Escitalopram for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Iha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 11, 2021

"I've been taking Lexapro for a few months now for GAD, depression, and OCD, and it has genuinely worked wonders! I was extremely hesitant to start medication, but my therapist felt that it would greatly benefit me since they were all affecting every aspect of my life. The first few times I took it, I was a little drowsy, but that went away quickly. And sometimes if I don't eat anything, I get a small tummy ache. I started with a dosage of 5 mg, which was then increased to 10 mg for a while. I noticed that it was helping my depression and GAD a bit, but my OCD was still pretty severe. I then increased to 15 mg, and now am on 20 mg, and let me just say that I feel great. Even when increasing the dosage, I barely had any side effects. Increasing my dosage has done wonders for my intrusive thoughts. They're not intense anymore, and I'm able to deal with them when I get them. I also noticed I don't really do my compulsions anymore, and if I do, I am also able to talk myself out of needing to do them."

• wag...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 10, 2022

"I always had a lot of obsessive thoughts about things that never happened. I would leave the real world and be trapped in thoughts without logic. I take 10 mg every morning, and it has helped me a lot. Good experience."

• Cro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2020

"It definitely has helped me with my overall anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but I’ve been depressed lately, and I know it’s because of this medication because I’m happy about my current situation."

• Kim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 25, 2022

"Coming back to update 1st review. 18-year-old that did great with clomipramine only to have stopped due to heart palpitations and stomach aches. 5 weeks on 20 mg escitalopram with no decrease in intrusive thoughts and GAD, constant anxiety, and frequent panic attacks. I am staying on the course, hoping for improvement in the next few weeks. I did try to raise to 30 mg, but that was tragic!!! Maybe it’s too soon to raise the dose. Hang in there, people. This is very hard and debilitating - makes you feel less human. My faith is keeping me strong. Next update will come in 8 weeks."

• Wan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2017

"Been taking 10mg for 3 months, absolute nightmare. Intrusive thoughts got worse and suicidal thoughts. So much time off work. Then this Friday and Saturday felt excellent, but today, Sunday, intrusive thoughts are back and I feel quite rough. Just hope I start having more better days than bad days soon as it's been over 3 months. P.S. took these for years before stopping and they worked a treat."

• Afr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2015

"I am tapering off of Paxil and onto generic Lexapro by taking one-third my normal dose of Paxil at night and a half dose of escitalopram in the morning. On the fifth day, I will just be taking Lexapro at 20 mg daily, per my doctor. I am doing fine, but back when I first started my Paxil in 2009, I had an initial spike in anxiety; I had upped my dose too soon on the advice of a social worker without checking with my doctor, and I was extremely anxious, so I took Xanax temporarily with the Paxil, and I gradually started feeling better over a few weeks, and over the years, Paxil has helped. I'm switching to Lexapro, though, since I have started to gain a little weight, and I hope that I can lose those pounds by switching."

• Eri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 17, 2023

"I had been on literally every SSRI there is all throughout my teens and finally weaned off of everything in college. I was struggling so much that I needed something to get through my last semester, so I went on Lexapro 10 mg. It was great for taking the edge off and easing the anxiety for about a year, then I gradually got worse and worse again, and now I’m way worse than when I started. The Lexapro just straight up stopped working - I don’t drink, do drugs, or take anything to interfere with it. My opinion is to only use it as recommended for short-term use, or else you’ll have to keep upping and upping the dose over a long period of time, and then you’re really screwed."

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 20, 2021

"I took Lexapro for two years when I was 14-15, and I had a pretty mixed experience with it. I took it to manage my OCD symptoms, and to this day, it was the best medication to control my physical “tics” (for lack of a better word) and anxious thoughts from OCD. The problem happened at the start of my freshman year of high school. I’m not sure if Lexapro was the sole cause or if it only pushed along/prolonged the effects, but I became very depressed. The main depression lasted for about 6 months. After about six months of this, my mom had a thought, “Why don’t you try not taking your Lexapro for a week or two?”. I wasn’t convinced that it would help, but it was easy enough to test, and a week later, I realized that while still depressed, I was much less depressed than before. Basically, Lexapro had a big part in my depression. So, Lexapro works, but you NEED to look out for warning signs that it’s making you depressed. If you can do that, there should be no problems."

• The...
• January 30, 2021

"Escitalopram caused me insomnia, gave me the worst panic attacks in my entire life, brain fog, amnesia, trouble urinating, all the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, and a lot of other unbearable side effects. It was an awful experience. My OCD has consumed my life, but I think it is better to live with it than to take this medication."

• Whe...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 27, 2020

"I have OCD and anxiety and have been on pretty much every medication imaginable starting at a young age. I take 25 mg of escitalopram every morning. As far as I can tell, the side effects have been pretty minimal, but there is some mystery to that. I have issues with tachycardia and shooting pains in my arms and legs. I also get frequent headaches. It is unknown whether that is from the pills or from anxiety, it's possible I won't know till I maybe get off the stuff in the distant future. The stuff keeps me somewhat functional at least."

• Kim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2022

"18-year-old female - on clomipramine for 8 months and felt amazing and normal. Happy heart palpitations came with a bad stomachache, made me switch to escitalopram. Started at 5 mg, then 10 mg, and now at 20 mg. Tomorrow will be my 1st day in the 3rd week. OCD and GAD still very present, just praying it will help. Waiting for a shift in the right direction. Also taking 6 mg clonazepam to ease anxiety."

• Cgm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 6, 2021

"I just want to say that escitalopram is a lifesaver for OCD! Take it and believe me :). Everything is going to be okay in a few weeks."

• kat...
• January 5, 2025

"Did a great job after first uses of 5 mg and then 10 mg - after a week, I keep continuing to take it. It's my 3rd week, works great and I feel a lot better. Life saver."

• Saf...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 29, 2014

"I've been taking Cipralex (Escitalopram) for 7 weeks and I feel generally more laid back, intrusive thoughts are easier to brush off, and overall a good start."

• kat...
• January 5, 2025

"Did a great job after first uses of 5 mg and then 10 mg - after a week, I keep continuing to take it. It's my 3rd week, works great, and I feel a lot better. Life saver."

• Who...
• November 14, 2019

"This medicine works so well for me. Before, I couldn't function. I was so depressed. Now I can be the person I want and need to be without that dark cloud anymore!"

• aru...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 1, 2020

"Escitalopram is awesome for OCD. Wish I went on it sooner! Titrated up my dose over a year from 10 mg to 40 mg."

• Caz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 9, 2018

"This drug, escitalopram, is brilliant for OCD. 20 mg helped, but I find 30 mg helps my OCD, GAD, and MDD more. It's far superior compared to citalopram, and I've been on both."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2016

"Not a cure, but it sure does lower the amount of intrusive thoughts I get from OCD. This, in turn, leads to lower anxiety levels. It's helping depression, as well."

• Anonymous
• January 31, 2024

"The only thing that has reduced my intrusive thoughts to nearly 0. My quality of life is so much better with this. I wouldn't want to be without it."

• Vig...
• June 8, 2015

"Extremely helpful at 30 mg. Lifted me up from the ground like magic. No noticeable side effects. Hasn't improved my GAD, though."

• Lou...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 23, 2021

"Excellent. I am so happy. No OCD anymore. No anxiety."

• Tom...
• August 30, 2018

"Helps a lot with my OCD, been on it for about 4 months. Hoping it will have the same effect on my anxiety!"

• Emi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 4, 2021

"I started escitalopram a while ago. Severe OCD. I'm talking severe. It reduced my OCD but not enough. It makes me want to sleep all day, and I get brain zaps. Switching to Luvox."

• Joe...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 24, 2023

"Very good medication to help with OCD. Very thankful for this pill. I recommend it, it's a game changer. No side effects."