Medications for OCD, ADHD, depression, etc.

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I have been on some form of antidepressants for the past twelve years and I don't realistically expect to ever be off antidepressants for the rest of my life. Every time I am off Paxil or on too low of a dose I get suicidal. I've been hospitalized for suicidality four times now. I don't mind being on medications if they keep me from getting suicidal, but I'm frustrated about trying to find the right combination of meds. I am currently on Paxil, Buspar (for anxiety), Klonopin (also for anxiety), Anafranil (for OCD) and Strattera (for ADHD). I find that so far I can tolerate the side effects of these meds, but recently my OCD has been really bad, especially the obsessive part. I have been doing self-directed behavior therapy using the book Brain Lock in addition to Anafranil (I'm taking 100 mg of it currently). My main concern is that the Anafranil might have to be increased to the point that it won't work for me anymore and then I'll have to think about either taking something else or going insane from the overwhelming obsessions. I have been on Luvox before and it seemed to work well, but my former psychiatrist had me on Luvox and Paxil at the same time, which are both SSRI's and they took me off Luvox the last time I was hospitalized. I really don't know of any other OCD meds that can be combined with Paxil. I am afraid to go off Paxil, because of the horrible withdrawals I've experienced going off of it. Anyways, I was just hoping someone might have some suggestions. Thank you.

If you should decide to come off Paxil, you will need to do so as an inpatient, so they can keep you sedated for a few days, until the worst of your withdrawals are over. My mother smoked for over 50 years until she had her first heart attack. She had tried to quit a number of times over the years, but was unable to. The docs did an angioplasty on my mother after the heart attack, and kept her in the hospital on sedation for several days longer than normal for that procedure, in order to help her over the tobacco withdrawals. Considering my mother's inability to quit on her own, I think the docs were right in helping her get over her withdrawals. It helped to give her another 10 years of life.

Different people handle withdrawals differently, even within the same family. I was on an opioid pain med for a shingles outbreak several years ago. I didn't like the side effects, so I took myself off of it as soon as I could handle the pain on my own. I experienced withdrawals from this med, but unlike my mother, I was able to handle it on my own without taking any other med to deal with it. I knew from reading about drug addiction, that it would only last a few days, and figured it was worth it to get off the drug, and the drug's unpleasant side effects.

The WWII war hero and actor Audie Murphy at one point got addicted. I don't remember if it was pain meds, or booze, or both. Once he realized it was ruining his life and his career, he took himself off to a remote cabin without the drugs/booze, until he could get past the withdrawals. His method worked for him, and his career picked up again, too.

A lady I once worked with was a smoker and landed in the hospital. The docs told her if she didn't quit it would kill her. She quit cold turkey. She was a really nice lady, too. I was able to talk to her better than to most other people.

The thing is you need to use what ever method will work best for you yourself, to get through the withdrawals, if you want to get off of Paxil. In your case, I think being kept in the hospital on sedation for a few days is probably best.

Thank you, questor.