About Fluvoxamine 50 mg Tablet
Fluvoxamine 50 mg Tablet contains Fluvoxamine 50 mg. Fluvoxamine is an antidepressant of the SSRI type. It is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. It usually takes a few weeks to start helping. Fluvoxamine affects how the body handles many other medicines, so tell your doctor about everything you take. It should not be stopped suddenly.
Uses of Fluvoxamine 50 mg Tablet
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Depression
Benefits
In OCD
It can reduce unwanted, repeated thoughts and the urge to carry out repeated actions, making daily life easier.
In depression
It can improve mood, sleep and energy. Keep taking it as advised even after you feel better.
Side effects
Some side effects such as nausea are common in the first weeks and often settle. Talk to your doctor if they bother you. Do not stop the medicine suddenly.
Common
- Nausea
- Sleepiness or trouble sleeping
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
- Loss of appetite
Get medical help if you notice
- Thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, or worsening mood, especially in the first weeks or after a dose change (more likely in people under 25) — contact your doctor straight away or seek emergency help
- Agitation, confusion, high temperature, sweating, shaking, muscle twitching or fast heartbeat — may be serotonin syndrome; seek emergency care
- Unusual bleeding or bruising, black stools or vomiting blood — contact your doctor
- Headache, confusion, weakness or unsteadiness (especially in older people) — may be low sodium; contact your doctor
- Fast or irregular heartbeat or fainting — seek medical help
- Very high mood, racing thoughts or reduced need for sleep — contact your doctor
How to use
Take it exactly as your doctor prescribed, usually in the evening, with or without food. Swallow the tablet whole with water.
How it works
Fluvoxamine increases the amount of serotonin, a natural chemical messenger in the brain, by blocking its re-uptake. This helps reduce obsessive thoughts and improve mood.
Safety advice
Alcohol Unsafe
Avoid alcohol. It can worsen depression and add to drowsiness.
Pregnancy Consult your doctor
Use only if your doctor advises it. Do not stop suddenly; talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Consult your doctor
Small amounts pass into breast milk. Ask your doctor before using it.
Driving Caution
It can cause drowsiness or dizziness. Do not drive until you know how it affects you.
Kidney Caution
Your doctor may start with a lower dose if you have kidney disease.
Liver Caution
Your doctor may start with a lower dose if you have liver disease.
If you miss a dose
If you miss a dose, take it when you remember the same day. If it is nearly time for the next dose, skip the missed one. Do not take two doses together.
Quick tips
- It can take a few weeks to start working — keep taking it.
- Do not stop suddenly; your doctor will lower the dose slowly.
- Cut down on tea and coffee, as fluvoxamine can increase the effects of caffeine.
- Tell your doctor about every other medicine you take, as fluvoxamine interacts with many.
- Seek help at once if you have thoughts of self-harm.
Substitutes
Same salts in the same strength from other makers. Only switch brands on your doctor's or pharmacist's advice; our pharmacist checks every order against the prescription.
Fact box
- Chemical class
- Aralkylketone derivative
- Therapeutic class
- Neuro-psychiatry / antidepressant
- Action class
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
- Habit forming
- No
- Prescription
- Required
Interactions with other medicines
Tell your doctor and pharmacist about every medicine, vitamin and herbal product you take.
| Medicine | What can happen |
|---|---|
| MAO inhibitors (including linezolid) | Risk of serious serotonin syndrome — must not be taken together |
| Tizanidine, pimozide and thioridazine | Their levels can rise to dangerous amounts — must not be taken together |
| Theophylline, clozapine and some other medicines | Their levels can rise a lot; doses may need lowering |
| Warfarin, NSAIDs and aspirin | Higher risk of bleeding |
| Caffeine | Caffeine levels rise, causing shakiness and poor sleep |
This page is general information to help you understand your medicine. It is not a substitute for advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Do not start, stop or change a medicine on your own.
Written by the Asthra Health Care team from the approved prescribing information (Fluvoxamine prescribing information (CDSCO-approved labelling); US FDA boxed warning: antidepressants and suicidality; NICE BNF: fluvoxamine maleate). Pharmacist review pending.