how were your experinces on medication for OCD? which medications helped the best? my therapist recommended me see a psychiatrist for medication but im terrified of getting on them in the first place because i dont want them to affect me negatively

I was terrified of medication, tbh still am. It’s a hard thing for people to understand because the constant mental checking with OCD suffers is enough for us to not try medications at all. Be open to the thought, try to imagine this pill could be the missing link but also remember what steps you have already tried that might not have been the best solution. No quick fixes when it comes to mental health, it’s a lifelong journey. Do your best to enjoy the ride

Medication has made a WORLD of difference for me. Things that I felt like, there is no way I'll ever not go into a panic thinking about this, now feel like they're sort of... in the back of my head, if that makes sense. I do feel REALLY sleepy and sort of zombie-ish but I'll take it - a couple of months ago my OCD symptoms were so bad that it felt like my only options were that I'd have to die or get hospitalized. I couldn't take it. I have been on Luvox for like 2 months ish. But yes it depends on the person! Since a lot of my family has OCD my psychiatrist thought it was largely genetic and that meds would make a big difference. He said I'd probably be on them forever and I'm fine with that - literally anything to stop from feeling like I was. But it's not for everyone and the only way to know is to try it :)

I should also mention I'm 35. I have no idea if that makes a difference. I was really scared of meds and refused them as a younger person. I think I just reached my breaking point.

I've tried a lot of meds and now I'm on Luvox. For some reason antidepressants really kick down my body image obsessions but I still struggle with a lot of ROCD and other o sessions . Luvoxseems to really take the edge off, and I'm in therapy and have an OCD therapist that I can only see once a month because of money but she's awesome. I think meds have saved my life. I need them to function, but it doesn't give me bad side effects like other meds. Especially sex drive. It affects it somewhat while other meds totally killed my sex drive. My appetite and sleep are not affected at all. And I don't have crying spells. It can be harder to cry but I still can. I feel like my emotions are still pretty intense too.

My best recommendation (not a professional, but someone who has been on medications before) medication alone doesn’t usually have a great effect on people especially OCD sufferers. If you think about it, we are still going to have the thought pattern and process we do as obsessive people. Doctors prescribe antidepressants that help balance serotonin in the brain to make you happier, free from anxiety and depression. But you still have to do the exposers and be the one to push yourself every.single.day. I feel thought medication can compliment therapy and erp. It’s not going to take syptoms away at least not for me of the OCD, just my experience. You need the right therapist, you need the right treatment, again medication is just a nice touch that can truly help people on their journey but it’s not alone the best option in my eyes.

I've been on meds for a long time and found them helpful. They dial down the frequency of obsessions and intensity of distress and urges to do compulsions so that I can beuvh more consistent with therapy and benefit from it more

Everyones experience with meds is entirely different. I've been on 13 different ones. I can tell you that some of them can help reduce symptoms. The one im on now does help reduce my negative thoughts and ruminating that comes with my ocd. We definitely still have to do the work because it's not a cure, but meds can help at least reduce symptoms to a more tolerable level, which can potentially allow therapy to be more effective. Its important to understand that there's no guarantee that you won't have any negative side effects because they do affect everyone differently. What I would highly suggest though is if you do decide to take meds, make sure its easy to get a hold of your doctor should you have any negative side effects.