Fluvoxamine and HPPD

[Oldawg22]

Hi, so ive been taking Fluvoxamine to help with my depression, but also have hddp. I dont take any medication fir hddp, as i have not yet seen a doctor about it, but share a lot of the symptoms as others and am pretty sure that i have it, unfortunately. Was just wondering if anyone knows if this effects hddp? Ive stopped smoking weed about 1 or 2 weeks aftwr noticing the symptoms as i was trying to deny it. Hoping that these steps will sort me out but need to make sure this medication isnt going to have adverse effects. Thank you

[Jay1]

SSRIs do affect me a lot, but I have seen reports of others that get on fine with them. Do you think the med is helping your depression? How is your anxiety?

I would chat to a doctor really, i'd hate to give you advice to stop the med, which then makes your depression worse... but maybe you can chat to the doctor about finding a non SSRI med?

[Oldawg22]

Ive only been put on them recently and i feel like they may be making my symptoms a little worse, but im not sure if thats just because they are making me feel weaker and drowsy. Think im going to continue with the 2 week trial that i am on and if im getting worse symptoms by the end of it ill stop or look for an alternative.

Im pretty new to this, only started showing symptoms about 3-4 weeks ago, and am sorta panicking that it could get worse. Ive stopped smoking weed completely about a week ago, and i barely ever drink anyway, so hoping that will help me. Its scary sometimes, although my symptoms dont get in the way much at all and are quite mild, the thought of them getting worse is what scares me the most. At the start i was just in denail, didn't do any research in the fear that i might have been slipping into a permenant trip or something, but since using this site my mindset has deffinately changed and i feel much more positive and hopeful that my symptoms will go down over time, hopefully. Is this the right mindset to habe? I am aware that it stays with you for life but will things get better?

[Jay1]

Definitely the right mindset... and it's worth noting that is it not "for life" for most people.... Loads of people make a full recovery, especially if they have mild symptoms and go sober straight away.

As you have only been on the SSRIs two weeks and they have possibly given some bad effects, i'm actually gonna go against what I said above and recommend you get off them now (phone your doctor about this). This is not the stage of your recovery to be pumping meds into your body, imho. Especially SSRIs. 

If you can just go fully clean for a month or two, you will know what is happening with your hppd... Then tackle the depression (where there are many avenues to explore).

This is just my advice though, i'm no doctor. 

[Oldawg22]

Thanks for the advice man, helps me a lot. I think i am going to stop taking them because id rather my depression be a bit worse as i can always resort to other methids in the future to fix that, hppd however is my priority at the minuite as it could potentially get worse if i continue and im not really up for that. In fact i didnt take them last night and already notice a much bettee difference in my hppd, so think its the best call. Thanks for the help, this site has been a massive help and seriously eased my mind over the past week or so, thanks!

[SomebodySomewhere]

I definitely have to echo that SSRI's are not a wise-idea right now. When I first got HPPD it made things worse. Years later I was able to use them, and for a long time, up until recently, I'm currently tapering off of Lexapro at a rapid-pace due to a return of HPPD symptoms.

For HPPD symptoms, and I feel like a jerk for recommending something so insanely addictive, but honestly the only drug I've tried that has dramatically reduced my HPPD is Clonazepam. Before going on it though, you need to realize two things:

1) Benzos are some of the most addictive substances on the planet. If you were on a moderate dose of Clonazepam or any other benzo for a sustained period of time and went off cold-turkey you'd risk death. It really is something you need to take into consideration first, especially since tapering off of any Benzo, if that ends up happening, is incredibly difficult
2) Most psychiatrists are totally ignorant not just about HPPD, but about Clonazepam being an effective treatment. Come armed with loads of printed out info if you go that route, and be pro-active, be your own advocate: make it clear you're not just some drug-seeker, you have a legit need for it.

Alternatively, it looks like others have had success on this forum with Keppra and Lamotigrine. I can't vouch for either, I've never taken the later, and the former I took for only a short while and I ended up having a prolonged manic episode, but your experiences may vary.

In terms of the depression end of things, consider more natural routes: Omega 3 fatty acids, lots of exercise, meditation, yoga, Probiotics, there are a number of natural ways to help feel better (and no I don't mean stuff like St. John's Wart, that carries the same risk as SSRI's).