Seeking experiences with SRIs for OCD and depression: brands, side effects, changes?

Thank you all so much for your words. I started sertraline this weekend, and adjusting is hard, but this community makes me feel less alone.

Risperidone, Gabapentin & Sertraline [that combination] has done wonders for me….Doesn’t cure it, but makes it much more manageable….And my OCD is severe.

Hello! I tried lexapro for five days last summer and found it increased my anxiety and made self-regulation more difficult. I decided to forgo medication, and continue in therapy for anxiety, until a few months later when I became quite disregulated with intrusive thoughts and realized that I could really benefit from treatment for OCD. My therapist at the time (who did not do ERP therapy) had showed me a book called Freedom From OCD by Dr. Jonathan Grayson. She also referred me to NOCD and suggested I consult with a psychiatrist (as opposed to a generalist such as a family or primary care physician). While medication was not a first line treatment for me personally, the level of disregulation I was experiencing and my strong desire to suffer less, together with my reading of Dr. Grayson's section of his book on medication, lead me to the trial of another medication. Although Dr. Grayson does not advocate that everyone with OCD needs to take medication, the information he provided was helpful to me in making a decision. One thing I recall from the book was that different medications work differently for each person. I decided that I would ask the psychiatrist what her recommendation for me was, based on my experience with the lexapro and the symptoms I was experiencing. After consultation with me, the psychiatrist prescribed sertraline which I have been using now for three months. The prescription came with particulars about gradually increasing the dose to her recommended initial dosage. The medication, together with the ERP I have been doing with NOCD as well as lifestyle changes I have made (I sent my kids to school rather than continuing with homeschooling which was quite a stressor for me) has resulted in significant improvements in my anxiety. I plan to stay on sertraline for the indefinite future and maintain my therapy with NOCD. I hope this information is helpful.

TW: SI I have taken fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft). They’re both SSRIs. I have had essentially no side effects from either medication. Sertraline did hardly anything for me but fluoxetine has made such a huge difference for my depression. I feel like a person again. It doesn’t entirely get rid of my depressive or suicidal thoughts, but it helps me see the thoughts as momentary and isolates them only thoughts so I don’t believe them as much. Genuinely I’m not sure I would be alive if it weren’t for fluoxetine.

I've done Zoloft and Prozac - had great results with both. Zoloft was easier for me to be on in the beginning but Prozac helps a lot more in the long run. It takes time to test which can be scary but I've found it to be really worth it.

I might as well list my cocktail too. I had great luck with Cymbalta for ten years. Then, I got the bright idea to get off it. No one ever diagnosed me with OCD or said you need to take this the rest of your life. Major new OCD theme flairs up…now I’m diagnosed and on Luvox (Fluvoxamine) and Buspar (Buspirone). The combo works pretty well with really no side effects - reducing worst symptoms 50%.

I’ve tried Zoloft and Lexapro as far as SSRIs go, and both of them made my intrusive thoughts worse

I’m on lexapro and Wellbutrin. It’s been a game changer. I sleep better now as well

Ecitaliopram. Very helpful. I also consider exercising as my medicine.

I took fluoxetine for about ten days a couple of months ago. I was not yet diagnosed with OCD and was starting it for generalized anxiety (no depressive symptoms). To this day I don't know if it was because I was having a bad reaction to the pill or just the simple though of being on medication terrified me, but I couldn't take it. Made my fears so much worse— I missed classes for a week and had to go to urgent care because I couldn't stomach a thing. Learned later on from a different psychiatrist that fluoxetine typically works much better for those with stronger depression symptoms as opposed to just anxiety, as it tends to increase adrenaline in the first handful of weeks of taking it. My only advice is to make sure you meet with a good, compassionate psychiatrist who has the availability to guide you through the process and answer your questions as they come up!