Details

Fluvoxamine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant. Fluvoxamine affects chemicals in the brain that may be unbalanced in people with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Fluvoxamine is used to treat social anxiety disorder (social phobia), or obsessive-compulsive disorders involving recurring thoughts or actions. To make sure fluvoxamine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease narrow-angle glaucoma heart disease, high blood pressure, or a history of stroke a bleeding or blood clotting disorder seizures or epilepsy bipolar disorder (manic depression) or low levels or sodium in your blood (an electrolyte imbalance). Do not give this medicine to anyone under 18 years old without medical advice.

Typical Uses

Fluvoxamine is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It helps decrease persistent/unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and urges to perform repeated tasks (compulsions such as hand-washing, counting, checking) that interfere with daily living. Fluvoxamine is known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). This medication works by helping to restore the balance of a certain natural substance (serotonin) in the brain. This medication may also be used to treat anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Side Effects

Inform your doctor about any worsening symptoms such as mood or behaviour changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself. Other side effects of fluvoxamine include blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights seizure (convulsions) changes in weight or appetite easy bruising or unusual bleeding anxiety, racing thoughts, risk-taking behaviour, sleep problems (insomnia), feelings of extreme happiness or irritability high levels of serotonin in the body-agitation, hallucinations, fever, fast heart rate, overactive reflexes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of coordination, fainting low levels of sodium in the body-headache, confusion, slurred speech, severe weakness, vomiting, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady or severe nervous system reaction-very stiff (rigid) muscles, high fever, sweating, confusion, fast or uneven heartbeats, tremors, feeling like you might pass out.

Drug Interactions

• Fluvoxamine+alfentanil- Using alfentanil together with fluvoxamine can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death.
• Fluvoxamine+aminophylline- Fluvoxamine may significantly increase the blood levels of aminophylline, which may lead to potentially serious and life-threatening side effects. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives that do not interact, or you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications.
• Fluvoxamine+benzphetamine- Talk to your doctor before using fluvoxamine together with benzphetamine. Fluvoxamine may increase the effects of benzphetamine, and side effects such as jitteriness, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, and racing thoughts have been reported. Combining these medications can also increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death.

Mechanism of action

Fluvoxamine belongs to class of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It works by restoring the balance of serotonin in brain, thereby relieving the symptoms of depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Pregnancy Category : C