Question:
I was diagnosed many years ago with OCD.

I had it pretty much under control without medications. It finally got to the point where I was driving myself crazy with my obsessions with food, cleaning and death. I was started on Wellbutrin SR about a year ago. I chose that particular drug because of the "less sexual side effects" claim. Since I was a newlywed I thought it was important. Although the Wellbutrin has helped with my depression it hasn't done much for the OCD. Now, I am 5 months post op and doing really well, but I still obsess over food somewhat. Now, an old obsession of mine has reared its ugly head. Laundry ! I live to do laundry. We are a family of 3, one baby, so there shouldn't be too much to do. I do, on average 5-6 loads a day. I love everything about it. My laundry room cupboards are loaded with soaps, bleaches, fabric softners, you name it. I wash our bed sheets every day. I iron everything.. sometimes taking off my clothes later in the day to re-iron. This has been a previous obsession of mine but food was always foremost in my head. Now that I have had surgery and food is not my life anymore, laundry is. My husband is beginning to really worry although he really appreciates clean sheets on the bed every night. Anyway, my question is this: Is there anyone out there post op who has OCD and what are you taking for it. I hate to switch anti depressants as I don't want to deal with the sexual side effects but I am at the point where I am willing to for peace of mind. I would like to get some ideas before I have my appointment with my PCP next week.    — [Anonymous] (posted on January 15, 2002)

January 15, 2002
If I were you, what I would ask my PCP for is a referral to a good therapist. I'm not saying that meds can't be helpful for the OCD. I'm on Welbutrin myself for depression, but I also wouldn't keep that up without therapy.
   — [Anonymous]

January 15, 2002
I am pre-op and suffer from OCD. However, my case is not as severe as yours (yet). It does seem to get worse and worse as time progresses and I get older. I constantly have to clean and tidy the house. That's just the beginning. To offer some kind of an answer to your question, I will say this: I've been taking Effexor XR for around a year and a half now. It really hasn't hindered my sexual appetite at all. If anything, it may have increased it a little because I've begun to feel better about myself. It has definitely made a vast improvement on my depression and it has helped with my OCD. Not as much as I would have liked it to, but it has helped. This is just my experience. Everyone is different. I've heard that Paxil is also good for OCD. Maybe you could investigate the different types of antidepressants and their effects, online. Every brand should have it's own website. Good luck to you!!
   — Vanessa L.

January 15, 2002
I am pre-op with OCD. I am currently taking 200 mg. Zoloft for the OCD and depression. Since having my two girls to care for and very little time to sit and think the OCD is mostly gone. My sexual drive is very low...think it is just the side effects of the meds. Try the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation...they can refer you to a therapist in your area who would like to help patients with OCD.
   — Lisa J.

January 16, 2002
I am a psychiatrist. First-line treatment for OCD is SSRIs, like Paxil, Luvox, Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil or Celexa. They tend to work better than Wellbutrin (Buproprion) or Effexor (Venlefaxine). If sexual side effects become an issue, Wellbutrin can often be used to AUGMENT the SSRI...or sometimes amantadine (symmetryl). My first concern is ALWAYS symptom management--we deal with side-effects as they evolve. Prozac tends to be the most activating, so is LEAST often associated with weight gain. However, WEIGHT GAIN IS DUE TO INCREASED CARBOHYDRATE CRAVING--IT DOES NOT ALTER YOUR METABOLISM. So, I encourage my patients to work on eating only when they are hungry and avoiding snacking. Since most of them are in therapy, they can work on these things in therapy. I actually have very few patients who complain about weight gain on SSRIs. Of course, none of them are morbidly obese or have a history of that. I would assume that if eating was their primary coping skill, they would have more difficulty. But I ALWAYS recommend that my patients with anxiety disorders be in individual therapy to develop ways to deal with anxiety and to develop better, more appropriate coping skills.
   — Pamela B.

January 16, 2002
Hi there. I took Paxil in the past and it worked wonders but caused sexual side effects. Surgery is a hard thing. I have been with my high school sweetheart for eight years. We were planning to get married, to buy a house, all that stuff. In the last year, when I really got serious about surgery He'd stay out drinking, he didn't help pay the bills, he lied - basically he was a loser in every way. I tried to leave him many times but he promised to change. I lost 50lbs before surgery and he could not stand it. I actually had self esteem. He wouldn't go out and he tried to make me eat bad things. The surgery was a threat to him. One night I got mad and told him I hated him for trying to make me not have the surgery. Two days later after disappearing he told me he found someone else. A much fatter, uglier girl. Oh well, whatever makes him secure. The hard part about this is that I found out on the day of my psychiatric evaluation. I was found "stable for surgery." Thank god! Anyway my doctor has me on Serzone for my depression and I do have some symptoms of OCD (although not as severe as yours) and the best part is I've had no unpleasant side effects at all. Good Luck
   — [Anonymous]

October 6, 2007
maybe you can come to my house and help me with the laundry!
   — Big-Dzz