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cherrycolalola , 22 Sep 2010

Medication... What works?

So I've finally come to the point where I am ready to take bigger steps in order to recover. I was talking with my therapist about meds(which I have resisted for a very long time) and she mentioned how micro-dosing could be my best bet. Im wondering if anyone has any info about micro-dosing and if so, what meds to take. Im interested in meds in general. What have people tried? What has worked and what hasn't? I know I medication won't fix everything and I don't want it to, but Id like to add it to my arsenal in fighting picking. Id also be interested in hearing from people who have gone on meds for some time and then gotten off of them. I would like to go into this with some sort of idea of how to eventually come off them. I just need something to give me a more level platform for the moment. I plan to visit a psychologist and talk about all this stuff, but don't have coverage right now, so I thought Id throw the question out there to you guys. Hope you are all fighting the good fight today and if you are struggling I am with you! oh ps shoutout to mandy's blog! If anyone is looking for more resources shes got a forum and some cool categories. its livingwithcsp.com
17 Answers
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flygirl
September 22, 2010
Hi cherry... I'm in the same situation here... I had been using meds for about 2 years nonstop. I can't tell you exactly what they were 'cause I changed many psychiatrists and many meds and nothing really worked for me. Eventually I was dissapointed with medication so much that I just quit. I knew it had to be done gradually but I was so pissed that I just stopped taking them all at once. Surprisingly I didn't feel any negative effect afterwards, but maybe it's just me... I guess my mistake was that I wasn't having any therapy sessions at that time. So yea, I think you're right, meds alone won't solve the problem. I tried a few therapists before, but I didn't seem to find the "right" one.... Anyway, the whole thing happened 2 years ago and I haven't used any meds at all since then. However now the situation is different. I've been (still am) in a therapy for a quite while already. And I, as well as you, refused to take medications, even though my therapist said that meds in combination with therapy would speed things up for me... We used to discuss the medication question every now and then during my therapy sessions and finally I decided to give it a try. I still have doubts about it, but I'm planning to meet psychiatrist next week to get a prescription. Believe me, I do understand your resistance. I feel the same way, but I decided to trust my therapist, who hopefully knows what's she's doing :P Good luck to us both :)
cherrycolalola
September 22, 2010
Hey thanks for sharing your story with me. I had to go through quite a few therapists until I found the right one too. And even once I'd found one it took me a loooong time to open up to her. Picking was the last thing I told her about. I choose to talk about sexual stuff and family stuff(and a lot of really "deep dark" stuff) before opening up about picking, thats how buried it was. Im glad I finally did though. She was fine with it, and had treated another patient who also picked. She couldn't give me a lot of solid advice on how to stop though. Most it was simple stuff like "try breathing and counting to ten". I know she meant well, but for me counting to ten is NOT going to work(or at least it won't most of the time). Anyway good for you coming to a decision. It took me so long. Let us know how it goes! And yeah good luck to us!
SDaly
October 22, 2010
I was extremely closeted about skin-picking as well. I only told my doctor that I suffer from SP after a drug that she'd given me for bipolar (Lamictal) led to a near-complete reduction in self-injury. FYI, Lamictal also unexpectedly reduced my urges to overeat, increased my ability to get papers filed and reduced my (largely controlled) tendency toward hoarding. I also take Ritalin for ADD, and I have found this to be clearly helpful with no real side effects, and I take Prozac for depression, which has overall been very effective. I'm setting forth this full range of my issues and effective medications because many people who self injure also have issues with depression/bipolar, food, attention deficit and/or hoarding, so I'm hoping that other people who have the same range of "co-morbidity" as I do may be helped by this information. There's one other thing I wanted to mention. I've been doing neurobiological research about the underlying biochemistry of all of these problems, and they appear to be associated with chemical irregularities in one region of the brain, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. I think this is why a single drug could unexpectedly improve numerous behavioral issues at once. Has anybody else had the experience of a psychiatric medication causing improvement in multiple behavioral problems?
DMT7181
September 22, 2010
I had a rough time with medications. I had a lot of physical symptoms from them. The latest one I tried was cymbalta. I almost passed out from it. So I just stopped taking it. One of my closest friends has been on meds and it was REALLY hard even talking to her because she just turned into a zombie, Even got addicted to anxiety meds. If you do decide to go on them be careful. I would suggest getting into a DBT program. It helps a lot. It stands for Dialectal Behavioral therapy. I used to attend group therapy. It helped but now I have no insurance. Good luck to you.
cherrycolalola
September 23, 2010
Thanks for the advice! Yeah I've got an addictive personality/have had issues with substance abuse so I am extra weary of becoming dependent. I've never given DBT a real try, its probably a better route.
cherrycolalola
September 24, 2010
this is wikipedias definition. I know its not always a reliable source, but the info they have seems to match what I've read elswhere: Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a system of therapy originally developed to treat persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD) by Marsha M. Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington.[1][2] DBT combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation and reality-testing with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindful awareness largely derived from Buddhist meditative practice. DBT is the first therapy that has been experimentally demonstrated to be effective for treating BPD.[3][4] Research indicates that DBT is also effective in treating patients who present varied symptoms and behaviors associated with spectrum mood disorders, including self-injury.[5] Recent work suggests its effectiveness with sexual abuse survivors [6] and chemical dependency.
MAD-am
September 26, 2010
im taking a medication for anxiety call citalopram, it has made a difference i dont pick my arms as often as i used to, i dont pick my back at night at all now however i have picked my face lately. i also made a few changes in my home enviroment like i moved bedrooms to avoid evening sunlight and i moved mirrors so they are not reflecting natural light on my face anymore. i also brought some nice body lotions and oils and i sit quietly and apply them in the same place and times i used to like picking i have replaced the old behaviour with a new good habit. combine lots of ways to solve your problem if you can its better than just relying on meds alone
cherrycolalola
September 27, 2010
Thanks Mad-am. I will look into that. You're right about trying lots of things. I feel like I can't possibly get enouuugh help. I do the best when Im implementing a lot of tactics at the same time. Its important to keep trying lots of things bc what works for me sometimes doesn't always work at others. I haven't been on the forum for a few days(one of the mosst important things for me in staying healthy) and I can definitely feel the change. I have picked a little bit here and there, but its been soooo much better lately(even with a good deal of stress and change). Its been really wonderful, but I know if I don't keep coming on here and sharing/actively doing all I can to fight this it will get worse. Anyway thanks for the advice. Good for you taking the steps you have taken!
MAD-am
September 27, 2010
your welcome cherrycolalola :) i forgot to mention ive been doing some free cognative behavioural therapy sessions aswell, my therapist is in training and didnt know much about skin picking, but together we have came up with ideas and solutions to try combat my skin picking. because she was new to csp some ideas didnt work very well but eventually we found that for me it really helped to bombard the skin picking from every angle possible, im doing much better now and i too like to use this forum as part of my healing process it helps to chat to people in the same boat as you dosent it.
cherrycolalola
September 27, 2010
yup. It helps more than anything. Sometimes, before I found the forum, I would be outside and just become so alienated. I would spend all day embarrassed about my skin and feeling so completely freakish and "f-ed up". Then I would go home and feel so hopeless/bad I would attack myself. Now when Im having a bad day and separating myself in my mind I try and remind myself that all of you exist and are going through the same thing everyday. It helps a lot.
MAD-am
September 28, 2010
ive recently been thinking, how good would a skin picking boot camp be? i recon it would be quite a good idea to get skin pickers all together for a few weeks or so and tell each other our stories, feelings, thoughts, troubles with our skin picking problems we could also share coping tactics, ideas, and suggestions. we could try out skin products set up skin care classes to help each other find suitable skin care routines for idividual skin types. also it would be good for behaviour therapists to attend these camps and run a few sessions so pickers could see if this would help them. above all it would be a chance to meet other pickers face to face and make new friends! its just an idea but i think if such a boot camp did exist it would be very usefull to pickers and would be greatly appreciated.
j david
November 05, 2010
celexa and welbutrin with minimal reilef in symptom on now for a year.
michigangirl
November 12, 2010
i just started celexa i'll repost how it goes..
imapicker
November 16, 2010
Hello, I was recently recommended a medication called Pimazide, by a dermatologist, but seein as tho its an antipsychotic, I'm guessing I should ask my psychiatrist first. I take Ritalin for my ADD, and have been taking Lexapro dor over 7 years. I found that generic forms of Lexapro werent helpful for me when I tried. (Celexa, zoloft, etc) I would like to inquire about the Lamictal instead of this Pimazide. Anyone else hear of this med?

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