Luvox (Fluvoxamine) is an antidepressant in a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).Luvox (Fluvoxamine) affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Luvox (Fluvoxamine) is used to treat social anxiety disorder (social phobia), or obsessive-compulsive disorders involving recurring thoughts or actions. Luvox (Fluvoxamine) may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
|
LUVOX belongs to a family of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). LUVOX is used to treat depression in adults and a condition known as "Obsessive Compulsive isorder" (OCD) in adults and children eight years of age or older. Both of these conditions are thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in parts of the brain. LUVOX corrects this chemical imbalance and may help relieve the symptoms of depression and OCD. Depression is longer lasting and/or more severe than the "low moods" everyone has from time to time due to the stress of everyday life. Depression caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain can affect your whole body and can cause emotional and physical symptoms such as feeling low in spirit, loss of interest in activities, being unable to enjoy life, poor appetite or overeating, disturbed sleep, often waking up early, loss of sex drive, lack of energy and feeling guilty for no reason. People with OCD can have two types of symptoms - obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted repeated thoughts or feelings, which are ongoing. Compulsions are the need to repeat actions over and over. The symptoms of OCD can vary from patient to patient. Check with your doctor if you need more information. LUVOX is approved for the uses listed above. However, your doctor may prescribe this medicine for another use. If you would like more information, ask your doctor. LUVOX is not recommended for use in children (under the age of 8), as the safety and effectiveness of LUVOX in this age group have not been established.
Do not take LUVOX if:
* you have an allergy to fluvoxamine or any of an ingredients listed here
* you are taking another anti-depressant medicine called an irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or have been taking it within the last 14 days. Examples of these medicines are NARDIL(TM) (phenelzine) and PARNATE(TM) (tranylcypromine). Taking LUVOX with a MAOI may cause a serious reaction with a sudden increase in body temperature, extremely high blood pressure and severe convulsions. If you have taken a "reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor" such as AURORIX(TM) (moclobemide), it is all right to start taking LUVOX the next day. Do not take LUVOX at the same time as you take AURORIX(TM), and always follow your doctor's instructions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure you have been taking one of these medicines. * you are taking a medicine called PREPULSID(TM)(cisapride).
* you are breast-feeding. Like many other medicines, LUVOX can pass into breast milk and may affect your baby.
* the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering or if the tablets do not look right.
* the expiry date (EXP) printed on the pack has passed. If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work (as well).
If you are not sure whether you should start taking LUVOX, contact your doctor.
You must tell your doctor if:
* you are allergic to any other medicines, foods, dyes or preservatives.
* you have or have had any other health problems or medical conditions, including: * liver problems * kidney problems * epilepsy * a history of bleeding disorders * diabetes
* you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Your doctor will discuss with you the risks and benefits of taking LUVOX when pregnant.
* you are breastfeeding or wish to breastfeed. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of taking LUVOX when breastfeeding
. * you drink alcohol. You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking LUVOX.
Tell your doctor if you are taking
any other medicines, including
medicines you buy without a
prescription from a pharmacy,
supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines may interfere with
LUVOX. These include: aspirin,
NSAID medicines, or any
medications used to treat depression,
obsessive compulsive disorder,
anxiety disorders or other psychoses.
You should also tell your doctor if
you are taking tryptophan,
sumatriptan, phentermine, tramadol,
lithium, any herbal products
containing St. John's Wort, warfarin,
clomipramine, amitriptyline,
imipramine, clozapine, olanzapine,
tacrine, theophylline, methadone,
mexiletine, thioridazine, propranolol,
cisapride, alprazolam, triazolam,
midazolam, diazepam, haloperidol,
cyclosporin, carbamazepine or
phenytoin.
If you have not told your doctor or
pharmacist about any of the above,
tell them before you start taking
LUVOX.
These medicines may be affected by
LUVOX or may affect how well it
works. You may need to take
different amounts of your medicine
or you may need to take different
medicines.
Your doctor or pharmacist may have
more information on medicines to
avoid while taking LUVOX.
LUVOX contains fluvoxamine.
Take LUVOX exactly as your
doctor has prescribed.
Adults: Your doctor will normally
tell you to start taking 50 mg each
day, but will probably adjust the
number of tablets or the strength of
the tablets you are taking until the
medicine is effective.
Children & Adolescents: The usual
starting dose is 25 mg each day. The
doctor will probably adjust the dose
until the medicine is effective.
You may experience some nausea
(feeling sick) at first, but this usually
disappears after the first 2 weeks of
treatment. Make sure you tell your
doctor if you feel sick or notice any
other symptoms while you are taking
LUVOX.
Tell your doctor immediately if
you have any suicidal thoughts or
other mental/mood changes.
Warning signs of suicide
If you or someone you know is
demonstrating any of the following
warning signs of suicide, contact
your doctor or a mental health
professional right away or go to the
nearest hospital for treatment:
* Thoughts or talk of death or
suicide
* Thoughts or talk of self-harm or
harm to others
* Any recent attempts of self-harm
* Increase in aggressive behaviour,
irritability or agitation
All mentions of suicide or violence
must be taken seriously. If you
intend or have a plan to commit
suicide, go to the nearest hospital for
immediate treatment.
Follow all directions given to you
by your doctor and pharmacist
carefully.
They may differ from the
information contained on this site .
If you do not understand the
instructions on the box, ask your
doctor or pharmacist for help.
Swallow LUVOX with a full glass of water. Do not chew the tablets.
The length of treatment will depend
on how quickly your symptoms
improve. Most antidepressants take
time to work, so don't be discouraged
if you don't feel better right away.
Some of your symptoms may
improve in 1 or 2 weeks but it can
take up to 4 or 6 weeks to feel any
real improvement. Even when you
feel well, you will usually have to
take LUVOX for several months or
even longer to make sure the benefits
will last. Continue taking your
tablets until your doctor tells you to
stop.
If your doctor tells you to stop
taking LUVOX and if you are
taking a dose of two tablets (200
mg) or more per day do not stop
treatment abruptly. You should
reduce the dose by one tablet (100
mg) every three days.
Do not stop using it unless your
doctor tells you to - even if you feel
better.
If it is almost time for your next
dose, skip the dose you missed and
take your next dose when you are
meant to. Otherwise, take it as
soon as you remember, then go
back to taking it as you would
normally.
Do not take a double dose to make
up for the dose you missed.
If you have trouble remembering to
take your medicine, ask your
pharmacist for some hints.
Immediately telephone your doctor
or Poisons Information Centre
for advice, or go
to casualty at your nearest hospital
if you think you or anyone else
may have taken too much LUVOX,
even if there are no signs of
discomfort or poisoning. You may
need urgent medical attention.
Keep telephone numbers for these
places handy. Take the pack of
tablets with you to the doctor or
hospital.
The most common symptoms are
nausea (feeling sick), vomiting and
diarrhoea. You could also
experience drowsiness and dizziness,
or feel faint.
If you are not sure what to do,
contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Instructions for doctor:
Symptomatic treatment should be
employed.
Tell your doctor immediately if
you become pregnant while taking
LUVOX.
If you are about to be started on
any new medicines, tell your doctor
or pharmacist that you are taking
LUVOX.
Do not take any other medicines,
whether they require a
prescription or not, without first
telling your doctor.
Tell all doctors, dentists and
pharmacists who are treating you
that you are taking LUVOX.
Tell your doctor if, for any reason,
you have not taken your medicine
exactly as prescribed.
Otherwise, your doctor may think
that it was not effective and change
your treatment unnecessarily
. Tell your doctor if you feel the
tablets are not helping your
condition.
If you are being treated for
depression, be sure to discuss with
your doctor any problems you may
have and how you feel, especially
any feelings of severe sadness or
bursts of unusual energy or anger.
This will help your doctor to
determine the best treatment for you.
Be sure to keep all of your
appointments with your doctor so
that your progress can be checked.
Your doctor may want to take some
blood tests and check your heart and
blood pressure from time to time.
This helps prevent unwanted side
effects.
Things you must not do
Do not stop taking LUVOX or
lower the dose, without first
checking with your doctor. Do not
let yourself run out of medicine
over the weekend or on holidays.
Suddenly stopping LUVOX may
cause headache, nausea, dizziness
and anxious feelings.
Do not give this medicine to
anyone else, even if their symptoms
seem similar to yours or if they
have the same condition as you.
Do not use LUVOX to treat any
other complaints unless your
doctor tells you to.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving or operating
machinery until you know how
LUVOX affects you.
LUVOX may cause drowsiness,
dizziness or sleepiness in some
people and affect alertness.
Make sure you know how you react
to LUVOX before you drive or
operate machinery .
Although drinking moderate
amounts of alcohol is unlikely to
affect your response to LUVOX,
your doctor may suggest avoiding
alcohol while you are being treated
for depression.
If you drink large amounts of
caffeine-containing beverages (eg.
coffee, tea), you should minimise
your intake of these beverages while
taking LUVOX. Drinking large
amounts of caffeine while taking
LUVOX may increase the amount of
caffeine in your body and may result
in side effects such as tremor
(shaking), palpitations (fast or
irregular heat beat), nausea (feeling
sick), insomnia (trouble or inability
to sleep) or restlessness.
Older people may become confused
when taking LUVOX. Families and
carers should be aware of this.
Special care may be needed.
After you have stopped taking
LUVOX, you should still be careful
for 1 or 2 weeks because some of
the medicine will still be in your
blood stream.
Keep your tablets in their
container until it is time to take
them.
If you take the tablets out of their
container they may not keep well.
Keep LUVOX in a cool, dry place
where it stays below 25 degrees C.
Do not store it, or any other
medicine, in a bathroom or near a
sink. Do not leave it in the car or on
window sills.
Heat and dampness can destroy some
medicines.
Keep this medicine where young
children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a
half metres above the ground is a
good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop taking LUVOX, or the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any left over tablets.
Each LUVOX Tablet contains 50 mg
or 100mg of the active ingredient
fluvoxamine maleate. The tablet also
contains mannitol, maize starch,
pregelatinised potato starch, sodium
stearyl fumarate, colloidal anhydrous
silica, hypromellose, macrogol 6000,
talc and titanium dioxide.
LUVOX does not contain lactose,
sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any
other azo dyes.
LUVOX 30 pills x 50 mg
LUVOX 60 pills x 50 mg
LUVOX 90 pills x 50 mg
LUVOX 30 pills x 100 mg
LUVOX 60 pills x 100 mg
LUVOX 90 pills x 100 mg