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Do Medications Help Treat OCD?
Living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) means dealing with thoughts that won’t go away and habits that feel impossible to break. While therapy often takes center stage in treatment discussions, medications play a key role for many people struggling with OCD.
At Mind Space Wellness, LLC, Caroline Bjorkman, DO, helps you understand medication options based on what works best for you. Here’s the reality about medications for OCD.
What medications do for OCD
SSRIs (medications like Prozac®, Zoloft®, and Lexapro®) boost serotonin levels in your brain. They help quiet the alarm system that keeps triggering intrusive thoughts with OCD.
Many people with OCD notice their symptoms get better with these medications. What you might not know, though, is that OCD usually requires higher doses than what works for depression, and you’ll need to stick with it longer before seeing results.
Dr. Bjorkman monitors how medications are working for you and adjusts as needed to find what helps without creating unnecessary side effects.
When you’ll notice changes
Medications for OCD aren’t quick fixes. Here’s what to expect:
- Minor improvements around 4-6 weeks
- Full effects typically around 10-12 weeks
- Dosage adjustments (sometimes) before finding what works
Knowing this timeline helps you stick with treatment, even when it feels like nothing is happening at first. Dr. Bjorkman stays in touch during this period to check your progress and make changes if needed.
Medication plus therapy works better than either alone
Research consistently shows that combining medication with exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy works better than just taking pills or just doing therapy.
Medication can take the edge off anxiety enough that you can do the therapy exercises that create lasting change. Meanwhile, therapy teaches you skills that pills simply cannot.
At Mind Space Wellness, we create treatment plans that include both medication management and therapeutic techniques tailored to your specific OCD patterns.
Staying well after symptoms improve
Once your OCD symptoms get better, you’ll probably wonder if you can stop medication. Most evidence suggests staying on medication for at least 1-2 years after symptoms improve reduces the chances of relapse.
Any medication changes should happen gradually, with continued therapy to help maintain your progress and prevent symptoms from returning.
If OCD is making daily life difficult, medication might be an important part of getting better. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Bjorkman at Mind Space Wellness in Fort Lee, New Jersey, or on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to discuss treatment options that are best for your specific situation.