I'm too scared to start meds because of sides effects and the fact that most people experience a relapse after a couple months of stopping.... Your brain literally comes back to what you were before the meds so what's the point? More than 50% who start SSRIs need to keep taking them forever. Has anyone recovered without meds? Or natural remedies? I believe in science and doctors, but the risks are wayyyy too scary.

also was gonna ask.. i already struggle with sleep and that is the most common side effect

I’m literally in the exact same boat. I have a precription for lexapro and hydroxyzine. I’m afraid to take them because of side effects and I also have emetephobia. I don’t have ocd but I have fear around getting sick/phobia of vomiting and worrying about sides. I’m with anxiety daily. In fact right now I’m really struggling with it. I’ve been meditating 2 or more times per day and do EFT tapping. I met with ERP therapist from NOCD last week and start that therapy on wed. I am also trying hypnotherapy. Met that dr last week and my first session is on feb 8 and then she will take me on as a client for CBT. How do you manage your anxiety currently? I’d love to hear how others have managed and how well they’re doing without medications.

wim hof method helps me to clear my anxiety temporarily.. but its better than a valium

@Todd James search it on youtube.. and dont worry if you feel tingly from it

I'm really big on mindfulness and it has change a lot for me, but I'm still struggling a little bit with depression and OCD... Everyone has been telling me the meds are like a boost, but I feel it might be just temporary.

@nothavingagoodtime I can say that I took medication 20 years ago and it did help for my anxiety/panic. I was on it for about 5 years and came off. I was ok (mostly) with rare occasions of heightened anxiety over the last 12/15 years. This winter, I think because I’ve been alone, isolated, it’s cold and gray (where I’m located) and dark, I’m not around my friends, and at the peak of covid in my area I happened to take a week off from work for vacation. I think all the time alone and all that’s going on, it just hit me. I usually have a harder time in winter anyway but not like this. All the old anxiety has resurfaced. So idk if medication is a life long thing. It may be. It may not be. It’s different for everyone I supposed. But I’d love to hear from others about your question and how they manage without medication ag all and how long it’s been going on. I often wonder if there’s ever a way around medication or is that something that is inevitable.

wait what are the side effects?

Every meds (SSRIs) are different, but most of them have high chances of these side effects: drowsiness/or insomnia, highly decreased sexual desires, migraines, feeling numb/emotionless/ unable to cry and many others. It is also very hard to come off SSRI as there is horrible withdrawal symptoms that can go on for months (symptoms of depression/OCD may come back twice as hard). Most people need to go back on the meds because of that relapse and simply can't go on without them anymore. For at least 50% of people they have to have the meds for life. But then again, some people simply have none of these! But it's not majority.

@nothavingagoodtime thank you!

I was on medication when I first got ocd when I have 4 kids 11 10 9 and 7 so I wasn’t on meds those years and was still maintaining I had difficult moments but was able to stop new things and fears I still had ocd but it was manageable I got threw rituals I had a few rough years and when my husband went to prison when he relapsed again I lost everything again it sucked doing it all again I was mostly depressed and was eating meds to knock me out and wasn’t eating from stress I started meds again to get something to knock me out something to keep the stress down I needed xanex honestly but I was on meds for 4 years changed them every year cause nothing was working cause I had gotten so much worse on the meds like my ocd was insane I was worse than I was when I started so I changed every year for 4 years till I finally admitted myself but they couldn’t help me cause my ocd was so insane they refered me to an ocd facility which denied me cause of insurance so I just dealt wit it I gave up stopped meds and the last few years I’ve been in the same state wit my ocd non functioning on ssi for my ocd I’m able to avoid some triggers to help wit not haveing my ocd spike anymore but some things I can’t avoid I need help wit my ocd I’m extremely non functioning now and still can’t get proper care cause of my insurance I wish I would’ve never started medication when my husband went to prison I feel watever they gave me worsened things and then continued to worsen cause they weren’t an ocd specialist I’ve never seen 1 doctor that really new anything bout my ocd but would prescribe me medication I trusted them all these years and now no I needed better care they should’ve refered me to someone else that understood ocd so now I’m very wierry of who I see.

Thank you for answering, your story sounds horrible and you deserve better. Yes, that's what I'm scared of, doctors are quick to prescribe things without knowing sometimes. Thank you again, stay strong ❤️

I have tried different supplements and Inositol did help, been trying NAC but haven’t noticed a difference. I am currently on a low dose of Lexapro because it is difficult for me to function without it. I am going to try the inositol again, it’s just that you have to take a lot of it throughout the day and it was hard to be consistent. Also you have to build up to it because at first it upsets your stomach. After about 6 weeks I was amazed at how much better I felt, though.

How do you feel with lexapro. I have precription but afraid to start it. I have a 5mg precription but Dr said I could start with half if I felt more comfortable

Will look into it! Thank you for answering. ❤️ Good luck with the Lexapro, it was the one I was advised to take

@ChefT I had a really rough time when getting on Paxil and Prozac, the Prozac they had to give me liquid to get on it such a tiny bit at a time. Knock on wood, I have not had any side effects starting the Lexapro. I was really scared because I did with the other two so bad.

any issues with insomnia with lexapro? if so how long do they last?

Hard for me to tell because I suffer from insomnia when not on meds. Some people say adjusting the time of day you take them can help, though.

@OCDMM interesting.. did it take long for lexapro to kick in?

I just started the Lexapro but I’m switching from Prozac. I was on Paxil for years before the Prozac. Both times it took me about 6 weeks to feel the full effects but after about a month I started noticing a difference. Getting on or off one can be difficult and you really have to give it time to tell how you’ll feel on it. Most of the side effects I had on both of those subsided after about two weeks. Some things like increased hunger, dry mouth, fatigue can stick around, though.

thanks.. i also have paxil but havent started taking it

@Todd James My mom and brother are both on Paxil and have no issues. I don’t think I could have functioned without it and am grateful I had it. I had really bad dry mouth on it and my psychiatrist wanted me to try something else to see if we could reduce that but overall I was happy on it. I was on Paxil from age 12 to about 34 off and on. It is one where you have to be consistent with it, some are more forgiving with missing doses but that one you might feel off for a day if you miss a dose and withdrawal can be harder where with Prozac it was no big deal and easier to come off of but for me personally it was not as effective at treating my anxiety as the Paxil was.