Strategies to Ease Coming Off Antidepressants
Collaborate with your prescribing physician or medical team. Don’t try it on your own. Since LuvoxCR is an extended-release SSRI, your prescriber may suggest switching to an immediate-release SSRI, for easier calculations of dose reductions. Prozac is often utilized in this way, as it has a much longer half-life. Ask your doctor can establish workable equivalent dosages for you to avoid unnecessary complications that can occur when switching antidepressants.
Recruit assistance. Ask for trusted individuals around you to assist you with chores, cooking, and typical errands, and allow enough time to rest and recuperate without much distraction.
Take it slow. Gradual withdrawal has been found to be the most productive and the least traumatic way to come off antidepressant medication.14-16,20
Stabilize after each reduction. Even at a slow reduction pace, withdrawals may emerge that are uncomfortable. If withdrawals are more severe than are tolerable, work with your prescriber to go back up to a tolerable dose if necessary, and then allow enough time for these to subside before initiating the next reduction.22
Reduce dosage in smaller increments as you near the end of the taper process. has been shown to be highly workable for a manageable rate of withdrawal.
16 Avoid alcohol, and recreational drugs, including cannabis. These agents can cause their own set of symptoms and can disrupt your LuvoxCR withdrawal process.3,23
Improving Sleep Can Assist LuvoxCR Withdrawal
Sleep disruptions are not uncommon during LuvoxCR withdrawal. Do what you can to help improve your sleeping environment. This may include a more ergonomic mattress and pillows, eliminating electronics from the bedroom, establishing regular sleep times, avoiding heavy meals just before retiring, and eliminating caffeine or other stimulants. Some find that light- and sound-blocking curtains and masks are also helpful in creating a good sleep environment.
OCD, Depression, and the Role of Nutrition in Recovery
In general, it has been found that OCD and other mental health sufferers have low levels of 12 specific nutrients in their diet. 6,7
These 12 specific nutrients act as natural antidepressants, and can be obtained as supplements or obtained through diet. Supplements include folate, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, iron, selenium, potassium, zinc, vitamin A, B1, B6, B12, and vitamin C.
Add foods to your daily diet to maximize these antidepressant nutrients, such as green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, peppers, organ meats, and seafood, especially mussels and oysters.
Why was Luvox Banned in Numerous Countries?
Luvox was banned in 2002 in the US, UK, and elsewhere. Public outcry and a massive overhaul of regulations of SSRIs followed the 1999 tragic Columbine school shooting. Records showed that the teenage shooter had been taking Luvox for a year prior to the school shooting incident. Consequently, Luvox was implicated in the student’s violent and erratic behavior. These concerns brought forth many international studies regarding the tendency of SSRI medications to provoke suicidal and violent behavior in youth.9-11,13,17,20
As time passed, by 2008 the drug manufacturer had modified the drug’s formula and changed it to a “CR” or controlled release version and resubmitted the request for approval not for treating depression or anxiety, but limited to treating OCD. Subsequently, the FDA did grant approval to prescribe Luvox CR to treat OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). The label does not strictly prohibit prescribing to the pediatric population but only says the smallest dose of LuvoxCR “may not be appropriate” for children, without further explanation.
Surprisingly, “fluvoxamine,” the immediate-release formula, remains on the WHO’s “essential medications” list for 2023, which recommends the drug for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and OCD.8
LuvoxCR — the Black Box Label
It was after the Columbine disaster and related publicity and numerous clinical studies reporting about SSRIs being linked to suicides and violence, that the FDA ordered a “black box warning” on all SSRI antidepressants.9,10,11,17
Here is the current black box warning1 that shows on LuvoxCR‘s label:
WARNING: SUICIDALITY and ANTIDEPRESSANTS
See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning.
Increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children,
adolescents, and young adults taking antidepressants for major
depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders (5.1) ~FDA label LuvoxCR
Clinical Trials on LuvoxCR
Also of interest, NO clinical trials on LuvoxCR on children were ever reported according to the drug label.
However, two 10-week trials (no date given) were done on children aged 8-17 for up to 200mg daily of immediate-release Luvox. These trials reported “no treatment effect” for ages 8-12.
Regarding adult trials, 3 short trials on immediate-release Luvox were done on an adult population but do not indicate the trial dates. And, some adult patients from the short trials remained on IR Luvox for a longer period, but the results were not controlled or documented, as stated on the drug’s label information.
It is puzzling how the FDA could have been sufficiently informed about such a controversial drug, before granting its approval in 2008 with such little information to go on.
About LuvoxCR Withdrawal at Alternative to Meds Center
At Alternative to Meds Center, we’ve been helping people resolve over-medication, medication injury, and comfortable withdrawal management for LuvoxCR and other medications for just about two decades now. The methods we use allow our clients to attain and maintain natural mental wellness without relying on prescription medication for relief.
Our methods can be reviewed on the services overview pages for quick reference. In particular, we encourage you to read about the importance of lab testing, orthomolecular medicine, neurotransmitter rehabilitation, neurotoxin removal, IV + NAD treatments, and all the other types of therapies you can find there.
These are the methods we use to isolate root causes for unwanted symptoms. Then, with medically supervised treatments, including holistic detox and deep cleansing methods to free the body of neurotoxic elements, a unique program is designed to promote rebalancing and true recovery.
Our program is like no other on the planet, delivered in a beautiful, pristine residential setting. Please call us for more information and guidance, as well as how to find out about insurance coverage for you or your loved one. We welcome your call and look forward to speaking with you about the best ways forward for your particular situation and needs.
