Merula Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 Hello everyone, I am very glad to have found this forum. I was suffering with OCD and subsequent depression in my youth, teens and young adult life. Was put on fluvoxamine when I was 15 years old. My OCD has been under control for years and I have been wanting to stop the medication for years. My side effects from the medication grew increasingly worse and I still suffered with chronic stress and anxiety, even with the fluvoxamine use. We figured out a lot is caused by attachment issues from my youth and subsequent unhealthy coping mechanisms ( emotional eating, overworking, seeking distracting from my feelings through gaming and netflixing ). More than a year ago I burnt out from work, but am now at the point of gradually trying to ease back into work again. Because I knew tapering would be time and energy consuming, we decided to start now since I was still at home but feeling better so having the time to take it easy. My GP suggested a fast taper of 2 weeks ( ! ), but I did not feel comfortable with this at all. So my therapist sent me to a new psychiatrist and he suggested tapering. There is only one tapering institution in my country and no liquid pills or capsules exist. The tapering is also rather expensive but I preferred that than a super fast taper. The first 50 mg went surprisingly effortlessly. The 50 mg to 25 mg went okay, but I had a severe stomach flu, then covid, and then a close relative passed away so I paused till I felt completely better and stable again. My main withdrawal symptoms during this time were extreme emotions and crying all the time. When i went below 10 mg I discovered some positive things. I could get angry again ( I have rarely been angry during my time on medication ) and when I went even lower some of my other feelings returned. I was always rather serious and it took a lot for me to laugh, but now I find myself laughing more and more easily and getting more pleasure out of certain activities. These positive emotions seem to help me better in therapy, I feel like I can get deeper to the core of my problems then when I was on medication. Also was crazy bloated at this time, luckily I found out through this forum that bloat is a common thing. I also had a weird auditory hallucination, like a very loud flapping/swooshing sound before falling asleep but that only happened once. From 2.5 mg things got really tricky and though I am crying less, I am experiencing bouts of extreme anxiety, paranoia and agoraphobia ( this was not part of my 'usual' anxiety ). This seems to be aggravated by eating sugar/junk food. I am also having trouble sleeping through the night since I have been on 0 mg. The agoraphobia and general fear of being alone is the most troublesome now. When my husband is home I feel calm, but when I'm alone panic sets in. So far I'm 13 days off the medication. I'm on a good wave now and try doing the vagal exercises to calm my nervous system and taking lots of rest. I am also trying not to run away from my emotions but purposely feeling them. I am very perfectionistic so wanted to have my diet, lifestyle and household on perfect track but I have let go of that, instead trying one or two things at a time now. Luckily I am off work for a month now, and after that slowly reintegrating with tasks with no interpersonal interaction or responsibilities. I work in the medical business and have a job with lots of responsibilities and social contact. This social contact however gives me a lot of stress because of my attachment which makes me bad at setting boundaries, saying no and I want to please everything to avoid conflict/rejection. Also I'm terrified I will break down crying in front of a client... I am getting more and more aware of it and have luckily been given the time to work on it before returning fully to my job. Withdrawal is whispering in my ear that it would be easier to leave and get another job. But I think it's not smart to make any life altering decisions right now. One other question for fellow fluvoxamine people: did you also gain a lot of weight while on the medication and did this weight come off afterwards? Age 8 OCD, diagnosis at age 14 Age 15 put on fluvoxamine, maximum of 300 mg, was tapered down to 100 mg after 2 years. Been on fluvoxamine 100 mg for 14 years. Have had severe side effects when my regular brand of fluvoxamine was not available and had other side effects ( dry eyes, dry mouth, apathy, low libido, bruxism ). Also possible child wish in the future. Earlier attempt at decreasing dose ( I cut off 1/8 of a 50 mg tablet ) resulted in severe side effects. Physician suggested a fast taper from 100 to 0 mg in 2 weeks. Declined this and went to a psychiatrist who opted for the tapering strips. Liquid form or granula not available in my country. Tapering strips are not paid for by insurance so rather costly. Usually here fast tapers with steps of 25 mg are done. January-february 2022 tapered with tapering strip to 50 mg. Went well. March 2022 tapered from 50 mg to 25 mg went well but due to covid and a death in the family paused on the 25 mg. April stayed on 25 mg. End of april 2022 : tapered down with 25, 25, 22.5, 22.5, 20, 20, 20, 17.5, 17.5, 17.5, 15 May 2022: tapered down with 15, 15, 12.5, 12.5, 12.5, 12.5, 12.5, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5 2nd of june 2022: 0 mg. Supplements: omega 3 fish oil, magnesium, multivitamin, DIM ( was already using those ). Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 19, 2022 Administrator Share Posted June 19, 2022 Welcome, @Merula On 6/15/2022 at 6:10 AM, Merula said: From 2.5 mg things got really tricky and though I am crying less, I am experiencing bouts of extreme anxiety, paranoia and agoraphobia ( this was not part of my 'usual' anxiety ). This seems to be aggravated by eating sugar/junk food. I am also having trouble sleeping through the night since I have been on 0 mg. This is antidepressant withdrawal syndrome. As you can see from our Tips for tapering off fluvoxamine (Luvox) , we recommend a slower taper than over a couple of months. Often, reduction to about half dosage goes well but difficulty is encountered at lower doses. However, some people can go faster and recover from withdrawal symptoms in a few weeks. Sadly, some do not, and require reinstatement of a low dose of the drug.. How have your symptoms changed in the last week? This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Merula Posted June 22, 2022 Author Share Posted June 22, 2022 Luckily the last week the symptoms have gotten a bit better. The extreme anxiety and agoraphobia has reduced drastically and I am also sleeping a little bit better. I do notice how important it is to do meditation/relaxation techniques because muscle tension comes back really quickly. There is of course still anxiety, and I am overstimulated or triggered more easily, but it is do-able. Age 8 OCD, diagnosis at age 14 Age 15 put on fluvoxamine, maximum of 300 mg, was tapered down to 100 mg after 2 years. Been on fluvoxamine 100 mg for 14 years. Have had severe side effects when my regular brand of fluvoxamine was not available and had other side effects ( dry eyes, dry mouth, apathy, low libido, bruxism ). Also possible child wish in the future. Earlier attempt at decreasing dose ( I cut off 1/8 of a 50 mg tablet ) resulted in severe side effects. Physician suggested a fast taper from 100 to 0 mg in 2 weeks. Declined this and went to a psychiatrist who opted for the tapering strips. Liquid form or granula not available in my country. Tapering strips are not paid for by insurance so rather costly. Usually here fast tapers with steps of 25 mg are done. January-february 2022 tapered with tapering strip to 50 mg. Went well. March 2022 tapered from 50 mg to 25 mg went well but due to covid and a death in the family paused on the 25 mg. April stayed on 25 mg. End of april 2022 : tapered down with 25, 25, 22.5, 22.5, 20, 20, 20, 17.5, 17.5, 17.5, 15 May 2022: tapered down with 15, 15, 12.5, 12.5, 12.5, 12.5, 12.5, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5 2nd of june 2022: 0 mg. Supplements: omega 3 fish oil, magnesium, multivitamin, DIM ( was already using those ). Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 22, 2022 Administrator Share Posted June 22, 2022 Sounds like you're recovering. Please let us know how you're doing. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Mdawg Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Hello @Merula 💜 1 2007-Prozac then off replaced with Zoloft 2008- Off Zoloft replaced with Fluvoxamine 2008-2009 50mg Fluvoxamine 2009-2020 150mg Fluvoxamine 2013-14 addition of Lexapro and Zyprexa 2015 back to only Fluvoxamine 2019-2021 additional 150mg Wellbutrin 2020-present taper off Fluvoxamine and Wellbutrin 2022 - mid-February - last dose 25 mg Wellbutrin July 2021 25 (12.5 twice a day) mg Fluvoxamine hold switch to compounded XR 12.5 mg Fluvoxamine capsules twice a day mid July 2022 Magnesium, Fish Oil, microdose CBD Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now