[Aquagirl7]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has experience taking Prozac for OCD, Depression, Anxiety, Panic Disorder, or ADD. I have all these mental disorders, but am confident they are all linked in some way, as many are. If you have any feedback on the positive and negative experiences you had with Prozac, or any other anti-depressant, please let me know. The issue that seems to be creating the most problems is my obsessive and intrusive thoughts which make it difficult for me to relax and feel "satisfied" with anything in life; I always tell myself, "I'll feel satisfied after.....happens, or when .... is over." But when a worrying situation has passed, I immediately find a new situation to fixate on and it puts me on constant edge. I'd like to know if anyone has found relief from intrusive and obsessive thoughts from anti-depressants, to what degree, and how long it took to notice the effects.

Thank you for any advice and support!

Prozac is known to show positive reports in treatment for OCD. You should of course combine this with therapy and see what you can accomplish from that. Stay strong and best wishes!

[MusicMike]

I've had a good experience with Luvox (fluvoxamine) in particular the extended release version. I believe Luvox has been studied with respect to OCD.

One possibility is mindfulness meditation. It can be tricky for someone with OCD, for instance I have not had a good experience meditating unless I keep it to very small amounts done only in groups. But other people with OCD describe it as very helpful. Almost everyone who does mindfulness meditation, whether they have OCD or not, describes something similar to what you describe--incessant worry that never ends. It's just that in "normal" people it doesn't cause as much suffering or interfere with their lives as much.

You have already taken a step forward by noticing that the worry seems to have a life of its own, attaching to whatever is coming up as soon as the previous worry stops.

[LucyD]

I take prozac for depression. The initial dose of 20 mg. did nothing for me but raising it to 40 helped a little. I also have an anxiety disorder that it seems to help somewhat. I'm not raving about it though.

[Aquagirl7]

Originally Posted by LucyD

I take prozac for depression. The initial dose of 20 mg. did nothing for me but raising it to 40 helped a little. I also have an anxiety disorder that it seems to help somewhat. I'm not raving about it though.

How long have you been on it?

[lovewitheverything]

Prozac pretty much saved my life. I have contamination OCD and depression, and my depression was gone within 2 weeks of taking it. I have been on the highest dose (OCD sufferers need the highest dose of antidepressants most of the time) for 7 weeks and have seen HUGE changes. I still have some of my rituals but things just don't bug me as much as they used to. I also added in a low dose of abilify three weeks ago to compliment the prozac. I noticed a small change with that but nothing significant....I think I need to up the dose.

Just remember that everyone is different. I was on zoloft for 6 months with little relief and prozac is the opposite for me. However I know others who loved zoloft. Unfortunately its a trial and error process but I say stick with whatever antidperessant for 6 weeks and at higher doses, and if you notice a reduction of 50% or more, then stay with it, and you can add abilify as a complimentary drug as well. GOOD LUCK!

[convalescence]

I found relief from intrusive thoughts & anxiety on Effexor XR.
I heard that Paxil is good for OCD, too. Have you tried looking for reviews on pharmaceuticals on Drugs? That's the website I always go to first before I take a medication, just to see how others react to what I have been prescribed.

[MusicMike]

I have OCD, but also fibromyalgia and bipolar II. High doses of most SSRI's exacerbate my body aches and make me sleepless due to hypomania (despite the fact I take three mood stabilizers). It's frustrating. I have not found any SSRI that really knocks out the OCD or even makes a considerable dent in it. I'm currently on Cymbalta because it helps the fibromyalgia, but it's terrible for my OCD and addictive tendencies, so I'm trying to get off of it.

[emwell]

Originally Posted by Aquagirl7

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has experience taking Prozac for OCD, Depression, Anxiety, Panic Disorder, or ADD. I have all these mental disorders, but am confident they are all linked in some way, as many are. If you have any feedback on the positive and negative experiences you had with Prozac, or any other anti-depressant, please let me know. The issue that seems to be creating the most problems is my obsessive and intrusive thoughts which make it difficult for me to relax and feel "satisfied" with anything in life; I always tell myself, "I'll feel satisfied after.....happens, or when .... is over." But when a worrying situation has passed, I immediately find a new situation to fixate on and it puts me on constant edge. I'd like to know if anyone has found relief from intrusive and obsessive thoughts from anti-depressants, to what degree, and how long it took to notice the effects.

Thank you for any advice and support!

I have been on a high dose of Prozac for a few years. I did not realize how much it actually helped with the constant, intrusive, never ending, persistent, etc. thoughts until my Doctor wanted to take me off of it.

But, the medication only helped me get a better handle on the OCD stuff. The only way I have been able to describe it is that it helped me better deal with it. Like it gave me the opportunity I never had before to get a better handle on the OCD stuff. It is kind of hard to explain.

I did not realize how much the Prozac was actually helping until it was decreased. Going back up again made a big difference that I could really, truly see. I documented everything during this period, so my Doctor and I are both convinced it was the Prozac making the difference.