How long can you be on meds?

I've been suffering from GAD and OCD form most of my life, and I've been on and off meds. As a rule, I feel a lot better from my obsessive thinking when I'm on medication. My question is, what do we know about long-term use of SSRIs? How long can a patient be on medication without fearing any serious side effects?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

So far, it seems that you are safe for about ten years but only for those ssri's that have been on the market for that long, and do not have a specific warning sign about length of use. After that, you may be safe, but no one really knows for sure. You are probably better staying off for periods of time, and keeping the doses low, just to add a  little safetly factor.

[moonflower13]

Thanks for your reply, Dr Gould!