Any tips on taking your medication consistently?

I stopped taking my medication (fluvoxamine) because I was getting dizzy and tired on it…. Also my sex drive kind of went down. Now I’m worried and honestly really scared to see how bad my OCD comes back. 🤦🏻‍♀️😭😭😭 I do not want to be caught stepping over cracks and flipping the light switch 20 times at work 😓 but to be honest the dizziness was making my compulsions worse. I am the worst at taking medication. I get so scared of the side effects… any tips on taking medication? I keep going on and off it and my doctor is getting a little upset😩

Username: InkJoy123InkJoy123

Date posted: 2y ago

You 100% should not be getting off the medication that fast. Not your fault as I can see how stressful the side effects have been making you. Your doctor should be listening to you on when you tell them the side effects are really affecting you. Thats when your doctor SHOULD give you steps on how to slowly get off medication while they recommend you a new dosage or even a new prescription. They should not be letting your side effects affect you to the point its affecting your life and should be getting you the proper care you deserve.

Username: KAD.98KAD.98

Date posted: 2y ago

@InkJoy123 I agree. I’ve only been taking Luvox since July 5th… and it’s only 25mg. I tried Celexa but the same thing happened… I didn’t want to continue taking it because I was scared of the possible side effects. This is the longest time I’ve taken my medication and my provider just texted me back saying “unfortunately this medication has common side effects, I suggest you see your psychiatrist and see what he prescribes you, etc.” she isn’t a provider that’s well educated in mental illness.. so I don’t tell her my compulsions and what bothers me… so she honestly doesn’t know how the side effects are scaring me. I just told her I’m getting dizzy and don’t want to take it. Do you think my OCD will get even worse because I stopped taking the medication so abruptly? 😓

Username: InkJoy123InkJoy123

Date posted: 2y ago

@KAD.98 ooohhh I really recommend you tell your psychiatrist or who you are seeing right now if they are able to get you to someone more knowledgable in OCD. I would say to tell the truth to your provider though. Again not your fault, I know how hard it is to talk about OCDs to other individuals. But once you tell them your compulsions and how you've been feeling and how you REALLY are being effected by the side effects, they SHOULD be giving you the proper care. I don't think your OCD will get worse. I just think because you are constantly getting on and off, its just gonna fluctuate a bit but if you get a better provider who you can feel comfortable with talking to and get medication that will help, I know you'll get better :)

Username: GratefulGalGratefulGal

Date posted: 2y ago

Setting timers can be helpful also getting timer caps for the bottles can be helpful

Username: gila.eligila.eli

Date posted: 2y ago

I had a similar issue! Would definitely recommend talking to your psychiatrist and explaining your side effects, and if it’s possible to find a professional that specializes in OCD. For the time being, setting reminders is really really helpful. It helps to also check it off. It can be hard, but getting into a routine really makes it easier (btw I’m on Luvox too :)) hope things start getting better!!

Username: seekingvee

Date posted: 5y ago

How can I accept that I may need medication for the rest of my life? Some background: I have several family members with OCD, my paternal grandmother and one of my cousins on my dad's side. I had anxiety issues from really early on as a kid, particularly around health related stuff. I would clean little cuts frequently, small things like that. Other than that, I never felt majorly affected. That changed when I was 19, a few months after I gave birth to my son. I started having obsessions rooted in hypochondria, like that I might have some disease, or that myself and/or those I love would get some horrible illness and die. I was diagnosed and started taking Prozac at 21 years old. I'm now 27. Medication works incredibly well for me. I have no side effects, I function totally normal when medicated. But I've gone off medication like 5 or 6 times just to see if I'm finally okay, and without fail, I relapse (which is happening to me right now, and yes, I've restarted my meds.) My OCD thoughts don't want to accept this though, and I'm being thrown all kinds of thoughts like what if someday the world falls apart and I don't have access to medicine? Or what if I take it for years and years, just to someday find out that it gave me brain cancer or insertdiseasehere? Does anyone have any tips for accepting medication as a necessary part of my life?

Username: N_Smitty90

Date posted: 1y ago

Antidepressants

So my OCD has gotten significantly worse in the last month or so. Constant anxiety and I decided to get antidepressants. I will begin taking them this weekend. I think there’s anyone have any good things to say about them? A couple years ago I got a script for them took one pill and the side effects were pretty hard to deal with so my doctor told me to cut one and a half and take that for a week but I decided not to take them. I think I’m ready to give it another chance. Does anyone else have anxiety about starting medication? Or does anyone have experience dealing with this?

Existential OCD

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 1y ago

Never the right time to start an SSRI

Hi! Thankful for this space where I can talk about things that are way too TMI for other people! I’ve had ocd for about 3.5 years now and have always been terrified to start a medication due to possible side effects. My ocd started as sexual orientation/relationship ocd and I was always so afraid that the medicine was going to take away that attraction from me and leave me feeling like my fears were true. I tried 4 separate times to take a med but never took it longer than I week because I got so anxious of the side effects. I’m getting married next year, and we’re waiting to have sex until we’re married. Mentally, I am unwell and probably should be medicated, but I’m still so scared of the side effects!!! I don’t want my first sexual experiences to be while I’m having a side effect from a drug, we’ve been waiting for 4 years and I really don’t want to throw sexual side effects into the mix of that. Additionally, I’ve heard people talk about how meds numb their emotions, and I want to be feeling happy and excited throughout this season of life! I don’t want meds to suppress me, but I need my anxiety suppressed. I feel stuck

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