People on ssri's: on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being most effective) how much do they help your ocd? Not anxiety or depression, just ocd.

Probably about a 7 for me.

I agree with last comment. Sertraline has lowered by anxiety to a point where my intrusive ocd thoughts just come and go without me dwelling on them. In fact I often forget them very quickly now. Meds have given me my life back

Right so I agree with ElaineP that everyone’s different and so different things work for them and use your best judgement to decide if you think you can handle dealing with stuff without meds. And speak to a doctor about what they think because they’re experienced and so they’ll probably know the best

Absolutely! Get help and as much as you need as quickly so you can stop things escalating! Be it therapy alone or with meds. I wish you luck x

For me it didn’t really do anything for OCD until I got to a high dose. But it only has significantly helped in addition to ERP. I would say medicine alone would be a 5

3/10 for ssri by itself. 9/10 for ssri + lamotrigine

Meds helped only about a 6 for me. Sometimes more sometimes less

I’d say by lowering my anxiety it lowers my ocd too so probably a 7

This makes me think of going back on my regular dose but I really want to be off of meds and handle this by myself

It’s a very personal choice and only you know what’s best. Personally I had got myself in a mental loop and could see no way out with therapy alone. I’ve been discharged from therapy now, just on medication but I know the strategies to employ if meds stop working. Aiming to only be on meds for 6 months but right now can’t imagine coming off them. It’s been nearly 3 months now. First time ever of needing SSRIs, I had a nervous breakdown that made my OCD flare up out of control. Different theme to any OCD I’d had in the past

..... It was destroying my marriage as the theme was based around my husband so I had no choice really

@ElaneP my theme has also centered around my husband and has also come close to destroying my marriage before. That’s what scares me the most

@ElaineP if you wouldn’t mind could u please share your OCD thoughts and experiences with me? If not it’s ok but I feel like we could be dealing with VERY similar experiences

Anxiousashley you asked what my ocd thoughts were. Well since I can remember I’ve had a fear of the house burning down hence I’ve always always had to check plugs again and again before bed only though, windows and doors too. Now I just take pics on my iPhone so I only need to do it once now lol. This theme has never caused me any anxiety (only sleepless nights!) so I’ve just dealt with it. However, I had a nervous breakdown a few months ago as I found out my husband (who is a photographer) had made purchases behind my back for cameras etc (I found a receipt for a loan for £5k) when I asked him about it, he lied. I believe there were other purchases/loans I knew nothing about too, he just said how did you think I was paying for it all???? Also he’s started photographing women for fashion shoots, I’m really anxious and jealous over this too. So, this whole episode kicked off incredible anxiety which in turn flared up my OCD whereby I had to keep asking my husband questions such as “do you regret lying” or “do you get turned on shooting women” etc etc., but then my OCD would make me ask him again and again. Then I would write it down for him and ask him to sign the sentence in agreement. Then I wouldn’t be sure he’d read all of it so I’d make him sign every word. I also used to record our conversations just to be sure I’d heard him right. I lost half a stone over this, I’d be at work and my day would be ruined by intrusive thoughts that I knew I’d have to go home and ask him about then the ritual/compulsion would start all over again, writing, signing, anxiety etc etc . It always kicked off a row as he believed I couldn’t let things go and thought I was going crazy and just trying to wind him up, until I had clinical OCD diagnosed that is. A very bad time in my life I have to say. Things are much better now with ERP and meds. We’ve been married 25 years and are very strong together, I totally overreacted about the money and models but if you’re made that way you’re just made that way!

@ElaineP yeah just glancing over your posts that totally sounds like ocd. I don't know what Anxiousashley is talking about

I'm on the fence because ssri's work very good for my sister, but she does not experience ocd. Her depression is worse than mine, my anxiety and hers are about equal, but for some reason I have ocd. It really kicked in hard when I started living alone 7 years ago. My ocd is getting better, like a wound healing. It's just egtting better very slowly. But every few months I do realize it has improved. I take klonopin as needed to deal with the anxiety that tge ocd gives me. This, with therapy and a strong will to get better is helping. Some of my family wants me to take meds because it's worked for them. My doctor is leaving it up to me since my ocd hasn't gotten in the way of my work or relationships much at all. I'm just not sure because my mom and sister deal with such heavy depression they insist I try the meds they are on but my symptoms are so much different then theirs.

I don’t really think that is OCD. That sounds legit to me and I would also be concerned.

what isn't ocd?

Anxiousashley it 100% is OCD. Ok so most people would have been fuming about the money and probably had a massive row, silent treatment perhaps for a bit, make him sweat it out, all of that. However I couldn’t let it go and after 3 months I was still bringing it up everyday, unable to escape the OCD loop, asking him the same questions until the answer sounded right. Then doubting and asking again, recording conversations just to be sure, making him sign the question in case he hadn’t understood. All of this made my anxiety soooo bad, needed diazipam to calm me down until sertraline started working. Also the model thing became an OCD frenzy similar to the above. Even though he’d reassured me he’d never ever do nudes or topless and always invited me to shoots. Most of the shoots were at our house even. My anxiety just opened the flood gates but all centred around him