Fluoxetine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Dav...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 3, 2021

Fluoxetine "I can’t recommend fluoxetine enough. I had been suffering for weeks with debilitating OCD/anxiety and depression, having been SSRI-free for over 4 months, but it came back with vengeance. In essence, fluoxetine works! For those nervous about the side effects - the first time I took it, the anxiety/OCD was seriously INTENSE and took 8 days to work. At points, it felt like I was losing the plot. If it got that bad again this time, I was planning on taking Xanax while it kicks in. However, I’m 4 days in now and the anxiety/OCD has been pretty bad, but I was able to ride it out. It’s now Day 5 evening, and I can feel it is starting to work again. Depression has gone, head feels clearer with no more anxiety alongside the intrusive thoughts. It may take longer for you, so don’t give up before 1 month."

• Anonymous
• March 22, 2011

Fluoxetine "I have been taking Prozac for almost 2 years for my OCD and depression. The medicine has done wonders for my disability but has done nothing good for my relationship with my boyfriend. Prozac has taken my sex drive completely away. We try everything to bring it back, but nothing works. I had no choice but to take myself off the medicine."

• Ott...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 15, 2018

"Moderate OCD, GAD, and when I was prescribed fluoxetine, severe depression. I’m not going to lie to you, the first 3 weeks were bad - couldn’t eat, crying randomly, unable to sleep normally, going outside made me break out in a sweat for fear/anxiety, intrusive thoughts were worse, and suicidal thoughts started even though they weren’t an issue before - my GP wanted to take me off them. However, I stuck with it and each day got slightly better, and after the initial period, I feel like I’ve got my life back. What I will say is, get off this forum! ESPECIALLY if you have OCD! Reading and obsessing about whether the drugs will work for you will make it 100 times worse and get you more in your head about it. I’m only 3 months in, but I’m back to being able to function again (even went on holiday when planes made me breakdown before) and am seeing really positive results. It’s a marathon, not a race. You won’t feel better overnight, but you will feel better over time."

• A28...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 16, 2019

Fluoxetine "Prozac has been pretty good for the depression, my anxiety has been worse, though. I get shaky when I get anxious, and my knees feel wobbly. I don't feel some of the side effects, such as heart palpitations or chest pressure, just anxious. Zoloft caused heart issues, but I felt like doing some things, like going to the gym. With Prozac-no heart issues, but I feel more on the lower end, with less energy. Started 20 mg 5 months ago, then 30 mg for a month, now 40 mg recently. I hope the anxiety gets better."

• Hug...
• April 25, 2015

Fluoxetine "Recommend using Lovan 20 mg, the generic brand of Prozac. Break in half to start at 10 mg a day. You're looking for small signs of success. Keep a daily journal of your time taking it so you can look back. Trust me, this helps when spotting reaction patterns and finding the right exact dosage amount. For some, less Prozac is more benefit. Mania, sweating, and twitching muscles were part of my first 2 months, but settled down. Alcohol leaves toxins in your blood for 2 days that stop the medication from working fully. Sex drive gone by 80%. I have still had to apply daily mental awareness techniques and be aware of my thoughts to get great results. Not been a cure-all, but is brilliant."

• ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 27, 2019

"27-year-old male. I have been taking fluoxetine since July 2015. That's over 3.5 years. It's never lost effectiveness. I have severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. It made my life unlivable. Nothing is perfect. But I've tried nearly every class of antidepressant on the market, and I have tried all SSRIs. It holds 1st place for the amount of conditions it treats and its efficacy in each. The only reason I give a 9/10 is that 10/10 would be a complete eradication of my disorder. I will add that health-related OCD (some call it health anxiety or hypochondriasis) responds magnificently to this medication."

• Luc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2018

Fluoxetine "Prozac is the only medication that has worked for my OCD, especially with my intrusive thoughts, repetitive behavior, and homicidal thoughts; I'm a high-functioning sociopath with manic depressive bipolar disorder and extreme anxiety. Unfortunately, the Prozac doesn't completely take care of my anxiety and panic attacks, so I was put back on Xanax [PRN]. I also take Seroquel and Lamictal (I do have seizures), and diazepam when seizure activities are present."

• ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 29, 2022

"I feel obliged to write a review here. I used the reviews and made my decision about taking SSRIs. My OCD is about spinning things and intrusive thoughts. The progression or three stages of my OCD was from thoughts to visualization to dream manifestation. My third stage happened recently, and I started having a lot of dreams about spinning things out of control. I would wake up during sleep and would go right into a panic attack. When I tried to sleep, I would get an intense hypnic jerk and get out of sleep right away. It was the fifth week of my OCD relapse, and on 60 mg of Prozac, that one afternoon I started feeling a bit normal again. Ten years I haven’t believed in SSRIs. I always believed that CBT and ERP helped me, but this time it was different, I am 100% sure that therapy hasn’t worked, but it is Prozac that saved my life. Trust your psychiatrist and give your SSRIs some time to work. It will get worse before it will get better, and there is always a medicine that will work for you."

• Cat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 12, 2016

"Fluoxetine changed my life. My postpartum experience after our second child was hell on Earth, and I thought I would end up permanently crazy. It took months to feel the full impact -- so PLEASE hang in there. I wanted to quit Prozac so many times, but thank goodness I stuck it out. I cannot say enough good points about this medication."

• lin...
• July 11, 2018

"I was so hesitant to take any sort of psychoactive drugs for years - I had been diagnosed with severe OCD when I was 11. I was totally crippled by obsessions and compulsions that would render me completely useless for up to 6 hours a day. I'm 20 now, and after a traumatic sexual assault, my symptoms blew up. My doctor put me on Prozac (20 mg). The first month or so I was a bit more on edge than normal and had issues with shakiness, but that passed quickly and wasn't too disruptive. I was worried that it would cause weight gain or kill my libido, but I've actually had a better relationship with my weight and body image since starting, and my libido has stayed the same, if not gotten higher! Prozac changed my life; I no longer cloister myself inside to tend to my obsessions and compulsions, and they hardly even affect my life at this point in time. Obviously, everyone's brain chemistry is different, but I highly recommend fluoxetine."

• Equ...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 14, 2020

"The best SSRI I ever take. Fluoxetine gives me energy, and I am calm at the same time. Obsessive thinking hasn't gone, but I can control and manage it more. I do not care if I have to take it for life. I take 60-80 mg depending on my OCD. Good luck to everyone. I highly recommend trying it."

• Nor...
• January 21, 2015

Fluoxetine "I have been off Prozac for about 4 weeks now...after starting 2 years ago for a terrible depression/sadness/menopause. Wanted to take a holiday to see what would happen. When on Prozac, side effects like decreased sexual drive and slight weight gain, otherwise, it put my menopause symptoms in control. Decreased my hot flashes, helped my sadness, and gave relief for some mild OCD that I have had for years. Now when I am off the medicine, I notice an increase in my OCD behaviors. Not concentrating as well at work. Sexual appetite is still not that great despite a wonderful patient husband (could still just be the menopause). Hot flashes have not really returned, and I do not feel overwhelmingly sad. I will start Prozac tomorrow and see if it helps with OCD."

• Syl...
• July 26, 2018

Fluoxetine "I started on the generic of Prozac in March after trying Zoloft, Celexa, and Effexor. Good news is that I did not have any initial side effects (I had extreme initial side effects from the other 3), bad news is that it did not help with my OCD or anxiety. It actually gave me more anxiety because it made me lose tons of hair on the top of my head where my crown is. You could even see bald patches, there was so much lost. :( I was only on it for 3 months, and the doctor took me off immediately once he saw what it was doing to my hair. :( I am trying Luvox now, which I have never heard of, but truly hope it helps. This will be the 5th SSRI I have tried in the past 10 months. Praying this is the one."

• Dai...
• June 9, 2012

"I've been on Prozac since April 2011. Before that, I was on Lexapro for 5 years. Lexapro helped with my depression, but did nothing for my anxiety. I have post-traumatic stress disorder, and a side effect of PTSD is obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, trichotillomania, and binge eating. Prozac has almost eliminated all of that. No more depression, very mild anxiety. My OCD and trichotillomania are under control. I have also lost 50 lbs, but I do not know if this is because of the medication. The only side effect I experienced was being trapped in nightmares. This only happened the first month I started."

• Hop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2021

Fluoxetine "To those waiting for Prozac or others to kick in - if you’re miserable, ask your doctor to give you 0.5 Klonopin in the morning as an interim. It’s immediately effective, and short-term use is okay."

• Equ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 1, 2017

"I just feel the need to express how well I've been feeling with this change. Started a month ago with 20 mg. This week I upped the dose to 40 mg. My OCD comes and goes, it just doesn't bother me anymore, feeling free of those useless ruminations. Let me honestly tell you, sertraline was good then, but this medicine is just great, feeling better results and giving me sort of a more activating feeling and motivation. I'll stick with it for a while at this dose. There is hope for OCD, please don't give up. There are a lot of options out there. God bless all of you."

• Med...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 15, 2022

Fluoxetine "Did not work with my body chemistry, much like Luvox. Prozac likely contributed to my long-term chronic fatigue that has lasted for 2 years ever since taking these two SSRIs. Prozac didn't help my depression nor OCD at all, made me feel numb, and in love with sleep and my bed - I would sleep for 20 hours and lay in bed the rest of the time. Never would have been able to hold a job while on this med... My OCD was, in the end, only helped by exposure response therapy (ERP). I severely wish I'd tried ERP before going on any meds. My OCD used to be 11/10, now it's 2/10 all from ERP alone. Be so cautious with SSRIs - as they've seemingly permanently damaged me :("

• ati...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 13, 2017

"I was diagnosed with OCD mixed type. My psychiatrist prescribed fluoxetine 20 mg. The first 7 days were very bad. Extreme fatigue and tiredness, the typical 'zombie' feeling associated with ADs. But on my 15th day, the fatigue has reduced considerably and my OCD thoughts have become very easy to control. Also, I can avoid my rituals now. The medication has worked for me and I think in the coming months it will do me more good. I'm grateful for opting for it as I tried all the 'natural' ways, but with a mental illness, when you don't get results, you tend to get discouraged and leave the process midway. I wasn't getting better and thus finally overcame the fear of medication. Stop googling as it will only scare you and visit your doctor."

• pik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 13, 2022

Fluoxetine "The first month on Prozac, my anxiety and OCD worsened but was manageable, so I pushed through it. I had a similar response on Zoloft, except Zoloft was so activating I felt even worse on it and constantly anxious. So I pushed through on the Prozac because my body reacted to it better than the Zoloft. In the end, it was definitely worth it, after the first month on Prozac, I started to have an easier time focusing on work and my intrusive thoughts felt less intense. I chose to stay only on 20 milligrams as I am also receiving therapy for my OCD, but would definitely recommend anyone with OCD try to find the right pill for them to help them along. It might not necessarily be Prozac, my advice would be to find the pill that feels like it is the most manageable to get through the initial side effects."

• ilu...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 28, 2022

Fluoxetine "It has helped so much. My OCD used to be horrible and awful to manage. Ever since I've been on Prozac, it’s been so much more manageable. The only side effects I’ve had are a dry mouth, dizziness, and a low sex drive. I’m on 30 mg."

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 23, 2022

Fluoxetine "Wanted to let anyone who was in my same position (being impatient and suffering a lot) know that it does take about 4-6 weeks to start working, BUT that's when you're at the right dose for you. I've been on Prozac for 8 weeks now, but I've been on 60 mg for about 6 weeks. It took about 5 weeks on 60 mg for me to finally start noticing an improvement in my OCD. I'd say my OCD at this point is about 10% better. It started as little changes, like not bothering to check stuff that I usually check a lot. Letting go of things is a bit easier. I've seen that it might take up to 12 weeks for the full effect, so I hope I will see more improvement over the next few weeks. I do have side effects like minor tremors and constipation, but I think it's worth it to deal with that instead of OCD. It's about what you're willing to put up with in order to find relief for OCD."

• Ano...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 4, 2017

Fluoxetine "I started Prozac for severe harm OCD and social anxiety and mood swings from age 11 until 19. Initially, 20 mg kept my intrusive thoughts at bay; however, my anxiety remained. Every few years following, I would require an increase in medication, and with every increase, I became more numb, agitated, argumentative, and arrogant. I stopped caring about everything. I couldn't cry when a family member died; I couldn't have crushes on girls; low sexual desire; I developed severe TMJ and was living on autopilot. This drug made me care about nothing. At age 19, I developed PSSD (Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction). It took me six months off medications, with complete impotence, to get weak sexual function back, and I'm only 19. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.:("

• Mis...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 7, 2021

"It didn't do much for my OCD, made me feel anxious, and I went from a healthy 8.5 stone to a nearly morbidly obese zombie in 2 years. Took 3 years to lose the weight, about 4 stone. Just made me eat and sleep all the time, could hardly keep my eyes open most days. Rubbish drug. Did nothing for my mood either, waste of time and just made things a LOT worse for me!"

• Anonymous
• October 3, 2015

"I've taken a lot of different medications over the years, which never really made me feel much better. I've been taking fluoxetine 60 mg for 2 months now and have noticed a big change for the better! I am so much more relaxed and less stressed at work."

• Jos...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 5, 2016

"I'm pretty much the same as the most recent poster. I have severe OCD to the point where I lost my family through it and have been battling with alcohol for a number of years now. I stopped taking my fluoxetine when I 'thought' I felt better. Not realizing the fluoxetine was the reason my moods were gone and my obsessions limited down to a more manageable level. I'm back on 60 mg now and feel really good. On top of counseling and then CBT, I'm moving forward and will get my life back on track. Stopping my medication was one of the worst things I've done."