Anxiety And Obsessive Thoughts

Ashoka

Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
209
Hi there,

It may seem a strange place to post about this, but I appreciate the many ways in which mental health is discussed on this forum and the varieties of experience here.

I struggle with obsessive and self-punishing thoughts. I’ll give a ridiculous example from recently:

I put my pet down a couple weeks ago. He had a urinary block, which means they can die within 24 hours if untreated. The treatment to unblock it was $2,000. Because my cat had a lot of health issues (I was already treating his diabetes and an eye infection) and had already ended up in the hospital before, I decided to put him down. I immediately regretted this decision, however. I suppose I’m not the type to make such a calculation. As such, I feel responsible for this action and blame myself. As stupid as it sounds, I feel I cannot wipe my hands clean of what I’ve done.

But these types of thoughts aren’t an exception but a pattern. The pattern is feeling that I’ve made a mistake that I cannot attone for or make right. So this takes on a sense of tragedy, even out of something small.

My therapist has suggested due to this and other symptoms that I consider taking an anti-depressant, because in her research she says they have been shown to reduce obsessive thoughts. However I can’t imagine tossing something like that into the mix is a good idea. (I have Lyme disease and co-infections that have caused me weird emotional disturbances for over a year now.)

I do feel it’s important that I do something, though. It’s bizarre because some days I’m okay and then others I feel like I’m gripping onto life and surely I’ll tire out like someone grasping so desperately. Mainly because of guilt! Other times my health anxiety gets to
me and spins wildly out of control for hours, to the point I feel like I’m grasping onto my chest for dear life. In short, ot makes no sense, but I apparently cannot deal with reality. After repeated exposure to anxiety and pain, you can lose the ability to confront it.

So the topic is severe debilitating anxiety and obsessive thinking. Is there anything sensible I can do besides continuing on like this?
 
OP
Ashoka

Ashoka

Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
209
I have similar problems. I see someone just made a post here. It looks helpful.
Intrusive / Unwanted Thoughts Due To Low GABA Signalling

Yeah that was a rather opportune thread for me. I’m starting to think tianeptine is a must. Cyproheptadine doesn’t seem to interact with these issues in a clear enough way for me.

When you’re stuck in it, everything requires a forebidding amount of research. I just can’t organize the information to make it effective.
 

Dhair

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
880
Yeah that was a rather opportune thread for me. I’m starting to think tianeptine is a must. Cyproheptadine doesn’t seem to interact with these issues in a clear enough way for me.

When you’re stuck in it, everything requires a forebidding amount of research. I just can’t organize the information to make it effective.
Please be cautious with tianeptine. There have been many reports of horrible withdrawals and even overdose leading to death. Tolerance develops extremely quickly.
I have found that high doses of theanine (around 1g) feel exactly like benzos. It also lowers glutamate and increases dopamine, like tianeptine. Very powerful amino.
 

johnsmith

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
413
Location
Canada
You can bookmark posts that you find helpful into a folder on this sight (if you didn't already know). I also started using Evernote desktop version to take notes of substances I hear about on here that I need to look into further. Yes, tianeptine is on my list, so is lithium, mirtazapine, and Acetazolamide (Diamox). Im definitely overwhelmed right now too, but I'm absolutely determined to improve my situation.
 

johnsmith

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
413
Location
Canada
Please be cautious with tianeptine. There have been many reports of horrible withdrawals and even overdose leading to death. Tolerance develops extremely quickly.
I have found that high doses of theanine (around 1g) feel exactly like benzos. It also lowers glutamate and increases dopamine, like tianeptine. Very powerful amino.

Thanks for the heads up on tianeptine. I was researching theanine on here the other night and I ran into precautions or side effects of taking it in larger doses that made me take mental note (I cant remember the reason). But I'll try it out anyways, I'm sure it cant be as harmful as what a pharmaceutical could do.
 

Dhair

Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
880
Thanks for the heads up on tianeptine. I was researching theanine on here the other night and I ran into precautions or side effects of taking it in larger doses that made me take mental note (I cant remember the reason). But I'll try it out anyways, I'm sure it cant be as harmful as what a pharmaceutical could do.
Theanine is the safest amino out there. Pretty sure animal models showed virtually no toxicity in any dose. However, I don't really see why a person would need more than 1g even in an emergency situation.
 
OP
Ashoka

Ashoka

Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
209
Please be cautious with tianeptine. There have been many reports of horrible withdrawals and even overdose leading to death. Tolerance develops extremely quickly.
I have found that high doses of theanine (around 1g) feel exactly like benzos. It also lowers glutamate and increases dopamine, like tianeptine. Very powerful amino.

Thanks, that’s what I mean about reserch being important. Safer to try theanine and some other things first I guess.
 

InChristAlone

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
5,955
Location
USA
I basically gave up the fight with numbing my thoughts. I have had many obsessions and unhealthy thinking in my life. To the point of self harm at some points. The biggest thing that has brought me back to peace is the three principles. Also I just got off cypro thanks to a book by a habit coach who also studied the three principles called ' the little book of big change'. I can't recommend it enough. If you want freedom from anything that has control over you get that book! It could be applied to everyone (barring there is no hypothyroid psychosis or B3 dependency which I do take some B3 for metabolism sake). And it isn't about more information or more techniques it is just about getting back to who you really are without all the lower brain programming throughout your life. Lower brain being the reptilian brain that sends stupid messages like 'are you sure you are okay?' 'maybe you are going crazy maybe I really do need to save you'. And all other urges that are irrational and not helpful to us.
 

Similar threads

P
Replies
34
Views
4K
Back
Top Bottom