Medications for ocd

Hi...what medications does everyone take for ocd? I am currently on 75 mg of sertraline. Dr wants to add an anti psychotic and/or a mood stabilizer. I am scared to start either of those but need to do something to stop the chatter in my head. I barely sleep. This is all so new to me. Thank you for any assistance. I am desperate.

[alyssuh]

I just started fluvoxamine a little over 2 weeks ago. Haven’t noticed anything major yet. My dose increased to 50 mg twice a day and i anticipate it going up after my next visit. I can’t give any advice about mood stabilizers or anti psychotics :/ i would be scared too as i was scared to start the ocd med. But i can imagine the non stop chatter and interference with sleep. I say try the meds and just pay close attention to how it affects you and what you can handle. Fingers crossed they help

[Hidden in reply to alyssuh]

Thank you

[mopedmike in reply to alyssuh]

I used to take Fluoxatine(I believe that it was a generic form of Prozac) it worked great but when the dosage was too high I got into a state where I had few filters and didn't give a crap who I offended. ( That soured my boss's attitude towards me) Through a long series of events I got off it. I want to start something again but I have been working on cardio logical problems which has taken precedence. I have increased my intake of walnuts and Bananas as well as some vitamins that are meant to increase my serotonin levels as well as chicken or turkey along with oats and or whole wheat. I've found this to be very effective though not as effective as when I was on Fluoxatine.

[bpj6001]

My daughter has severe OCD and is currently taking 350 mg of Luvox per day. The dosages of SSRI’s (like Luvox and sertraline) needed to treat OCD can be quite high. The trick is to slowly increase the dose until you reach the point where it is helping you the most.

She was also on an anti-psychotic shortly after onset due to the extremely high anxiety caused by the OCD. She literally needed it to function. Once we reached the right SSRI dosage and her OCD became more manageable, she was able to drop the anti-psychotic.

She was on 250 mg of sertraline at one point, but was gradually moved to Luvox which seems to work better for her. You may have to try several SSRI’s before you find the one that works best. It can be a long, frustrating process, but hang in there! Once you find the right medication(s) and dosages, it will be worth it.

Best of luck! It will get better with treatment. You just have to give your doctor open, honest feedback as you work through the process. And if you don’t already have a therapist that does ERP, find one. You really need medication and ERP together to see the most improvement.

[Hidden in reply to bpj6001]

Thank you. I am only on 75 mg if sertraline right now. Does your daughter’s ocd affect her sleep? My sleep has been horrible.

[bpj6001 in reply to Hidden]

My daughter has sleep issues as well. Have you tried melatonin to help you fall asleep? It helped her so much that I started taking it too.

[Hidden in reply to bpj6001]

On occasion, yes I have tried it. It does help sometimes not always. Thank you.

[leo39]

quatapine

[Hidden]

Hello, man I am also bipolar 1 and have taken many different types of the meds you mention, I hate to say it but nothing seems to work anymore. I almost have to be so sedated by these meds that I can't function. I have recieved 2 dui violations because some of the medication is considered to be illegal to be in your system while driving, it's obvious that I must not drive while taking some medications

Very interfering with my lifestyle. I am not going to sugarcoat it, I have been in treatment for several years now and I sorry that I don't have a positive response for you, right now I am repeating and constantly thinking about everything that I can't sleep. I can tell you that trazadone 150mg does in fact allow me to get sleep now. Dr. Increased sertraline to 100 lmg. for now , each time it has been increased it levels of then seems to not work. I am sorry that you are struggling so bad but you can take solace in the fact that you're never alone . Good luck and you can contact me here anytime. Johnny

[Hidden]

Yikes..that stinks. I was hoping to one day be able to sleep without meds

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

You may be able to. Every one of us is different.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Are you able to sleep without medication?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Returntonormal - I take 50 mg of Sertraline in the evening, as it used to make me too sleepy if I took it in the AM. I'm not a super sound sleeper, but I don't take anything special to make me sleep.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Wow..that’s good news though the sertraline is not making me sleepy. I wish it would. Thank you for your reply.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

You're welcome. I have a super sensitive nervous system, so it doesn't normally take a very high dose of Sertraline to help with my OCD & Depression.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

You are lucky...I am super sensitive also. I am only on 75 mgs of sertraline and though it helps with the depression, it hasn’t had as much effect on the ocd as of yet. Hate the thought of going too high on it.

[Strongest123]

Hello. I’ve had good results with Zoloft for OCD. Only thing is I found Zoloft helped me when my dosage was up to 200mgs. Don’t know if your Dr may want to up the Zoloft before adding another med.

[Hidden]

Thank you. Are you able to sleep without separate medication?

[QuietStorm98]

I am on Duloxetine (Cymbalta) 40 mg delayed released. It has helped a lot with my OCD. I take at night as it helps me sleep as well.