# My experience with fluvoxamine thus far.



## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

I'm going to try and make a journal out of this: One where i respect the thoughts i have and express them openly with the forums. This isn't.... I don't want this to become a help session, but i'd rather people use it as my disclosure on the medicine. If there are any people pondering taking up this medication let this be my guide and keep in mind that no one is the same. Anyone experiences medication differently.

First, what is fluvoxamine (aka luvox)?
Fluvoxamine is used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It belongs to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines are thought to work by increasing the activity of a chemical called serotonin in the brain. .

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, fluvoxamine is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:

Depression.
Eating disorders.
Panic disorders.
Social phobias.
This product is available in the following dosage forms:

Capsule, Extended Release
Tablet
(http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/fluvoxamine-oral-route/description/drg-20066874)​
My doctor informed me that luvox is preferred by people who have anxious thoughts and OCD, but lack the depression that lexapro users are seeking to be rid of. For this instance it's better that i try it. I started on 25 mg for the first week and noticed nothing besides a placebo high the first day. All symptoms returned to normal the following morning. Then i bumped up the dosage to 50 mg, doctors orders, by the fifth day and three days passed without anything. Around day nine i noticed i could tell my thoughts to "shut up" in the morning and the chatter subsided from my whim. That was the first time i'd been able to do that in i don't remember how long. The future looked good until my general anxiety and staying hidden in my room to avoid any mingling with my roommates returned in the evening. Since that day my symptoms have gotten better. Each day better than the last and the feeling of control lasting longer and longer until yesterday. There was a point when i peaked in "being present" and i had all of the friends in my classroom listening to what i had to say and we were paling around. I felt normal, like we were bonding. That state of mind exited as i did the class and i've been on kind of a bummer since. I wish more moments could be like that. I just want to connect with the people i like being with and bring joy to them as they do me. With moments like yesterday it gives me hope for this medicine.

As i said, though, i've been a bummer since. Wednesdays are usually the valley of what i'll call my mood week. Treat it like a sine wave where the weekend i'm at peak enjoyment and wednesday i'm depressed. However, i've been relatively stable this woeful wednesday. At this point in the day my thoughts have usually ridden me to the point where i'm lying face down in my bed worrying that i'll be depressed the rest of my life and i won't be able to get a job or have a girlfriend, etc... I consider today a success. In total now i've been on fluvoxamine for 13 days and there has already been significant success on it! This is the first medication that i'm excited to be on, which says something if you know me. I've been anti medication my entire life (which is why I'm keeping my recent transformation a bit low key) to the point where i'm yelling at family members to get off their drugs. My sister is on vyvanse and another is on lexapro and trazadone. My mother is about to begin dexadrin and i'd had it up to here when she told me that. I'd definitely get a brow raise if i told people i was doing this. For me to be on this and enjoying the outcomes is wondrous. I hope the ability to stay present and my ability to remain relaxed around peers continues to improve. More updates will follow.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*DAY 16*
Today has been such a relaxing day. For the first time in awhile have i been able to sleep in my bed mid-day and not worry about the problems of the upcoming week or the one that's just passed. Luvox has stricken me of my obsessed thoughts and i'm not even past the recommended 6 week trial period. If things continue i may get drowsy as the days move on. One thing that hasn't cleared is my brain fog. I'm even struggling to write this at points, but at least it's not worrying me that it's taking more effort than it should. At this point, i don't think this medication is going to help with that. Perhaps an amphetamine will, but i'd like to experiment either with adding wellbutrin to my existing luvox (50mg) state. Or, switch entirely to nardil which sounds like the whole package and then some. More than likely i'll try the latter scenario unless some unexpected wave of clarity hits me and remains within the next two weeks. My review of luvox so far is A+ on removing OCD thoughts.

This medication should not be used to treat depression in my opinion. Its focus is on reoccurring thoughts or patterns that manifest out of worry. It will help with that. But any preexisting depression or emotional imbalance may not see much improvement with this drug. Again, everyone is different, but it is possible that with the reduced anxiety you may achieve a higher level of confidence then normal and take steps away from that dark place. As my proc described it, though, "this medication is meant to treat OCD." That was after i told him i wasn't suffering from depression, but i got anxious thoughts that torment me on a regular basis.

Other notes: I did notice tremors in my hand today for about a minute. It felt like a vessel was clogged in my palm. That was strange. Other than that i've had no side affects.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*Day 21*
I'm at the three week period and i'm happy to say that i'm feeling great. My anxiety has decreased to the point where i can make solid eye contact and begin to enjoy conversation with people. This is something i haven't been able to experience since elementary school so the feeling is brand new. Like i said before i've had anxiety since then. If things continue to get better i can't understand how confident i'll be. I'm already playing through scenarios in my head where its a positive experience where before i'd dread going out in public. Now i can get up, go to class and not have to worry (as much as i used to) about the interaction i'll have to have that day. This is splendid. There has been one con: i've gotten a bit sleepy too. I fear that if i don't continue my good habits of waking up early and staying awake then i'll fall into a spell of daytime naps that could last up to an hour. I'd rather not use up that precious time sleeping the day away. If i had to put my emotions into one word right now i'd say "excited." I'm excited how i'll improve over the next few months if this effect from the medication continues, which i'm assuming it will because i'm only at week 3. Why didn't i try this long ago? Mostly because i've been so anti-medication for the last three years. Until now though, i haven't given any medication besides amphetamines (vyvanse and adderall) a real shot. If anyone has questions feel free to ask, i'll continue updates next week. I'm going camping this weekend 

EDIT: all this is only happening on 50mg (of luvox) by the way. I may not have to add another medication. If i did it would be something for concentration. Now that the anxiety is weening i can begin to understand some other problems i have with more clarity.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Ive read somewhere that ocd is treatment resistant to anit-depressants like SSRI'S years back. Seems like for some people do fine on them as long as theirs in an improvement thats good. I took Luvox back in 2010-2011 and couldnt really tell any improvement. damn ocd.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*Day 27*
If things continue to get better i might have a girlfriend in the foreseeable future. This medication is doing wonders for my self esteem and mental clarity. I feel the difference since the last time i could get back to you all and it's only started to come about this week. For the last few weeks i thought i was feeling the change, but now it's quite noticeable. The way i respond to people and the way people react to me has changed since i started this medication. I'm starting to enjoy conversation. It's not always a burden going into the class room and having to wait that 5 minutes (yes i stressed over waiting 5 minutes) for the teacher to begin lecture. I would plan leaving my house accordingly so i could be at the classroom right before lectures began so i wouldn't have to deal with chit chat. Now i just go when i feel like I'm ready to leave and i make more eye contact with passerby's than before. I have noticed increased noticeability as well from woman and i get more attention than i have in the past. Things are going swell.

I've upped the dosage to 75mg of luvox and i think that will be good enough to get my mind on track. I take 50 at night and 25 in the morning along with 150mg of Wellbutrin which was added as of 2 days ago. I'm experiment with the Wellbutrin to see how far off my emotional scale has been the last however many years of my depression. I think i've been missing out on life. These synthetics really have the ability to make or break bad habits that we've formed in our creative... very creative minds. I'm thankful that i have this opportunity and i can share it with all of you.

As for your question Copado, Luvox is designated for ocd cases as opposed to most SSRI's that work for depression. Yes, luvox does work a little for depression, but it works by slowing down anxiety and critical thoughts instead of dumbing you down like lexapro or trazadone. I recommend it highly for anyone with anxiety and not depression or anxiety that causes depression. Personally, i think it was smarter for me to try this medication than any other SSRI because it fought the root of my depression: no control over thoughts, anxiety, thoughts of killing random people. I couldn't understand or really listen to what others were saying and that made me depressed. By striking the root of my depression I'm able to fight both the anxiety and the depression caused by it at the same time. It is quite the marvelous process to watch unfold.


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## LoveMissesG (Dec 21, 2011)

Glad it helps! I walked around stoned on that drug. When I wasn't staring at walls for hours.


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## GiftofGABA (Oct 2, 2013)

Very, very interesting Ari! Luvox is an often overlooked SSRI.



arishorts said:


> *Day 27*
> If things continue to get better i might have a girlfriend in the foreseeable future. This medication is doing wonders for my self esteem and mental clarity. I feel the difference since the last time i could get back to you all and it's only started to come about this week. For the last few weeks i thought i was feeling the change, but now it's quite noticeable. The way i respond to people and the way people react to me has changed since i started this medication. I'm starting to enjoy conversation. It's not always a burden going into the class room and having to wait that 5 minutes (yes i stressed over waiting 5 minutes) for the teacher to begin lecture. I would plan leaving my house accordingly so i could be at the classroom right before lectures began so i wouldn't have to deal with chit chat. Now i just go when i feel like I'm ready to leave and i make more eye contact with passerby's than before. I have noticed increased noticeability as well from woman and i get more attention than i have in the past. Things are going swell.
> 
> I've upped the dosage to 75mg of luvox and i think that will be good enough to get my mind on track. I take 50 at night and 25 in the morning along with 150mg of Wellbutrin which was added as of 2 days ago. I'm experiment with the Wellbutrin to see how far off my emotional scale has been the last however many years of my depression. I think i've been missing out on life. These synthetics really have the ability to make or break bad habits that we've formed in our creative... very creative minds. I'm thankful that i have this opportunity and i can share it with all of you.
> ...


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

LoveMissesG said:


> Glad it helps! I walked around stoned on that drug. When I wasn't staring at walls for hours.


How long were you on the drug?



GiftofGABA said:


> Very, very interesting Ari! Luvox is an often overlooked SSRI.


You've started quite the nardil trend on this forum. Everyone is clambering for the stuff now.


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## GiftofGABA (Oct 2, 2013)

Maybe so, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.



arishorts said:


> You've started quite the nardil trend on this forum. Everyone is clambering for the stuff now.


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## LoveMissesG (Dec 21, 2011)

arishorts said:


> How long were you on the drug?
> 
> You've started quite the nardil trend on this forum. Everyone is clambering for the stuff now.


I was on it for three months. I begged my psychiatrist for something else, but she was insistent that it would help my racing thoughts. It did. I was far too tired to think LOL


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

LoveMissesG said:


> I was on it for three months. I begged my psychiatrist for something else, but she was insistent that it would help my racing thoughts. It did. I was far too tired to think LOL


hahaha so bad. i do get really tired during the day but pushing myself to stay awake kept me out of a bad habit of falling asleep and the tiredness will start to wear off


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*Day 31*
I made it: one month. I'm about to say something that i didn't think i'd ever say. I think i have a shot at beating this. This medication is changing my life and for the first time yesterday i hung out with friends and didn't feel anxiety to be myself. In fact i felt so in control of the situation that i made an evening long joke with my friends and played apart with it for my own entertainment. Something i could never have done in my past state of anxiety. I disappeared for a month so i told them i became a drug dealer and started shipping mass amounts of pot and had my own hydroponics system. It was pretty convincing since i have an aquaponics set in my house and it has vegetables growing in it. I sent them a picture of it later after i left their house (and my friends have never smoked pot) and they think i'm making mass amounts of money now. It was hilarious. Again something i could never have done in my state of anxiety. On the way to their house though, i felt my first bit of hand tremors. I thought i'd felt them previously, but the second i had these i knew the prior ones were placebo affect. Mostly due to what i was reading online... Anyhow, I feel like I'm approaching a safe zone where i'll be able to move on with my life and pursue things that i've been wanting to for a long time like music and rock climbing or maybe a new activity. The world seems open.

The current standing for my medication is 25 mg of luvox, 150mg of wellbutrin in the morning and 50 mg of luvox at night. I'm going to try and stay at this dosage and keep it as low as possible. It's enough so that i don't feel "high" off medication and i don't feel worse or better than how i think i'd feel if i had "normal" level of acting neurotransmitters (or whatever goes on in my noggin). If things get a lot better i might have to cut down on the meds, i'm near how i'd want to behave ordinarily. This combination is great because it fights my anxiety and promotes happiness while fighting the anxiety caused from increasing my mood (luvox's effect on wellbutrin). If you have any questions feel free to ask. Even personal questions, i want to help everyone on here as much as possible. I've learned a lot from this experience and i hope to share it and all that follows at least for the next few months that follow.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

arishorts said:


> You've started quite the nardil trend on this forum. Everyone is clambering for the stuff now.


he didn't. this forum has been nardil heavy for yearsssss.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

basuraeuropea said:


> he didn't. this forum has been nardil heavy for yearsssss.


I've noticed that it seems to have this "poop-out" affect and only in rare circumstances can people be on the medication for a decade without losing the effects. I'd rather not be on that end where i need to switch medications again. It took enough introspective persuasion to get me on these two. ~7 months on the drug should be enough to rehabilitate the person i think. That when it seems to poop out.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

arishorts said:


> I've noticed that it seems to have this "poop-out" affect and only in rare circumstances can people be on the medication for a decade without losing the effects. I'd rather not be on that end where i need to switch medications again. It took enough introspective persuasion to get me on these two. ~7 months on the drug should be enough to rehabilitate the person i think. That when it seems to poop out.


????

i've never taken an maoi. i have no idea about anecdotal maoi "poop-outs."


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## gilmourr (Nov 17, 2011)

basuraeuropea said:


> ????
> 
> i've never taken an maoi. i have no idea about anecdotal maoi "poop-outs."


I think when he says poop out he's thinking that it stops working, but a lot of the anecdotal evidence sounds more like coming down from Nardil hypomania or hyperness as opposed to it "pooping out." Drugs usually don't stop working within a few months. I don't even think I've read a case about that.

BTW, Bas, what are your thoughts about combining Luvox with Zoloft? I want to try Luvox but I don't want to come off Zoloft.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

gilmourr said:


> I think when he says poop out he's thinking that it stops working, but a lot of the anecdotal evidence sounds more like coming down from Nardil hypomania or hyperness as opposed to it "pooping out." Drugs usually don't stop working within a few months. I don't even think I've read a case about that.
> 
> BTW, Bas, what are your thoughts about combining Luvox with Zoloft? I want to try Luvox but I don't want to come off Zoloft.


no, i mean, i'm familiar with the term 'poop-out' used within psychiatry, i was just not sure why he quoted me only to mention information that had nothing to do with what i had stated.

as for rapid loss of efficacy, or 'poop-out', i think remeron/mirtazapine may be the exception to the rule as far as antidepressant loss of efficacy goes. benzodiazepines, opioids, amphetamine, et al., may also lose efficacy rather quickly if used chronically.

as for luvox and zoloft, i don't think that combining an ssri with an ssri is the best of ideas, although some psychiatrists combine low doses of ssri x with ssri y for whatever reason. usually luvox is combined with clomipramine to treat refractory ocd, although i suppose you could ask your doctor about adding a low dose of luvox to the zoloft you're taking. don't add too much, and be on the watch for symptoms of serotonin symptom.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

basuraeuropea said:


> no, i mean, i'm familiar with the term 'poop-out' used within psychiatry, i was just not sure why he quoted me only to mention information that had nothing to do with what i had stated.
> 
> as for rapid loss of efficacy, or 'poop-out', i think remeron/mirtazapine may be the exception to the rule as far as antidepressant loss of efficacy goes. benzodiazepines, opioids, amphetamine, et al., may also lose efficacy rather quickly if used chronically.
> 
> as for luvox and zoloft, i don't think that combining an ssri with an ssri is the best of ideas, although some psychiatrists combine low doses of ssri x with ssri y for whatever reason. usually luvox is combined with clomipramine to treat refractory ocd, although i suppose you could ask your doctor about adding a low dose of luvox to the zoloft you're taking. don't add too much, and be on the watch for symptoms of serotonin symptom.


I was simply trying to make conversation it's something i've been working on as of lately a lot more than i have in three years. It's like a light was turned on and originally there was no one home. Now it's a party. You know a lot about pharmaceuticals are you studying psychiatry?

The poop out mentioned has to do with a simple search into google of Nardil stopped working. Yes i know if i search that that's the only opinion ill be reading, but the amount of anecdotal poop-out i've heard about far outweighs the number of success stories i've seen. GiftOfGaba is experiencing this point right now in his quest i believe.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

arishorts said:


> I was simply trying to make conversation it's something i've been working on as of lately a lot more than i have in three years. It's like a light was turned on and originally there was no one home. Now it's a party. You know a lot about pharmaceuticals are you studying psychiatry?
> 
> The poop out mentioned has to do with a simple search into google of Nardil stopped working. Yes i know if i search that that's the only opinion ill be reading, but the amount of anecdotal poop-out i've heard about far outweighs the number of success stories i've seen. GiftOfGaba is experiencing this point right now in his quest i believe.


no, my education is nearly completed and it has nothing to do with the mental health field, but rather i'm a doctoral student studying early-childhood literacy.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*Day 39* 
My cognitive abilities are improving and my eye contact has sky rocketed, i mean almost to the point where i'd call it perfection. I can sit and have conversations with people and enjoy them: this is great. I don't understand how the Wellbutrin could work any better but i expect it shall. For now, i'm going to stick to the dose of 150mg buproprien(wellbutrin) and 75mg fluvoxamine. This should be all i need to get my life on track and then some.

I have one concern, as of yesterday my heart rate has either increased or the palpitation magnitude has increased. I now sit in call and notice my heart beats which is something i've never done in the past. It's a little scary. At one point today either my heart was hurting or i had gas, but i had to stop moving and wait for the pain to subside. I had 911 on my phone and was ready to press send in case anything bad happened. It was scary. Could just be m y imagination though, that's how all of this started XD. It's weird that i'm so nonchalant about this and I'm worried about it, i just don't constantly think about it like i would have before the meds.

This is only my third week of wellbutrin and i hear affects don't stabilize or haven't reached peak until the 8th. I'm excited to see where things are at that point. The future is bright. *Knock on wood*


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*Day 47*
I'm pulling it off and i didn't really appreciate it until now. Now, when i was sitting in my room in complete utter silence on my bed and appreciating the many things i have in my life. Then there was a lull in thought and there it was. Silent thought in silence. Mind you this was after 20 minutes of meditation (i can actually focus now without useless thoughts clouding my concentration). But i was just sitting in my room, being happy. I don't know how i've gone so long without this medication. This is how i should have attempted to live my life years ago: the improvement is beautiful. I can hold conversations with friends i once thought were out of my life with clear intention of where i want it to go: i have direction. I'm quickly becoming noticeable in all my classes because i'm constantly asking questions that rattled in my head unanswered and i'm learning more about the subjects that bring me joy than i ever have. The utility of these drugs is amazing.

On top of this, people listen to me now. People are interested in what i'm doing and i am too. Girls smile at me and i feel comfortable talking to friends. The tremors in my hand stopped too, i hope that stays that way. My experience with Wellbutrin and Luvox has been life-altering and i recommend the combo to anyone to try. Luvox slows my thoughts and Wellbutrin restores what is lost energy and directs it towards objectives that i care about. When and if i have time i'd like to help spread awareness of medication, it's giving me peace for now.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*Day 58*
Some people have told me that if i miss a dose of my medication, Luvox particularly, that i'd lose my mind. Well i can say that's false for me I've missed some here and there and i've been doing fine. I increased the Wellbutrin dosage to 300 mg a day and the Luvox has still remained at 75 mg. I think it will be the first one i taper off. It's so interesting that i'm already thinking about coming off the medication, it has altered my life. I enjoyed the first book in my entire life yesterday and today. I now know what it means when people say "i couldn't put it down." The feeling was euphoric when i realized it after skipping a meal just to read. I also attribute some of my success to the 30 minutes daily meditation that i do. Originally it was hard to start but the medication slowed me down to the point where i can do it. I started with 5 minutes, bumped up to 10, 15, 20, 30, and the most I've done is an hour. It's a miracle. More importantly though, i'm doing what i want. I've ditched most of my old friends that kept me in a perpetual state of high school mindset and i'm in the middle of having no one i can call a close friend. It's scary, really scary, but i'm not worried. I feel confident in my ability to meet new people and have enough of a lifestyle to bring to the table that i can carry on a conversation about topics i enjoy now. I still struggle with small talk and conversing with new faces, but i'm not fearful of the situation as i used to be. I might do one more update on this in ten days and i don't think any more will be necessary.


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## GiftofGABA (Oct 2, 2013)

You're going off your meds now? You realize that the transformation you're experience is likely dependent on the presence of these xeno-compounds right. If you go off them, you may struggle to maintain that same disposition that the meds facilitated. You're thinking differently because your internal state is influenced. Imagine getting drunk and then trying to "remember" how to be drunk when you sober up. Okay not a perfect analogy. So be careful, it's easy to forget that the meds are helping you think differently and fall into the trap of assuming that one has been cured permanently and no longer needs to be on anything. Not saying it's impossible--you may have truly taken hold of your mind--just that it's often true that people often end up going straight back on when they realize their own apparent progress was highly dependent on treatment. 

If you do go off though, I think stopping Luvox first is the right way to go. Good luck.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

I should have been a little more clear. i don't plan on coming off the medication soon, but the fact that i was thinking i could come off of it was a little uplifting. As of right now i'd like to be off the medication in a year's time. I know it takes awhile to fully adjust to my new paradigm and then for it to set in. It's interesting seeing my old habits (that are still comfortable troubling me) from this perspective and is allowing me to plan how to combat my triggers when they next appear. You are correct though. Hopping off this train right now would send me spiraling off a cliff. 

Why do you think i should stop that initially?


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## GiftofGABA (Oct 2, 2013)

Your plan sounds reasonable. I guess it just wasn't totally clear when you were thinking of coming off it and I somehow parsed it as "soon". Anyway, congratulations on your success.


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## arishorts (Aug 8, 2013)

*Day 77*
http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f9/how-im-beating-anxiety-926241/


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