SSRIs and trich

i've had trich for about 7 years now... it started when i noticed crustys around my eyelashes and started pulling at them to get rid of the crust.. from then on it became a habit to constantly pull at my eyelashes, and soon i was pulling out my eyebrows as well.


until about a month ago, everyone has always told me to "just stop," but now that my family is slowly starting to understand that it's more than that.....i'm paying more attention to it and seeking help to hopefully overcome it. my parents feel helpless, but i have seen a therapist a couple times and he suggested that my parents bribe me with material items (if i get all my eyelashes back, i get a new cell phone or someting like that)...that didn't really work. i kept pulling.


then i saw a psychiatrist and was perscribed Prozac....he said that Trich is a variant with OCD and that many people take SSRIs or anti-depressants for OCD... since i've been taking it (about 3 weeks now), it has gotten SO MUCH WORSE....

has anyone taken SSRIs/anti-depressants for Trich and was it successful?

is it possible to overcome this?

does anyone have any little tricks for me?








i'm SO ready and SO determined to get my eyelashes back... I feel like i look like an alien and i can't even look people in the eye when i talk to them.




thanks

leslie

Hey, leslie! Maybe you could try to write down why you want to stop and look at the list when you feel like pulling or give yourself little treats if you've been good. We'll be here to give you as much support as we can and you are welcome to post here.

Hi,

My trich seems to get better and worse depending on the rest of the stress level in my life.

I am currently on Lexapro and find it helps my trich obsession. It is not perfect cure, but it has helped.

My doc put me on Paxil and it just got worse, but I have never taken Prozac for trich.

Good luck,

okay so...



i started out on 20 mg of Prozac.... it only got worse.. pulled out ALL of my eyelashes and ALL of my eyebrows..and it had never been that bad before.


so i went back to the doctor. he told me to boost it up to 30 mg. went on with that for a while...

it still didn't get any better. i've been trying like "tricks".. tried using a stress ball.. tried an ice cube trick i found on here.. nothing seems to work


i miss doing my make up =( i always wear my sunglasses now because i'm aalways afraid people will notice and think i'm some kind of freak


i also miss reading. i always pulled out my hair while i was reading...so i havent read a book in a verryyyy long time and limit my time watching tv. it sucks =( i just want to feel normal again... :/

(((((((((((rawritslesliee))))))))))) Maybe it will get better after a while. I've talked to people who say that the meds sometimes take some time to kick in. You're going to be ok. You are not a freak, you only have a problem. You can come here and vent.

Have you tried gloves? For some people, they help. If that doesn't work, I would try a mask of some kind that covered your eyes or even face. I know it sounds bizarre, but the trick is to stop the hand from making contact with the source. Even if you only wear it at home during prime pulling times, you will begin to become aware of your hand heading toward your head. I have even been known to sit on a my hands when I am really stressed. Also, I always drive with both hands on the wheel so I am not tempted to go to my head while I am zoning out during drive-time.

If you don't see any results from th Prozac soon, I would talk to your doc again. There are other meds that might be more helpful to you.

i'll try gloves tonight (i pull at night a lot)



i went back to the doctor....and now i'm at 50 mg of Zolaft....so far its ehh...not working..but i keep hearing that anti-depressants take a while to work so i'm gonna give it a try.

i just miss my eyelashes...and my eyebrows...but i must say i've gotten pretty PRO at drawing them on


thanks so much bereft and jasmin!

I have quit tweezing my eyebrows because I could never get them perfect and ended up with none. Not a solution for everyone, but it is a compromise for me. I think of it as my Brooke Shields' look:)

The anti-d's do take awhile to reach optimum efficiency which in itself is a frustration because I want something to work immediately!!!!

hahaha brooke shields look... lol




yeah exactly. except, now i am starting to realize that just the medication alone can't do the job. i'm starting to use homecoming as an incentive to get my eyelashes and eyebrows back....'cause i want to do my make up =)


and....guesssss what?! I HAVE EYELASHES! all of my friends are noticing, and they say i look so much better with them. it gives me even more of an incentive to not pull.

the Zolaft seems to be helping; with my mental awareness of it and the medication... i'm thinking i can get over trich.. hopefully!




thank you bereft for replying! it's nice to have someone to talk to about this; not very many people take the time to understand it.

Hey, rawritslesliee! It's good to hear that you're doing better. I bet you're going to look great at the homecoming