ive been dealing with this demon for 3 years now. i see a therapist on a monthly basis adn i am currently taking the madications topamax(anxiety) and prozac(depression). i mainly pull eyebrows and eyelashes. i want this to go away. ive tried different stress techniques since stress is wat seems to trigger my pulling. nothings working and im stumped. i want to be normal. usually i can only go 3 or 4 days w/o pulling. the longest ive ever made it is a month but every time i try and go a long time something happens to hinder my progress. im out of ideas. can someone help me??
210497
i myself have trichotillmanaia,but not as severely as yours,not quit sure if this article may help you but im willing to try.
428141
I have also suffered severe depression on and off for quite a while, and am currently battling post-natal psychosis.\nAnti-depressants aren't any good for me either. If medication isn't working for you, then more medication probably isn't going to achieve much.\nSelf-confidence comes with self-esteem, which cannot be provided by any drug. I'm not sure feeling elated all day is exactly normal, either.\nI am currently being treated by a natural therapist and an excellent psychologist, and have come further in the past eight weeks than in the past four years.\nYou need to check things like your hormone levels (these will most likely be out of whack with the depression), there are nutritional factors to consider (depression, anxiety and stress deplete the body of many many nutrients), cognitive behavioural therapy is brilliant, as is learning relaxation techniques. There are probably past issues you need to deal with (psychologist), and good regular exercise is suprisingly helpful (I hate it but I do it!).\nI honestly think you'd be better off exploring other treatment methods than putting your poor mind and body through another horrible experience with medication.\nWhatever you do, I hope it works for you :)
302749
you really need to get off quick as posible!! how long have you been taking it this time? if only a couple of weeks just stop now and tell your doctor your stopping even if you can't get hold of him. if it's been a while just start to lower it!! YOUR HAVING THE BLACK BOX EFFECT WHERE THE ZOLOFT IS WORKING AGAINST YOU! REMEMBER NEVER GO BACK TO AN ANTIDEPRESSANT YOU'VE TAKEN BEFORE BECAUSE MOST OF THE TIME IT WON'T WORK. SO BE CALM NO ONE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU I PROMISE YOU THAT!! NOW, CALL THE DOCTOR AND IF YOU CAN'T REACH HIM CALL A RELATIVE AND EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOUR MEDS. BUT, LOWER IT AS LOW AS YOU FEEL COMFERTABLE WITH AND IF IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK JUST STOP! GOOD LUCK!!
667270
You have to take the next step, which is the hardest, that is accept it, in it's entirety...unfortunately that means allowing yourself to feel that emotional pain and self-control is key. The process isn't an easy one, but a doable one, and sometimes all we have the strength for are moments at a time, and courage strengthens them into hours, and then days...but we heal.  Friends are a great support system to help you cope, and keep busy, and sometimes just getting away for awhile is also helpful.  I found what helped me the most through a similar situation, was getting back into what I enjoyed doing that I had forgotten all about, which was pertaining to the arts, and I got involved with helping the less fortunate people in my community.  It took time, but as each day passed I regained hope, and strength with the help and kindness of what were once strangers, but now good friends.  A healthy diet, and rest is also very important because sometimes we forget to take good care of ourselves in stressful circumstances, which rob us from being able to focus properly, therefore make sure your daily routine starts with a healthy meal and ends with a good night rest.  Beleive it or not it does make a difference rejuvenating us almost, such a simple task to make an impact on our mind and body who figure?  A check up, with your doctor is very helpful, let him/or her know what you're going through.  Hope this is helpful, wishing you strength towards your steps to moving on forward.  Good Luck!
350513
I am a cutter or was a cutter. I am telling you YES tell you therapist. The meds can be either changed or upped. I do not believe that the meds I took cured my cutting urges but they did help me to be able to function better. What helped me was DBT- dialectual behavioral therapy, group therapy and a good therapist. What stops me now from cutting is simple, the scars! I have scars that are very visible and tell many stories, storys that I rather never read again. You have the strength inside you to stop cutting, you just have to fight through the urges, the anger and the anxiety. Oh, it was hard and still now it's sometimes gets hard BUT I look at it this way, the only one I was punishing was myself and why the heck should I do this! I was punished enough growing up so why do I want to continue this myself. Talk to your therapist about the meds and about possible dbt. It has helped me and I know it can help you!
378929
I've had this problem my whole life. You don't say how old you are, but if you don't do something to stop it, you can develop a nerve pathway that will make it difficult to stop it.\nBo-tox will help. The problem is that insurance carriers are suspicious because of the cosmetic applications. Go see an Ophthalmologist (Not an Optometrist!!) and get some medical help!
216337
It sounds like your sister has trichotillomania.  Trichotillomania is a psychological impulse disorder characterized by an inability to resist the impulse to pull out your hair.  It can be made worse by stress, or conversely, by relaxation.  This behaviour can be treated with medications and also with pychotherapy.
138772
Before you do anything else, you need to speak to your doctor.\nI can't stress this enough. Your doctor can point you in many directions, from psycholgical counseling to perscribing meds for obsessive compulsive disorder.\n\nTALK TO YOUR DOCTOR!!!
137993
they say it is stress induced, the reoccuring. You can get medicine to help shorten the heal time such as abreva. the other less costly ones do not work nearly as well. It will be OK it is a very common condition. It is aggravating, but it is no big deal. Good luck
398167
Sounds like you are having anxiety issues.  Talk to your doctor about it. I know you may think its not that big of a deal but the disorder can get worse with time if its not treated.  I knew a girl that started out that way and did not get treated.  She ended up chewing on her hand it got so bad.  She had to have it bandaged and is permanently scarred from it.  She also started picking her face all the time and that left scars too.
634472
Please ... get off the PAXIL, the best thing to do is just work out every day, drink some green tea, take some yoga classes, get a pet and buy new cloths
476684
I have fibromyalgia, too, but I haven't tried Neurontin yet. Has it helped at all, other than the icky mental effects? How long have you been on it? Has your doctor told you how long it's supposed to be before you know whether or not it's going to work for you?\n\nI have similar cogntive deficits (in addition to the ones normally caused by fibromyalgia) from taking Topomax for migraines. I and others often call it "Dopomax" as a result. It works too well to stop taking it, but I've found that taking Omega III fatty acids makes a major positive difference in how well my brain works. \n\nAll fibromyalgia symptoms, including "fibro fog," are worsened by stress, so the best way to reduce that (and therefore help your overall cognitive functioning) is to control the sources of stress that you can control in your life. Set firm boundaries in your life about not being around negative people. Make your home, and especially your bedroom or another room that's your retreat a special haven - a place that's purely comfortable, tidy, free of anything you're allergic or sensitive to, full of your favorite things, soft and sweet. Be very careful about getting enough sleep each night, drinking enough clean (filtered, although you don't need to bother with bottled) water, eating well, taking care of other health problems, etc. Declutter your life to the point that if you don't love if AND need it, it isn't there.\n\nThose things have made a HUGE difference for me - and for my daughter, who also has fibro. I was diagnosed in 1993. She's 16 now and was diagnosed in 1999.\n\nGood luck! Don't hesitate to ask further questions, and please let me know how you're doing.
448527
I have been on Prozac for more than 15 years now, and if I remember right it took me a little while until it kicked in.  But the Prozac isn't the medication that kept me from "cutting".  I went threw a group called:  DBT, (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) where you commit yourself for at least 1 year, and see your therapist and doctors as normal.  But, you learn coping skills on what to do instead of cutting and how to learn a different way of living.  It's a great program, maybe you could ask your therapist if he/she knows of such a program in your area.  It really worked for me, as I have been a "cutter" now for more than 45 years, and I can honestly say I haven't cut now for about 3 months.  Yes, I know that doesn't sound like very long since I've been doing it for so long and I went threw the program, but each time I want to cut, I find other things to distract me.  This DBT Group helps alot of people and it helps you for the rest of your life, because the skills you learn, you take those with you forever.
125382
I have no idea what is wrong with you.  You should seek professional help.  Could be an imbalance in your chemical make up and maybe a drug could help.  I think you should just look for the positives in life and also do what makes you happy.  if you do drugs, stop.  if you drink too much, stop.  if you are in an abusive relationship, dump him.  Surround yourself with positivity is all I can tell you, and I really wish you well and that you do not act on your suicidal feelings.  Maybe god can help.  ( am not religious by the way)
214877
live life and enjoy every moment,thats the biggest stress buster.if you love doing everything theres nothing to hate.all in all indulge in yourself...holidays to pedicures do it all.as a part of your life.\nand never do anything you dont want to do. say no you will be much happier.
552934
Sorry to hear that you and your mom are not so close. I think that the stress is causing your ulsers...just to be sure go see the doc. As for the stress I suggest you try soothing music. Walking also can release stress and produce endorphins ( chemical in the brain) that will make you feel better..\nGood luck
316240
I have been coloring the roots of my hair ( black) my natural hair color, since I was 27.  I am now 49.  About three years ago I started noticing that my hair coloring was burning my head as soon as my colorist put it to my roots.  I just did it anyway.  We are sooo vain.  It finally caught up with me this past year.  I began to develope a serious allergy to the hair color products.  I would have to be on Benedryl for about 10 days round the clock after getting my hair done.  I had it done every 5 weeks as it grew fast, and when your hair is Black, white hair is noticable.  My colorist did not want to do my hair anylonger.  She was fearful of me going into shock while in her shop...so, I had to come up with something different.  I now do my own hair, it was really scarey the first time as I had never done it myself.  Also, I researched online and found some more natural products to use.  I am happy to say that this last month when I did my hair, I only had to take 2 Benedryls as opposed to 1 every 4 hours for 10 days!  Hair dye is very toxic to our scalps and hair follicles.  Even knowing this, I still have to color my hair.  After years of doing so, the toxicity caught up to me. I Found a Natural healthier permanent coloring - brand name- NATURATINT- level 3N.  They make several different levels for semi-permanent, wash out and the one I use for permanent and 100% grey coverage.  Works great!  Cost a little bit more, but worth it for me not to die from the buring and itching and breaking out on the scalp.  Try it.  It is amonnia free.  You might have to find it in a Natural Foods, or holistic shop, maybe a Whole foods ?