Prozac for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 28, 2015

"First week was hell, more anxiety and panic attacks. Had to leave work early one day for the anxiety, also left a family event early. But now... starting second week and starting to feel like myself again! As long as things continue this way, will be happy on this drug! Without the first week's side effects would give it a 10."

• Jen...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 11, 2020

"In college, my counselor wanted to primarily treat my depression and anxiety with Celexa, then Lexapro. Each of these medications drastically worsened my symptoms, and I began experiencing suicidal thoughts (side effects of both). Naturally, I was too terrified to ever try medication again. However, when I was accurately diagnosed with O.C.D., my O.C.D. specialist recommended Lexapro, and it has changed my life (in combination with Cognitive/Behavioral Therapy). I experienced a mental and physical breakthrough and am thriving like never before. I literally thought feeling like this would never be possible. I have so much mental energy now that it's not being used up for my obsessions and compulsions. I am forever grateful for this one tool. But I firmly believe it's just one tool, not the 'cure-all.' Without the intense year of therapy leading up to medication and learning how to better communicate, I don't believe I'd be thriving like I am."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2018

"I’m glad I finally decided to give Prozac a try for my obsessional OCD and GAD. I’m 29 and have been struggling with the disorders my entire life. Only 20 mg of Prozac has lessened my suicidal ideation and obsessive ruminations significantly; of course, I still need therapy. I never increased the dose because I experienced some undesirable sexual side effects (desensitization, lack of desire), and I’m glad I didn’t because 20 mg works just fine. It does take a while, however, to notice the change. My doctor added 150 mg of Wellbutrin to counteract the sexual side effects, which has worked. The combination has me feeling a whole lot better. The only annoying side effect that I have now is excessive yawning, but it’s a small price to pay."

• Jam...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 5, 2018

"I was prescribed Prozac 1 yr ago, and it has made a huge difference in my depression. I didn't even realize it was used for OCD, which I also have. I came to terms with my OCD years ago, so it wasn't my focus when seeking medical help. However, my counting episodes are few and far between in recent months. They used to be daily. No drug is perfect, and it's not the only one I'm on (sometimes combos are necessary), but I feel much better than I did while on Effexor, which I tried for more than 2 years."

• pig...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 25, 2020

"I’ve been on Prozac for like 9 months. I’m actually at 80 mg, the maximum dose, and I’ve felt little to no relief of my OCD. I know that for some people it has worked, but for me it is not the case. I’m going to start taking Luvox tomorrow, and I hope I get better. With Prozac, my hands shake all the time, I gained weight, and I’m really sad about the outcome."

• DPe...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 13, 2013

"I had my first major depressive episode in the late '80s when my first child was a toddler. I was put on 20 mg of Prozac and felt like I got my life back. However, it seemed to quit working, and for the next 20 years, I went through almost every SSRI there is, as well as a couple of common anti-anxiety drugs, and none of them seemed to work very well. About 4 years ago, I went back on Prozac, and this time I was taking 60 mg for OCD. It has worked quite well, but I think my body is getting used to it again. My doctor wants me to consider changing to Lovox. I had thought I had already tried that in the past, but I have to do something because I feel like I am slipping into the abyss again."

• Anonymous
• December 28, 2010

"I've been on Prozac for about 4-5 months. My doctor started me on the lowest dosage (10 mg), and we had to increase it. Currently, I've been on 40 mg/day for about 5 weeks or so. It seems to be helping me with my OCD somewhat. I've noticed that I haven't been quite as bad as I used to be, but I'm also seeing a counselor, which is helping as well. I've heard that for OCD, you may need to go as high as 60-80 mg for people with OCD. We may change my dosage in the future."

• que...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 6, 2012

"I love Prozac. It really helped with keeping me relaxed and in a decent mood and severely lessened my need to feed the OCD. For some reason, my doctor recommended that I should try Zoloft instead. For the first two weeks on Zoloft, I had diarrhea, and now, after six months on it, I am starting to have moderate to severe pain in my legs. My leg muscles always feel as if they need a good stretch."

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

"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."

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

"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

"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."

• Anonymous
• March 22, 2011

"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."

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

"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."

• Syl...
• July 26, 2018

"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."

• Nor...
• January 21, 2015

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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 :("

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

"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

"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

"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.:("

• 652...
• May 17, 2017

"14 days on 20 mg. I am edgy and wobbly, no appetite, forced myself to eat, so I am eating less. Taking advantage of that because I am also diabetic and hard to go to sleep. I am sticking with the medicine. Have some relief from bad thoughts. Hope it gets better."

• Geo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 17, 2021

"Warning! Just be careful. I’ve used Prozac off and on for maybe 30 years. Be aware of sexual side effects of this drug. Total inability to reach orgasm during sex. And no, it wasn’t caused by anything else. I was checked out. Sometimes the inability to climax persists even after you’re off the drug. I’m not the only one to experience this; there’s plenty of information on post-SSRI sexual dysfunction. Oh, and the percentages of sexual problems listed in the package insert are skewed on the low side."

• Jar...
• May 19, 2017

"It works, but it can be ineffective in some situations. I've used it for over a year, switched from a max of 40 mg to 20 mg twice. It is not effective for me personally to take just one a day, so my doctor prescribed me to take two 20 mg pills of Prozac a day, and this has proven more effective. There are some things Prozac has not fixed with my obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), even with taking 2 pills a day."

• jcb...
• April 19, 2018

"I was on Paxil over 10 years ago, but ended up gaining a lot of weight on it, even with working out like a madman and watching what I eat very meticulously. After being on several meds in the next 10 years, which did not appear to work (although I wasn't on them for a long period of time), I decided to try Prozac from the advice of my psychiatrist, who is a very good doctor. I took a gene test to see what medicine would be best for me, and the tests revealed that Prozac would be best. I started off on 20mg, increased to 40mg, and eventually went up to 60mg (due to my OCD). At first, I kept the weight off and, in fact, was losing a bit of weight. However, after being on 60mg for a long period of time, I decided to weigh myself and was totally dismayed and went into a deep depression over how much weight I gained. I always thought weight gain was one thing under my control, as I work out and watch what I eat. To say it mildly, it was like a punch in the stomach."