will medication get me back to 'normal'?

thank you! my doctor didn't prescribe me any because she suggested therapy first. i'm still going to therapy and trying my best, but therapy hasn't helped me reduce the mental anxiety i get. if you don't mind sharing, has medication helped reduce the number of intrusive thoughts you get, or just the intensity of them?

i've seen a few posts on here discussing medication, all of which i'm completely unfamiliar with. it probably takes time to find the best option, right? if you don't mind sharing, have you had any positive (or negative) experiences with medication?

@smallescape Yes, it can. It really depends.

@smallescape I’m one of the rare people where medication doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried 15 different types for various mental illnesses. You don’t need medication to recover and heal but it helps many people.

@Nica have you found alternatives, like therapy, to be more helpful? like ERP or CBT? i think i left it very late to seek any kind of help, to the point where my main compulsion has become a normal thing to me. i don't want to become dependent on medication, but at this current point in time, i can't really imagine a mental state where i wouldn't do that compulsion

@smallescape ERP and mindfulness.

thank you for sharing! if i could find the right medication that makes intrusive thoughts less frequent, that would be perfect. i know it might take time to find the right one for me, but in my current mental state it feels like it would be worth trying if you don't mind sharing, have you had any negative side effects to your medication?

@smallescape I tried zoloft and it didn’t work cause it caused unwanted side effects but then I switched to Lexapro and I’ve barely noticed any at all. Not sure maybe gastrointestinal side effects but it faded. So I’m still on Lexapro

@Dre83 thank you for sharing, and it's great you've found something that works for you! i'll dicuss it with my doctor and look up the side effects of different medication to find the right one for me

i have heard it takes a while, so i'm glad it seems to be working for you after 2 months! after 7 months of these thoughts and the last few months becoming more intense, it's something i want to try just to reduce the anxiety and thoughts. thank you for sharing the side effect you experienced!

@Anonymous Sure! I'm on sertralin (Zoloft) and quetiapin (Quetiron). Zoloft killed my appetite. Zoloft also worked for one of my friends. She said she was taking another pills and it made her gain weight, she switched to Zoloft and it's okay for her. But it can work differently for people. What are you on?