A bit in shock...

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

My 14 yr.old has been on prozac for about 2 months with no

change in behaviors at all. Yesterday he stopped almost all his ocd

behaviors, JUST LIKE THAT. Stopped the excessive hand washing, the

clothes changing, will now sit on the furniture instead of the floor,

hasn't taken a shower since friday night. I am feeling really

strange about this drastic, instant change. He has been struggling

for over a year with all of this, and then overnight, BAM. I even

asked him " Wow, what's up? " He just smiled and said " I don't really

know " . He said that he still won't go in the car unless he showers

afterward, but that he just doesn't feel the urge to do the other

things. Anyone have any ideas on what is happening? We have switched

doctors and are waiting for his first appointment with a new

therapist, so I can't attribute it to therapy. Is it the prozac?

Does it happen like that?? Fran

[Guest guest]

Hi Fran, yes it can happen like that although more usually people notice OCD

behaviors gradually fading in intensity as an SSRI takes effect. SSRI do

take several weeks to take full effect and this waiting period can be

difficult on everyone--not much sense that the medicine is working or is a

good choice, perhaps coping with side effects, etc. That's why doctors have

their patients continue an SSRI for several weeks before concluding that it

is not effective, and moving on to a different one.

OCD also waxes and wanes in intensity, and your son's OCD might be waning,

this coupled with the Prozac kicking in may have given him the " BAM " effect

of many compulsions fading or gone.

Now is a great time for him to tackle remaining compulsions through ERP. He

may find that the urge to shower after riding in the car is easier to resist

now, for example.

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

From: <FMRichmond@...>

> My 14 yr.old has been on prozac for about 2 months with no

> change in behaviors at all. Yesterday he stopped almost all his ocd

> behaviors, JUST LIKE THAT. Stopped the excessive hand washing, the

> clothes changing, will now sit on the furniture instead of the floor,

> hasn't taken a shower since friday night. I am feeling really

> strange about this drastic, instant change. He has been struggling

> for over a year with all of this, and then overnight, BAM. I even

> asked him " Wow, what's up? " He just smiled and said " I don't really

> know " . He said that he still won't go in the car unless he showers

> afterward, but that he just doesn't feel the urge to do the other

> things. Anyone have any ideas on what is happening? We have switched

> doctors and are waiting for his first appointment with a new

> therapist, so I can't attribute it to therapy. Is it the prozac?

> Does it happen like that?? Fran

[Guest guest]

WOW! Whatever the reason, HOORAY!!!! I'm sure he's feeling relieved

too! Maybe the car/shower thing will eventually improve too! My son

is not on meds; but his OCD severity seemed to come on " overnight " so

I don't guess I'd question if it mostly went away " overnight. "

Keep us posted!!

in N.C.

> Dear friends,

> My 14 yr.old has been on prozac for about 2 months with no

> change in behaviors at all. Yesterday he stopped almost all his

ocd

> behaviors, JUST LIKE THAT. Stopped the excessive hand washing, the

> clothes changing, will now sit on the furniture instead of the

floor,

> hasn't taken a shower since friday night. I am feeling really

> strange about this drastic, instant change. He has been struggling

> for over a year with all of this, and then overnight, BAM. I even

> asked him " Wow, what's up? " He just smiled and said " I don't really

> know " . He said that he still won't go in the car unless he showers

> afterward, but that he just doesn't feel the urge to do the other

> things. Anyone have any ideas on what is happening? We have

switched

> doctors and are waiting for his first appointment with a new

> therapist, so I can't attribute it to therapy. Is it the prozac?

> Does it happen like that?? Fran

[Guest guest]

Fran.... I know that there are some psychiatric meds out there that do work in a "BAM" way. I learned about it in nursing school. But...I am not sure if prozac is one of them. Congrats on having at least one day without major OCD's! I hope it continues forever!

Amy

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[Guest guest]

Dear Fran,

Congratulations on the wonderful weekend ! Your son must be so relieved. I don't think we noticed such a sudden change in our daughter, but her symptoms were (and are) so hidden that it's hard to tell. (no handwashing or anything, for the most part just lots of perseverative thoughts that plague her from morning to night) But I do have to say that the medication caused our lives to go from absolute hell to near normality in a short time (a month or two). I have gone from seriously doubting meds for children to one of their biggest boosters - sometimes it seems like a miracle. Unfortunately our first successful SSRI (Paxil) quit working after about a year, so we are now trying Luvox and are a little more realistic about the long-term - we are trying really hard to convince our daughter that her therapy is what will be the best in the long run, since not all medications work forever. But she will be the first to tell anyone that Paxil gave her a normal life (almost) for a year - the first that she had had since she was four. (She is 8 1/2 now).

Even if it doesn't last, this is a good time to reassure your son and yourself that *he* is still all there - the OCD is outside him and he can beat it! I just live for these success stories. They are the main reason I subscribe to this list. It keeps my hopes up!

[Guest guest]

Fran,

The meds did work just like that for my 4 year old daughter, Gracie. In her case it was Zoloft and her problem had been total regression in toilet training and withholding her stool. She would go up to 2 weeks without going, and would only go after intervention of laxatives, enemas, etc. She was on Zoloft for 28 days and had been rather horrible getting used to it. On the 28th day, she got out her little potty chair, sat down, and did her business. A few hours later, she did it again. Problem solved. She was totally potty trained. Now other o and c's have showed up from time to time since then, and when I tried her off the meds for a short while, she started fighting about going to the bathroom again. She never regressed completely though. I hope this lasts with your son! Even if it doesn't, it has to give both of you hope and a much needed break!

in TX

A bit in shock...

Dear friends, My 14 yr.old has been on prozac for about 2 months with no change in behaviors at all. Yesterday he stopped almost all his ocd behaviors, JUST LIKE THAT. Stopped the excessive hand washing, the clothes changing, will now sit on the furniture instead of the floor, hasn't taken a shower since friday night. I am feeling really strange about this drastic, instant change. He has been struggling for over a year with all of this, and then overnight, BAM. I even asked him "Wow, what's up?" He just smiled and said "I don't really know". He said that he still won't go in the car unless he showers afterward, but that he just doesn't feel the urge to do the other things. Anyone have any ideas on what is happening? We have switched doctors and are waiting for his first appointment with a new therapist, so I can't attribute it to therapy. Is it the prozac? Does it happen like that?? FranYou may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing listserv@... . In the body of your message write: subscribe OCD-L your name. You may subscribe to the Parents of Adults with OCD List at parentsofadultswithOCD-subscribe . You may subscribe to the OCD and Homeschooling List at ocdandhomeschooling-subscribe . You may change your subscription format or access the files, bookmarks, and archives for our list at . Our list advisors are Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are Birkhan, Kathy Hammes, Jule Monnens, Gail Pesses, Kathy , and Jackie Stout. Subscription issues or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at lharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thanks for your encouraging words. I still can't believe that

my son is not washing his hands a bizillion times and changing his

clothes every time he enters his bedroom this weekend. I don't want

to get too happy about this but even if it's short lived (it could

change tomorrow morning) it has been a lovely vacation for my son and

our family from the every day emotional roller coaster of ocd. take

care, Fran

-- In @y..., Conn <lmconn@s...> wrote:

> Fran,

> The meds did work just like that for my 4 year old daughter,

Gracie. In her case it was Zoloft and her problem had been total

regression in toilet training and withholding her stool. She would

go up to 2 weeks without going, and would only go after intervention

of laxatives, enemas, etc. She was on Zoloft for 28 days and had

been rather horrible getting used to it. On the 28th day, she got

out her little potty chair, sat down, and did her business. A few

hours later, she did it again. Problem solved. She was totally

potty trained. Now other o and c's have showed up from time to time

since then, and when I tried her off the meds for a short while, she

started fighting about going to the bathroom again. She never

regressed completely though. I hope this lasts with your son! Even

if it doesn't, it has to give both of you hope and a much needed

break!

> in TX

> A bit in shock...

>

>

> Dear friends,

> My 14 yr.old has been on prozac for about 2 months with no

> change in behaviors at all. Yesterday he stopped almost all his

ocd

> behaviors, JUST LIKE THAT. Stopped the excessive hand washing,

the

> clothes changing, will now sit on the furniture instead of the

floor,

> hasn't taken a shower since friday night. I am feeling really

> strange about this drastic, instant change. He has been

struggling

> for over a year with all of this, and then overnight, BAM. I

even

> asked him " Wow, what's up? " He just smiled and said " I don't

really

> know " . He said that he still won't go in the car unless he

showers

> afterward, but that he just doesn't feel the urge to do the other

> things. Anyone have any ideas on what is happening? We have

switched

> doctors and are waiting for his first appointment with a new

> therapist, so I can't attribute it to therapy. Is it the

prozac?

> Does it happen like that?? Fran

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Fran:

Thanks for the update on your son. It is wonderful to read how helpful his

SSRI has been for his OCD symptoms. These advances are now ready to be

reinforced by some serious E & RP.

Breakthroughs are wonderful as they give our kids hope that they can best

the OCD monster. Prozac is one of the meds that have been found in a

number of clinical trials to help OCD. Please keep us posted on progress.

Take care, aloha, Kathy (h)

kathyh@...

At 05:40 AM 05/27/2001 -0000, you wrote:

>Dear friends,

> My 14 yr.old has been on prozac for about 2 months with no

>change in behaviors at all. Yesterday he stopped almost all his ocd

>behaviors, JUST LIKE THAT. Stopped the excessive hand washing, the

>clothes changing, will now sit on the furniture instead of the floor,

>hasn't taken a shower since friday night. I am feeling really

>strange about this drastic, instant change. He has been struggling

>for over a year with all of this, and then overnight, BAM. I even

>asked him " Wow, what's up? " He just smiled and said " I don't really

>know " . He said that he still won't go in the car unless he showers

>afterward, but that he just doesn't feel the urge to do the other

>things. Anyone have any ideas on what is happening? We have switched

>doctors and are waiting for his first appointment with a new

>therapist, so I can't attribute it to therapy. Is it the prozac?

>Does it happen like that?? Fran

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy,

The first med I have read about is Prozac, I wonder why the doc of Amer did

not prescribe it for him uptill now. He is taking care of him I have no

right to tell him what to give, although I sometimes mention some SSRI'S

that I read about from our list members, in the end he gives what he finds

might help. I wanted to consult another psychiatrist & show him the list of

med Amer has taken, but I said let me wait now at least two weeks to find if

the last one will work or not. I have sent the Pasport of Amer to the Amer.

Embassy to take appointment to interview us, I hope he will get the US Visa

to be able to go the Denver workshop. I want to ask you there is a dead line

to register to attend this workshop, if we get the Visa, will we be able to

do late registration for that? Thank you & take care.

Huda

>From: Kathy Hammes <kathyh@...>

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Re: A bit in shock...

>Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 20:37:08 -1000

>

>Hi Fran:

>

>Thanks for the update on your son. It is wonderful to read how helpful his

>SSRI has been for his OCD symptoms. These advances are now ready to be

>reinforced by some serious E & RP.

>

>Breakthroughs are wonderful as they give our kids hope that they can best

>the OCD monster. Prozac is one of the meds that have been found in a

>number of clinical trials to help OCD. Please keep us posted on progress.

>Take care, aloha, Kathy (h)

>kathyh@...

>

>At 05:40 AM 05/27/2001 -0000, you wrote:

> >Dear friends,

> > My 14 yr.old has been on prozac for about 2 months with no

> >change in behaviors at all. Yesterday he stopped almost all his ocd

> >behaviors, JUST LIKE THAT. Stopped the excessive hand washing, the

> >clothes changing, will now sit on the furniture instead of the floor,

> >hasn't taken a shower since friday night. I am feeling really

> >strange about this drastic, instant change. He has been struggling

> >for over a year with all of this, and then overnight, BAM. I even

> >asked him " Wow, what's up? " He just smiled and said " I don't really

> >know " . He said that he still won't go in the car unless he showers

> >afterward, but that he just doesn't feel the urge to do the other

> >things. Anyone have any ideas on what is happening? We have switched

> >doctors and are waiting for his first appointment with a new

> >therapist, so I can't attribute it to therapy. Is it the prozac?

> >Does it happen like that?? Fran

>

>

_________________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Hi Huda:

I am sure the OCFoundation will be happy to charge you for late

registration. If you want to get the early bird (cheaper) registration you

need to do this before June 1st. You can do this on the OCF Website.

Prozac was the first SSRI to be used routinely for OCD. The first anti-OCD

medication was Anafranil. Prozac is the pharmacological name for

fluoxetine, and Anafranil is the pharmacological name from chlorimipramine.

Docs seem to prescribe medications based on their past practice, visits

from pharmaceutical reps, and what they have read. Most meds have

different pharmaceutical names in different countries. So you need to know

the biochemical name, e.g. fluoxetine and chlorimipramine to figure out

what the actual medication is. The biochemical names for most of the first

line OCD meds are citalopram, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline.

I look forward to meeting you and Amer in Denver, take care, aloha, Kathy (h)

kathyh@...

59 AM 05/29/2001, you wrote:

>

>Hi Kathy,

>The first med I have read about is Prozac, I wonder why the doc of Amer did

>not prescribe it for him uptill now. He is taking care of him I have no

>right to tell him what to give, although I sometimes mention some SSRI'S

>that I read about from our list members, in the end he gives what he finds

>might help. I wanted to consult another psychiatrist & show him the list of

>med Amer has taken, but I said let me wait now at least two weeks to find if

>the last one will work or not. I have sent the Pasport of Amer to the Amer.

>Embassy to take appointment to interview us, I hope he will get the US Visa

>to be able to go the Denver workshop. I want to ask you there is a dead line

>to register to attend this workshop, if we get the Visa, will we be able to

>do late registration for that? Thank you & take care.

>Huda