I’ve got OCD along with ADD... Eureka! | ADHD Information

I'm blown away by how quiet my head is right now. I hope this is real.
Here's what happened:
I've known I was different always. Got dx'd with ADD, inattentive type,
inconsistant performance, impulsive, etc, when I was 34 in 1999.
Struggled less with things after knowing why I was the way I was. Took
Ritalin, didnt like it. Took Straterra, that was better, but not all my
impulses were in check.

Then in May I did something that derailed my life bigtime, and I had a
really tough time forgiving myself. So I'd been talking to a counselor, and
it was apparent to me that there were thoughts in my head that were just
spinning around and around, with no resolution possible. No matter what
I did, the hamster wheel in my head kept spinning. I was miserable, and it
was not the first time this kind of thing has happened, so I was quite
depressed about what the future holds.

Then I had a talk with my uncle. I share some of his traits, apparently. He
told me that he'd been dealing with repetitive thoughts that were harmful
and upsetting to him, and that recently he'd switched psychiatrists and
within a few minutes that doctor pinned the repetitive unwanted thoughts
on OCD. Really? Yup. No compulsions for my uncle, or me for that matter,
but the thought thing rings true. So he tried fluvoxamine (generic,
formerly brand named luvox), and he said it worked. So I tried it. Got my
GP to write me an Rx, and for the first time since I can't remember when,

MY HEAD IS QUIET.

I'm not taking the straterra, just the fluvoxamine. It's working. I'm able to
toss the thoughts that trouble me, instead of having them run through
my head over and over again and causing me to be distracted and never
in the moment. And I thought it was solely ADD that I was dealing with. If
only I'd known sooner. That last big mistake I made might not have
happened. But I won't dwell on it. I cant. My mind doesnt do that anymore
believe it or not. And I'm thrilled. People always say to just let things go.
Now I can, for the first time ever. Wow. Last night, I was able to tell my
wife that I felt happy with life, even though things havent turned out as
planned. For once I am optimistic. It was all supposed to happen this way.

I hope this med stays effective. I hope I can always be this way. It's like a
real vacation from the old me. I want to make it permanent.

EDIT: And I just realized something: The repetitive thoughts also
happened with good things too, especially when I'm looking forward to
something, or thinking about how cool buying or building something
would be, doing research on it, obsessing over reading reviews, product
info, etc. I wish I'd figured out the obsessions were such an issue for me. I
guess I'll just have to accept this and learn from it.

SRskylarkragtop38926.2880092593

Pieta, I did a google search "ocd forums" to find a group similar to ours here, and of course the first few on the top were pretty active.  OCD is something, for the most part, we can keep hidden, and it is actually a relief that there are others who we can freely and anonymously share with. 

One of the groups had a pretty active alternatives section too, if you are interested in that route or not.  I am starting to do some research into that, and will probably start one supp at a time for a while, and add things in gradually to see how they each "settle."

calicorose38928.9159375

I have OCD too. I'm still looking for good info on the subject.

Anyone got any good sites on OCD?

 

 

 

Resistance, if I read you right, would that make you a hypochondriac?? 

Skylark, I've known for, forever, that I have OCD, and now am struggling with the reality that I probably have ADHD too. I look back into my young school years and realize the struggles that my son is having as well.  I really appreciated your post, and thank you for sharing.  I'ts really interesting to see what is going on in our kids, then ourselves, then we look at our families and see the similarities that we never realized were there.  It sort of all ties us together and helps to make sense of our upbringing doesn't it? 

I think my OCD actually compliments my ADHD because I am able to - obsessively and compusivley - come up with some pretty good coping strategies.  But the still each have their seperate turns! 

I hope to hear more of your experiences with your ADHD/OCD and how the medication is working for you.  Thanks again for sharing! 

My OCD thoughts involve thinking I have whatever is described........

skylark -

ADHD is rarely a sole disorder.  We almost all have comorbids like depression, anxiety and of course the ever-popular OCD.  Sometimes our meds will actually increase the OCD, sometimes in good ways and other times not.  I am not surprised at all.

Checking with family on history of problems is a great step.  I had to do it post-death with mine as my last uncle passed away and was a key to me diagnosing my own ADHD.  My father still denies he has it but it's painfully obvious now.

The therapy is great what you are doing.  Keep going as it's an essential step to getting better.

Find the right combo and you'll be so much happier.

Good for you!  Keep us posted!