Luvox - extreme side effects, suicidal ideation, and psychiatrist office closed this week - help!

[C_Bear]

I have been on and off the spectrum of SSRIs for the past 20 years for depression, anxiety, OCD, and binge eating disorder. Most recently, I was on Lexapro/Wellbutrin for quite some time, tried Effexor resulting in extreme anxiety and panic and an upswing in trichotillomania that I hadn't experienced in years, re-tried Prozac with one brief episode of deep depression and suicidal ideation while titrating up the dose and then was very tired/sleepy, and then recently started Luvox in mid November and am now at 150mg/day in divided doses. A few weeks ago I just stopped wanting to do everything, everyday things were overwhelming, I left work and came home and crawled into bed. I felt worthless last weekend and dwelled on thoughts of suicide as a kind way to remove myself as a burden to my family. I faked a stomach bug to stay in bed and hide from life, even making myself throw up to make it more convincing. Today, I couldn't get out of bed after feeling just so completely worthless.

This is not me! This is just not me! I have struggled with mental illness in the past, but this is just not me. I have a husband (who I don't think is the biggest fan of me lately) and also a young son who I absolutely adore. I'm afraid that if it weren't for my son I would have followed through with the suicidal ideas, and that scares me. Being the week after the holidays, I called my psychiatrist's office and they are closed until Tuesday 1/2. My family doctor was also closed today. I really want to try to go to work tomorrow but just don't know how, but I feel like I need to preserve my life and my job for when I get myself back again. I think this Luvox has me totally messed up, just totally. My husband was going to take me to the ER, he had me call a 24/7 county help line and all the said was to go to the ER. I don't think that will help. If anything, it would leave me more humiliated than I already feel. I am clinging to the idea that this is the medicine and not me.

Does anyone have any shared experiences with Luvox? Hope that this will go away once I can safely come off of it? Any advice or heads-up on what to expect coming off it? I haven't been on it long. I decided to cut down to the last dose of 100mg/day in divided doses until I can hopefully see my psychiatrist next week to get more help and guidance. Luvox isn't commonly used, so I don't think my family doctor will have much insight into it or want to add anything else to the mix since she hasn't been involved in my psych meds, so my thought is that there wouldn't be much use in seeing a doctor unfamiliar with what I've tried and such. Any help is appreciated.

[CrazyRedhead]

I have tried Luvox in the past for my OCD, but it didn't help for me so I tapered off it with very little problems.

However, with Luvox, I never had any of the extreme symptoms you are describing here...

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, my advice would be to go to nearest ER and explain what's going on.....Most likely, they can get in contact with your doctor, or another psych-doc on call, and ask what should be done.

I know it would be embarrassing to go to ER, but I've done it before, and it seems this is the only real choice you have at this point, since you are feeling so bad, and your doc's office is closed until next week.

Suicidal thoughts are nothing to play around with, IMO.

Edited December 27, 2016 by CrazyRedhead

[C_Bear]

Was on the forum to post some follow-up concerns about withdrawal symptoms but thought I would post a follow-up on this post as well.

CrazyRedhead, I didn't get a chance to say thank you for your response! I was able to get in to my family doctor who took a lot of time to talk with me, gave me a plan to safely start tapering until I could see my psychiatrist, and am doing better. Was able to successfully come off (although dealing with some physical symptoms now, but will take those over how I was feeling when I posted this!) and find a counselor with evenings hours. Thanks again for replying - it makes a difference just to know someone is listening at a time like that!

[Catwoman]

Hey! I'm glad you're doing better now. I was on Luvox myself (2007-2010) and liked it very much. I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. We're all so different! 
It helped me incredibly with intrusive thoughts and I didn't have much side effects (restless legs, some nausea, vivid dreaming, some teeth grinding later on). I still think on going back on it because right now I'm doubting that the current SSRI will help me (though I'm on day 22...). It didn't work when I went back on it for the third time so that's why I switched to another SSRI.

What are you taking right now?

[CrazyRedhead]

11 hours ago, C_Bear said:

Thanks again for replying - it makes a difference just to know someone is listening at a time like that!

No problem.....Glad you are doing better.....

Are you going to consider trying another med, or just stay with the counselor for now?

[300.3]

I had the same thing with prozac.. suicidal idealization. 

I was on luvox 125mg for 14 years with no issues...with the exception of drinking energy drinks which I never knew could cause an issue until I had to go to the hospital.  I never had a doc tell me it like multiples caffeine. 

How did wellbutrin work for ocd? What dosage?

[KnickNak]

On 12/26/2016 at 6:03 PM, C_Bear said:

. I think this Luvox has me totally messed up, just totally. My husband was going to take me to the ER, he had me call a 24/7 county help line and all the said was to go to the ER. I don't think that will help. If anything, it would leave me more humiliated than I already feel. I am clinging to the idea that this is the medicine and not me.

 

Hi! I am glad you are doing well!, I was in out-patient when they put me on this drug about 4 years ago and honestly i want to say this drug really screwed me up i also gained about 12 pounds on it within 4 weeks.. it made me extreemmmely manic, Everything felt great.. I felt high and great... my cheeks hurt from smiling soo much.. and a week later I was in ER because i was suicidal.. it was in the middle of a family birthday and i sat on the ground with my hands over my face crying saying i want to die, please kill me .. so yeah. i hear ya. Def was not a drug for me as well. I actually have a picture of me a few days earlier... and i can see the mania in my eyes. 

I am the blonde in the middle who looks like i smoked a bowl .. my sister just always looks like that  My eye's aren't as spinny now 

 

Edited January 25, 2017 by KnickNak

[CrazyRedhead]

10 hours ago, 300.3 said:

How did wellbutrin work for ocd? What dosage?

I take the Wellbutrin for my depression, not OCD--right now I'm on 300mg WB.

For the OCD I take clomipramine, 200mg....Clomipramine is an older tri-cyclic antidepressant......I don't think it's helping me, although a lot of OCD people have said it works wonders for them.........If you have OCD and haven't tried clomipramine, I think it would at least be worth a shot.

[300.3]

Does the wellbutrin aggravate the ocd at all? Increase anxiety?

Edited January 25, 2017 by 300.3

[Catwoman]

9 minutes ago, CrazyRedhead said:

I take the Wellbutrin for my depression, not OCD--right now I'm on 300mg WB.

For the OCD I take clomipramine, 200mg....Clomipramine is an older tri-cyclic antidepressant......I don't think it's helping me, although a lot of OCD people have said it works wonders for them.........If you have OCD and haven't tried clomipramine, I think it would at least be worth a shot.

Hey, some one on clomipramine! Yes, I've read that it is the 'golden standard' for OCD, but it's not that often prescribed. Maybe because of side effects but even more because there are so many antidepressants that help with OCD as well...Currently I'm an a trial with sertraline. I've been on two other ssri's before with great succes but they poop out on me after some time. The pdoc I saw said he wanted to try one more ssri and if that one doesn't work he says I should switch to clomipramine. I'm not sure if I'll respond to sertraline (I'm on day 23 and I don't feel anything from it, not even side effects) but I really dread going on clomipramine! People report that it works for OCD but I have intrusive thoughts only without compulsions. Serotonin reuptake inhibition seemed enough for me in the past so I don't get why he advised going on a less selective drug with more side effects. Oh well....

[CrazyRedhead]

Just now, Catwoman said:

Hey, some one on clomipramine! Yes, I've read that it is the 'golden standard' for OCD, but it's not that often prescribed. Maybe because of side effects but even more because there are so many antidepressants that help with OCD as well...

I've tried almost all the SSRIs, including sertraline, but they all made my anxiety much worse, and didn't help with the OCD....As a last resort I was put on clomipramine, which doesn't seem to working at all, either....

However my pdoc is keeping me on it for now, possibly because without it my OCD might  get worse.....We are looking at other options but haven't come up with anything so far.

I have OCD so bad right now (obsessions and compulsions) that I can't can't even leave my house without help, and I'm basically a hermit...(.I hope yours isn't that bad, I wouldn't wish my condition on my worst enemy).

My personal experience aside, I know a lot of OCD folks who say that clomipramine has worked wonders for them, so it might be worth it, to give it a try if SSRIs aren't working.

 

[CrazyRedhead]

Just now, 300.3 said:

Does the wellbutrin aggravate the ocd at all? Increase anxiety?

No, the WB doesn't aggravate my OCD or anxiety, but doesn't really help it, either.....

I guess it's sort of neutral........

[C_Bear]

I also didn't take Wellbutrin for OCD. Was on SSRIs mainly for depression and anxiety, but had had more severe OCD in the past (like 10 years ago but much better after some really great therapy at that time) so when it was time to try another SSRI Luvox seems as good a choice as any of the others I guess. Anyway, the Wellbutrin got added back when I was on Lexapro the first time to combat some of the negative side effects. Agree with CrazyRedhead, sort of neutral in that regard but helped with depression while other things were aiming to help with anxiety. Anyway, Wellbutrin on it's on after the Luvox was off seemed to be hurting more than helping (anxiety), so now I'm weaning off that too.

It's just frustrating since I feel like Lexapro was just okay, not great, but every other SSRI has made me feel worse (both in recent trials as well as trying different ones over the past 10+ years) and SNRIs make my anxiety go through the roof (and Pristiq made me plain out of my mind). My doctor and I actually decided to try going off meds altogether since I just wasn't thrilled about trialing another SSRI and it wasn't clear if the Lexapro was helping or if the Lexapro/Wellbutrin combo just canceled each other out enough to come back to neutral over time. I certainly don't feel great now, but am still dealing with so many physical symptoms coming off the longterm Wellbutrin (I started another thread on this this) that I don't know if I don't want to do anytime and am completely exhausted because I physically or mentally feel like crap, hard to tease apart. I feel like this is still better than sitting in a darkroom thinking about suicide, so I'm too afraid to try anything else and will just power through for now. That just really scared me. I have a 4 year old son I love like crazy, and I just really want to be here for him, both in the real sense of "I don't want to risk feeling suicidal again" as well as wanting to be able to get out of bed and off the couch and be a good, fun mom. I found a counselor with evening hours so I can go right after work and not worry about child care and travel time (I live ~45 minutes away from the main city where I work and where most providers are), so I'm hoping to find success with that. I also want to try yoga, but I've been feeling so crappy that I haven't made it to join yet. I guess I'll just wait it out and see.

[Catwoman]

12 hours ago, C_Bear said:

I also want to try yoga, but I've been feeling so crappy that I haven't made it to join yet. I guess I'll just wait it out and see.

There are some nice (and free) beginners classes online. I have good experience with doyogawithme.com
I stream the classes with Chromecast to my tv so I can do yoga in my living room. I thought the classes I took (at a yoga school) were nice for the social aspect (and guidance for the more difficult poses and breathing exercises) but for the relaxation techniques and the simply hatha yoga it doesn't require a teacher.

I wish you all the best with coming off Wellbutrin. I'm sorry that your trial with Luvox didn't work out.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Catwoman

[Catwoman]

18 hours ago, CrazyRedhead said:

I've tried almost all the SSRIs, including sertraline, but they all made my anxiety much worse, and didn't help with the OCD....As a last resort I was put on clomipramine, which doesn't seem to working at all, either....

However my pdoc is keeping me on it for now, possibly because without it my OCD might  get worse.....We are looking at other options but haven't come up with anything so far.

I have OCD so bad right now (obsessions and compulsions) that I can't can't even leave my house without help, and I'm basically a hermit...(.I hope yours isn't that bad, I wouldn't wish my condition on my worst enemy).

My personal experience aside, I know a lot of OCD folks who say that clomipramine has worked wonders for them, so it might be worth it, to give it a try if SSRIs aren't working.
 

Thanks! I think I'll keep clomipramine in mind and will choose it over any antipsychotics. But Plan B is to try Prozac first. I seem to handle SSRI's quite well ( I have no idea what that says about my brain or body) but maybe clomi wouldn't be as bad for me either.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Catwoman