Has anyone got experience of medication for severe OCD?

[ForgetfulNameChanger]

I can't cope with it anymore and am finally giving in to medication even though part of my OCD is a massive fear of medication. Its either this or something horrible.

Does anybody have any experience in terms of what difference it makes? I know ill still want to do compulsions but does the medication help at all in reducing them? Or is it just a fobbing off doctors do if CBT isn't available?

I was given Prozac as I was struggling with depression due to OCD. I found it took the edge off the anxiety which in turn helped me cope with compulsions/obsessions. What type of compulsions do you have if you don't mind me asking?

Sorry to be nosy, but in what way did it take the edge off the anxiety? Like you didn't get anxious as fast or it didnt go up as high? Lots of compulsions unfortunately. Hand washing, checking, changing clothes if I brush against things, fear of touching things among some of them. Its a bit draining now!

Difficult to explain. Looking back I felt like I was in a trance and things didn't bother me so much. I wouldn't recommend medication as a long term solution. Have you been to see your GP? There is a book on amazon called CBT for dummies, might be worth a read.
I had/have handwashing compulsions. It started when I was young, about 10. Looking back I realise I have wasted so much time performing compulsions/obsessions over the years and wish at some point I had asked for proper help/cbt! I find the more anxious i am in life in general, like just before my wedding and when we moved house was when my OCD would 'kick back in' so to speak.
I hope you get some help soon, I know how draining it is.

I first went on prozac for OCD 12 years ago. I can honestly say that they saved my life. They made the world of difference.

Fast forward to a year ago and they stopped working so recently switched to citalopram and they have took the edge off which allows me to take more control over my illness.

If you haven't read these two books please do so. They are very helpful.

www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-Prescription-ebook/dp/B002S0KBOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375651140&sr=8-1&keywords=overcoming+OCD

www.amazon.co.uk/Brain-Lock-Yourself-Obsessive-Compulsive-ebook/dp/B002VL1CO4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375651159&sr=1-1&keywords=brain+lock

I hope you get some relief soon, it's a miserable illness and I have had so many wasted years living with it. Try the meds, they could really be helpful like they were for me.

I can't comment on medication but there is quite a bit of research to suggest that a b-vitamin called inositol is very good for OCD. You need to take it at quite high doses and it is quite expensive but it is something you can buy quite easily and it has a nice taste (it is sweet). If you do a search on google for "inositol" and "OCD", you will see there is a lot of information about it helping OCD.

I take fluxoetine for OCD, it has helped me. It is hard to explain how it helps really, it just takes the edge off. Stuff that would be a no no suddenly seems ok. I picked strawberries this weekend and it was only afterwards that I realised that I would not have been able to do that before. I was still careful and I still cleaned my hands thoroughly afterwards but I could do it.

I take several psychiatric meds for depression. I also used to suffer much from the obsessional part of OCD, particularly having intrusive horrible thoughts.
I found that the intrusive thoughts went completely once on my meds. The compulsive part took a little work as was probably more habit than compulsion with me, and the compulsion usually followed the thought.
There is a host of meds that can help with OCD - it's really just a case of finding the one that works for you with your doctor as everyone is slightly different. CBT is ok but I personally didn't find it as helpful as the meds in eradicating my obsessional thinking, but again everyone is different and it is certainly worth a try.

Thank you for the replies everybody :) very much appreciated! I'm the same way fatpenguin, stressful times set me right off completely. The worst was moving house and pregnancy! I've seen my GP before and had a year of CBT with a peri natal mental health team. I moved recently though and was discharged by the mental health services here after a 30 minute appointment in which the woman made it clear she hadnt read my notes. Scary really. So I was trying to go it alone until this point where I'm thinking about medication.

I think I'll look into those books and also speak to my GP. One of my fears is that they will prescribe the wrong medication and it frightens me a bit and I don't really know how to word it so they take me seriously but at the same time don't refer me back to the MH team here.

Thanks again :)