Other medications that help in controlling intrusive thoughts are: Paroxetine (Pexeva)—prescribed only for adults. Fluoxetine (Prozac)—for children above seven years and also for adults. Sertraline (Zoloft)—for children above six years and for adults.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs are a type of medication people may use as a treatment for depression. People may also use SSRIs to treat mental health conditions that can cause intrusive thoughts, such as: OCD. PTSD.
There aren't medications that specifically target intrusive thoughts. However, people with OCD and PTSD who experience intrusive thoughts may benefit from medication. It can help you manage the underlying conditions that contribute to intrusive thoughts.
Prozac (Fluoxetine)
Prozac can be used to treat depression, eating disorders, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, and OCD. Prozac may improve symptoms like washing compulsions and obsessive thoughts. It has been approved for use in OCD patients aged 7 and older.
Sertraline (Zoloft)
For OCD, sertraline is effective for treating obsessive symptoms and phobic behavior, reducing anxiety- and fear-related symptoms, physical symptoms, and avoidance behaviors.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
It can be especially helpful for intrusive thoughts that become obsessive because it helps to create distance between a person and their thoughts. CBT is based on the idea that our thought patterns can be unlearned or changed.
It has been shown to reduce fear, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and panic attacks. It may also lessen the desire to perform repetitive tasks (compulsions like hand-washing, counting, and checking) that obstruct everyday life. Sertraline is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor that is selective.
Do not stop taking sertraline after a week or 2 because you feel it is not helping. Usually it takes between 4 to 6 weeks to feel the full effect. You might feel worse during the first few weeks of treatment before you begin to feel better.
If you have anxiety, medication can help because the medicines used for anxiety alter the chemicals in your body and brain, reducing symptoms, and often helping you calm down and focus on other things.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is one strategy that is often successful in helping people manage intrusive thoughts. The process may help you to shift some of your general thought patterns, which can enable you to better manage these thoughts when they do occur and might lessen their frequency.
Do intrusive thoughts ever fully go away? It's not always possible — or even necessary — to completely stop them. The goal is to take away their power.
Stress and anxiety: Having intrusive thoughts is typical when you're facing stress and anxiety. If you are going through a tough time, you may notice that you have more intrusive thoughts.
“There are parts of the brain that are a bit disrupted, like the frontal cortex, in terms of brain function and we know that serotonin can reduce the intrusive thoughts,” Dozois says.
First dose and the first few weeks: After taking the first dose of Lexapro, it typically takes several weeks to start experiencing the full effects of the medication. Some initial signs that Lexapro has started working may include improvements in sleep, energy levels, or appetite.
They're usually harmless. But if you obsess about them so much that it interrupts your day-to-day life, this can be a sign of an underlying mental health problem. Intrusive thoughts can be a symptom of anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Other medications that help in controlling intrusive thoughts are: Paroxetine (Pexeva)—prescribed only for adults. Fluoxetine (Prozac)—for children above seven years and also for adults. Sertraline (Zoloft)—for children above six years and for adults.
Zoloft (sertraline) "For those suffering from OCD, bad thoughts, overthinking, depression, terrible headaches, give ZOLOFT a chance.
There are no FDA-approved medications for rumination specifically. Medications to treat the symptoms of GAD include: Fluoxetine (Prozac) Sertraline (Zoloft)
Leave the thoughts alone, treat them as if they are not even interesting, and they will eventually fade into the background. Label these thoughts as "intrusive thoughts." Remind yourself that these thoughts are automatic and not up to you. Accept and allow the thoughts into your mind.
The anxiety-reducing properties of Zoloft
The study found that patients who received both Zoloft and cognitive behavior therapy saw a significant improvement in their anxiety, worry, and depressive symptoms immediately after treatment and at a three-month check-up.
Is Lexapro or Zoloft better for OCD? Some healthcare professionals will prescribe Lexapro “off-label” to treat OCD in adult patients, but only Zoloft is FDA-approved to treat adult and pediatric patients with the condition.
Anxiety-producing intrusive thoughts — considered to be a common symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD — may actually be widespread in the general population. A new study found that more than 94 percent of people have unwanted, intrusive thoughts and impulses.
While psychologists are not entirely sure why some people have looping thoughts and others do not, they agree that some brains are wired differently than others. Those with looping thoughts tend to come from perfectionist families, struggle with trauma, have anxiety disorders, or depressive symptoms.