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[bab5]

I am 18 years old and have been battling OCD symptoms ever since I was 8. I fought through school for years and I was only diagnosed this past January when I finally made the decision that I could not go on anymore. I then entered an outpatient hospitalization program for a couple of months while simultaneously attempting to finish my last semester of high school. This helped temporarily, but I knew I needed something more. Because of this, I decided to go to the Houston OCD Program for two and a half months. I came back in mid-June and have been in outpatient therapy ever since.

Lots of improvements have occurred and I love reading the stories of others suffering from OCD just like myself

[HELLNOCD]

That is awesome to hear you went and got some major help at Houston OCD! Proud of you! I just got done doing a partial hospitalization program at Rogers Behavior Health for 2 months and it was the hardest and best thing I ever did! Keep up the great work, you go this!

[bab5 in reply to HELLNOCD]

Thanks! I am very glad that I finally made the decision to go get some help. The help in Houston was humongous for me. I was going to go to Rogers due to the fact that it is much closer to my home, but the waiting period to get in was much longer. I can completely agree that it was the hardest but best thing that I have ever done.

You keep up the great work too!

Both of us are on the right path.

[Hidden]

Keep up the good woks. It sounds great!

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you!

[Hidden]

Hey have you done this on meds

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

Which part?

[Hidden in reply to bab5]

like in the outpatient hopilization program

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

I was not on meds during that time.

[Hidden in reply to bab5]

have you been on meds in your recovery

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

I was on Zoloft from April-June but there were unwanted side effects and it didn’t seem to be helping me in any way at all. So, I switched to Prozac in early August and have been on that ever since. I began with a small dose of Prozac in early August and that has evolved to a larger dose.

[Hidden in reply to bab5]

how has that helped you

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

The Prozac seems to lessen the presence/intensity of the intrusive thoughts that repeatedly cross my mind on a daily basis. It has also helped me to reduce the urge to do compulsions throughout the day.

[Hidden in reply to bab5]

have they recommended any other meds that'll help the intrusive thoughts because I kinda have the same thing

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

I have heard that Prozac and LexiPro are the best for what I have. Prozac works for me, but all medication differs based on who is using it. Medication differs for all people.

[Hidden]

are you able to go on with your life with relief with Prozac

[Hidden]

like are you able to do the things you wanna do

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

I’m not able to do all of the activities that I want to do but I am making strides in that regard.

[bab5]

I am able to go on with my life and I feel relieved within my brain while I am relaxing. It is much easier to live with intrusive thoughts without fighting against them in an attempt to remove them.

[Hidden]

so the meds make there be less intrusive thoughts which allows you to accept them more

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

It is much easier to accept them and, over time, they lessen in frequency which is a huge relief.

[Hidden in reply to bab5]

Do you think CBT would be able to do the same thing.

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, but it would take much longer.

Still very much worth it.

[Hidden in reply to bab5]

how long do you think that it'd take

[bab5 in reply to Hidden]

Depends on how your brain works and how dedicated you will be to your recovery! Real progress starts displaying itself about 3 months after starting CBT.