- Username
- Onedayatatime1
- Date posted
- 3y ago
I was scared of going on medicine again, after taking a 10 year hiatus from it. I had a lot of anxiety and ocd before I took medicine especially because of the pandemic, and so I was worried I would exasperate it even more with medicine. I also didn’t like the idea of being dependent on something. But at a certain point I realized my life was becoming limiting, even with ERP and other practices. So with the help of erp I went on Zoloft. The first month I didn’t see much of a change. But there were no really noticeable side effects, except a lot of yawning. Then after a month, there was this moment where I noticed something. I was coming back on the subway with my mom, and I realized I forgot to pay the ticket for the parking for her car. I started to feel anxious and have ocd that they might tow her car or give us a hefty fine. I expected to start feeling a panic attack come on, but.. it didn’t. I just kind of sat there uncomfortable for ten min, and then I was able to let it go. And from there I witnessed this experience of what people call “dulling” out the anxiety. Everything that might set of a fire alarm now doesn’t. Do I still get anxious? Yes. Do I still have intrusive thoughts ? Yes. But it’s so much more manageable, and with erp and acceptance therapy it feels like a whole new life. I think what I try to remind myself, is to not solely rely on the medicine even if it’s working well. This is the opportunity to do erp ans develop a healthy lifestyle that will always keep you grounded even if the medicine stops working or you get off it. But the medicine is a huge anchor for when you are recovering. It puts your erp training with ocd on training wheels, instead of throwing you down the hill with a unicycle.
I started it 2 weeks ago, I can’t speak for the positive results yet but it’s not as scary as I thought it would be! I struggled to sleep and I was definitely still anxious, but that’s starting to subside now I’ve not had any majorly bad reactions, it’s definitely worth a try if you feel you need something
Fighting!***
I started Zoloft when I was around 15, and it was a massive help for me. It helped “full” my anxiety, stopping my thoughts from being as terrifying as they would normally be. Because of this I didn’t feel the need to perform my compulsions as much, and it became much much easier to exit out of the obsessive cycle. It wasn’t a miracle cure, but Zoloft helped me reach a point where I was actually able to start making positive changes. I came off of Zoloft earlier this year (I’m 23 now), and I am generally functioning well without it. Recent local lockdowns have caused my OCD to relapse a bit, but under normal circumstances I think I would be fine without Zoloft at this stage. If your doctor is recommending it, I would definitely suggest Zoloft as an option. It helped me a lot, and I have also been able to come off of it fine too.
Sorry, *dull not “full”!
I took zoloft for awhile until it sort of came to a halt as far as helping. Felt like I was hitting a brick wall and was going backwards. I am now on Prozac with Rexulti for an added push and so far, after a couple of months I am okay with it. Still seeking therapy for the anxiety and OCD, and know I will get there. Praying the Zoloft works well for you.
That's great to hear. Continued success. I'm still waiting for a therapist who will understand me. Hoping that will help the anxiety.
My therapist recently suggested beginning medication for my GAD/OCD. I am curious and open to the idea, but I think I’m more concerned about what will happen to me negatively. I have this thought that I have no ‘self’, and if I were to take medication, I feel that I’m going to change drastically. Can anyone speak to how medication has impacted them? I don’t know anyone who has used medication (that I know of) and this is the once place I feel comfortable asking for stories. Thank you.
Hello,I'm so on the fence about starting medications or not. I know its a personal choice but what benefits have you all experianced? I also practice ERP with my therapist so I know that should be helpful with my OCD journey. But what made you decide to start or not start? I've been on Zoloft before but not long enough to feel the effects since I got freaked out about reading about withdrawl symptoms so my OCD messed that up for me.
So my OCD has gotten significantly worse in the last month or so. Constant anxiety and I decided to get antidepressants. I will begin taking them this weekend. I think there’s anyone have any good things to say about them? A couple years ago I got a script for them took one pill and the side effects were pretty hard to deal with so my doctor told me to cut one and a half and take that for a week but I decided not to take them. I think I’m ready to give it another chance. Does anyone else have anxiety about starting medication? Or does anyone have experience dealing with this?
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