I've ocd and anxiety disorder. I am an upsc aspirant. I was unable to concentrate on my studies so I began my treatment from doctor. He gave me olanzapine and fluxil. But after that I was feeling very sleepy and confused. I didn't studied for one month. So I discontinued my medicine. Now i'm feeling that my condition got much worse than before. Please help me. Is treatment is necessary and if yes then how long do I have to take it. I just want to resume my studies.

Mr. Saul PereiraPsychologist51yrs exp

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Treatment is necessary and some medicines take time to work. Anyway if you had these symptoms then you should have consulted the doctor again and he would have advised an alternative courses of action. But stopping medication on your own is always ill-advised. Please go back to the doctor and he will explain all the nuances of the medication and treatment. In the meantime I recommend that you seek the help of a counselor along with the medication to get the best results. Please take your parents with you to determine the possible developmental issues that may have contributed to this condition. This is a fear-based condition and for some reason you have not been dealing with this childhood fear which has now developed unto these repetitive adaptations to seem to need it for normal functioning. The behavior will then become based on magical thinking and certain rituals will become necessary to do normal things making you believe that either the frequency or the ritual is important to its success. This of course is a fallacy but there will come a time that even if told the truth, your belief will defy any logic and you will continue behaving like that even if it cripples you in your daily routines. It only appears as though some other force is behind these behaviors and that you are compelled to act in this fashion. That is obviously not true but no one can convince you of anything different. The obsession is a repeating thought pattern with no meaningful outcome; and the compulsiveness is the need to act on those obsessions also in a repeated behavior pattern as though you just cannot help yourself. This is all driven by fear and when you are frustrated with it, you will escalate anger over it. Doubt, insecurity, uncertainty, and lack of firm memory will all plague you and increase stress. There are certain behavioral techniques to be implemented and if they work you may get out of this condition rather easily.  

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Dr. Rashmi NavelkarPsychiatrist11yrs exp

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I can completely understand the stress that you are feeling. But you should calm down. Having ocd or anxiety doesn't reduce your iq and your capability in any way. But if this illness is affecting you focus and disabling you to an extent that you can concentrate, its time to be cautious. Ocd has a waxing and waning course. It’s intensity may fluctuate with time. However ocd and anxiety both can worsen during times of stress eg exam, presentation etc. Treatment is absolutely necessary in your case. It can be easily controlled by medications. The sleepiness was due to olanzapine. That medication should have been changed. There are many non-sedative alternative medications available for ocd. Also therapy in the form of erp (exposure and response prevention) helps overcome the symptoms of ocd. Once treatment is started it can go on for atleast 2 yrs. However dose of medicine can be subsequently reduced to keep you on minimum effective dose. Bottom line is you require treatment. However you should inform the psychiatrist of any side effects that you are experiencing so that he/she can change over to a more appropriate medication. Kindly contact if you need further advise and treatment options.  

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Ms. Kajol BirawatPsychologist6yrs exp

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Hi lybrate-user. While I understand the side effects can be overwhelming, it is important to maintain the regimen of psychiatric medications. Unlike other meds, we can not choose to reduce dosage or stop taking it. That being said, finish the course and then go to psychiatrist to explain side effects. Sometimes side effects are maximum in the first week as body is readjusting to healthy levels.  

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Ms. Juhi ParasharPsychologist9yrs exp

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Just relax you need a good psychiatrist for medicine coz you can not leave it half way disorder will come back there is a particular course also take therapy along with medicine consult with me or any psychologist for therapy and counseling all the best.  

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