rob...
I noticed your other question while researching this one,
so perhaps I can answer them both here. I worked in the
field of mental health for 20+ years, so this is familiar
territory for me.
First, set me say that your the dosage you've been taking
for 9 years is a minimal dosage, and is in fact the starting
dosage for Luvox. From the American Academy of Family Physicians'
page on Antidepressants:
"Fluvoxamine (Luvox) is FDA-approved only for the treatment of
OCD in patients who are at least eight years of age and older,
although its spectrum of activity is likely to be similar to
that of other SSRIs. The initial dosage in adults is 50 mg
daily, titrating up to 150 to 250 mg per day divided into two
doses...The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, and
headache."
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030201/547.html
Your assertion that you have never experienced negative symptoms
related to Luvox is also a very positive thing, since this
particular SSRI has what is known as a shorter 'half-life', and
is therefore more likely to result in the experience of side
effects between doses than are SSRIs with a longer half-life.
This is asserted in a paper entitled 'Fluvoxamine as a cause of
stimulation, mania and aggression with a critical analysis of
the FDA-approved label' by Peter R. Breggin, M.D., available
in PDF format:
"According to the manufacturer, Luvox has a half-life of 15.6
hours. When a half-life is less than 24 hours, inter-dose
withdrawal is a distinct possibility as the blood levels of
the drug fall below half their peak before the passage of 24
hours. Particularly when the individual awakens in the morning,
perhaps as much as 24 hours after the last dose, the blood
level can be considerably reduced, leading to morning withdrawal
symptoms."
*Much* more in the document:
http://www.breggin.com/luvox.pdf
So, if you're not experiencing any negative symptoms after 9
years, you are not likely to have any great difficulty in
lowering the dosage (titrating down) until you are safely off
the drug.
As it turns out, Dr. Breggin is not only the most authoritative
and prolific author on the topic of side effects from psychiatric
medications, he also lives and practices in New York (sorry, he's
in Ithaca, not Manhattan):
Peter R. Breggin, M.D.
101 East State Street, PMB 112
Ithaca, New York 14850-5543
Phone: 607 272 5328
Fax: 607 272 5329
His contact page would seem to indicate that he is open to
taking on new clients:
http://www.breggin.com/contact.html
His homepage is here:
http://www.breggin.com
An article detailing the FDA's "Public Health Advisory"
about the risks associated with the use of SSRIs, and
confirming what Dr Breggin has been asserting for over
10 years is available on his site, and is entitled:
'The Proven Dangers of Antidepressants'
http://www.breggin.com/Newspaper%20column--shortened.pdf
A search of his site for the terms "permanent brain damage"
did not turn up anything with regard to Luvox specifically,
but only in reference to SSRIs in general. It is mentioned
in a book he authored, titled: 'The Anti-Depressant Fact Book',
and subtitled, 'What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Prozac,
Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Luvox', Perseus Publishing -
Cambridge, Massachusetts copyright 2001, paperback
by Peter R. Breggin, M.D.
It's available on Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/073820451X/102-2399094-2377753?v=glance
It is reviewed by Douglas A. Smith on the AntiPsychiatry site:
http://www.antipsychiatry.org/br-afb.htm
If you sign up for a free account with Amazon.com, Dr Breggin's
books offer the feature of 'Search Inside', and a search for the
terms "permanent brain damage" returns 8 references which you can
read about by way of this feature.
Dr. Breggin himself recommends that you consult that specific
book in regard to the topic of SSRI side effects, since the
topic is thoroughly documented there, and this may preclude the
need for personal contact with him (although downward titration
of a psychiatric medication should ALWAYS be done under careful
supervision).
"Prozac, Paxil, Luvox and other SSRIs: For information regarding
side effects of Prozac and other SSRI's including Zoloft, Paxil,
Luvox, Celexa, Effexor, etc., as well as better approaches for
depression see Dr. Breggin's book: The Antidepressant Fact Book
(2001)".
From his contact page:
http://www.breggin.com/contact.html
Another of his newest books specifically addresses the topic of
supervised withdrawal, providing guidelines to psychiatric
practitioners who may not be adequately informed enough to do
this safely:
'Your Drug May Be Your Problem:
How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications'
by Peter R. Breggin M.D. and David Cohen Ph.D.
Hardback, 1999, Perseus Books, Reading, MA.
"The first book to expose the shortcomings of psychiatric
drugs and to guide patients and doctors through the process
of withdrawing from them."
From a page devoted to the book and reviews by the psychiatric
community:
http://www.breggin.com/yourdrug.html
It's available on Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0738203483/102-2399094-2377753?v=glance
For an understanding of how psychiatric professionals can be
misled and misinformed with regard to the side-effects of Luvox,
read the full article to which I referred earlier, titled:
'Fluvoxamine as a cause of stimulation, mania and aggression
with a critical analysis of the FDA-approved label'
http://www.breggin.com/luvox.pdf
A bibliography of Dr Breggins writings is here:
http://www.breggin.com/biblio.html
As for long-term effects, McMan's Depression and Bipolar Web
site summarizes what I know, in this page on antidepressants:
"...we simply do not know the long-term effects of many of
these drugs. Trials are typically conducted amongst rather
small population groups for periods that tend to range from
six to eight weeks. Year-long trials are an extreme rarity,
and 10-year data of the newer antidepressants is simply not
available."
http://www.mcmanweb.com/depression_meds.htm
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Additional information may be found from further exploration
of the links provided above, as well as those resulting from
the Google searches outlined below:
Searches done, via Google:
Preventing permanent damage SSRIs Luvox
://www.google.com/search?q=Preventing+permanent+damage+from+SSRIs+Luvox
Luvox withdrawal site:www.breggin.com
://www.google.com/search?q=Luvox+withdrawal+site%3Awww.breggin.com
"permanent brain damage" site:www.breggin.com
://www.google.com/search?q=%22permanent+brain+damage%22+site%3Awww.breggin.com
titrating luvox
://www.google.com/search?q=titrating+luvox
luvox "permanent brain damage"
://www.google.com/search?q=luvox+%22permanent+brain+damage%22
"SSRIs cause permanent brain damage"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22SSRIs+cause+permanent+brain+damage%22
"long term effects" luvox
://www.google.com/search?q=%22long+term+effects%22+luvox |
