I saw a therapist a couple of days ago, I have another appointment on the 20th may (my 16th birthday). They think I might need to be put on medication. Is anyone here on medication and do you find it helpful?

What kind of therapist did you see? Medication is not a cure but it can be very helpful for some people to help make exposure therapy easier to do. Some people have side effects, some don't see any difference, and some people say medication is a life changer.

Medication was so important for me. I wasn’t a functional human until I went on it - barely ate and was too terrified to leave my couch from my OCD! I will say I’m still figuring out (with my psychiatrist) what dose is best for me (likely need a higher dose) and it definitely has not solved my OCD. It has made the better days more frequent and allowed me to see that my intrusive thoughts are not real more easily. Ultimately ERP is what is going to help! If it helps anyone, I’m currently on 15mg of Escitalopram/Ciprolex a day (switched from 20mg of Citalopram about a month ago).

That happened to me, but I think it was probably because I was so scared of the side effects that being on the medication made me anxious. Once I realized none of the side effects were happening the anxiety went away. The only side effect I’ve noticed is I’m more tired than before. I will say I don’t think I have been on the right dose yet, so I don’t think I’ve seen the full, complete benefits, but I started to notice a difference in mood after about a month. Be patient, finding the right dose and right type of medication can be a process.

What are the first week or two like while on medication? I heard you feel really bad for the first week or two