Hi all, I was wondering if anyone had taken fluoxetine for OCD and it helped?
Soon after my son was born I developed severe contamination OCD, with fears that my son would get contamination from bacteria. Which had resulted in excessive hand washing, laundry and avoidance of "contaminated" items and areas, from fear I would get bacteria on me and pass it on to my son and make him ill or worse.
I have had CBT/ERT and that has worked a bit, to some extent, but I still really struggle. I have been given fluoxetine, but I am scared to take it due to potential side effects possibly being permanent and I really did want to try and beat it on my own/without meds. But I don't think I can, I just do not have the energy or "bothered" to tackle my compulsions. If I pluck up the courage to try meds, I'm hoping they will give me that little boost and maybe quieten the OCDemon enough for me to be able to do my ERT more effectively.
So I was wondering if anyone had any experience with fluoxetine?
Did it help you?
Did it enable you to do CBT/ERT?
Did you have any side effects?
If so, did they subside after a few weeks?
Or those of you who have taken fluoxetine in the past, did any side effects continue even after you stopped taking fluoxetine?
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Hi hope you doing great i just wanted to tell i have been taking fluoxetine from last 4 years and it’s very helping and safe medicine for ocd my doctor started from 20 mg and i went upto 100 mg a day but it work properly at higher dosage like 60 or 80 but your doctor may starts from 20 and goes upto 60 slowly i will say take it and it will help you upto great extent but it shows results after 1 or 2 months so don’t stop taking it by thinking it’s not working moreover i will suggest you to take it continuously so you can overcome with your ocd thoughts regards
Do give the fluoxetine a go. Meds can be very helpful. I've been on sertraline for some years and it has really helped to stabilize me and make CBT easier to do.
Side effects vary a lot, but on the whole the worst of them are in the initial weeks. They don't really start working until you've been on them about a month, when you should start feeling the good effects, with the worst of the side effects worn off. I don't think any side effects are permanent. They stop if you stop taking the meds.
I know it feels like a big jump into the unknown, going on meds. But they really do damp down the OCD and make the CBT easier. CBT is difficult to do, so any help in doing it should be welcomed!
Having OCD is exhausting, and it's not surprising that you have difficulty in getting up the energy, particularly with a young son to take care of. Pregnancy and childbirth can trigger OCD, as hormones, exhaustion and the responsibilities that come with motherhood can be overwhelming. A lot of new mothers go overboard when it comes to cleanliness anyway! But in fact a little dirt isn't bad for children, on the whole. Apparently children growing up on farms have fewer allergies and better immune systems, thanks to being exposed to lots of different bacteria!
Thanks for the reply.I had heard/read on the NHS website that sometimes fluoxetine can effect libido and orgasms and they may not return/go back to normal when fluoxetine is stopped. Thus making this side effect permanent.
My libido is almost non existent as it is, luckily I have a very understanding husband. But I dread it not coming back if it is effected.
The other one is weight gain. This one however has only been mentioned by other fluoxetine users reviews, about gaining weight and not being able to lose it again when fluoxetine is stopped. Admittedly this does seem to be more for people taking it for depression rather than OCD and of course it is reviews from the public, rather than from an official body such as NHS. It is still a concern for me though.
It is indeed exhausting and the highlight of my days are bed time, I go to bed when my son does, at 8.30 - 9pm. Ok, so I don't sleep right away, but this is my "me" time, the only real time I get with no interruptions/nappy changes/feeding/laundry etc. So I catch up on emails, play games, read a book, or browse websites... Post on forums such as here to try and get some form of relaxation/de-stress.
With regards to exposing my son to some germs, yep I know, it is very difficult for me to allow certain exposures, but don't worry, my home is far from sterile. A lot of my OCD presents as avoidance, so rather than clean things I leave them and just avoid them, so some things get pretty filthy ,(I have not touched the vacuum cleaner since my son was born). Plus we have a dog too. Again, luckily I have a great husband who does clean some bits now and then, so we are not living in complete filth and inches of dust and dirt (only a few mm of dust and dirt. Lol)
When I do pluck up the courage to clean something, it takes ages because it never "feels clean" enough. The other week it took me about 2 hours just to clean the bathroom sink! Plus of course the hand washing afterwards, regardless of whether I wear gloves or not.
But at least my son is not in a completely sterile clean environment... If you were to come into our house, you would not for one second believe someone with OCD lives here, especially one with contamination OCD.
So he is exposed to some germs, And I am even happy for him to eat food he has dropped in the floor, depending on where it lands (the floor in the lounge/his play area, fine. The kitchen floor, heck no)
I have also been getting him to help with my CBT, by getting him to touch "contaminated" items. But these are only small things, due to me not having the drive to tackle the bigger things.
There is a myth than all people with OCD are clean and tidy! I'm not either. I've always been messy. But I too struggle with cleaning, and it takes me ages to feel clean again after cleaning the loo.
It's true that loss of libido is often listed as a side effect of antidepressants, but it's not one I've experienced either on sertraline or before that, on clomipramine. I can't promise that you won't experience it, as each person's physiology is different, but I haven't heard of this persisting after you stop taking the medication.
It's likely that your current loss of libido is down to sheer exhaustion, from taking care of your little boy, and from the OCD. There's no reason why it shouldn't return naturally.
I appreciate the other worry, of gaining weight. A low dose of an antipsychotic can be prescribed with antidepressants to make them work more effectively, and I was prescribed one called sulpiride some years ago. I put on two and a half stone very rapidly before coming off it.
Then about five years or so ago I was offered another one, called aripiprazole, and I hesitated for ages before giving it a go. I'm pleased to say that aripiprazole hasn't made me put on weight.
Like loss of libido, weight gain doesn't always result. But I can understand why you would hesitate. Again, I can't promise that you won't experience this. All I can say is that I haven't gained weight on sertraline alone, or in combination with aripiprazole.
I think it worth giving the medication a go. As I said, I haven't heard of side effects persisting after coming off it. It really does help with OCD, and makes the CBT easier to do. On the whole, side effects wear off after a few weeks, though you may feel a bit weird to begin with.
Having a dog is good for your mental health, by the way! And nice for your little boy.
It is indeed a myth that OCD sufferers have clean houses. I once read that OCD sufferers sometimes have the messiest houses, usually due to avoidance, like we do.Yea, he is a lovely fig, had him years (he will be 10 next month) and would be good/fun for my son... If my OCD will ever let them play together.
Thank you all for your replies, they have all helped a great deal.I have now decided to bite the bullet... Or the pill, so to speak and I started taking the fluoxetine today.
🙂
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