OCD and Sertraline

[coco09]

Does anyone here has experience with OCD and taking Sertraline for the first time? I’ve always been a big control freak to the point that I developed OCD. Now that I’m on Sertraline my body goes into survival/panic mode all day and night long. I believe that’s because my body senses that it can’t have control over my feelings and what this medicine does to me. Everything is changing which just triggers anxiety in me so much. So that’s why I’m freaking out. Any tips? Maybe to tell yourself over and over again that you are still in control over your feelings?

I’ve noticed that distraction helps a lot. Usually I was always against distractions since it felt like I would give up a little of my control over myself. But it helps now. It’s just the moments when I’m alone and it’s quite that are brutal.

[Horsesarebeautiful]

Hi, I'm obsessive compulsive also. I'm also depressed, anxious, and have ADHD. I was started on Sertraline a few years ago for depression. It ended up helping my OCD a lot, but not the depression. After a change in insurance, and being out of medicine for a while, my new doctor started me on it, again. It's wasnt working as well as it did before. It made me get a small tremor in my hands this time on 100 mg. It made my hands shake even worse at 200 mg to the point that it was hard to hold items. I was getting it this time from a different pharmacy than where I got it the 1st time I took it. I've heard different pharmacies get their supplies from different companies. I think that is what happened this time to me. One company makes it a different way, maybe? If your Sertraline makes you go into panic mode it sounds like maybe you need to take a different medication. If your doctor thinks you should increase the dose you can try that and see if it works. I know it's hard to tell what is causing what since you have the extra anxiety from things changing. Me too. I'm in San Antonio, Texas and had problems with the quality of the Sertraline getting it at different pharmacies. If it could make my hands visibly shake pretty bad it could be having bad side effects on you too. I don't know if you have a choice of places you can get your medicine from where you live or not. If you do have a choice you could try getting it from a different company and see if that makes a difference.

I love distractions. I watch way too much television and get on the internet more than I should. I spend lots of time alone and distractions help me stay calmer and keep my thoughts off things I would otherwise be obsessing over. Distractions don't completely block things out. I will still start thinking of some things in the middle of a movie and miss parts of the storyline. But, they help me a lot.

Trying different medication and different doses is a hit or miss situation I hate. It takes time, and I am not a patient person.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do with your medication. All the best to you.🤗🌠

[coco09 in reply to Horsesarebeautiful]

Thanks so much for your story! Makes me feel less alone It really is a process and you have to give your body a chance to adjust to any changes. I wish u all the best as well!

[designguy]

It usually takes sertraline 2 - 3 weeks before it makes any noticeable difference so it's probably your anxious thinking and hyper-focusing on your body and sensations that is causing you the issues. The reality is that you can't control your thoughts and emotions or even your body functions you can only control how you respond and think about them.

You might check out the youtube/website of Paige Pradko, a therapist that had OCD and anxiety and now helps others and another one to check out is Matthew Codde at restoredminds.com and his youtube videos. You might also benefit from the DARE Anxiety book and youtube videos to learn about panic/anxiety and how to constructively deal with it.

[coco09]

Thanks so much for the tips! I’ll look into that. And you’re right, I’m also very hyper focused on every little change in my body and mind. And I always wanted to understand everything right away. But in this process that leads me to overthinking which overwhelms me.

If others read this and struggle the same I’d strongly advise to keep going and do lots of meditations/mindfulness and distract yourself with watching movies for example.