medication

I think it depends on what works for you, but yes it helps. I take Paxil and Adderall. They've both helped in different ways Paxil did make me feel less stuck on thoughts, though I don't know that it directly made me have less of them. The amount of anxiety sort of fluctuated for me. It was a drastic decrease when I started it because I was so anxious all the time. After a while though, the anxiety sort of finds its new normal, but I found that I was better able to handle it. Now I say better because I did still have compulsive urges. Especially when you have a lot of mental compulsions and thoughts patterns, it's too easy to just do those again and feel more anxious. That's why the ERP work is important for catching that when it starts. But on Paxil I was able to have less episodes that spiraled out of control Adderall turned out to be the perfect addition to the team for me. I have ADHD, which contributes a lot to the OCD tendencies I have. Adderall makes me feel a lot less scattered in my mind. It's like it forces me to lock in, so I can focus despite intrusive thoughts. It also helps me feel less tired and more motivated, which is helpful to being in a better mood and accomplishing things that make me happier and more relieved. So, between Paxil helping with anxiety and depression, and Adderall helping with clarity and attention, it sort of covered all angles. But I will say, it doesn't just make it go away. It's best for getting me through the day when I have things, to focus on, but any moments where I could get triggered, or lost to thought can take me right back into the cycle of I let it So the meds are more of a support than anything. They do, however, help me focus on and feel better about my ERP techniques so that I actually use them, and they keep me from getting derailed when I'm trying to get on with my life while OCD is in the background Also, keep in mind other health and wellness factors. Some of the natural side effects can include loss of appetite, insomnia, and higher blood pressure, so it's important to implement other behaviors for a healthy lifestyle. That's something I'm still working on Hope this helps!

Hey, personally from my experience ( i was prescribed sertraline) it didn’t stop the intrusive thoughts but it made me feel less, close to nothing actually which meant even if i had the intrusive thoughts I wouldn’t feel anything , like there was no anxiety but i was depressed because i thought they would go away, that’s when I realized that the meds are supposed to help you exercise erp therapy, you take them, you feel less which means you’re less anxious and then practicing erp therapy isn’t like facing a devil in your room yk and then one day pooff it’s gone , although i am not a big fan of the side effects, the side effects are nothing when it comes to ocd.