Anyone have experience of OCD?

[jasminsweetpea]

Just that really, and did your child take medication? If so what type and did it have an effect? My 17 year old DS has intrusive faults and it's creating havoc for him & the family.

We have. Our 16yr old DD has OCD, it seems to be mostly the “just right” type, where some things have to be exactly right to be okay. Like her hair, whatever she writes, when she can shower. She is currently attending a day clinic specialising in OCD, where the treatment is based on exposure. The treatment idea is that you trigger the compulsion, don’t carry it out, and pay close attention to the negative feelings, observing that they eventually decrease. It is supported by a high dose of Sertralin (200mg). It is really, really hard going for her.

Thank you for replying and sorry to hear about your daughter.

How does she find taking sertraline - any side effects?

Yes my DS has it, the contamination fear type, it is very very hard on the family as he washes his hands and showers all the time and gets through lots of soap, showery gel and laundry. I find it ebbs and flows but it is quite bad at the moment, possibly due to return to school. He has recently been assessed for autism and think that and OCD are quite linked.
I am also thinking that we may need to go down the medication route but it is his GCSE year and I don’t want his thinking power to be affected (he isn’t very academic as it is) so need to gen up on this.

@bumpsintheroad She’s been very lucky and doesn’t seem to have noticeable side effects. Maybe in the first couple of weeks things like headache. The positive effects however were already evident within a couple of days - you always hear that it takes up to six weeks for SSRIs to have effect, and whilst I would agree that is the case with Fluoxitine (she tried that for depression a couple of years earlier), with Sertralin it was really quick. She first tried a lower dose of Sertralin, 100mg, but whilst it had effect in improving her mood and motivation, it didn’t help for OCD. 200mg is much better.
@Worriedmun We haven’t noticed any negative effects of Sertralin on thinking power. If anything, it’s helping her engage better. She’s more herself, less bogged down by her problems.

Such a helpful post. Thank you so much.

My eldest DD has OCD. She used to get many intrusive thoughts which had a huge impact on her life and family life. She takes fluoxetine, which was prescribed for depression and anxiety. She doesn't really get intrusive thoughts now so I think the medication has helped that side of things as well. She does still have OCD but completes her compulsions without really realising and can get on with daily life for the most part. When she is stressed she finds the OCD worse but I think the medication gives her a cushion and she can cope until the stress eases. She did not seem to have any side effects from the medication.

Can I ask what mg of fluoxetine she's on?

She's on 20mg/day

Thank you.

I have one where the manifestation was mainly intrusive thoughts. They were and, as an adult, are still on sertraline as well as other meds, but the sertraline was for this aspect.

Thank you. Did the sertraline help? Any side effects?

Yes, it did help and no side effects.

Thank you.