OCD Action

Nathan
Member

I'm going to be asking my CBT counsellor about going back on medication tomorrow and I was wondering what type of medication seems to have been the most successful. I was on fluoxitine (not sure of the spelling)about a year back but it was a very small dose only there for a placebo effect I think, and also at the time I had nothing to promote excessive worry over my intrusives. My intrusives have recently been as strong as ever and now in a relationship they are trying to break me down bit by bit and make me "what if" over the smallest insignificant details. Is there any recommendations from anybody here as to what medication might be most helpful? Will I be allowed to go on a large dose straight away or must I build up dosage over time? Thank you in advance.

Wed Apr 6 2011 13:39:53 #
Unregistered

Dear Nathan, We always have to start on a lower dose and gradually build it up. We also react differently to various drugs. Of my friends, more seem to have benefited from fluoxetine, but mostly on 60mg and more.

Wed Apr 6 2011 13:44:55 #
Nathan
Member

Thank you for the reply Tricia. Looks like I'll have to build up dosage until hopefully the OCD bully backs down to a point I can go a day without being dominated by these thought processes. How vile a disorder this is.

Wed Apr 6 2011 14:02:52 #
Ratwomble
Member

Hi Nathan

Im on fluvoxamine. (note that this is very different from fluvoxetine/Prozac). I'm on 300 mg a day, in two doses, one in the morning and one at night.

Does the job for me.

D

Wed Apr 6 2011 14:07:09 #
Tess
Member

Hi Nathan
I'm on Seroxat 10mg daily with breakfast and I'm very happy with it. But as Tricia says what suits one person will not necessarily suit another.

Wed Apr 6 2011 17:33:58 #
aishah
Member

Hi Nathan,

I have taken a few different medications over the years including Paroxetine, Citalopram, Clomipramine and am currently taking Escitalopram.

I have always taken high doses but unfortunately none of these medications have helped much with my OCD, they have helped with anxiety and depression though. I also take Olanzapine at night and that does help relieve anxiety and when things are real bad I take Valium.

Many people have been helped by medication so I hope you find one that helps you too.

Bridget

Wed Apr 6 2011 17:34:01 #
mems
Member

Hi Nathan,

I am not a qualified medical person but I do know that many of the medications prescribed for OCD can have very different and powerful effects on people. What is good for one person may not be good for another and vice versa. Also It can take time for a medication to have the full and desired effect often taking some months to work fully.

The key piece of advice I can give is to give any medication the time it needs to work, and this may be several months. Also, in the meantime you may suffer unpleasant unwanted effects. Again, give the medication a chance to settle and do it's job. This can be very hard but please try to live with it.

Another piece of advice I can give is that if you decide to get off medication or to change then do it gradually over several months. It takes longer for the effcts of medication to wear off than it takes for them to take effect.

Remember, we are all individuals and very different in very many ways and what works well for one may not work well for another. The only way ahead is to try it and see but do give any medication a fair chance and the time it takes to work - and most importantly - if you want to come off a medication it will take longer than it took for it to have full effect.

Good luck,
Mems

Wed Apr 6 2011 20:07:47 #
Nathan
Member

Thank you all for your feedback. I'll give you all an update after counselling tomorrow.

Wed Apr 6 2011 20:09:12 #
blueboy
Member

i want to try meds too, but as i previously stated in posts.... i am terrified of the long term affect on my body...but i am living in a dark world right now so... maybe i got to weigh it up.hope you find the right thing for you.

Mon Apr 11 2011 16:51:15 #
sweeteater
Member

I tried fluoxetine, with no effects, but I think the dosage was too small. Sertraline has been recommended- has anyone had success with this? What worries me is that the meds can cause anxiety temporarily?

Tue Apr 12 2011 9:56:21 #
brennie
Member

sweeteater, i take Sertraline 150mg...i have been on them for awhile, they are helping with ocd and depression. Sertraline never caused any side effects on me...hope this helps

love brennie x

Tue Apr 12 2011 12:02:46 #
blueboy
Member

i got that too brennie, but only took one ... and chickened out weeks ago.:(

Tue Apr 12 2011 20:37:02 #