OCD meds

im thinking about going on medication for OCD and im wondering who else has, what they've taken, and what was it like. i have a minor medication phobia, and im trying to get as many opinions as possible before deciding

I have not taken any medicine per say for OCD, but I have taken it for depression and anxiety while dealing with the OCD in therapy - but mostly I would have to say that CBT helped me deal with it more than any thing else.


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

Thanks. That's really helpful. I'm a little lost in the medicine area

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SongsInMyHead said:
im thinking about going on medication for OCD and im wondering who else has, what they've taken, and what was it like. i have a minor medication phobia, and im trying to get as many opinions as possible before deciding

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Hello!

What are your fears about taking a medication for OCD? Perhaps I could help better address them if you explained what about medications makes you uneasy.

In the meantime, I'll address some common fears and misunderstandings about taking meds for mental illnesses.

First, they do not change your personality or who you are - they won't make you a "different" person. Many times people think that a medication designed to fool with your brain chemistry will change everything about them - untrue.

Second - they do not damage your brain - in fact, studies have shown medications used to treat OCD actually help to build new connections in the brain - thus stabilizing activity and bringing "things" into balance.

OCD is - in very general terms - an anxiety disorder and many of the meds use to treat depression and anxiety are also used for OCD - meds like Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, and Lexapro - among others.

OCD causes certain receptors in your brain to become too sensitive to certain neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. It also causes other receptors in other areas of the brain to become less sensitive to these same neurotransmitters. So meds like Prozac and Luvox work by balancing out these receptors so that none are too sensitive and others are more sensitive. They do this by blocking reuptake of serotonin - mostly. When your neurons communicate - one neuron will release serotonin which will attach to another neuron in receptors marked for serotonin. Usually, when a pair of neurons is done "communicating" the neuron that released its serotonin sucks up any remaining serotonin that didn't get used. Medications like Prozac and Luvox BLOCK this from happening - so that the extra serotonin can continue communicating with the other neuron. If the receiving neuron doesn't have the "right" number of receptors for serotonin, then this extra serotonin tells it to create more receptors. If the receiving neuron already has too many receptors for serotonin, then the extra serotonin causes it to shut down some of the receptors. This happens all over the brain and in doing so, you get a more "normal" balance.

SSRIs (Prozac, Luvox, etc) also seem to have an effect on cortisol levels. Cortisol is a "stress" hormone that's released in response to stress, of course. However, in those who have depression and OCD - it's usually the case where the brain releases too much cortisol and/or releases it at times when you're not even experiencing stress! So SSRIs help to balance the area of the brain that releases this stress hormone - thus easing physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression.

What is it like to be on one of these medications? Well, hard to say exactly because everyone responds differently. While one person may experience many side effects to Prozac, another person may not experience any.

Usually if you experience side effects from meds like these - they gradually go away. Some common side effects include fatigue, feeling restless, feeling dizzy, etc. If you experience a lot of these side effects, you'll want to notify your doctor ASAP. Most likely he/she will reduce the dosage and then gradually over many weeks increase it to a therapeutic level.

Anyway, I hope I've helped a little. I'm happy to answer any other question you may have. Please feel free to post here - or send me a PM.

Hang in there!

Jerry

I've been on one kind of meds or another for OCD since age 14, and for panic since age 10. I'm 38 now, and I'm going to try living without the meds. My shrink is slowly weaning me off of them. I didn't know it was the meds all this time, but they caused me to have a breakdown, usually each month around my period. I am on a much lower dosage, and haven't had any breakdowns in MONTHS. I don't like that the drugs lower my sex drive so much. I found that I'd lost my passion for the things that interested me, on the meds. I still liked those things, usually, but didn't care much about them. I'm finding my passions returning as I reduce the meds.

Meds can help control OCD, panic, depression, or whatever ails ya. But there's often a sacrifice to other things, going by the many posts and articles I've read, documentaries I've watched, and people I've spoken with, besides my own experience. If you find side effects you don't like, you can try other meds. If you still have them, you have to decide which is more important--reducing your OCD, or keeping what it is you've lost. Some people are happier on meds. Others are happier off.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

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Maven said:
I've been on one kind of meds or another for OCD since age 14, and for panic since age 10. I'm 38 now, and I'm going to try living without the meds. My shrink is slowly weaning me off of them. I didn't know it was the meds all this time, but they caused me to have a breakdown, usually each month around my period. I am on a much lower dosage, and haven't had any breakdowns in MONTHS. I don't like that the drugs lower my sex drive so much. I found that I'd lost my passion for the things that interested me, on the meds. I still liked those things, usually, but didn't care much about them. I'm finding my passions returning as I reduce the meds.

Meds can help control OCD, panic, depression, or whatever ails ya. But there's often a sacrifice to other things, going by the many posts and articles I've read, documentaries I've watched, and people I've spoken with, besides my own experience. If you find side effects you don't like, you can try other meds. If you still have them, you have to decide which is more important--reducing your OCD, or keeping what it is you've lost. Some people are happier on meds. Others are happier off.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

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What Maven experienced is not uncommon. SSRIs can cause a "flattening of affect" = feeling plain, not bad, not good - just blah. Anhedonia - or loss of feeling pleasure from activities that used to be pleasurable is another complaint of those on an SSRI. Sometimes to counteract this apathy, a stimulant is added - like Ritalin, Dexedrine or Adderall. Sometimes adding a small amount of Wellbutrin to an SSRI helps as well.

Psychiatric medicine is not an exact science and many times you have to go through a couple meds and/or combinations to find what works for you - which can be frustrating - but in the longterm can be rewarding if your symptoms remit.

Jerry

That's true Jerry...does caffeine count as a stimulant? I drink a lot of that! Not to mention getting it in chocolate! LOL!

You kind of remind me of Adam Busch, who played "Warren" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I met him briefly at a Buffy con.

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Maven said:
That's true Jerry...does caffeine count as a stimulant? I drink a lot of that! Not to mention getting it in chocolate! LOL!

You kind of remind me of Adam Busch, who played "Warren" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I met him briefly at a Buffy con.

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Hi Maven!

Yes! Caffeine is a stimulant, however it's chemically unrelated to amphetamines or ritalin (methylphenidate).

I used to watch Buffy too! However, I can't remember which character was 'Warren?"

Jerry

Warren was the tallest of the three geeks, kind of their leader, and he was the one Willow skinned alive for killing Tara. Does that help?

He was also in that short-lived show, The Jury.

I met him at a Buffy con. He was really nice.

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Maven said:
Warren was the tallest of the three geeks, kind of their leader, and he was the one Willow skinned alive for killing Tara. Does that help?

He was also in that short-lived show, The Jury.

I met him at a Buffy con. He was really nice.

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OH YEAH! ok! Cool! LOL!

I also forgot--he created the BuffyBot!