Medications
What OCD medication(s) do you take & what are your thoughts on it? I’ve taken Zoloft and Fluvoxamine in the past and think it’s time to get back on something. My only concern is that I am a female in her mid 20s and I would like to have children of my own within the next 10 years & I’m not sure how medications would affect that.
Just do your research talk with your doctor see what could cause issues and what is safe more of them are safe to use
Ive taken Lexapro for the last several years. Some people have strong opinions for or against SSRIs. I personally have felt it help my ocd and I don’t have big plans to get off of it anytime soon. I wish I could speak more to the pregnancy question, but my impulse would that having a psychiatrist navigate that with you would be helpful. I’m sure they have ways they could gradually take you off during pregnancy and then go back on when you’re ready. There’s a lot of buzz in the nyt and elsewhere recently about ssri vs placebo. The articles are compelling but my therapist believes that a lot of the studies that are referenced don’t add much to what has already been known by doctors for decades, which is that placebo is still better than nothing, and that SSRIs do still show higher results than placebo tests. The tests also don’t take into account how effective SSRIs can be in severe cases of ocd, versus more tame cases of anxiety and depression .
Do you have side effects with the meds? It concerns me that there are so many potential side effects, and in particular sexual side effects as well. It also concerns me to start that I can't simply stop abruptly if I wanted.
@Exhausted Uncertainty I don’t experience any side effects with lexapro. But I did on Zoloft. The side effects were GI related. I haven’t tried to go off lexapro, but I imagine it would be temporarily mildly uncomfortable. It would need to be a slow taper off of the meds.
@Simon Thank you for sharing this experience. It feels like a gigantic step considering meds, but it helps hearing from people who have had prescriptions.
@Exhausted Uncertainty One thing I would say- it was a very big step for me. I had some stigma about meds, and I was nervous for many reasons. When I finally did it, I noticed nothing but fairly gentle improvement in my ocd symptoms. Ocd also tends to get involved in ‘what if’s’ about taking meds. If that’s happening, I would suggest moving ahead with trying them. If you have other personal opinions etc, that’s fine it’s totally your call
@Simon This is helpful to hear. My reservations haven't vanished, but your point about the What-ifs getting their 2 cents in is very well received. It makes me laugh with a bit of frustration that the stupid what-ifs are like ninjas, hidden in plain sight. Sheesh! :) Thank you for all this information.
I took citalopram 20mg throughout both of my pregnancies. They told me it was safe but there are some things they want to watch the baby for immediately post delivery like respiratory distress. They also said they prefer Zoloft over citalopram.
I’ve tried both Prozac and Zuloft to help treat my OCD and neither has worked. I was on 80mg of Prozac and now 150mg of Zuloft but have felt little to no difference. Is there a better medication anyone can suggest? Thanks
Hi there! I’ve just recently received my OCD diagnosis and found out that I’ve just been raw-dogging OCD since I was a young child. Im considering taking medication to help me and my therapist suggested Zoloft. Has anyone taken Zoloft for OCD/anxiety? Any side effects that I would want to be aware of from personal experience? Thanks !!
What medicines do you all take that help with your OCD?
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