phobia of taking medicines

Hi
I wondered if you could give me some advice regarding a problem that I have which seems to be affecting me more as time goes on. I used to have no problem at all with administering medicines to the kids, or taking medication myself but am finding myself increasingly more distrusting. It is very difficult to explain, although I write religiously what I have taken, the time, and quantity of even the simplist of tablets like paracetamol, I distrust the fact that I have written it down correctly and am very anxious of taking my next dose. If I allow any element of doubt to creep into my head I cannot bring myself to take other tablets. I am a rational person generally, and know that as I am painstakingly ritualistic about making note of time etc, it is highly unlikely that I would have made an error, I just do not trust myself. Is there a name for this irrational behaviour or is this the first time you have heard of this? My husband gets stressed with me when I end up sitting in pain rather than taking some painkillers because I dont trust that I have written down what I have taken, its ridiculous and I am aware how silly it seems but this really is a problem to me. What makes this problem worse is that if the children are ill its a positive nightmare for me. I am a stress head anyway when they are sick but with the added worry of having to administer to somebody else when I have enough difficulty coping with my own medication is really a problem.

You should talk to a psychiatrist and ask if you are suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Prozac 80 mg/day may help you in that case. Follow the psychiatrist's instructions. Cognitive psychotherapy can also be helpful.