Just wanna leave this here...

[alyssuh]

I’m going on almost 2 months of luvox, upping it to 200 mg/day on saturday. But it makes me sooo tired, so nauseas and i have lost my appetite so much i usually have a huge appetite and i’m always trying to gain weight/muscle and keep it on so this is upsetting because i’m too weak to lift heavy and feel too ill to eat. And forcing myself is tough sometimes.

I never nap, but since starting this med i’ve napped almost every day 1-2 times per day. I hate it. I don’t want to have the doctor change it because i wanna give it time to work. I feel it has been working a little, even though i have moments where its too much to take. But i’m making progress here and there.

If anyone else has struggled with these side effects and could let me know how they worked through it that’d be cool. Otherwise thanks to whoever reads. I hope you are progressing and getting better each day

[Selesnya]

It sounds like the side effects of Luvox might not be worth it. Have you tried other medications already? Were you having problems sleeping before you went on Luvox? I would expect the side effects of Luvox to get more significant as the dosage is increased. Are you taking medication for anything besides OCD?

[alyssuh in reply to Selesnya]

No this is the first medication i’m trying. I’m meeting with the psychiatrist on the 28th so i will definitely let him know and if he thinks i should switch then i will. I had no problems before. My appetite has been off since starting birth control a year ago but now its waaaayy off

[Selesnya in reply to alyssuh]

I would say what side effects you are having and see if you can try something else. I know that medication can take a while to take effect, but it seems like given the large number of drugs out there (even just within SSRIs) that it would be worth trying something else. Unfortunately everyone seems to react a little differently to medications, and you really just have to go through trial and error. Don't give up on it because medication can make a really big difference for some people.

Personally I find that medication helps a bit, but it is not a stark difference. For me it is more that I have a little more space/time to respond to the thoughts and I'm not completely overwhelmed by them. This little boost has been enough to make some faster progress with therapy. On it's own though, meds aren't a huge difference. Without the ERP I would still be having significant problems.

[alyssuh in reply to Selesnya]

I agree. I feel i am able to respond to them not as fast but unfortunately, i can’t see a therapist right now cause i’d be paying out of pocket :/ and its a lot. So i am trying to do the techniques i learned in therapy but its still too much for me to do without getting hysterical. I will see how it goes with the doctor

[Selesnya in reply to alyssuh]

If you are looking for resources to help you along, I would highly recommend checking out the podcasts Your Anxiety Toolkit and The OCD Stories. Both have lots of good insights on OCD from people that really know what they are talking about. I could recommend some that I particularly liked, but you can probably find the ones that are most applicable to yourself just by looking at the episode titles and descriptions.

It is really difficult, but certainly possible, to do your own treatment. I find that when I'm lost in an OCD state that I usually can't snap myself out of it and start thinking clearly about what I need to be doing. Take advantage of the tools like the site here to ask questions from people that have been (or currently are) going through therapy. There are other places as well that have more constant traffic and people posting. I would particularly recommend joining the Facebook group CBT School Campus:

facebook.com/groups/1653633...

[ChristianWolff]

alyssum,

I am so sorry that you are going through this. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease and I have traveled that road before, it nearly was the end of me. Now days I carefully research any medication for its side-effects before even considering using it. I know how dark your life seems right now alyssuh, but hang in there. There is no right answer when it comes to this, I pray that you find yours.

[alyssuh in reply to ChristianWolff]

Thank you very much. Yeah the road to getting better is definitely tough. I research as well and i’m studying to be a nurse soooo i make sure i know all about the meds i’m being given haha but i was mainly looking out for the really bad side effects like suicidal thoughts and serotonin syndrome. I didn’t think it’d make me so tired!

[alyssuh]

I just subscribed to the anxiety toolkit podcast a few days ago but haven’t listen yet. I will check out that one as well and the ocd stories. I don’t currently have fb but i will check it out if i decide to reactivate it again. I have rid myself of sooooo many compulsions throughout the years and have been able to get over many thoughts but whenever i lose some, more come along. I’ve started to catch myself and keep myself from continuing whenever i feel a new ritual coming on. Its just exhausting. But i appreciate your advice. I will check out those podcasts

[Gimi44]

Hi there, what you said resonates so much with me!! I started fluvoxamina 5 years ago. First med(and only) I've ever had. First months were a nightmare. I had the same side effects and some more I am not gonna tell you. My OCD is health anxiety related so you can imagine. But I can tell you in my case everything improved after 3 months and I am having only 50mm and eating and training as I used to do. It really helped me with my obsession. But as you've been told by other people every one reacts differently to different meds. My only comment (and I am not an expert whatsoever) is that 200mm is a very high dosis. I've never been with more than 150(although you can be prescribed even 300) the slower you increase the dosis the better. Be strong but be compassionate with yourself. What you're doing is extremely hard but it's gonna help your recovery 😊💪

[alyssuh in reply to Gimi44]

You are still taking it? I didn’t take the 100mg this morning like i planned to. So i’m just gonna stick with 150/day until i see the doctor again. I know for many with ocd, the ssris work in higher doses :/ but if i go any higher i probably will only have a diet consisting of cereal and bagels and sleeping most of my day...But thank you very much!

[leopardsister02]

I would contact your doctor. I agree that you might want to change your meds.

[NWOntario]

I've been off meds for over a year, but while I was taking them I dealt with fatigue pretty regularly. My magic bullets were sleep hygiene and water - at least 2L a day, which was challenging with only one kidney (I lost my other one due to childhood cancer). Nutrition helped. But like others have said, if this is only your first shot at an antidepressant it might be worth exploring other options. Having a gene test might be useful in helping you identify which medications work best for you.

[Fearnomore]

It takes time and the side effects decrease over time. This medication was life saving for me.

[alyssuh in reply to Fearnomore]

Exactly. Thats why i’m not too eager to change it yet. I just didn’t increase my dose yet because i want to see how i do for another couple weeks. I feel like changing it after 2 weeks is too fast 🤷🏻‍♀️ but thats awesome it helped you!

[Fearnomore]

Be patient! It helped me a lot. I’ve been on it for 23 years.