Hello community! I struggle with intrusive thoughts. I haven’t quite found an SSRI that has really helped me. I have tried many. Can someone share which specific brand of SSRI has helped them overcome intrusive thoughts? Thanks!
Good Morning, everyone responds differently to different medications, personally lexapro and Luvox have helped me. Has you doctor recommended any?
@Anonymous Hi, thank you for your response! I have tried lexapro, Zoloft, and Prozac. Not much relief from those. I’m about 2 weeks in taking Viibryd. No great effect yet. In fact, the intrusive thoughts seem slightly worse. Wondering if Luvox would be the way to go since it is specifically for OCD.
@Anonymous Worth a shot! Hopefully we can find some relief. The thoughts suck so much
Hello, I’m having the same struggle. I hate the idea of taking meds too. 3 weeks into Prozac, and I don’t feel a difference. My intrusive thoughts derail my day and have even impacted my work. I will say that I think running and exercise have generally helped me more than anything. I really hope you’re able to find some relief soon.
@Kintsugi321 Sorry to hear that you are struggling too! Hopefully the Prozac will start working for you. Do you find that you go through periods where the intrusive thoughts will just disappear on their own, sometimes for months?
@Anonymous I went years without any severe bouts. This year I had to stop running for awhile due to some medical issues, and it was like the OCD flood gates opened up this year. Scared I’ll never snap out of it, hence trying meds. I’m starting to work running back in, so I’m hoping that with therapy will help so I can ween off meds down the road. But my days are rough. I’ve been unable to leave the house some days due to harm OCD and existential OCD bouts mixed with obsessing with the fear of never getting better. Hoping things change soon.
@Kintsugi321 It sounds like your OCD themes are exactly like mine. Usually I would have the intrusive thoughts for a few weeks and then they would disappear for months. Unfortunately, I’ve been experiencing them pretty consistently for the past 6 months. Many days I have to force myself to go out and be social, and it helps when I do. Hang in there, you’re not alone!
@Anonymous Curious, have you done ERP yet? I’m working on getting more stable through an Intensive Outpatient Program before diving into ERP. Hoping we both make some progress here soon. Thank you for the encouragement!
@Kintsugi321 Yes, I have done ERP. Probably not as consistently as I should, but I will say that it does seem to work. I would start small, maybe try to do something little each day. I am still not courageous enough to tackle my big triggers, but I definitely plan on. How is outpatient? I have thought about trying that also.
@Anonymous I start this week. It’s a huge commitment, and I work full time, so curious to see how I’ll make it work. Getting through this and getting back to living life is the priority for sure. Hopefully it helps.
@Kintsugi321 Best of luck with it, I hope it works for you. And props to you for putting in the hard work!!
@Anonymous Thank you, and I hope you can find a method (meds or not) that works for you. This is—indeed—hard work!
(25f) Before I was diagnosed with OCD I tried Lexapro (wasn’t bad but wasn’t great) and Citalopram (partially think it was a part of what caused me to develop severe anxiety that ignited my once not so active OCD.) After diagnosis tried Effexor and didn’t see an improvement. Was on Adderall for a good amount of my life and mentally did good on it, stopped about 2 years ago because the physical side effects started to become more noticeable. Maybe I go back on Adderall? Maybe SSRI’s and I aren’t a great fit? Anyone taking other medications that helped?
Hi everyone, I’m new to the community. I was diagnosed with OCD just a couple of months ago and have been doing some reading and other research to try and understand the disorder. With this, I have been actively seeing a great therapist who has been helpful to build tools to deal with my intrusive thoughts ( contamination OCD is my worst theme). Do help learn to deal with the compulsions, I start on Sertraline or “Zoloft” I believe since November 2024. Currently I’m on 50mg and have been doing this for just over a month. My question for those who are also taking Sertraline and it has been successful, how do you know it has really provided a benefit and how long did it take to get there? I sometimes feel the medication works, and sometimes I feel it doesn’t (maybe that’s my OCD trying to mess with things). Thanks!
Can people please share their experiences on very low dose medications for their OCD? Maybe ones that have worked well with little side effects? Anything is helpful & thank you
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