
Suggest Treatment For Depression And OCD

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Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I read your query and can understand the distress that you must be having with your symptoms. More so, together with disturbed sleep which seems to increase your symptoms.
You have mentioned that you are suffering from OCD and depression but haven't given any more details about it. To help you better, I would have wanted to know the exact symptoms that you are suffering from and the duration of illness. You did mention that you have visited a doctor but in medications you have mentioned reading and music.
Sleep disturbances are integral part of depression and OCD. Most of the time, sleep difficulties go off on its own if OCD and depression are treated adequately. I don't know whether you have tried any medications or not and whether you are currently on medications. But starting treatment and getting OCD and depression treated should be the first step in solving your problem.
You should be consulting a psychiatrist. Treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) like fluvoxamine or sertraline would be effective for both OCD and depression. Initially benzodiazepines like clonazepam can be added for short duration which will help reduce anxiety and improve sleep till the SSRIs start acting and you start showing improvement.
In addition, little focus on sleep hygiene would do real good. It will include:
- avoiding day time sleep
- avoiding caffeine
- avoiding alcohol/ tobacco
- fixing daily sleeping and waking up time
- exercising daily
Daily exercise will also help you relax and contribute in the improvement of depression. You can also opt for cognitive behavior therapy in form of exposure and response prevention for OCD which will involve regular sessions with a therapist.
I do hope that answers your query. Please feel free to ask any further questions that you might have.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta


Dose of current medicines can be modified.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for following up and providing details.
Since you are already on treatment, your medications can be modified to help improve sleep as well as depression and OCD. Depending on the current dose of Prozac, it can be considered for increment in dose which will help in both OCD and depression (maximum dose: 80 mg/day) . In addition, the dose of seroquel or klonopin (again depending on current dosage) can be increased which will help in increasing sleep duration. You can discuss regarding these option with your psychiatrist.
In addition, you should also follow the sleep hygiene measures as advised in last reply.
I do hope that answers your query. In case of any more queries, please don't hesitate to ask. I would be glad to help.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sunil Gupta

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