- Date posted
- Yesterday
How has your life changed with medication?
For those who have had success with medication for OCD/anxiety, how is your life different now compared to before starting medication?
For those who have had success with medication for OCD/anxiety, how is your life different now compared to before starting medication?
Day 5 on Zoloft and I feel a BIG difference. I was super super hesitant to take medication and I’m glad I am. OCD and anxiety stil hits but not as hard. Hopeful for it to fully kick in.
Before starting my meds my OCD was absolutely terrible, I was anxious 24/7, had terrible panic attacks sometimes 4 or 5 a day, my intrusive thoughts were pretty much constant and I was overstimulated and overwhelmed really easily because there was never a time my mind was quiet and I could just be, and my compulsions were pretty much equally as constant, it made me extremely insecure and self conscious and that caused a huge amount of strain on all my relationships wether they were familial, romantic, or regular friendships. It caused me to think so little of myself and made me think that others thought the same or worse, I was fully convinced that everyone hated me because of it. Then my boyfriend and my therapist convinced me to take some time off from work and focus on getting better. The therapy I went through helped a lot but being on the correct cocktail of meds after years of no one getting it right was the real game changer. With the meds I started to relax and calm down, I was able to go through my day without being tortured by thoughts and rituals for once, I was able to start hobbies and discover what I actually liked to do, I made friends easily for the first time in my life, I was able to sleep through the night for the first time in my life, and I was able to allow myself to feel happy. Don’t get me wrong meditation can’t fix everything and healing still takes work, but my God it makes it significantly easier to believe your therapist and actually apply what they are trying to teach you when your mind hasn’t been completely high jacked, and I may still struggle with my OCD it still has flare ups and it still massively sucks when they happen but I’m at the very least able to find some sort of light at the end of the tunnel.
before starting medication i was miserable. i was suffering every moment i was awake. i always wanted to be asleep because every second i was awake my mind was torturing me. medication saved me. it greatly reduced the frequency and severity of the thoughts. they were still there (but not as much) and i had less of a visceral reaction to them. i was actually able to function again. i also had severe depression because of my OCD and it helped me to gain my appetite back and start trying to take care of myself again. it’s not a cure—i am still in therapy now and have been for months. but i honestly don’t know how i would be able to withstand ERP without my medication
Ditto to all the above!
Thank you. So far all these responses are very helpful and insightful.
Now that we’ve kicked off the new year, I find myself reflecting on where the OCD community is today—how things have changed for the better, as well as my hopes for the future. Ten years ago, it was almost impossible to access a licensed therapist with specialty training in OCD using health insurance. Most professionals simply didn’t understand what OCD actually looks like, so over 95% of OCD cases weren’t correctly diagnosed. As a result, insurance companies weren’t able to see how widespread OCD actually was—or how effective exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy was at treating it. Instead, people with OCD had to pay about $350 or more per session, all out of pocket, for their best chance at getting their life back. I know this from personal experience. OCD turned my life completely upside-down, and I reached out desperately for help, only to be misdiagnosed and mistreated by professionals who didn’t understand OCD. When I finally learned about ERP therapy, the evidence-based treatment specifically designed for OCD, I learned that I’d have to wait for months to see the one OCD specialist in my area, and I couldn’t afford the cost. But I was fortunate. My mom found a way to help us pay, and I finally got the help I needed. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d be here today. In a few months, I started seeing improvement. As I continued to get better using the skills I learned while working with my OCD specialist, I learned I wasn’t the only one with this experience—in fact, millions of people across the country were going through the exact same things I was. That’s why we started NOCD. Since 2015, we’ve always had one mission: to restore hope for people with OCD through better awareness and treatment. The OCD community needed an option for evidence-based treatment that they could afford and access, no matter where they live—an option that also provided necessary support between sessions. And the entire healthcare industry needed to understand how OCD actually works. As I write this post, I’m more enthusiastic than ever about our mission. Just recently, we’ve partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Texas, New Mexico, Montana, and Oklahoma. To put this into perspective, 155 million Americans can now use their insurance to access NOCD Therapy. This year, I have high hopes for the OCD community. More and more people will be able to use their insurance to pay for NOCD Therapy, and we’re working hard to give everyone who has OCD the ability to access the treatment they deserve. In addition to providing ERP Therapy, our OCD-specialty therapists also support our Members in prioritizing their overall well-being. With a focus on developing important lifestyle habits, including diet, exercise, mindfulness, and healthy sleep hygiene, they help our members build a strong foundation for lasting mental health so people are more prepared to manage OCD long-term. For every person who gains access to a therapist specialized in OCD for the first time, 2025 could be a year that changes their lives. If you or a loved one is suffering from OCD, please comment below or schedule a free 15-minute call with our team to learn more about how to access evidence-based OCD treatment and ongoing support using your insurance benefits.
Hey friends, I hope you all are well. I just wanted to check in and ask people's experiences about being on medication. I have had OCD pretty much my whole life, just got recently diagnosed 4 months ago and my therapist recommended that I get on meds for it so I have a psychiatrist appointment set up. I'm a little apprehensive about getting on them, but I've realized that I do have some sort of chemical imbalance in my brain that plays a part in my OCD and anxiety. I would love to hear anyones experiences or words of encouragement. Thank you, I hope you all are well.
Medication for OCD? Hello all, 19 male here, this seems like a cool community that isn’t nearly as triggering as reddit. I have pretty severe bouts of existential thinking or fear of going crazy ( psychosis ) after some pretty heavy mushroom trips a few years ago, I know logically I should be fine but I do know what it’s like to lose it and it’s scary. Currently I deal with relationship focused OCD, it’s all day from before I even open my eyes. I want things to work out with my girlfriend badly. Also I can come close to a panic attack sometimes which perpetuates everything. Anyway, I mention the fear of going crazy because the way my anxiety/derealization makes me feel is that I’m not mentally stable cause I feel out of it or unreal. I saw that a lot of anxiety and depression medication can cause psychosis and I feel like I could use some help in getting ahead of my OCD because the compulsions are had not to give into when I’m in such distress/not knowing. Plus overall I just feel like I have no idea how I feel about close to anything. Anyone relate about that ?
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