Can updosing diminish the accelerated thoughts and OCD symptoms?

I know the cons of updosing, tolerance and kindling. But I think I have some matters to solve with my life and mental health that might need to lead me to updosing as I am very symptomatic now.

I am on Valium by the way. Polydrugged as I am also using fluvoxamine and pregabalin.

Can updosing help fast diminishing the accelerated thoughts and OCD symptoms?

Hi FOD

I think what you’re talking about here is stabilising, and I wish I could give you a guarantee one way or another, but that’s the problem, we can’t be certain it would be a success in terms of minimising your symptoms. Possibly it would, but only possibly. The downside is that once you give the updose a decent chance to build up to a point where it has a therapeutic affect, you can’t just drop directly back down if it didn’t have any affect or made things worse. You would be stuck on a higher dose from which to taper. Like I said… I wish we could give you a guarantee one way or another, but it’s just one of those unknowns. I’m sorry.

Hi FOD

 

I think what you’re talking about here is stabilising, and I wish I could give you a guarantee one way or another, but that’s the problem, we can’t be certain it would be a success in terms of minimising your symptoms. Possibly it would, but only possibly. The downside is that once you give the updose a decent chance to build up to a point where it has a therapeutic affect, you can’t just drop directly back down if it didn’t have any affect or made things worse. You would be stuck on a higher dose from which to taper. Like I said… I wish we could give you a guarantee one way or another, but it’s just one of those unknowns. I’m sorry.

Thank you. No chance that the effect would be felt immediately in the next day or the day after, right? I ask this because I booked a travel with some friends and I am not doing well lately so I wonder what should I do. The travel could be therapeutic but meanwhile is a stressor.

My concern would be based on your taper signature… I haven’t done the math, but it seems you are reducing at what would generally be considered a very sensible rate (5% or less) and then holding for a considerable amount of time (about 1 month between reductions), so personally, I am concerned you may not experience any worthwhile decrease in symptoms or relief. I don’t want to downplay you symptom severity, so please don’t read it as such, but the fact that you are even considering travelling, let alone booked the travel with friends says to me that you are not actually “rolling in the deep” to quote Adele, and as many members will attest to - whatever the level of suffering you think you may be experiencing, there are always deeper levels. Often, it eventually comes down to a matter of truly accepting, becoming conditioned to a certain level of difficult symptoms. At the deepest levels of suffering, many members can’t even leave the house or interact with friends at all. Each moment is actually filled with fear and mental/emotional suffering. As I said - the fact that you considered and have booked this travel says to me that you would most likely be better off just travelling with your friends with acceptance that you most likely won’t be at your best and will probably experience some degree of symptoms for the duration. If you can work on accepting this, you will probably (at least) experience some level of pleasure and joy along the way. I would hate to see you up-dose without experiencing any worthwhile increase in therapeutic affect and then potentially being left with the mental anguish of having a much longer taper hanging over your head. I wouldn’t like to see you in that position.

WS

Thank you for the consideration and the kind words.

I am in a dilemma that I need to solve until this night: if I cancel the flight or no.

There is an important variable I forgot to mention in the post: the degree my OCD is now is concerning me thinking that I might not act normally with them and maybe be stuck with some analysis paralysis situation.

What have I done to myself? I am really considering updosing the SSRI, even with the chance of spiking tinnitus.

I wonder if it's wise to travel in such conditions. Tbh, I don't want to go now, but maybe being there I will have fun and there will be a therapeutic effect. Who knows?

I really wouldn’t like to convince you one way or the other. But I think there may be a few questions you should ask yourself.

1) How demanding will this travel be on my CNS?

2) Do I have the energy to get through the demands of each day without needing to retreat after a few hours?

3) Do I truly feel like travelling whilst feeling the way I am feeling or is my decision to travel solely based on not wanting to miss out on life.

It could be the best thing for you, just as it could be the worst. Personally, I can’t go out for many hours, and I need my own transport to leave when I’m exhausted to retreat back into my own quiet space to rest. I can’t imagine the demands of travelling, but I’m not having your experience, you are, and you may have more energy to get you through the day without becoming too overly stimulated, triggering a CNS overload, and becoming highly symptomatic. Do you think you keep up with your friends - just how demanding/full will your days be whilst travelling? Can you keep up?

I hate to see anyone miss out on enjoying life, but I also wouldn’t want to see them caught up in a situation they can’t get out of, should they discover it to be just too overwhelming.