u/Popular-Bat497

I just wanted to share a small update. I’ve been on Zoloft for about 20 days now, and honestly, it wasn’t helping much at first. I was also on Lyrica, and that actually made a noticeable difference for me. But when my psychiatrist suggested stopping Lyrica (hoping Zoloft would be enough), I really struggled. My anxiety and intrusive thoughts spiked, and I felt like I was losing control again.

Thankfully, my doctor listened and put me back on Lyrica, and I’m already feeling much more stable. I’ve also stopped constantly checking my body for symptoms and researching every little thing, which used to take over my days. It’s not perfect, but it’s a huge step forward.

If you’re going through something similar — health anxiety, OCD, fear of illnesses — please know that you’re not alone. Reaching out for help was the best thing I did, and it does get better. It might not happen overnight, but small steps add up.

Sending strength to anyone reading this. You’ve got this. 💛

I just wanted to share a small update. I’ve been on Zoloft for about 20 days now, and honestly, it wasn’t helping much at first. I was also on Lyrica, and that actually made a noticeable difference for me. But when my psychiatrist suggested stopping Lyrica (hoping Zoloft would be enough), I really struggled. My anxiety and intrusive thoughts spiked, and I felt like I was losing control again.

Thankfully, my doctor listened and put me back on Lyrica, and I’m already feeling much more stable. I’ve also stopped constantly checking my body for symptoms and researching every little thing, which used to take over my days. It’s not perfect, but it’s a huge step forward.

If you’re going through something similar — health anxiety, OCD, fear of illnesses — please know that you’re not alone. Reaching out for help was the best thing I did, and it does get better. It might not happen overnight, but small steps add up.

Sending strength to anyone reading this. You’ve got this. 💛

I live in Moscow and have been dealing with health anxiety and OCD for a while. Lately, my main fear has been rabies. I know rationally that the risk is extremely low here — no human cases in over 20 years, and rabies in animals is very rare — but my brain won't let it go.

I keep checking my body for scratches or marks, even though I don't remember any contact with animals. My OCD tells me I might have "forgotten" getting scratched, which I know doesn't make sense logically, but it still feels very real.

I also worry about symptoms, which makes the anxiety worse. I understand that symptoms would only appear after a confirmed exposure, which I don't have, but the fear still loops.

I'm not asking for medical advice. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this kind of intrusive fear around a disease that's nearly impossible to catch in their region, and what helped them break the cycle.

Thanks for reading.

I live in Moscow and have been dealing with health anxiety and OCD for a while. Lately, my main fear has been rabies. I know rationally that the risk is extremely low here — no human cases in over 20 years, and rabies in animals is very rare — but my brain won't let it go.

I keep checking my body for scratches or marks, even though I don't remember any contact with animals. My OCD tells me I might have "forgotten" getting scratched, which I know doesn't make sense logically, but it still feels very real.

I also worry about symptoms, which makes the anxiety worse. I understand that symptoms would only appear after a confirmed exposure, which I don't have, but the fear still loops.

I'm not asking for medical advice. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this kind of intrusive fear around a disease that's nearly impossible to catch in their region, and what helped them.

Thanks.

I live in Moscow and have been dealing with health anxiety and OCD for a while. Lately, my main fear has been rabies. I know rationally that the risk is extremely low here — no human cases in over 20 years, and rabies in animals is very rare — but my brain won't let it go.

I keep checking my body for scratches or marks, even though I don't remember any contact with animals. My OCD tells me I might have "forgotten" getting scratched, which I know doesn't make sense logically, but it still feels very real.

I also worry about symptoms, which makes the anxiety worse. I understand that symptoms would only appear after a confirmed exposure, which I don't have, but the fear still loops.

I'm not asking for medical advice. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this kind of intrusive fear around a disease that's nearly impossible to catch in their region, and what helped them break the cycle.

Thanks for reading.

I have an anxiety disorder and OCD, and I'm very afraid of rabies. I'm in Moscow, by the way. My OCD makes me think I could have gotten a scratch from an animal without noticing, since I found scratches on myself the same day, but my OCD makes me think I just forgot how the animal scratched me. Can you help? Is this even possible? I have wounds that hurt whenever I think about it, and I'm also afraid of the symptoms. That's probably the main thing, because as soon as a symptom appears, you're dead.

I have an anxiety disorder and OCD, and I'm very afraid of rabies. I'm in Moscow, by the way. My OCD makes me think I could have gotten a scratch from an animal without noticing, since I found scratches on myself the same day, but my OCD makes me think I just forgot how the animal scratched me. Can you help? Is this even possible? I have wounds that hurt whenever I think about it, and I'm also afraid of the symptoms. That's probably the main thing, because as soon as a symptom appears, you're cooked

Hi, I'm going to sound crazy now, but this is my life. I suffered from OCD for five years, and antidepressants helped me, and I lived without fear for two years, but before my birthday, everything came back, so I stopped taking the pills as prescribed by the doctor. At one point, after I got a splinter, I was afraid I had tetanus because my jaw hurt. I really went crazy, hysterical every day, went to seven doctors in five days and thought I was going to die in a few days, but then when I found out there was a vaccine, I calmed down. But then, ordinary words didn't help me; only proof of it with documents helped. I started taking the pills again and everything was fine for a couple of weeks, but they stopped me from taking one medication and left me on antidepressants. After that, something developed that prevents me from living a normal life. I'm afraid of getting rabies. By the way, I live in a city where there haven't been any infections for 20 years. But I found two spots on my arm and decided that I had been bitten. Please note, I didn't see anyone, but I was sure that I was sick. I realized that I hadn't had contact with animals, and that meant I couldn't get sick. But that didn't stop me. I started thinking that my dry skin on my leg was a wound and a virus had gotten in because it was itchy. But then this fear went away and a new, crazy one came. I feel like I'll accidentally drink animal saliva and it will get into the micro-wounds in my mouth and I'll die. I'm writing this to share with someone because I can't handle it myself.

Hi, I'm going to sound crazy now, but this is my life. I suffered from OCD for five years, and antidepressants helped me, and I lived without fear for two years, but before my birthday, everything came back, so I stopped taking the pills as prescribed by the doctor. At one point, after I got a splinter, I was afraid I had tetanus because my jaw hurt. I really went crazy, hysterical every day, went to seven doctors in five days and thought I was going to die in a few days, but then when I found out there was a vaccine, I calmed down. But then, ordinary words didn't help me; only proof of it with documents helped. I started taking the pills again and everything was fine for a couple of weeks, but they stopped me from taking one medication and left me on antidepressants. After that, something developed that prevents me from living a normal life. I'm afraid of getting rabies. By the way, I live in a city where there haven't been any infections for 20 years. But I found two spots on my arm and decided that I had been bitten. Please note, I didn't see anyone, but I was sure that I was sick. I realized that I hadn't had contact with animals, and that meant I couldn't get sick. But that didn't stop me. I started thinking that my dry skin on my leg was a wound and a virus had gotten in because it was itchy. But then this fear went away and a new, crazy one came. I feel like I'll accidentally drink animal saliva and it will get into the micro-wounds in my mouth and I'll die. I'm writing this to share with someone because I can't handle it myself.