Citalopram for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews

• Rosepp
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 24, 2019

"I was completely over living before taking this drug. My anxiety, depression and OCD were so overpowering I just wanted it to end. I tried loads of different antidepressants before this that did nothing. I remember obsessively reading these reviews praying that this would work for me and it did. I started on 10mg and felt slightly better, then up to 20mg but as soon as I went up to 30mg I was pretty much cured. This took about 12 weeks to fully kick in and when it did I felt like my old self, no panic attacks, no anxiety, no depression and my OCD is about 90% better. This drug literally saved my life. Unfortunately I developed RLS but I would take that any day over the hell that was once my life. I’m so, so, so grateful for this medication. Please just take your meds and if this one doesn’t work for you I promise there is one that will, please don’t give up."

• JHano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 27, 2019

"I suffered from moderate OCD since childhood (62 now). I can control but sometimes it gets the best of me and I need medication. In past years, I was prescribed Xanax as needed. I began having increased anxiety again in May. My doctor suggested citalopram once a day for long term therapy. After one week of 10mg, I literally forgot what why I was anxious. OCD creates irrational thoughts and I can't stop thinking of it which spawns anxiety. It's a horrible helpless feeling. The citalopram broke my irrational thought cycles. My side effects were mild. I began taking it in the morning, but after an hour, I felt somewhat woozy and tired. I tried taking at night before bed and I began having very weird dreams. No nightmares, but odd dreams that made me a bit uncomfortable that such things are lurking about in my psyche. I now take it about 6pm and really have no side effects. I felt I should communicate my experience so people won't get the impression that nobody gets positive results."

• PM4ever
• February 18, 2015

"After going through a series of tragic events I was clinically depressed. My doctor put me on Citalopram for the depression. I also told him that I thought I was also obsessive/compulsive since I just couldn't turn my brain off from going over negative events. I felt like I was going insane. He said that the Citalopram was also good for O/C disorder. Although I don't usually like taking medication (don't even like to take an aspirin when I have a headache) I have found Citalopram to literally be a life saver. I have not had any side effects whatsoever. I work 14 hour days in the film industry and this medicine does not make me tired. I take 20 mg at night."

• Shib
• June 21, 2016

"I went on paxil 20 mg for severe ocd. It was too much and I had bad side effects. Then clomipramine 250 mg which worked great. Came off and needed something cheaper. Today marks week 2 of being on citalopram and honestly everyday I feel better for longer. I still have my moments of anxiety but it went from 80% to 20% at most. It won't let me have a full blow panic attack. Also helped immensely with disassociation due to panic. And please remember, you can read all the reviews you want but your experience will be different. Please go to your doctor and start trying. Give it at least six weeks. Good luck! And remember loves try to stop googling.. it usually makes things worse."

• Ash-234
• January 6, 2014

"I had struggled with anxiety for over ten years. After having my second daughter I went through a bout of post partum depression and obsessive thoughts. I truly didn't know how bad it was until I started taking Celexa. I feel like a new person. The constant worry, thinking and obsessing has stopped! For anyone resisting medication I would recommend trying it. I has truly improved my life! I also had little side effects expect for a bit of fatigue in the first few weeks. I take 30mg a day."

• LaylaH
• January 26, 2014

"After having unsuccessfully tried Prozac, I was apprehensive about how effective Citalopram was going to be. It definitely takes a while (for me five weeks) before you notice the benefits, and I had the common side effect of severe nausea for the first few weeks. I don't want to wax lyrical but I can honestly say that it changed my life, I felt that the issues that I experienced which made everything seemingly impossible were no longer such a problem. I started to be able to live a normal life again, and felt a greater sense of control over the way I felt and acted. I would count it as one of the best decisions that I have ever made."

• ktodary
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2014

"I have PURE obsessive compulsive disorder and I switched from Prozac after 13 years to citalopram and I started with 10 mg for 5 days then 20 mg and at the beginning I was having side effects like unable to sleep but after 2 weeks it kicked in and I feel back to normal and it saved my life and a few obsession but I can control it, I would recommend this medicine."

• Gavin
• July 3, 2018

"I take Citalopram, but before I took it I had bad OCD, I'd make the bed as soon as I wake up even when people are in it. Washing hands for a long time. Doing everything 3 times in the shower. Brushing teeth twice in the morning and three times at night. And now I don’t do that anymore besides making my bed. I used to have anxiety and now it’s all away."

• Momoc...
• August 11, 2013

"I'm using this for my OCD and panic attacks. I've been on it for 3 weeks and I haven't had any panic attacks and as my OCD it helped. I'm only on 10mg and I have no side effects. This is a good antidepressant."

• Check...
• April 25, 2016

"I suffered from severe panic attacks and OCD, particularly checking. I have been on 20 mg of Celexa for 7 years and am a new person. I have never had a side effect and handle stress with ease. I still engage in some "checking," but have been panic attack-free and lost many of my other OCD behaviours."

• hhjk
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2016

"I've only been on this medication for 2 weeks and I feel relief already from my OCD symptoms (Pure O). The intrusive thoughts are significantly less already. The only side effect I am having is poor sleep. I wake up frequently or feel half asleep all night. Finally, I slept for a full night last night. Lexapro did not work for me, so they decided to try Celexa instead. Starting at 10mg. I am much less anxious."

• Anonymous
• February 27, 2010

Celexa (citalopram) "Works very well for me. Obsessive thoughts occur very infrequently and when they do occur I am able to brush it off as the drug has reduced my anxiety. My side effects of drowsiness lasted about one to two weeks. I also find that the mineral magnesium is also helpful. Daily exercise is also part of my treatment and is great for reducing stress and anxiety as well as burning off excess adrenaline."

• Jin
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 25, 2021

"I have harm OCD and only developed it recently. Citalopram helps to numb it, but gives me side effects such as insomnia and weirdly the inability to orgasm easily. But to be fair both are slight when compared to worrying I'm going to be of harm to the people I care about. Worth a try."

• Joshua...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 11, 2013

"I have been on 40mg of this medication for several years now and it has worked very well in treating my Obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and panic disorders. Over the past 6 or so months, however, I've noticed it had become less effective and I eventually experienced the "pop out" effect. I am still taking it until I can see a psychiatrist, but the past few weeks have been agonizing. Overall, I would recommend it as an effective medication with very few side effects. It's just too bad it didn't last longer for me."

• Sneff
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 10, 2017

"I was put on citalopram when I was 9 years old, and I am now 25. It was prescribed to me to help with panic attacks, OCD, and a phobia. According to my parents, the medication was effective within a week. I am not really sure if I have ever experienced side effects because of how young I was when I started. Citalopram greatly helps suppress panic attacks and intrusive thoughts for me. Instead of having panic attacks every day, now I only have them once every few months. Along with this medication, I also spent over a decade in therapy. Attempts to stop taking this medication caused anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and panic to interfere with my daily life. Citalopram works well for me, but results vary from person to person."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 21, 2019

"I got citalopram for OCD as well as some other stuff at age 16. Prozac and another medication did not work for me, but celexa helped me with no side effects. I am on the highest dose after 4 years of taking it and it does a pretty good job keeping the mental illness in its place. It was a very good stepping stone for me without the awful side effects of the other SSRIs I took :)"

• Nanny
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 7, 2015

"I have had anxiety/OCD for as long as I can remember. OCD seemed to come at day different times in my life and in different forms. My last episode 2011/2012 was very paralyzing. I had what I have seen described online as hit/run OCD. I won't go into length and description but you could google it. I was ready to commit myself but then my PCP convinced me to try a regimen of meds. I started out on 10mg of Celexa gradually moving to 40mg, Estrogen (hysterectomy) and .5 mg of Xanax up to three times per day. For the first 3/5 months I took the meds but using the Xanax at .25mg twice daily. I began to notice that things were becoming so much better. Today, 2015, still same meds but Xanax maybe 2/4 times a month and life is great."

• Wande...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 25, 2023

"In the past, I have had several years of bouts of anxiety that are related to my work in criminal justice. They have triggered OCD, with intrusive thoughts being the worst of it. I have been on 20 mg of Citalopram for about 2 months, and I am almost back to feeling like myself again. Weeks 2-4 were really rough, as the medication made my symptoms even worse, but once I hit 6 weeks, I was feeling so much better. Citalopram, like other SSRIs, works slowly, but if you have started taking it, power through! I am so thankful to be on Citalopram."

• Anonymous
• February 8, 2011

"I've been on this medication for a little over two years and it's been great. It has had very few side effects for me, as opposed to Prozac (fluoxetine). Unfortunately, however, it's been losing its effectiveness as my body grows more and more immune to it, and if I miss taking a dose for one day, I have withdrawals, which is why I give this medication an 8."

• EMMA
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 27, 2022

"I was prescribed Citalopram 20mg years ago due to depression. My depression went after just a few weeks but I continued to take it for several years. Feeling that I no longer needed it, I eventually decided to wean myself off it and gradually got down to 2.5mg a day. About 2 months after taking the much lower dose, I developed OCD in the form of Pure O. Over the next few months it became severe and debilitating. I was unable to function, and had what I describe as a nervous breakdown because of the constant racing intrusive thoughts. Initially, I didn’t connect the low dose and my OCD. I then decided to up my Citalopram to 20mg and within 2 days I noticed a significant improvement. My thoughts calmed dramatically and I was able to think clearly and function again. I believe my body doesn’t produce enough serotonin which led to the OCD, and for me, I feel that Citalopram works extremely well."

• Lall
• February 19, 2017

"I took these for 3 days and felt completely out of it and utterly paranoid and much more depressed than before taking them. I had previously been on Sertraline which side effects only lasted a day for me and were pretty successfull long term. Citalopram did not agree with me at all and I feel I would have to go on sick from work to let them settle for which I have heard could be up to 5 weeks! Other symptoms I endured: not being able to eat for 3 days, diarhhea, buzzing in legs and arms, paranoia, zero interest in anything, being stuck in my thoughts (not where you want to be when depressed). I admit 3 days is not near enough time to allow it to settle but I would be jeapordizing my job by continuing this medication."

• Olivia
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 31, 2021

"I'm on day 7 of my Citalopram medication. I've just completed the first week, I understand everyone's symptoms are different but reading very scary reviews about increasing anxiety and not being able to eat made me want to do this review to give others my experience in the first week, which is supposedly the hardest. I have never taken an SSRI before, only ever paracetamol and zapain so I had no idea how I'd react, I've started with 20mg for OCD & Paranoia. Day 1 & 2 I felt an instant decrease in my anxiety but I felt very sick, my head hurt and I had pains in the belly and back. Day 3 & 4 I was shattered, must have yawned at least 6 times an hour. I have one particular compulsion that takes me over an hour to complete and I HAVE to do it every single day or I have obsessive paranoia that something will go wrong. You can imagine my surprise when I went a whole 48 hours without doing it, after 5 days of these meds. I truly believe these will change my life for the better."

• ELLOJU
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 18, 2022

"This saved my life. I developed pure O. It became overwhelming where I was having intrusive thoughts every few seconds. I was unable to concentrate on anything, I couldn’t even watch 5 minutes of a TV programme. I feel like I had a nervous breakdown because of the relentless pure O. I took citalopram and within 2 days my symptoms had reduced by 60 percent. Now my symptoms are 95 percent gone. I accept that it’s pure o now and I’m mostly able to shrug it off as a ‘silly and meaningless intrusive thought’. Then I go about my day. I thought I was cured & weaned off the citalopram and the pure o came back. The ocd went when I took it again. I have a quality of life now, I work & I'm happy again. I highly recommend giving it a try if you have pure O."

• Anonymous
• December 10, 2015

"I have chronic anxiety and OCD which means I am super routine and a hairstylist to make things even better lol I have been on citalipram now for 4 months after a widespread of other meds Lets just say I can leave dishes in the sink over night and not sweep that little piece of hair in the corner Side effects... I get a max of 5 hrs sleep a night, my brain tends to have more squirrel moments but we seem to have then under control"

• Cheena
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 5, 2021

"I have OCD I take Citalopram. I was on 40 milligrams and learned I have AFib. My Doctor reduced to 20 milligrams and I am doing fine. I have been on Citalapram for about 10 years now. Prior on generic Paxil. It gave me an appetite. My former physician changed to Citalapram. Doing well on it."