Posted by Luxy on November 23, 2003, at 17:43:44
In reply to Re: LUVOX or any other med for OCD: experiences wanted » Janelle, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 13:49:18
Hi
My partner (male, 32) has taken Luvox for 5 years now to treat OCD. he suffered major depression in his late teens, early 20s, characterised by obsessive thinking (ie. concerned he had AIDS and would pass it on to someone, concerned he was a child molester, that he would die, make someone else ill) which developed into OCD and handwashing, fear of asbestos in roofing (and any other dust in ceiling), fear of coldsores. I think they are the main ones!!
He was treated with Anafranil early on, which I think supressed his dreams, kind of flattened his mental processes. I think he needed to take Valium with it, at times.
Then tried Luvox, 7-8 years ago, and would use over summer and in stressfu times, then ween off. 5 years ago started taking it continuously, and has been calmer, much success in career, but has gained 60-70lbs.
This is a common side effect (for more info, see Prozactruth website).
At the moment we are tapering his dose (100mg), with a view to quitting.
Long-term efficacy with SSRI's is not proven, beyond 6-8 weeks, which has lead me to believe that he has largely taken care of his own problems (cogntivie therapy, trusting me to make 'reasonable' decisions about coldsore/disease danger, more stable/relaxed lifestyle) and the Luvox can e dispensed with.
Missing a dose can cause bad withdrawal feelings which ARE NOT necessarily what your 'steady state' is, although they may feel like that.
I hope this is helpful. His 'worries' haven't been bad for a long time now, and they used to be quite debilitating, so I would have to say that the Luvox made quite a difference in giving him enough relief from anxiety to find ways to mental health.
Luxy
poster:Luxy
thread:282607
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031121/msgs/282949.html