anybody help me out ?!!! please.

[sls26]

i worry about everything possible that is related to health. every germ everything , my hands hurt from cleaning them so much and they have cuts and are so dry from it. i have certain fears but some just all over the place. i am starting to effect my family and my young son with cleaning rituals and bathing and hand washing etc etc, i need and want to stop this - i was on lexapro for a year for similiar events and it eased but never completely away, went off the lexapro because i was doing pretty well , slowly back at this . i had a similiar event take place at my home both times this has peaked and i need to know how to avoid it getting that bad and i need to know if anybody else out there is like me and if they worry about things the same as I.
thank you for anything you can help with, steph

[Topcat]

I am very similar to you in that I wash my hands constantly, they get cuts and bleed, which has been pointed out to me will actually harbor more germs!! I also worry about germs and cleanliness but as my kids have got older they seem to take great delight in deliberately not washing their hands to prove it wont kill them - and it doesn't.

Maybe you should ask to be referred to a support group to talk about your OCD,, it may help you. I had CBT a year ago for my anxiety and fears, during treatment I was good I even managed to eat a sandwich whilst out shopping without washing me hands at first of course I worried I had poisoned myself but I hadnt. They got me to touch the inside of their public toilet and only wash my hands once with normal soap (as opposed to anti-bacterial)

As a result I am not as bad as I used to be but I do still have days where I am worse than others and do realise that germs will not harm me as much as I fear.

I know its really hard but try to wash your hands less, I tell myself when I am doing it too much and force myself to stop or try an do more things in between washes just to cut back on the soap at least :rolleyes:

As an example I was asked to make a note each time I washed my hands, that in itself became a chore in the beginning as each time I had touched the pen I wanted to wash my hands lol, it turned out in the beginning whilst feeding my animals I would wash my hands up to 20 times (in a space of 15 minutes) after a couple of weeks I realised that it was actually more of a habit and that I could do more between washes, eventually I got it down to 2 times :D

Good Luck

[Northerner]

Just thinking - if the lexapro helped you reduce your symptoms, and they've now returned after you've stopped taking it, do you think you should consider returning to it? Did you stop because the side effects were too great?

You said the symptoms lessened with lexapro but didn't go away; generally, it's recommended that you combine therapy and techniques like topcat recommended when you're taking a drug like lexapro to have the best chance of relief from the drug's effects.

Talk to your doctor and therapist if you have one about all of this. They may recommend starting with topcat's techniques, or going to a combination program that includes behavioral techniques and something like lexapro.

I do understand it if you can't tolerate lexapro or something similar - I have garden variety anxiety, and have tried all of the antidepressants to no avail. I received only side effects. The only thing that works for me is half an ambien a night for sleep, whcih at least means that I rarely have a sleepless night.

But if you can take lexapro and it helped, please consider it again. I wish I could take a pill that would make me feel better other than my sleeping pill.