antidepressants to stop obsessive thoughts?

[Depression = 72% of members]

I am considering going on antidepressants to stop the obsessive thinking that I have had for over a year.  It is really starting to wear me down.

I have been having therapy for 6 months, I exercise, volunteer 12 hours a week, work hard, have friends and family and a dog but still cannot shake off the sadness and obsessive thinking about my exudBPDbf

Has anyone here done this and was it successful?

[biglearningcurve]

I am considering going on antidepressants to stop the obsessive thinking that I have had for over a year.  It is really starting to wear me down.

I have been having therapy for 6 months, I exercise, volunteer 12 hours a week, work hard, have friends and family and a dog but still cannot shake off the sadness and obsessive thinking about my exudBPDbf

Has anyone here done this and was it successful?

[trappedinlove]

I found that Ritalin (methylphenidate) helps me calm down obsessive thoughts and anxiety.  I take it as needed and it takes 20-30 minutes to kick in.

[Suspicious1]

I'm on citalopram (SSRI) for depression and my ruminations have blissfully stopped since they kicked in. I still think of him now and then every day but it's nothing like it was. I know they prescribe SSRI for OCD and it can help with ruminations in those cases.

[Infern0]

I don't like the idea of these meds,  they are just covering up a wound,  not treating it. If it's that bad I suppose maybe try something.  But yeah its just my opinion but I avoid them like the plague.  I'd rather live with the pain than have drugs pumping around my brain

[Alex86]

I agree with Infern0. I have been depressive and have taken a SSRI. It is true they are only makes you feel good.

I would advise to continue the exercise and maybe search for a psychologist to help you without medication.

There are specific techniques for our thoughts using Cognitive behavioral therapy. For instance, you write your thought on a paper and beside it you list all the logical reasons and positive thoughts in order to counteract your initial negative thought. The idea is doing this you will eventually think your "positive" thoughts subconsciously. 

When I'm thinking of my ex I usually dispute myself asking: is she also thinking of you or is she out with her friends having fun? Does she care for you? The answer of course is NO. Then why should you care? And immediately I get angry and do something else.

Please take care of yourself now as much as you can. He had make a choice to split up. Your choice now is to get better and be kind with your self. You don't need him in order to get better. He doesn't wonder if you' re ok or down or depressive. He only thinks of himself and how he will meet his needs. Now you should only think of yourself. You have the power not him.

[Promises]

I am considering going on antidepressants to stop the obsessive thinking that I have had for over a year.  It is really starting to wear me down.

I have been having therapy for 6 months, I exercise, volunteer 12 hours a week, work hard, have friends and family and a dog but still cannot shake off the sadness and obsessive thinking about my exudBPDbf

Has anyone here done this and was it successful?

I have the same obsessive thoughts.  I've always had them but they are to the extreme now, thinking about my ex BPD.  Antidepressants have not helped in my case but may help someone else.  I definitely need some thought control cause I waste way to much time trying to figure out something that I will never understand.  I'm seeing my T more regularly now so I'm hoping she can help me work through this.  I still think about him as much as I did months ago but I'm hoping the more time that passes, the more I'll be able to let go.  I'm being triggered by a new job in the area he just moved from but a new job is not an option.

[BuildingFromScratch]

I'm an extremely obsessive person with anxiety which masks my depression. I've tried like 20 meds in my life, SSRI's work bad on me. What has worked is Buspirone and especially Lithium. The SSRI's have all sorts of bad side effects and seem to make me insanely depressed and lethargic. I disagree that you should avoid meds, like some people are saying. They can allow you the clarity of mind to do the work you need on yourself. There is no silver bullet in life though, I thought my ex was my silver bullet, , what a fool I was. The whole point of life is to be happy and strive for happiness in others. Use every tool at your disposal to achieve that. Medication obviously has risks, the choice is yours.

[Suspicious1]

If you can avoid meds and use something else, it's brilliant. Sadly I became severely depressed to the point where I had a breakdown and was really ill for a long time, unable to take care of my children. I was self-harming in response, to try to manage my feelings. I found that I was at a point where I couldn't do things like CBT or practical therapies because I was having constant panic attacks. The drugs are a crutch to get my serotonin levels up to a point where I can engage with therapy and use therapy to replace the drugs.

So I didn't go on to SSRIs to manage the obsessive thoughts, I went on them to properly function and engage with life, and the fact that the obsessive thoughts have stopped is a happy side-effect for me. That said, if the obsessive thoughts were at a point where they were making me ill and nothing else had worked, I'd definitely have considered it.

[maxen]

I've taken escitalopram for years and it hasn't done a thing for my rumination, though as an antidepressant it has been effective.

[Loveofhislife]

Ditto to Suspicious 1.  A bit of pharm. trivia--the entire class of SSRI's and other antidepressants was originally approved by the FDA in the US to help people get over a "brick wall," especially in the case where people could no longer function or were self harming. They were never intended to be lifelong, daily medications (but profit rules... .)  Anyway, what works for one person does not work for another.  IF WE CAN, we should first try CBT, exercise, journaling, socialization, breathing and relaxation exercises, faith-based communities, etc. I too am strongly considering asking my T about medication to get me through his brutal silent treatment--something to help me sleep would be a good start.  However, I am finding some nutriceuticals are helping in that regard as does BPD Family. But NEVER NEVER NEVER be reluctant to ask for what you believe you need and consult your doctor.  If we'd listened to our bodies in the first place, we might not be in the pwBPD mess that we're in.

[Hopeless777]

In my 57 years on this earth I always poo pooed medications for mental issues. Boy was I wrong after my 27 year marriage to a pwBPD blew up. I've been separated three months and getting ground up by lawyers, etc. I couldn't sleep, was very depressed, and having panic attacks. I tried therapists, journaling, exercise, deep breathing, etc., etc. nothing worked. Now I take Resterol to sleep, Lexapro for anti-depression, and Klanapin for anti-anxiety. And yes, they're not the answer, but they help be stabilize to get to the answers. Without them I couldn't function. With them I'm at least 60% functional and slowly improving.