i.e. counting or other organizational type rituals). Unfortunately I've noticed no difference in my obsessions. Things such as certain cloths, music or other random things that I've deemed bad I still avoid as I always have. I've been doing this for many years now. I now have more clothes in my closet that I won't wear than those that I will wear and more CD's that I won't listen that those that I will listen to. I'd love to enjoy both but so far I can't. I'm hoping that the 5-htp will help with this as well but I'm starting to think I've only licked half of the problem. Any suggestions?

[Chemar]

Hi Searching

 

SO glad you have also found benefit in using the 5HTP

 

How much are you taking per day

My son takes 50mg (14yo, 145lbs) but I belive it is ok to go up to 100mg.

 

It is also beneficial to take Inositol and GABA and either SAM-e or Methionine....they each work differently and seem to help my son thru the spectrum of things resulting from OCD......all are available at health stores...the SAM-e is sometimes pricey which is why we have used NOW brand Methionine instead.

 

You can read up on them all at iherb's encyclopedia

http://www.iherb.com/hs.html

 

keep us posted as to how things are going......

do you find you are sleeping well since starting the 5HTP?

 

all the best to you.

[Guest searching]

Chemar, I'm taking around 150mg per day (with breakfast, lunch, and before bed). I'm 32 and weigh around 180 lbs. so I think I'm right on or could possibly reduce my intake to 100 mg. As I noticed the 5-HTP working I took myself off of st. John's wort. I have also tried SAM-e but couldn't gauge any changes one way or the other. I have tried GABA but I felt that it made me a little excitable, so I quickly stopped taking it. I honestly can't believe the improvements that 5-HTP has had with my compulsions. It's as if they have reduced by 85% with a 5 or 6 week period. Now all I need is a breakthrough with my obsessions.

[Chemar]

I am just heading out so cant post long, but, seeing as you havent found the sam-e or GABA helpful.....maybe try the Inositol(500mg/day)

it is the most widely used supp for OCD and interacts well with 5HTP

Good to take VitB6 and zinc with it.......some brands come with B6 added

 

if the sam-e didnt help....maybe the pure methinine will?

 

back later

[Claire]

Hi Searching,

 

That is remarkable with the 5HTP. I am so glad that you found Latitudes and Chemar.

 

Good luck. Just remember that Chemar says that St. John's Wort and 5HTP can't be taken together, as it is too dangerous. CORRECTION: should not be taken simulatenously. See Chemar's clarification.

 

As for the obsessions, I have a few recommendations. My son was having fears, which are in that family of obsessions. Disclaimer: He doesn't have an OCD diagnosis, so his symptoms were not severe. Even so, they were not pleasant.

 

First, we got an air filter, which we keep on in his room. We had mold in our home and got rid of 2 known sources. The air filter alone made a great change in his anxiety level.Carpeting seemed to trigger the fears worse--I have read about carpeting causing neurological issues. The air filter helped a ton with this also, but we stay in hotels.

 

Excessive computer/TV was a trigger for him and caused both fear and compulsiveness (as well as tics).

 

Do you have difficulty with them prior to sleeping? My son had his fears then, plus delayed sleep, and he took melatonin (over the counter, but a hormone) at night which broke the fear cycle. It just relaxed him. They haven't tested the safety of melatonin for the long term.

 

Exercise was helpful, but not a cure.

 

Finally, we saw a DAN/EM doctor who ran a number of tests on him. If you have insurance, I encourage you to do this. So many with OCD/Tics and other issues have underlying problems with yeast, heavy metal toxicity, food sensitivities, which are truly triggers for their compulsions, obsessions and/or tics. In my son's case, as with many here, they found things and have customized the supplement program to correct those issues.

 

We are early in this, but I have already noticed improvements in my son with his fears. He notices too (he is 10) and doesn't resist the supplements so much as a result.

 

Some of the EM's/DAN doctors mark it as a 'metabolic disorder' (for those for whom underlying trigger for their symptoms) so that you don't have OCD on your medical records--I only mention this if that is a concern for you in your situation as an adult. If not, then never mind.

 

In any case, the links to DAN/EM lists in your area (some of whom are naturopaths) are in one of the threads here. See my post on the "DD is on her 3rd tic" thread

 

Good luck.

 

Claire

[Chemar]

  Just remember that Chemar says that St. John's Wort and 5HTP can't be taken together, as it is too dangerous.

Just to clarify.......St John'sWort and 5HTP both raise seratonin and so they should only be used in combination with a physician's guidance, or at minimal dose for both.

 

My son DOES take the two together ....he uses the SJW in the morning(300mg capsule which delivers 0.9mg of the active ingredient, Hypericin) and then takes 50mg of 5HTP at night.

 

this doseage and combination was recommended by our physician, as the 5HTP made my son drowsy when taking it in the morning .... his recommendation was that if one is using the two combined, each should be started at minimal dose and then can be gradually elevated till the right effect is achieved. in my son's case, the minimum dose of each worked fine...but eliminating either one reduced the positive effect of the other.

 

It is specifically the combination of 5HTP OR St John's Wort WITH SSRI prescription drugs that is VERY DANGEROUS as it causes seratonin spiking......

 

 

as to the other excellent suggestions made in Claire's post.....VERY worth looking into...specifically mold, heavy metal toxicity, candida (yeast) overgrowth, pesticide or other chemical toxicity, excessive dustmite exposure and...the old nasties...artificial food coloring, artificial sweeteners and MSG......

 

all of these are known to us as triggers not just for my son's tics, but also to his OCD

[Guest searching]

Claire/Chemar, Thanks for the additional information. As far as Inositol goes I do take it and find it to be beneficial in combination with the 5-HTP. I did find your comments about mold interesting though. I have always been very allergic to mold and have had a variety of serious allergic reactions to it over the years. I would have never thought that it could have been a factor in my OCD. I'll continue to work with the 5-HTP and hopefully I'll get rid of my obsessions as well. I'll give a few more months and if no improvement I'll look into the DAN/EM Doctor. Thanks for the insight.

[Claire]

Chemar,

Sorry my wording wasn't clear, I should have said 'simultaneously' vs together--that was definitely misleading. I changed my post to avoid misquoting you.

 

Searching,

An easy way to check on mold reaction is the air filter. My DAN doctor says that at on time the more mainstream medical community was studying a correlation between mold and depression, since the highest suicide rates correlated to the towns with the most mold problems.

 

As for Chemar's comments on diet (e.g. sensitivities not just to food, but to artificial colors, etc..), some people do elimination diets, where they eat restricted foods for one week or so, then note if there is improvement in symptoms. It really isn't a major thing for an adult, the list is quite reasonable. If in 1 week or two you notice improvement, I would think you would be highly motivated to add back in the one food at a time. For a child, it is more challenging to do the elimination in my opinion.

 

I could never have cared less about artificial colors and ingredients. Now that I see my son react, I am a believer. It is so easy to test. You eliminate, then add back in. If you see a reaction, do this a couple of times more until you are personally convinced.

 

Many do think that if the underlying health issues are addressed, then the sensitivities are reduced or eliminated over time.

 

Chemar just posted this great link on another thread. I am not sure if you read all the threads. A story of a child helped by controlling a yeast problems--not just his tics, but his OCD.

http://www.nutritioninstitute.com/Tourette...s_Syndrome.html

 

Claire

[Guest searching]

What can you guys tell me about GABA and what is it's benefit? I've taken and notice that I get a little excitable for around an hour then it passes. Can GABA be taken in conjunction with 5-HTP and St. Johns Wort?

[Chemar]

Hi searching

 

I have heard others also find that they get a "wired" reaction from GABA, usually because they are taking too much......my son takes it with his MINIMAL dose of 5HTP and SJW and Inositol.(he takes the GABA and the 5HTP at night)

 

 

Here is info on GABA

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/subs...5,10027,00.html

[CAROL_T05]

Hi,

Im 20 years old, rencently had a baby 2 months ago and have a little bit of a stressful time with moving house etc over the past year or so. I know it sounds a little out of the ordinary but I was looking on the net for any answers to what I am doing? I started by liking the smell of carpets, mainly new ones and every now and again I really get the urge to sniff them, I ended up getting a small sample of carpet because it was a bit annoying, having these little urges, it developed mainly half way during my pregnancy but I remember ages ago when I was little having the same little urges but I think they were only for a little while. I also get moody a lot more especially with my boyfriend and also find myself pressing my fingertips together to put pressure on them but cant seem to stop it until ive done an equal amount to all my fingers. I also have to have everthing tidy with all plugs turned off. These come and go, and at the moment the plug thing Ive gotten over and Ive just had to let go of the tidying up because of moving house and know its all not going to be tidy straight away, but the carpet smelling is quite frequent now. Do you think it may be tics or can anyone else help me?

[Chemar]

Hello and welcome Also, congratulations on your baby!

 

There could be so many things going on for you that the very best advice i feel i can give is to chat with your doctor about it too.

 

Firstly, re the moodiness....it is VERY normal to experience moodiness and even depression after having a baby.....and in your case, with the added stress of moving house. The "post partum" moods could be hormonal or simply a lack of sleep and taking proper care of yourself.

 

As to the carpet sniffing....there are strong chemicals in new carpeting and you may well have developed a slight addiction to something there....i have heard of this happening before.

 

ALSO

what you describe may well be a form of Obsessive Compulsive behaviour....

it really doesnt sound like a tic to me. Especially as you mention maybe having experienced similar feelings about "having" to do things in the past

 

I really would chat with the doctor about this....see what they say.

Just a word of caution, many doctors are a little too quick to prescribe things for symptoms like you are describing, and those meds can sometimes bring a bunch of unwanted side effects, and instead of helping...they sometimes make things worse.

Once you hear what the doctor says about this....and what they suggest you should do....please check in here with all of us first....there may just be suggestions and experiences that we can share with you to help you find more natural ways to deal with these things.

 

all the best to you...stay in touch...and big {{{{hugs}}}} for your precious baby

[Claire]

Hi Carol,

 

You only need to post your question on one thread, most of us read all of the threads.

 

It sounds more like compulsions to me than tics (though they can overlap). I would read Chemar's posts on supplements that might provide some quick relief to you, such as 5HTP. This is her expertise.

 

Claire

 

ps it is worth reading some of the other threads. Both compulsions (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and Tic syndromes can be aggravated by similar underlying issues.

[Guest searching]

Claire, What are the undelying issues do you think aggrevate compulsions?

[Claire]

Searching,

 

Heavy metal toxicity (inc. Mercury)

Yeast (Candidas)

Food sensitivities (often caused by the above

 

There is zero doubt in my mind--that these can exacerbate OCD. I will never claim that 100% of those with symptom will have these conditions.

 

Just look at the board here. Many of our kids with tics have 'compulsions' too. A disproportionate number of our kids have some combination of these underlying issues. We didn't know this when we started. People like Jennifer, Chemar, Phyl, and Heather have paved the way (sorry if I forget people here). This is what the DAN/EM/Naturopaths do. They test for these issues, and rebuild your immune system.

 

I read a study (can't find it) where they went to a mental health center and tested multiple types mental health categories (don't know the term), and OCD had more immune system issues than any other category.

 

Yeast and heavy metals mess up the immune system. They can be fixed with the right care. But I would only be confident in the right care under the direction of a professional specializing in this area.

 

I believe my son is only one year away from peace!

 

Claire