Does Luvox Reduce Anxiety? (18 Important Answers) (2023)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness describes Luvox CR as the brand name for fluvoxamine maleate, a generic prescription medication used to treat several mental health conditions. While Luvox is FDA-approved to treat OCD in adults and children older than 8, patients often ask about its effectiveness in treating anxiety.

So, does Luvox reduce anxiety? Let’s take a look.

How Long Does It Take Luvox to Work for Anxiety?

Luvox is approved to treat OCD and depression but can also be used off-label to treat other mental health conditions. This includes social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders.

When used for anxiety, patients can expect a delayed onset of action. Luvox may begin to ease your symptoms within two to four weeks, although some studies suggest you could start seeing improvements after one week.

On average, however, two to four weeks is the standard period. This is why it is crucial to keep taking Luvox even when you do not notice any improvements.

In most cases, you will need to take fluvoxamine as prescribed every day for several months. Follow your prescription diligently, and you should begin to see improvements in your appetite, energy, and sleep.

These are key first signs that the medication is working.

If you feel your anxiety symptoms worsening or experience self-harm or suicidal thoughts within the first week of taking Luvox, or at any point during your treatment, contact your physician.

You should also let your family or close friends know you have started taking fluvoxamine so they can keep an eye out for any changes in your mood or behavior.

How Much Luvox Should I Take for Anxiety?

Fluvoxamine is available as a tablet in 25mg, 50mg, and 100mg formulations.

When prescribed for OCD patients, doctors often prescribe an initial dose of one 50mg tablet.

The dose may be increased gradually over time depending on several factors, but any dosage exceeding 100mg has to be split throughout the day.

300mg is the maximum daily dose of Luvox.

If you have SAD, your doctor will usually start you off with a 100mg daily dosage. If you tolerate the initial side effects well, they may increase your dosage by 50mg every week until you reach the 300mg maximum.

Dosage increments are more gradual in older patients.

You can take a 150mg dose once every day at bedtime, but beyond this, you will need to divide the dosage. You take the larger dose at night right before you go to bed.

That said, however, dosages will often vary from patient to patient.

Factors that affect how much fluvoxamine you need to take include other medications you are taking, the severity of your symptoms, your age, body weight, and preexisting medical conditions.

If your doctor prescribed a different dose than the one discussed here, follow your doctor’s instructions.

How Does Luvox Help Social Anxiety?

Luvox is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a class of antidepressants that works by improving serotonin activity in the brain.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter – a natural chemical found in the body that transmits messages between the nerve cells – that regulates mood, behavior, emotions, and more. People with anxiety disorders and depression release lower levels of serotonin.

To help ease the symptoms caused by decreased serotonin production, fluvoxamine stops the serotonin already released by your nerve cells from being reabsorbed.

This ensures that the neurotransmitter has longer to release its effects, which can alleviate depression, lighten your mood, and relieve anxiety symptoms like fear and panic over time.

It is important to note that fluvoxamine does not “create” instant relaxation or happiness and will not change your personality.

It works over time to balance chemical imbalances in your brain that cause you to become anxious, so you can feel like you used to before you developed anxiety.

Can Luvox Increase Anxiety?

The efficacy of Luvox in improving SAD symptoms has been confirmed by several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.

The medication can reduce the effects of low serotonin, boosting its activity in your brain and improving your mood, as well as making you less anxious in the process.

However, Medical News Today notes that the initial increase in serotonin levels can increase fear and panic.

It can even cause suicidal ideation in young people.

This is more common in the early days of treatment and can be accompanied by increased hostility, agitation, and impulsivity. Fortunately, the symptoms should go away within a few weeks.

So, yes. Luvox can increase your anxiety levels but only temporarily during the early days as your body adjusts to the chemical changes going on in your brain.

Does Luvox Help with Panic Attacks?

Panic disorder is a mental health condition characterized by recurring panic attacks, accompanied by symptoms like palpitations, shortness of breath, trembling, sweating, and fear of dying.

According to a report published in NCBI , several studies have shown that Luvox can be used to treat panic disorder effectively, lowering the patient’s anxiety level and number of panic attacks.

Several of the studies found that fluvoxamine is significantly more effective in lowering the occurrence of panic attacks than a placebo.

This means that, when prescribed by your doctor, Luvox can help you with your panic attacks.

Is Luvox Activating or Sedating?

Luvox is considered relatively sedating, which is why you are advised to take it before bedtime.

The SSRI can produce activating symptoms, but in rare cases and mostly in children.

According to Good Therapy , Luvox was prescribed to children in a clinical trial that saw about 50 percent of the patients experience activation symptoms.

The study concluded that age was a motivating factor in this case and that children, especially younger children, are more likely to experience this side effect.

Overall, however, Luvox has sedating properties and can leave you feeling drowsy and tired.

Why Do You Take Luvox at Night?

As mentioned, Luvox is a sedating antidepressant that can leave you feeling drowsy. VeryWell Mind explains that SSRIs like fluvoxamine, which cause sedation symptoms, are best taken at bedtime.

This is to ensure that you do not get into any accidents, say while driving when the sedation properties kick in. Luvox can also cause diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.

While these side effects often go away with time, taking the medication at night can help you sleep through the unpleasantness.

Does Luvox Help with Sleep?

Fluvoxamine is relatively sedating and can make you sleepy.

However, it can also affect your sleeping pattern, lowering your total sleep time and increasing the number of times you wake up during the early days. Stopping your prescription suddenly can also worsen symptoms like insomnia.

That said, over time, Luvox can help you sleep better by regulating your mood and relieving your anxiety symptoms.

Does Luvox Help with Intrusive Thoughts?

Yes. Luvox is primarily prescribed to treat OCD, whose main symptoms include recurring obsessive and intrusive thoughts. It can reduce these symptoms as well as your urge to repeatedly develop intrusive thoughts or perform repetitive tasks.

Does Luvox Make You Sleepy?

Because fluvoxamine has sedating properties, it can make you foggy and a little drowsy.

It can also cause poor muscle control and vision in some people. Consequently, you should never take Luvox before operating machinery, driving, or even leaving the house, especially if you are alone and have just started taking the medication.

Does Fluvoxamine Calm You Down?

Technically, yes, but not immediately. Luvox is a slow-release medication and is designed for daily, long-term maintenance of anxiety and panic disorder symptoms.

While it can reduce the frequency and severity of, say, your panic attacks, it may not be very effective at stopping an attack in progress.

Fluvoxamine works by increasing the amount of time serotonin remains in your system, which can improve your energy levels and mood, keeping you calm in the long term.

Does Luvox Affect Memory?

Yes. A series of tests on the Effect of Fluvoxamine on Amyloid-β Peptide Generation and Memory published by the National Center for Biotechnology Informationconfirmed that treatment with Luvox significantly enhanced memory function.

This means that taking the medication can help improve your memory and cognitive functions.

Can Luvox Help with Focus?

A medical report published in PubMed , describes fluvoxamine as a strong “sigma-1 receptor agonist.”

The report confirms that, in addition to showing positive effects in OCD, stress, depression, psychosis, and aggression, it also improves cognitive deficiencies.

It can restore cognitive function and repair atrophies in your nervous system. Consequently, fluvoxamine can help you think more clearly, remember better, and focus more.

When Should I Take Luvox?

Fluvoxamine is available in tablet and capsule form and should be taken once a day at bedtime unless your doctor recommends otherwise. Swallow the tablet whole without chewing, breaking, or crushing it.

Remember, results will not be immediate so keep taking the medication as long as your doctor prescribes it.

If you miss a dose, take it immediately after you remember unless it is almost time for you to take the next dose.

If this is the case, skip the missed dose.

Never take a double dose to compensate for a missed dose, and contact your doctor if you have any concerns regarding missed doses.

How Long Does Luvox Stay in Your System?

Fluvoxamine has a very short half-life compared to other SSRIs – about 15 hours.

This means that it should not take very long to get Luvox out of your system, and you can expect to have it completely out of your body within 36 to 60 hours. Sadly, this short half-life also means that Luvox can cause severe withdrawal symptoms.

These symptoms can be managed and are not fatal as long as you notify your doctor that you are experiencing them.

What Happens When You Stop Taking Luvox?

You should never stop taking Luvox, even when you begin to feel better or believe your symptoms are completely gone.

Your doctor will usually evaluate your condition to determine how long you need to remain on the medication, and you should follow their instructions. You may increase your risk of symptom relapse if you miss a dose.

If you stop taking the medication completely, you may experience a wide range of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. These include:

• Headaches

• Nausea

• Irritability

• Nightmares

• Tingling or pricking sensation on your skin (paresthesias)

• Vomiting

• Dizziness

If you want to stop taking Luvox, discuss your decision with your doctor. If they agree, they will gradually taper off your dosage to slowly wean you off the medication and prevent the occurrence of withdrawal.

Can Luvox Make You Angry?

During the early days of taking Luvox, you may experience some unwanted side effects like extreme hyperactivity, panic, hostility, and agitation.

As Mayo Clinicpoints out, fluvoxamine can also cause irritability, agitation, and unexplained anger in some people.

You may notice you are more energetic, impulsive, and have difficulty sleeping or get upset very easily.

These side effects will usually go away with time but you can discuss them with your doctor if they begin to trouble you or your loved ones.

Is Luvox Better Than Prozac?

Both fluvoxamine and Prozac are SSRI antidepressants used to treat OCD and depression.

The latter is also used to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), panic disorder, and bulimia, while Luvox is more suited to addressing social anxiety disorder.

In terms of effect, several studies comparing Luvox and Prozac have found that both medications are equally effective in alleviating depressive symptoms.

They do, however, cause different side effects. Luvox, for instance, does not affect your weight, while Prozac can cause weight loss.

The choice between the two will come down to the condition you are trying to treat, the side effects you can handle, and what your doctor prescribes.

Conclusion

Does Luvox reduce anxiety? Currently, Luvox is approved by the FDA to treat OCD, a common anxiety disorder.

It is also used off-label to treat social phobia, panic disorder, and SAD, among other conditions.

When taking Luvox for anxiety, you may notice positive changes in your sleep, appetite, and energy, although results may take several weeks to appear.

Always get a prescription and precise instructions from your doctor before using fluvoxamine.

References:

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Treatments/Mental-Health-Medications/Types-of-Medication/Fluvoxamine-(Luvox)

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312537

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2424117/

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/hyperactivity-luvox-side-effect-children-1208119

https://www.verywellmind.com/antidepressant-night-morning-1066863#:~:text=into%20this%20category.-,Drowsiness,Elavil%20(amitriptyline)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29614681/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20373470/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/fluvoxamine-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20066874?p=1