Prozac for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• Anonymous
• October 28, 2011

"Taking 10 mg for OCD and social phobia with very satisfactory results. Only side effects I've experienced are loss of appetite and mild forgetfulness. I have not experienced a loss of sexual desire, in fact, my libido has increased somewhat."

• Hel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 19, 2018

"So happy this was invented. I feel like I am the person I was supposed to be my whole life but was too afraid/mentally ill to become. Was bumped up over time to 40 mg, and my OCD has been kept at bay. I've been going to therapy for years, but after starting Prozac, it was like I was finally capable of following my therapist's advice. She has since told me to stop coming so often because I am doing so well. Awesome. Prozac saved my life. Everyone around me has noticed. Some cons: I was a little nauseous whenever my dosage was upped and had sleep issues for a while, but they went away. In fact, I actually have an irrational fear of vomiting and was very nervous about starting because of this, but it was negligible at worst and, if I haven't said enough already, worth the brief amount of time I experienced it. The most noticeable issue was that it's significantly harder for me to achieve orgasm, but thankfully not altogether impossible. Please don't be afraid to try it out."

• Med...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 29, 2023

"This medication is a godsend. I have spent years on 20+ psych meds, in mental health treatment, both inpatient and outpatient, and this is the golden med. I have severe OCD that results in psychotic episodes where I will hallucinate. Prozac and my other two meds have been my best chance at living a semi-normal life. I can go to work, college, and be a functioning person in society. I am currently on 30 mg per day of Prozac, and many of my OCD symptoms have eased, and I feel like I can breathe again. Before Prozac, I was experiencing severe OCD rituals. I was scratching open my skin and ripping out my hair. I still have times in the day where I do experience my symptoms, but it is the nature of my disorder and cannot be fully cured ever, but I have had major relief. I do not have deep wounds on my skin, nor do I rip out nearly as much hair as I did before. I would hug whoever invented Prozac because it has given me a chance at life."

• Gre...
• February 15, 2016

"Had to switch to this after sertraline didn't work when I tried to go back on it. OCD blew up as soon as I stopped my previous SSRI, and I ended up sick. Always consult your doctor, and if you have severe OCD, it's an SSRI for life. Fluoxetine had the usual side effects: suicidal thoughts, anxiety, worsening of depression, and tiredness. Unfortunately, you just have to work through this with these meds. After a few weeks, I started to see some slow progress, and my obsessions decreased. I was still severely depressed, and I augmented this with risperidone. That too made me a bit crazy for a few days, but after a couple of weeks, I was able to return to work after 3 months off. These meds take time. 18 months on, I'm just on fluoxetine 60 mg and feel great!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 24, 2017

"It took a few months for it to start to settle in, I think, but total game changer. Six months ago, I was in an awful state due to undiagnosed OCD and depression. Started going to therapy and taking Prozac, and now it feels like I'm standing on more solid ground. I haven't felt this good in years and feel silly for my past apprehension at trying SSRIs. Only side effects I've noticed are I'm a bit sleepy throughout the day, and I'm having vivid dreams most nights (never remembered my dreams before taking Prozac), but no complaints about the latter. Recently bumped up to 30 mg after being on 20 for a few months to try and kick the last of the obsessive thoughts. Really couldn't recommend enough. I can only hope this keeps working."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 8, 2020

"My son takes Prozac. Thing I like about it, it works for OCD. He still has it, but compared to how it was - the compulsions and tic-like compulsions were almost unbearable. Then there was the hoarding! Since taking Prozac, most of that has subsided. He still hoards, but it’s not near as extreme. He still has compulsions, but it’s less and more manageable. My issue is, when we have periods and his OCD is ramping up, we have to increase, and it seems like we have a honeymoon period and need to increase again. Also, for my husband, this medication was horrible. It did not work on him at all. He had better success with Lexapro, but we were not trying to treat OCD with him. I think if you’re trying to treat OCD, this is a great option."

• Mrs...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 13, 2019

"I’ve been taking Prozac for 1 year now. I started with 20 mg. The anxiety and obsessive thoughts were still there. My doctor decided I should go up in the dosage to 40 mg. And it helped tremendously. I would say the side effects while being on the medicine were weight gain and inability to orgasm. After 8 months of being on 40 mg, she suggested trying 30 mg, and that was definitely a game changer. I am now able to reach orgasm normally. The first three weeks, my sleep was still disrupted, so she prescribed me trazodone 25 mg. I took that for the first two months, and it helped me. I don’t need it anymore."

• Aha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 6, 2021

"Fluoxetine: the 24th day. I feel a little change. I'm on day 25. I think it will take some more time for full effect, so I'm good. The first 23 days were very tough because I always woke up with anxiety attacks and suicidal thoughts, but on the 24th day, it's gone and I feel better. Don’t quit, it’s seriously working. This is the best decision I have made in my life. Fact: it takes time and gets worse before better, and takes time to be fully effective. Love for those sharing their experiences, these reviews helped so much. I'm so thankful to all."

• Jef...
• March 24, 2015

"Prozac really saved my life 6 years ago when I was suffering from major obsessive compulsive disorder and insomnia related to it. Tried to stop it a few times but always had to come back. No sexual side effects even at 40 mg/day. Unfortunately, it seemed that the medicine had pooped out on me after 5 years, and I currently started taking Paxil."

• Gir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2021

"I started taking Prozac three weeks ago. I have depression, anxiety, PTSD, and severe OCD with intrusive thoughts. Before Prozac, I battled with depression and anxiety for years, but the OCD has just hit hard within the past year and a half. To the point of losing my family and friends over it because I was constantly questioning and accusing, and it was just awful. My family doctor wasn't giving me the correct medicine. I have tried wellbutrin, Lexapro, Effexor, etc., and none of them were helping me, I just felt like I was getting worse. I started seeing a psychiatrist, and she diagnosed me with severe OCD and put me on Prozac. The first week, I couldn't really tell anything, the second week I felt alive again, like a weight had been lifted off of me. Thoughts were still there, but I was able to dismiss them a lot easier. Week three, I am feeling a little down and depressed this week, but I am not giving up. The way I felt with week two, I hope to start feeling more often and even better."

• dar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 17, 2015

"I wasn't sure if this drug was helping with OCD. When asked, I would reply, 'It seems to make it easier to deal with it.' Then my doc decided to lower my dose in order to take me off it. When I got to 60 mg, I lost it. The obsessive thoughts were out of control. Compulsions increased as well. I am back on 100 mg and feeling and thinking much better. The med helps a lot but doesn't fix me completely. I challenge my compulsions every day so I can reinforce that I do not need them."

• cin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2025

"I have dealt with OCD of various themes since I was a child, and when I became a young adult, it got significantly worse. I had severe OCD and had been in therapy for a while, but I still felt like I was dying every day. This drug was the missing piece for me. Prozac was my first antidepressant, and I could feel its effects a few days after starting. It is miraculous. I cannot describe how much this drug helped me! It's like I am living again, I am myself again, and I have my life back. I was depressed and anxious since childhood, so I forgot what it was like to enjoy life. I have been on it for around 3 months now, and life just keeps getting better. I am excited to live and feel like I can overcome my OCD fears, whereas before, I couldn't even imagine getting over the fears! My doctor started me on 10 mg for a few days, and then increased to 20 mg. Now, I am taking 30 mg and plan to increase to 40 mg. I was afraid to start meds, but pushed through, and it was more than worth it!"

• Gas...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 20, 2017

"I take this medicine primarily for obsessive-compulsive disorder, but I also have depression and general anxiety disorder that it helps with. I took it several years ago, but it pooped out on me, and my psychiatrist decided to try it again about two years ago. I worked up to 80 mg because she said that I needed a really high dosage. I take it when I wake up in the morning and find it activating. It's so weird because I find things that I realize I do now that I would've never done before being on this medicine. It's such a good feeling each time I realize that and am reminded of how far I've come. I love this medication and really, really hope I can stay on it this time and not have it poop out on me."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2022

"I am taking Prozac to treat OCD and the anxiety that results from it. A little background: I took 50 mg Sertraline (Zoloft) five years ago for anxiety. It was a difficult ramp-up period. I had dry heaves, drenching night sweats, and no appetite. After about a month, they subsided, and I went up to 75 mg. Zoloft did fix my anxiety, but it left me 'flat.' I wasn’t anxious or sad, but I also never had any joy. It turned me into Mr. Spock. Oddly though, and contrary to so many reviews, my libido went through the roof. I came off Zoloft after about a year and was fine for about 4 years. Now, I’ve been diagnosed with OCD that the prior doc didn’t recognize. Prozac this time. I was nervous for the side effects, but they’ve been minor. Very mild nausea and some insomnia. And, just like Zoloft, increased libido. My OCD and anxiety are lessening. Don’t let negative reviews dissuade you from trying Prozac. Everyone reacts differently."

• Vil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 2, 2019

"I have been on Prozac for about 8 months for OCD and depression. It has been a miracle drug for me. It allows me to actually use my skills learned in years of therapy to fight the intrusive thoughts and urges, withhold food, and ritualize. I still have thoughts and urges, but I’m increasing my dose to 30 and then to 40 per doc's orders, and am just happy I am living my life without my fears and thoughts ruling over me. I can eat without my fear of contamination ruling my mind and process through a lot more. I experienced side effects when starting, but then they go away. I also take 5,000 mg of vitamin D for my low levels, which helps with the depression. Good luck to all!"

• ocd...
• July 14, 2017

"I was reluctant to begin fluoxetine because I'd had a terrible experience when my GP started me on 50 mg of sertraline. Eventually, I ended up going private, and the psych prescribed me Prozac, starting on a really low dose of 10 mg for a week, then 20 mg for 4 weeks, and now 40 mg for the last month. It's been great. Really cut down my intrusive thoughts to basically nothing, concentration is better, I'm enjoying life again! This is also due to a good therapist, but the medication has definitely helped. The main side effect was sleepiness, but having suffered with insomnia on and off for years, it's been great not dreading bedtime anymore. In the first couple of weeks of a new dose, I'd have a bit of brain fog, but other than that, it's been great!"

• ItG...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 27, 2023

"I started Prozac when I was eleven, around 11 years old, when I started to hit puberty. My hormones were going crazy and I had started to have severe anxiety, depression, and extreme OCD. I basically was miserable and wanted to end it at only eleven years old when I had a really good life. They put me on several meds, including Lexapro and Zoloft, and none worked and some even made me worse. I tried Prozac and it felt like my life was saved. I was only on 20 mg, and I was happy again and pretty much completely went into remission for OCD. I still had a little more anxiety than the average person, but it was tolerable and I lived a really happy life. At about 17 and a half, I stopped taking the drug because I was in a pretty good place in my life and I felt like I didn't need it. (I DIDN'T NEED IT BECAUSE I WAS ON THE DRUG!) Basically, I was okay for a few months, and I believe it was mainly because of the half-life of the drug and since I was on it for so long, it built up in my system. Basically."

• Sou...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 2, 2016

"If you scroll down a bit to 2014, you will find my rave review of Prozac for OCD, and more than 100 people found it useful as well, which is great. Now it's 2016, a year and a half later, and I went from 115 lbs (I NEVER struggled with weight) to 151 lbs today, and I'm just 5'2'. My diet did NOT change. In fact, I battled anorexia in my teens. I just don't enjoy food that much and still don't. I truly believe some people may eat more, but ultimately it messes with your thyroid and hormones badly. So, this is what I'll say: Prozac is pure genius and DOES work very, very well. You will probably lose weight in the first few months, and then, as you approach a year, the weight comes on fast and hard."

• OCD...
• November 10, 2008

"I have been on Prozac for about 3 months and I must admit that it is a wonderful drug. It helps me control anger and anxiety issues that I have. My only complaint is that I seem to get tremors, but I could live with that."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2024

"Significantly helps my OCD. I am finally free, although I struggle with dosages. I started with 10mg and it helped for 2 weeks, then I went up to 20mg and it only worked for a month. Now I’m trying to get to 30mg. I hope I find my proper dosage soon. No side effects and I have no more compulsions. I still worry about things, but reassuring myself is so much easier and I feel no need to do my compulsions. I live my life without constantly worrying, and it’s so nice to feel alive again."

• sea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2022

"I recently started on Prozac for Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, OCD, and insomnia after cycling through a number of medications for several disorders. I tried trazodone at first for anxiety and insomnia, then added quetiapine when the trazodone didn’t work. Then I started using Imovane, which made me feel awful. My psychiatrist started me on 20 mg Prozac to improve anxious and obsessive thoughts and depression. It has significantly improved those, and I no longer feel the physical effects of anxiety or depression. It has also significantly improved sleep, as I do not stress about not being able to sleep. Finally, it did cause a few side effects like headache and nausea for the first few days, but it is now gone."

• zin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 4, 2023

"This has been the most beneficial medication for my OCD and MDD. It really turns down the volume well, while not completely numbing me from feeling other feelings. I am grateful this drug was ever created because I probably would not be here without it."

• Bet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2024

"I was switched from Lexapro 20 mg since I couldn’t stop my OCD and at a higher dose, there are cardiac problems. It took 3 1/2 months for Prozac 80 mg to kick in. I’m still on Klonopin 0.75 mg for 6 months but slowly reducing my dose. Ask your psych, but I took some Benadryl (don’t drive) to stop rebound anxiety since I’ve been on Klonopin for 6 months. I also do a Zoom support group once a month and started ERP with an OCD specialist. My OCD involves rumination and contamination. I don’t wash my hands. I’m feeling back in control and realizing that I was keeping these thoughts alive. OCD demands a lot of fear and anxiety. You need to control it since the disease will never let you use logic."

• pur...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2024

"If you're starting Prozac, I encourage you to read. Male (23) suffering from pure OCD. I came off Zoloft and started Prozac. I began on 20mg and reached 60mg within a month. In my experience and research, the maximum dose usually helps with OCD. I didn't experience 'things getting worse at first' until about 2 weeks on the meds. I quickly spiraled back into almost unbearable OCD thoughts and couldn't think straight when with my girlfriend. I thought Prozac wasn't for me. Despite this, my doctor kept me on 60mg. The improvement was dramatic, and now at 2 weeks on 60mg, I'm slowly feeling more relaxed. The thoughts are still present, but they are almost muted and don't demand the attention they once did. In my opinion, Prozac requires a high dose and time (8-12 weeks). If things worsen, stick with it. You might doubt its effectiveness, but time and dosage are key. I will update my review to 10/10 if I reach a state where I almost feel 'cured' as I have before. It's just over 2 weeks on 60mg now."

• mad...
• October 7, 2011

"I've taken Prozac for 15 years, started when my husband was critically ill. It was a life saver, it stopped me from crying all the time. He passed away in 1998 and I continued taking it for depression. Was taking 40 mg a day, and yes, it takes all sexual desire away. I remarried 6 years ago. I weaned myself off of it because of that. I developed compulsive overeating, that's all I thought about. I gained a lot of weight, so I'm back on it. I could care less about sex. I don't like going to sleep, the dreams are vivid, but it does help me with my appetite. I don't think about food all the time like I did."