Luvox (Fluvoxamine Maleate)

Luvox Review

Luvox picture, Fluvoxamine Maleate picture

Luvox has been approved for use in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults, teenagers, and children as young as eight years old.

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Luvox Drug Class and Mechanism

Fluvoxamine is one of the few SSRI class of drugs to have a monocyclic structure. Although all SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, fluvoxamine has different pharmacological and side effects profiles from other drugs in its class. Fluvoxamine has been shown to be selective for serotonin reuptake, and has little effect on dopamine and noradrenaline uptake systems compared to other SSRIs. For this reason, fluvoxamine can be of benefit to patients who experience unusual or limiting side-effects from other antidepressants. It appears to cause fewer side effects than other SSRIs. In addition, these differences also are a result of the lack of direct effects at other neurotransmitter receptors compared to other SSRIs. Affinity for these receptors, for example cholinergic muscarinic (dry mouth, constipation) sites, histaminergic (sedation) sites, alpha (postural hypertension) sites and dopamine (extrapyramidal)sites, leads to many side effects. Compared to other SSRIs, fluvoxamine has a very low affinity to all of these sites.

Luvox Uses

Fluvoxamine (Luvox) is an antidepressant which functions pharmacologically as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Though it is in the same class as other SSRI drugs, it is most often used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder.The recommended starting dose for LUVOX Tablets in adult patients is 50 mg, administered as a single daily dose at bedtime. In the controlled clinical trials establishing the effectiveness of LUVOX Tablets in OCD, patients were titrated within a dose range of 100 to 300 mg/day. Consequently, the dose should be increased in 50 mg increments every 4 to 7 days, as tolerated, until maximum therapeutic benefit is achieved, not to exceed 300 mg per day. It is advisable that a total daily dose of more than 100 mg should be given in two divided doses. If the doses are not equal, the larger dose should be given at bedtime.

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Luvox Side Effects

Side effects of fluvoxamine can include: decreased sex drive or ability, drowsiness, tiredness, diarrhea, dizziness or light-headedness, constipation, headache, nausea, nervousness, sleep problems, increased sweating, tremors, serious skin rash, vomiting, stomach pain, dry mouth, heart burn, loss of appetite, pins and needles, abnormal taste, increased heart beat, weight gain or loss, unusual bruising and other allergic problems such as difficulty breathing, fever, confusion, severe weakness, intense agitation or anxiety, restlessness, hypomania, mania, seizures.

Luvox Pregnancy

Luvox Overdose

Worldwide exposure to fluvoxamine includes over 45,000 patients treated in clinical trials and an estimated exposure of 50,000,000 patients treated during worldwide marketing experience (end of 2005). Of the 539 cases of deliberate or accidental overdose involving fluvoxamine reported from this population, there were 55 deaths. Of these, 9 were in patients thought to be taking fluvoxamine alone and the remaining 46 were in patients taking fluvoxamine along with other drugs. Among non-fatal overdose cases, 404 patients recovered completely. Five patients experienced adverse sequelae of overdosage, to include persistent mydriasis, unsteady gait, hypoxic encephalopathy, kidney complications (from trauma associated with overdose), bowel infarction requiring a hemicolectomy, and vegetative state. In 13 patients, the outcome was provided as abating at the time of reporting. In the remaining 62 patients, the outcome was unknown. The largest known ingestion of fluvoxamine involved 12,000 mg (equivalent to 2 to 3 months' dosage). The patient fully recovered. However, ingestions as low as 1,400 mg have been associated with lethal outcome, indicating considerable prognostic variability.

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