How many medicines should I be taking for my symptoms of OCD?
There are no easy answers to this and it is a very individual choice.
Generally only one is the aim but the important thing is to get the most out of that drug (e.g. getting the dose as high as possible) before trying to add anything else. Sometimes low doses of antipsychotics such as risperidone can be helpful in combination with the antidepressant type medicines. It is rarely any use to combine drugs with similar ways of working. Below are some of the combinations that are used with the reasons. This is not a complete list but you might want to talk to your prescriber about any not on this list.
| Main medicine | Second medicine | Reason |
|
A serotonin booster (e.g. citalopram, escitalopram, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, clomipramine) |
Antipsychotic (e.g. risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine) |
Severe OCD not getting better with an antidepressant alone. Quetiapine and risperidone might be the most effective, but there isn't enough information about olanzapine yet (Komossa 2010). |