People who are diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) luckily have a number of different effective treatments they can turn to for help and cure OCD.
For some people, medication will help, but others need something more.
In general, there is at least one medication that can help reduce some of the symptoms of OCD in any individual.
Medication, however, is not a permanent cure for the condition. Sometimes the person only feels better when they are on the drug, but relapses as soon as he or she stops taking it.
This can be a manageable solution if the person is comfortable with taking medication for extended periods of time. However, some choose to stop taking medication at some point.
Behavior therapy is recommended to help with OCD as a combined treatments with the medication.
Experts say that the best way to treat OCD is through cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT).
Some of the medical options include anti-obsessional drugs. Tricylcic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are most commonly used to treat OCD.
SSRIs have become the preferred drug for treating anxiety disorders such as OCD, because they work better and are also safer than most other forms of medical treatment.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) can also be used, along with other atypical antidepressants.
TCAs are older and have been used to treat OCD since the 1950s. However, since SSRIs have been introduced, TCAs have seen a steady decrease in popularity.
TCAs generally have more side effects, which is the main reason why most doctors are switching to recommending SSRIs.
Some of the common ones are weight gain, dry mouth, over-stimulation, sexual side effects and orgasmic dysfunction.
However, SSRIs are not void of side effects either. Some include nausea, constipation, drowsiness, headaches and insomnia, among others.
Drugs can also be mixed and matched in order to offer optimal help to each individual patient.
If a patient sees that the medication is not having any effects, then the dosage might not be correct. The right amount of dosage varies from drug to drug, and is based on many other factors, such as the patient’s weight and the severity of the OCD symptoms. It is also important to keep in mind that dosages for OSD are much higher than dosages of some of the same drugs prescribed for other conditions, such as depression.
The most important thing is for patients to consult with their doctor before beginning to take medications, so that the health experts can help them determine what drugs are best for them and what dosages they should be taking.
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