Fluvoxamine and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Emi...
• November 22, 2020

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I have been on Luvox for 4 years now, and it has worked for me very well for OCD. I almost have no anxiety anymore. The downsides are that I have had loss of libido, constipation all the time, and insomnia. I haven’t had any problems with weight gain like other antidepressants."

• Mik...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 9, 2021

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I suffer from OCD and bipolar disorder. I started off taking Anafranil when I was 18 years old. I ended up in professional school and was having a hard time remembering material. Also very depressed and anxious. My doctor switched me to Luvox when I was 24 years old (between semesters). It was hard getting on to it, nausea and constipation. Plus, I couldn't sleep as well. Otherwise, though, it made my depression almost disappear and I burned through my academic material so much faster and more efficiently than on Anafranil. For me, a huge improvement over Anafranil. Much has happened since I started Luvox, such as a manic attack and diagnosis with BPD, divorce after 12 weeks, etc. I will never have the normal life I would have if I had no mental illness. But I am still on Luvox after 24 years. Fluvoxamine/Luvox has made my life a lot easier and closer to normal."

• Tir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 16, 2020

For Depression "Started fluvoxamine not too long ago. It really messed me up, and I had to stop taking it after only 2 doses. Constant thoughts racing, my heart was beating out of my chest, I breathed out of my mouth, I couldn't sleep, and sometimes I'd start crying because I was so frustrated with the lack of sleep. Sometimes I'd lose myself, staring off into space and blink once every 30 seconds like a zombie... Stomach pains and headaches followed as well. Everyone's different, but for me, it was awful."

• ocd...
• July 12, 2017

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I was given Luvox a few months ago after unsuccessful attempts with Prozac, Paxil, and Lexapro. I had heard so many promising things about Luvox, and it seemed to be the miracle drug for many people with OCD. For me, however, it was an absolute nightmare. Possibly the worst drug I've been on. I was on a low dosage, can't remember what, but even then the side effects were unbearable. I threw up every morning for two months straight taking this stuff. The day I stopped taking it, this ended. I also had sleep problems with this medication and have never had sleeping issues in my life. I have since switched to Clomipramine, and it is working WONDERS compared to Luvox. That just goes to show everyone responds totally different to drugs."

• Gle...
• December 21, 2016

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I've only been taking these about a week and a half for my OCD. My doctor started me on the 100 mg, sure they worked with my OCD, but I am not getting more than 3 hrs of sleep a night. I dropped down to the 50 mg, and my sleep is worse. Feels like I've had 5 rounds of speed..."

• frc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2018

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I’ve been on fluvoxamine for about a month now, and it’s the third time I’m trying the treatment. I’m taking 200 mg daily. I started with 50 mg, then added an extra 50 every week. It has definitely helped with my OCD, mood swings, and nervous tics - I really am much better. But again, the side effects are making me reconsider. First week, I felt nauseous all the time and had diarrhea and stomach cramps, second week, there was the insomnia and sexual dysfunction, third and fourth weeks, still insomniac but now coupled with generalized tiredness and night sweats. No matter how much I sleep now, I always feel ready to nap, and it has seriously messed with my productivity both at uni and work. I don’t know what I’ll do next because I really am better, but I’m not sure it’s worth the side effects."

• 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."

• Lis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 30, 2022

Fluvoxamine for Anxiety and Stress "I’m on fluvoxamine for depression. It helped with it and with my bad thoughts, but it gave me severe sexual problems, so I'm forced to switch. It only started to be helpful after a month, and also it can give you sleep problems and anxiety (just at the start, like the first 2 weeks). But the sexual problems are still there even if my depression has been better, but still not cured. So I’m switching now."

• CIa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 26, 2022

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Makes my OCD manageable. Has given me headaches and/or insomnia when I start taking it for the first time in a long time, but they usually go away. And it sure beats staying up because I’m too anxious to fall asleep. (Have been taking it on and off for about 4 years.) Just remember everyone’s bodies respond to different drugs differently."

• Pum...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 15, 2013

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "After an incident that involved a family member who was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Throughout my life (25 yrs), I've felt slight symptoms of anxiety that became perpetuated by post-traumatic stress disorder. I experienced feelings of intense fear over nothing, obsessive intrusive thoughts I could not control, and so on. My doctor put me on 150 mg of Luvox. I did not want to take it because I had never taken medication. At first, I became more depressed and had horrible obsessive thoughts of someone attacking me. I told my doctor this, and she assured me that it is normal and told me to stick with the medication. I stuck with it, and now I feel better than before. Only side effects are sexual and some trouble sleeping."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 14, 2020

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "This drug, fluvoxamine, has drastically improved my OCD symptoms, but there have been side effects that I'm getting sick of after almost three years. It has really messed up my sleep. Ever since I began taking it, I either sleep way, way too much, or I can't sleep at all. Some days, I can't think of anything except taking a nap, despite having slept an adequate amount of time the previous night. It really helped me be bold, and I don't get nervous about things the way I used to. It's getting to the point, however, where I don't care about anything. The OCD symptoms are gone, but I'm learning what depression feels like. It gave me memory problems as well. Overall, this medication has been wonderful, and I don't feel OCD symptoms very often. When I do, they are easy to dismiss. I'm ready for a break from the side effects, though, so I'm gonna go off soon."

• acr...
• July 18, 2016

For Anxiety and Stress "My doctor put me on this medication because she was unwilling to give me Xanax or any medication in its category for my anxiety. Five days ago, I started taking this medication at 50 mg at night. The second day, I noticed a numb feeling in my mouth and trouble falling asleep. On the third day, I noticed an unwillingness to get off my recliner. I didn't want to do anything. By the fourth day, I was having cold sweats and throwing up! So sick to my stomach, which made me more depressed. No thanks! I threw it in the garbage and called the pharmacy to refill my Lexapro."

• Jes...
• June 2, 2022

For Anxiety and Stress "I took this med for a week before I decided it wasn’t worth it for me. I have generalized anxiety disorder and depression. My doctor prescribed this off-label as we wanted to try one more SSRI before switching to something else, and my experience was not pleasant. The worst side effect I experienced was insomnia. There were two nights where I only slept for 1 1/2 hours and was so incredibly fatigued and muscle aches the whole time I took it. I also experienced worsened anxiety and rumination almost every day and tremors as if I had the flu."

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

For Panic Disorder "I’ve been taking fluvoxamine 25 mg once in the morning and once at night for the past two months for panic disorder and anxiety that developed during the COVID virus infection. My dose was gently increased over time by my doctor, which I think helped with the nasty side effects people have described on here because I did not have any bad side effects. I noticed the fluvoxamine work within an hour of taking the first dose and am so thankful for this medicine. I had some breakthrough panic attacks until the dose was increased to what I needed. The only side effect I’ve had is waking up in the middle of the night and not always being able to fall back asleep right away. But my doctor is not sure that it’s the medication or progesterone levels declining. So I am taking progesterone in conjunction to see if that helps. Like others have said, everyone is different, and different meds work for different people."

• Zac...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 14, 2022

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "OCD/PTSD/DEPRESSION I've tried a few different types of medication, and this one actually works for me. 300 mg at night, 2 years now. I don't really get stuck on intrusive thoughts like I used to. I still get sad sometimes, but it's still a normal emotion. I've been able to learn the difference from a depressive sadness to a normal sadness, if that makes sense, haha. - Personal side effects: I sweat a heap more in any physical activity. Sex drive is ehh. Insomnia. - Please save yourself and do not abruptly stop unless you want to be incredibly irritable, brain zaps nearly all the time, headaches, no sleep... The list goes on."

• Zac...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 14, 2022

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "OCD/PTSD/DEPRESSION I've tried a few different types of medication, and this one actually works for me. 300 mg at night, 2 years now. I don't really get stuck on intrusive thoughts like I used to. I still get sad sometimes, but it's still a normal emotion. I've been able to learn the difference from a depressive sadness to a normal sadness, if that makes sense, haha. - Personal side effects: I sweat a heap more in any physical activity. Sex drive is ehh. Insomnia. - Please save yourself and do not abruptly stop unless you want to be incredibly irritable, brain zaps nearly all the time, headaches, no sleep... The list goes on."

• Sue...
• July 1, 2016

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I've been on fluvoxamine for three weeks now. I started at 25 mg and have tapered up to 75 mg. Already, my obsessive, intrusive thoughts have eased. However, I feel like I'm on a boat... unsteady and slightly dizzy. I'm also waking up several hours early every morning, and I can't fall back to sleep. Finally, though my obsessive thoughts have improved, my day-to-day anxiety may be worse. I'm not sure whether I should continue this med or not. I think the only reason I'm getting any sleep at all is because of the 200-300 mg of Seroquel I take each night. I also take risperidone and lithium... maybe the combo is what's causing the problems. Right now, I'm seriously considering stopping the med."

• cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2016

For Depression "Do not take if you are on methotrexate and leflunomide for rheumatoid arthritis. It overrides the arthritis medication and makes you become inflamed again, and you will have to go back on steroids. I only took this medication for three days, and it made me sleep for 15 hours on the first night. The second night, it overrid my arthritis medication and made my arthritis flare up, and I couldn't sleep. On the third night, I didn't sleep and had a major migraine."

• ros...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 16, 2017

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Started Luvox in January this year and gradually increased my dose from 50 mg to 150 mg per day over the course of 11 months. For the first week or so, I developed pretty bad insomnia (which has never been a problem before), and my mood was very low. Together with CBT, I must say there was a significant improvement in my OCD symptoms, which I'm very grateful for, as I've had OCD for about a decade now. Anxiety in this area was significantly reduced with the help of exposure. However, I've also had many suicidal episodes, and it felt like my mind was fogged over, which made me feel very disconnected from my surroundings. So eventually, I stopped. It definitely helped with OCD, but the low mood and lethargy were intolerable."

• MIg...
• July 19, 2016

For Anxiety and Stress "I just began this med, and it's 3:00 am. Mind you, I took my first pill at 2:00 pm the previous day. Personally, I do not like it! I cannot sleep, my mouth is dry, and very restless. My anxiety and compulsive (overthinking things) thoughts are overwhelming. I'm going to rate this medication poor with my experience. It's not my cup of tea."

• LAC...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 6, 2023

For Depression "I've been on at least two dozen antidepressants with various dosage combos for approximately 11 years straight before being switched to this dose and titrated up to 150 mg. Works perfectly. After such a long journey, I finally found an antidepressant that works completely. The problem is... you cannot miss even one day of this medicine or else you have to start at the bottom and work up due to the insanely bad side effects of withdrawal from just one day: headaches, migraines, insomnia, etc. So if I miss one day, I have to go way down to 25 mg a night and very slowly raise myself over a couple weeks' time back to 150. It's a very picky drug, but if you don't miss a dose, it'll work wonders for you!"

• KLH...
• December 13, 2018

For Depression "I had been taking fluvoxamine 100 mg since I was 8, I am now almost 26 years old. So 17 years. Diagnosed with ODC and depression at 8 years old. I was sexually abused, which kicked everything into motion. Luvox really pulled me out of depression. I'm super grateful for it for all of these years. I haven't been on it for the past 3 months because it interacted with my Vyvanse in a very terrible way. My compulsive thoughts almost destroyed my marriage, and I fell into the deepest depression I've ever been in. I took myself off Luvox, and everything is better than it was before! Cons of fluvoxamine: emotionless, drowsiness, restless sleep, excessive yawning, dizziness, and easy bruising. All of which went away when I stopped my Luvox 3 months ago. I didn't even realize some of these were side effects because I had been on it for. Pros: no depression."

• cor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 24, 2024

Fluvoxamine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Helps a lot with obsessive thoughts, and has caused a slight uplift in mood and some relief from general anxiety symptoms and sensory sensitivity. Fatigue is a big issue, as are GI symptoms: stomach cramps, incomplete bowel movements, gassiness, nausea. Causes very vivid dreams/nightmares and interrupts sleep. Had issues with blurred vision when increasing dosage. No brain zaps, but I definitely have developed involuntary muscle twitches, mostly in my legs. Seems to be worsening dissociative episodes. I am still at a low dose (75mg), and actively in therapy."

• Tom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 1, 2022

For Panic Disorder "Been using it for 3-4 days in 25 mg doses as recommended by my psychiatrist. From day one had lots of side effects, like: upset stomach, dry mouth, no appetite, very awful and heavy emotional feeling, feeling disconnected from my personality or emotions, very messy, uncontrollable thoughts, insane insomnia, where I can't sleep at all or if somehow I manage to do it, I wake up in the middle of the night, completely for no reason and have these massive panic attacks where it seems that even Xanax doesn't help and all I can think is that I have to get to the ER ASAP. Despite all these side effects, for a couple of days I could feel like a normal person again, not having constant anxiety or panic attacks."

• Lee...
• June 10, 2018

Fluvoxamine for Anxiety and Stress "The worst drug I have ever taken in my life. It gave me severe anxiety. Made me so tired, and I can't sleep, and I got severe stomach pain, electric shocks. I don't recommend it at all."