Any tips for combatting OCD?

[R10rus]

The beginning of my OCD started when I was about 7. I did not know it at the time but I would rub my eyes a certain way when I got in the batters box in baseball. That went away and nothing showed up again for a few years, then I started this thing where I would sniff every 10 seconds. The sniffing faded away, then when in high school I did this weird thing where I blew air out of my mouth into my eyes, that one is hard to explain but I still occasionally still do that one. None of these compulsions were really that troublesome, a little anxiety but nothing compared to the last 12 years. My junior year of college I played baseball and had recently torn my rotator cuff and had surgery. I had played ball practically my whole life, then bam!! I was done. My arm took about 3 years to get back to normal. By then my eligibility was done. During that time I drank a decent amount try to self medicate my anxiety. Oh BTW, at this point I had no idea what OCD was I just thought I was the only one like this. I could not sleep, depressed, overate, I had this thing where I felt as if I had to yawn but I could not catch my breath right. It was horrible. I was really scared. Bout 2 years later I got over that.  But new ones crept up, came and went. Then when I was about 25 my mom said "I think u have OCD", I googled it and whalah, it had me down to a T. I am 33 now, have had it full blown since I was around 21 or so. I have good days and bad. It's weird, i can have about 3 or 4 good days in a row using some behavioral therapy, but then it's like whammo!!! I will be super anxious and having crazy thoughts and doing silly ,pathetic , irrational compulsions, like, turning the lights switch off and letting it rub off my finger "just right", plugging an appliance in can be a nightmare, if my feet don't hit the carpet or floor just right I must walk back and forth. It is insanely exhausting. Putting the top on a water bottle can take 5-10 minutes. And a list of other ridiculous things that cause great stress, anxiety and fear for my families safety. So, my question is, does anyone have any  tips on how to relieve some of the anxiety, maybe like tricking my brain or something. I take 200mg of Zoloft, and 300 Wellbutrin. Any tips? Thanks

[JGF25]

CBT is cognitive behavioral therapy.  You had mentioned some behavioral therapy in your post.  Usually CBT is taught by a psychologist and a lot of times using CBT along with medication gives a better outcome.  The meds don't make everything go away so for the times that you have spikes in anxiety or thoughts, CBT does come in handy.  CBT including things such as controlled breathing, replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts, etc.  I hope the meds are making you feel better.  

[R10rus]

Thanks, I just got on the meds bout 3 weeks ago. What do you mean by CBT?

[JGF25]

This is a tricky one.  You are using CBT it appears and it does give you some measure of relief at times.  What techniques are you using?  Are you only using it for the irrational thinking or are you also using it for the compulsions?  

I never had compulsions per se.  I was a checker at one point and still am but to a lesser degree.  So for the checking I would say things like "the iron is off" out loud so that when I had that moment of shear panic I could remember that I said that statement.  After that I WOULT NOT let myself go back and look.  I think that is the key really.  Breaking the habit because that is what those compulsions are and habits can be broken.  You need to plug in the applicance and walk away.  I know it will be stressful but do it and go into another room and breathe.  I'm sure you know the breathing technique.  Yell at yourself if you have to.  We are our own best motivators.  

As far as your medications go, I too am on Wellbutrin 300 and that is really all I need.  I do take 1 mg of klonopin to sleep.  There is one dose higher for the wellbutrin, 450 but I'm not sure about the zoloft.  It seems to me that these two medications should be working better for you than they are.  Have you discussed this with your pdoc?  Maybe you have been on them too long and they just are not doing it for you anymore and a change is needed.  

hopefully I have anwered your questions.  If you need anything else, let me know.