Fluvoxamine and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Jef...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 26, 2019

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I have now been on 65-75 mg of Luvox for about 3 years for Obsessive Thoughts Disorder, which I had suffered from intensely since childhood. I was put on everything under the sun, mostly being treated with less specific, but more well-known medicines (mostly focusing on depression, anxiety - though it was always known to be OCD). This drug has changed my life. I went from constant ruminating to absolutely no worrying signs of OCD. I at first felt severe side effects of fatigue, tingly body, anxiety, and needing total silence. It was a weird 2 weeks. But as soon as that passed, it has been the miracle I prayed for. I hope it can do the same for you."

• Anonymous
• July 20, 2020

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "29-year-old female with Harm OCD. I started taking Celexa when I was 16 years old for around six years and then switched to Lexapro. Celexa and Lexapro both worked for me, with Lexapro being the champion of the two. Eventually, the Lexapro did not work anymore. I experienced panic attacks, aggressive violent thoughts, and high anxiety. I recently switched to Luvox, but not without initial hesitation. I tried many different medications that led up to Lexapro, with many that didn't work. I am glad that I gave Luvox a try! It was slow weaning down from 20 mg of Lexapro while increasing up to 100 mg Luvox. Now the obsessive and compulsive thoughts are more fleeting and less sticky, they do not bother me as much anymore. I do not have the anxiety that I once had. One drawback that I experience after taking Luvox for a couple of months is tiredness. I am very tired throughout the day, sleep more than usual, and take plenty of naps. Overall, this medication works for me, and I hope that it will for you too."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2024

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I have had OCD and generalized anxiety disorder ever since I was a kid. I always would ruminate over thoughts every single day, which was basically my life. I thought everyone thought like me. As I’ve gotten older, it has only gotten worse. I never have taken medicine and stayed away from it up until college when I had a horrible OCD episode that lasted 5 weeks straight with just an unwanted thought. I wasn’t able to sleep. I would get 2 hours of sleep, before at the most. I was having anxiety attacks and panic attacks, it was so bad I could barely stay awake. The thoughts consumed my life every minute, I never got a break. It was distressing, and I thought multiple times about suicide, like there was no way out of this mess. I decided to go on medicine, which my doctor recommended Luvox, and I was nervous at first, but could feel like I was able to push through it. After a week and every week and dosage that has gone by, it’s only gotten better. I am now on 250 mg and 2 months in :)"

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 22, 2014

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Luvox is fantastic - My Dr put me on it first up. I didn't try any other medicines, and I've been on it for over a year now and have happily lived almost symptom-free. The only thing is when I miss it one or two nights, I become a bit of a mess, crying and feeling anxious. Also, I'm starting to feel a bit of depression, which is odd for me, but I think it will just be a matter of lowering the dose. It was so bad I was on 300 mg and 2 mg of Risperidone, but now down to 300 mg Luvox only, but perhaps should try going down to 200 mg to see if the motivation comes back."

• MB1...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 23, 2022

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I'm 39 years old. I have a couple of diagnoses, but most prevalently I have PO-OCD and have been struggling since I was 10 or 11 years old. Meds have been part of my life for quite some time. Some helped, and some made it much worse. I have tried nearly all of them and have explored the alphabet of SS/SNRIs, off-label anticonvulsants, benzos, antipsychotics (it just keeps going). Luvox was an absolute game-changer. After years of mediocre results, I had just given in to the notion that meds could only get me 'so far,' and while some were better than others, nothing was ever going to 'fix' me enough to feel beyond 'just okay' again. WELL, this was like a perfectly cut key into a brand new lock sprayed with WD-40. Within a week, the clouds of rumination, intrusive thoughts, perseveration, feelings of impending doom, visual images of traumatic events happening to my family, the 5-hour long games of 'what if'--so quiet I can barely hear their whisper. Life-altering."

• OCD...
• October 26, 2019

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I’ve been on Luvox for about a year and a half now, far better than Zoloft for me. Zoloft just made me feel like a zombie with anxiety and depression. Luvox has allowed me to totally stop my ruminating thoughts completely. My depression is still very real, though, it feels like there is a weight on my brain. I’ve tried to augment with a few medications so far, with none helping. Might switch to something different soon, but 10/10 for OCD, 2/10 for depression."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 31, 2012

Fluvoxamine for Anxiety and Stress "I was put on Luvox for anxiety and depression. I had never had anxiety before, so this was the first medicine I had tried. After 4 weeks, it gave me very bad anxiety and intense 'racing thoughts.' I was only on 25 mg and then upped to 50 mg. Once I got off, I learned better ways to cope by seeing therapists and working on my problems. Not the medicine for me."

• din...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 19, 2018

Fluvoxamine for Anxiety and Stress "After many years of depression and anxiety, and many different meds, my psych started me on Luvox. Right away, I had trouble sleeping; I was awake by 2:30 a.m. and then restless the rest of the night. Still, I woke up full of energy and feeling good and was very productive. After a few days, I noticed this energy turned to severe anxiety. I was also, from the start, feeling chilled, almost like I was getting sick. Body aches became more prevalent and feeling totally run down. The last 2 days, chest pain on and off... not sure if anxiety or something worse. It's sad; what started off as promising soon turned out to be another reject."

• Mar...
• August 21, 2019

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I have been on nearly every SSRI there is, over a period of nearly 2 years. I suffer from severe depression coupled with anxiety and OCD. My doctor wanted me to try Luvox, and it took almost 8 weeks for me to finally feel better! I started at 50 mg, then went up to 100 mg. When she had me go up to 150 mg, I was unable to tolerate it because of the terrible side effects (waking up with severe chest pain, severe anxiety, burning lips and mouth, no appetite), so I backed down to 100 mg again. Then she had me try 150 again. This time the dose was great. I woke up one morning, and for the first time, I had no chest pain. I felt actually like my normal self. I was able to eat, I was laughing, and I cleaned my house (and boy was it dusty). Just an FYI, I am also taking 200 mg of Lamictal and 200 mg of Seroquel - I sleep very well! Just want to share my success. Depression definitely stinks! I had to quit my job as an elementary school teacher, and I went on disability."

• Lal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2019

For Anxiety and Stress "I give it 3 stars all because it really has helped my obsessive thoughts. I can't watch TV without my mind wandering, and it almost makes me feel kind of normal in that aspect. I sit most days without ever being able to turn the TV on. I've only been taking it for two weeks. Temple pain, stomach pain, dry mouth, insomnia, I started biting my nails again, which I haven't done in years, so my anxiety has definitely increased badly, hungry like crazy more at night. The side effects are really, really bad. I haven't quit taking it just yet, but I have almost fallen over a few times today, and if that keeps up, I will definitely stop taking it. I don't know if it's causing confusion or if it's being so sleep-deprived, or is it on the verge of causing me those awful anxiety attacks that end up making me faint. I don't know. Anyone else experience that particular side effect with it?"

• ali...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2018

Fluvoxamine for Anxiety and Stress "Tried all the SSRIs before resorting to this drug for GAD and panic disorder. Made me severely depressed within hours of taking it. I even had an anxiety attack because I had thoughts of suicide. Got so scared of my own thoughts that I checked into the ER for the first time. I told my doctors about having suicidal thoughts due to this drug. She didn't believe me. She said I was probably depressed due to anxiety. Oh yeah, this drug gave me shortness of breath, which made my anxiety even worse. I don't recommend this drug to my friends or family."

• mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 5, 2023

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Initially, at 25 mg, it worked decently well. I went out to eat for the first time in months; I went shopping an hour away, and I wasn’t obsessed with cleaning my apartment 24/7 as bad. I’m a college student, so something I did notice was the little bits of extreme panic that lasted maybe 5 minutes at a time, but resolved quickly. The other thing I noticed at the beginning was that it made me extremely dizzy, and I started developing migraines, which I’ve never had before, so I chopped it up to being dehydrated and not drinking enough water. Then, about 6 1/2 to 7 weeks in, things really went downhill. I started developing an extreme social phobia, and anytime I would do little bits of cleaning, I would start having panic attacks. It turned into full-blown agoraphobia after a week. I have almost committed myself after these past 2 weeks, and I have quit my job as of last week. I almost had to drop out of college. This probably works for some people, but definitely not for me."

• Ren...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 9, 2022

For Anxiety and Stress "Honestly, I don’t think this is a good medicine for me. At first, I was on 50 mg twice a day. Then moved to around March 22 to 100 mg twice a day, and I feel worse. My depression and anxiety are still terrible. I low-key hallucinate, and it’s scary. I have a hard time eating, and I feel paranoid sometimes. I’m always tired and have no motivation. I barely sleep, my mouth is dry all the time, my head hurts, and I’m constantly overheating. I don’t feel like myself anymore. If you feel like a medicine isn’t working for you, it’s okay to say no on upping the dosage and to take a break or change to a different medicine! It didn’t work for me, and that’s okay. Now I’m weaning off of it, and I hope I feel normal again."

• Ste...
• July 30, 2017

For Anxiety and Stress "Started on 50 mg for a week and didn't feel anything except loss of appetite and anxiety. Doctor said that was not a therapeutic dose and upped my dosage to 100 mg. Four days into the 100 mg dose and I am a wreck. I had bad panic attacks, extreme nausea, and the shakes. I did throw up as well. While I suffer from thought compulsions, I also deal with generalized anxiety disorder. This did not help at all and made me worse. Now I am back to 50 mg and working my way off... horrible experience and feel sick. If you are looking for an anxiety med, DO NOT use this!"

• Anonymous
• August 29, 2019

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I've been on antidepressants for years. Prozac helped me but then stopped being effective. So I got prescribed Luvox. The biggest problem was the side effects. I had the most painful stomach cramps and diarrhea along with horrible anxiety and palpitations. These made me give up on sticking with it. I'm not sure if it would work well if I stuck with it, but the side effects were too severe for me."

• HMa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 9, 2020

For Anxiety and Stress "I have been taking fluvoxamine 50 mg dose for anxiety and stress for 4 years now. I just had the worst anxiety attack I've ever had. I'm starting to think I need to try something different, as I still feel anxious and depressed. Not to mention my sex drive is way down and has been since taking this med. I know it is a side effect, but it makes me sad that I can't reach my climax, which in turn makes me feel worse."

• Lil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2020

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I have OCD, depression, anxiety, and I switched to Luvox in early April 2020 and recently tapered off and started Trintellix. I’ve also been on Lexapro, Prozac, Pristiq, and Trazodone. Anyways, Luvox made every aspect of my mental health worse. I was crying all the time, very irritable, crazy mood swings, and my anxiety was worse and worse as I went up on my dosage. I stuck it out for a while because I know medications can make you worse before better, but I was miserable. All of these symptoms got worse when I had to taper off 200 mg to 50 mg and then stop. I’ve been on 5 antidepressants, and Luvox was by far my worst experience. Truly made me worse. I was told it was the “gold standard” for dermatillomania (skin picking disorder) by my doctor and saw no improvement in that. This drug is not for me. I’ve been on Trintellix for just over 3 weeks and wow... I’m feeling so much better."

• Ath...
• February 20, 2016

For Depression "This medicine helped somewhat, however, the side effects have become intolerable. I'm itching my head, ears, and neck constantly from an itch that never stops. I'm agitated and anxious and have weird tingling, prickly sensations. Think I'll go back on Prozac, though Prozac left me confused and disoriented. Have been through the slew of SSRIs and wish scientists would come up with another category of drugs soon."

• Anonymous
• July 14, 2011

For Anxiety and Stress "This medicine has worked great for me so far. I have been on it for 2 weeks. I missed one dose and had an atrocious headache, but it went away as soon as I took the missed dose. I am taking 100 mg - 50 in the morning and 50 at night. I do not, nor have I ever, slept well, so I do not see or feel any difference. I am so much calmer, and I am able to find a bit of joy in the things that would really irritate me before. My nightmares are not as bad, but still happening. I have lost 2 pounds per week, which is not an issue with my being 60 pounds overweight. I also take Abilify. One of the two causes me to be extremely 'jumpy.' I am startled easily."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2025

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "This medication works great for OCD, but the one thing I will say is whenever I got a cold or the flu, it wouldn’t affect me the day of. But I noticed for me it would make the medication less effective for a couple of days after being sick. It’s very weird. I would just feel very on edge and kinda panicky, like the thoughts would bother me more, and then I would go back to normal."

• EAa...
• November 10, 2020

For Anxiety and Stress "Was put on a combination of Luvox and Prozac because Prozac was keeping me up. Luvox made my anxiety worse than before any medication. I was extremely agitated, and even the sound of a vacuum nearby would make me tear up because it just seemed too overwhelming, and I needed every ounce of strength in me to not scream out my frustration. Didn't work for me at all, but everyone is different."

• Bet...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 8, 2018

For Anxiety and Stress "I started 25 mg with no issues, but have gone up to 50 mg after 2 weeks. At 50 mg, my anxiety has more than doubled. My panic is off the charts, and I can’t sleep. I’ve been at 50 mg for 2 1/2 weeks and tend to feel worse by the day. I’ll be discontinuing this medication. It did help my obsessive thoughts after 2 weeks, but the increase in panic is unbearable for me. It was not sedating for me at all."

• Deb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2020

Fluvoxamine for Anxiety and Stress "My daughter started on Prozac in March, and a few days later, her anxiety went so high that she was admitted to the hospital, and the doctor changed her diagnosis and gave her four different meds. She came home with more anxiety and panic and more side effects from the meds. After three weeks, she started taking Luvox, and from seven weeks, her anxiety and panic went a little under control. She has been on several SSRIs, and she gets severe side effects from all of them. She has MDD, GAD, and panic disorder for the last seven years. She is so tired and exhausted from not getting good sleep, and not at ease at all! The first doctor who prescribed Prozac didn’t help her with her anxiety. Now we switched to another doctor, and he wants her to stay on Luvox until esketamine starts. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know."

• Rep...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2020

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I took fluvoxamine medicine for OCD. I'm a rapid absorber of medicine. I found that this medicine did slightly help with OCD, but the side effects were pretty rough. I had overwhelming anxiety, sweating like crazy, and it caused me to start mood cycling. One day I would be in almost euphoria, the next, so down I couldn't even continue at work. And like clockwork, the next day I would cycle. Also, the half-life is 13 hours, so if you take it at night, it wears off by 4 PM, and you start withdrawing, big no for me."

• Hos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 19, 2020

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Prescribed fluvoxamine in a mental hospital for OCD with Abilify. It was very difficult to tolerate. Had lots of panic attacks, especially before sleep. Still have to take Valium and Ambien to help me sleep and function during the day. Depression is improved, but still waiting on the OCD part. Too early to tell, therefore, I will write another review in 8 weeks. Other symptoms include nausea, palpitations, tiredness, and anxiety."