Medication can be an effective way of improving OCD symptoms in many people, especially when used in combination with psychological therapies like CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy). Making the decision to take medication, especially for the first time, can be daunting for many reason (worries about side-effects, possible dependence, concern about effect on pregnancy, etc.). Years ago, before my own OCD became a serious problem for me, I was reluctant to take medication for bouts of mild depression that I had experienced. As a result of my first major OCD breakdown though I was so desperate that I would have taken anything that could ease the symptoms and so I started taking a medication offered by my GP. The most common family of medications for OCD are the SSRIs (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors), which is the kind of medication that I took. I and many other adults, have been taking medication for many years with no worrying side effects. Giving children medication to treat OCD has been a controversial issue and so parents should discuss all treatment options with a health professional beforehand.
Below is a list of medications that that the author understands may be considered by a doctor to help treatment for OCD. Each drug name has a generic name and a trade name. Sometimes these change for different countries in the world. Click on each drug's generic name to be taken to its Wikipedia page for more information. Some drugs are not specifically licensed for the treatment of OCD, but are sometimes prescribed off-label.
Important note: The author of this page not a health professional. The information has been collected from a number of books and respectable websites. Please get qualified medical advice before taking any medication and use your doctor's advice for your own dosage. The author cannot guarantee that this page does not contain unintentional errors and the recommended doses of each drug may have changed since this list was compiled.
These drugs are usually the first choice for an illness like OCD. They are often called anti-depressants (not to be confused with other types of anti-depressant drugs available - e.g. see below). They may take several weeks or months to start working fully and some people suffer uncomfortable side-effects when starting these drugs, but these side-effects are usually transient. There is no generic answer to the question, "Which is the best one for OCD?". Different people respond to some SSRIs better than others, and on average (over all studies), all roughly have the same efficacy.
Some people find that their OCD symptoms are markedly eased after a few months of taking an SSRI, other people find that their symptoms completely disappear, and others need to try a few types of SSRI before they find one that is effective for them. Some people though (a minority) find no ease of their symptoms. Other drug options are available in such cases (see below).
The author has tried escitalopram, fluoxetine, escitalopram and sertraline at various times.
If a few SSRI drugs have been tried unsuccessfully (over a reasonable period) then clomipramine is often prescribed (in lower dose) as an augmenting agent to an SSRI.
OCD is not a psychotic illness, but these drugs are sometimes prescribed to help OCD, often as an augmenting agent to an SSRI where appropriate.
The connection of Pregabalin with OCD is not very well documented. The reason for adding this drug to the chart is due to anecdotal comments made by fellow sufferers that this drug has helped their OCD.
Page under construction. Last updated 28/10/12.