Prozac and OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

karihager1982 · 06-20-2006, 08:17 AM

I have been seeing a psychologist reguarly for depression/anxiety. We've also discussed my Obsessive Compulsive tendancies.

Since I was younger (12-13 yrs old) I constantly counted. I count words as people speak, corners, tiles, pictures, facial features, lines in the roads, words on billboards as I'm driving, license plate numbers, letters on road signs...etc. It is a daily part of my life, and I do it about 75% of my day.

And another part of this counting is that when I'm counting, it has to add up to an odd number (i.e.: 1, 3, 5, 7, etc...) If it adds up to be an even number...then I consider that "bad" and have to recount something until I can get an odd number.

This counting has and still distracts me from every day life. When people are speaking, I can't remember what they're even talking about because I'm too busy counting the words coming out of their mouths. In meetings I find myself distracted, counting pictures and papers, therefore missing important information. I've almost been in numerous accidents because I am too busy counting license plate numbers.

I've told very few people about this, and they all thought it was "crazy" or made up. Since I saw their reactions, I've told no one until I saw my psychologist.

She has since referred me to a psychiatrist who has put me on 0.05 mg of Xanax for my anxiety and 20 mg of Prozac for the depression, anxiety, and OCD.

Is this true that Prozac will help with OCD? Does anyone have any experiences using Prozac to help with their OCD?

I've been on the meds for less than a week, and obviously see no results yet. (I know it takes time for the meds to start working effectively.) My psychitrist also told me that in two weeks, we will up my Prozac dose to 40 mg.

Any thoughts?

GatsbyLuvr1920 · 06-20-2006, 08:44 AM

SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), of which Prozac is one, have been clinically proven to diminish obsessions and compulsions, but in no way is it a cure. I took Prozac (and Zoloft and Lexapro at different times) starting last November, but I weaned off of it around April because I don't think that any SSRI does much for my OCD, as I had two major OCD breakdowns while taking an SSRI. This, however, doesn't mean that it won't work for you. Everyone is different, and it's worth a try if your counting is interfering that much. What you'll probably notice while taking the Prozac is that you still count or have obsessions, but they will take up less time in your day, and you can let go of them easier. For example, when I started Zoloft for the second time, I went from obsessing about five hour a day to obsessing 1-3 hours a day. The reason that I don't think SSRI's worked for me is because I'm the classic "waxing-waning" case, where my OCD flares up every now and then, and medication can't stop it. I've been obsessing a little more, a couple months after I stopped the Prozac, but it's nothing major. Those few obsessions were all that the Prozac did for me, in my opinion, and I'm still in my waning phase after having a breakdown this past September-November. I highly doubt that 20 mg of Prozac will be enough to see a reaction, though. Your psychiatrist is slowly putting you on it because OCD-ers typically need far more of an SSRI than someone with unipolar depression. I was on 40 mg, and that's considered medium; many people are on 80, but 40's usually considered the minimum for OCD. Again, everyone's different, but it's good that you're trying it at all. You may find that both the Prozac and the Xanax don't work, and that's okay, too. There's plenty of other choices for SSRI's and benzodiazepines out there. Ativan did absolutely nothing for me, but I couldn't live without my Klonopin on really bad days. Good luck, God bless, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

-GatsbyLuvr1920-