This leaflet answers some of the common questions about Luvox. It does not contain all of the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking Luvox against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

You may need to read it again.

Luvox belongs to a family of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and is used for treatment of the conditions listed below, or your doctor may prescribe Luvox for another reason.

Luvox is used to treat depression in adults only. It is not recommended for treatment of this condition in children and adolescents as the safety and effectiveness of this medicine, when used for depression in this age group, have not been established.

Depression is longer lasting and/or more severe than the "low moods" everyone has from time to time due to the stress of everyday life. It can affect your whole body and can cause emotional and physical symptoms such as feeling low in spirit, loss of interest in activities, being unable to enjoy life, poor appetite or overeating, disturbed sleep, often waking up early, loss of sex drive, lack of energy and feeling guilty for no reason.

Luvox is also used to treat a condition known as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults and children eight years of age or older.

People with OCD can have two types of symptoms - obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted repeated thoughts or feelings, which are ongoing. Compulsions are the need to repeat actions over and over. The symptoms of OCD can vary from patient to patient.

Both of these conditions are thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in parts of the brain. Luvox corrects this chemical imbalance and may help relieve the symptoms of depression and OCD.

Your doctor may have prescribed it for another purpose.

There is no evidence that this medicine is addictive.

Luvox is only available with a doctor's prescription.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:

Do not take Luvox if:

The active ingredient in Luvox passes into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby may be affected.

If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.

If you are not sure whether you should start taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.

Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.

You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking Luvox.

Some medicines and Luvox may interfere with each other. Some of these include:

There are many other medicines not listed here which could interfere with Luvox and vice versa. Always tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking Luvox before taking a new medication or complementary health product. These medicines may be affected by Luvox or may affect how well it works. You may need to take different amounts of your medicine or you may need to take different medicines.

Some combinations of medicines (including herbal and other remedies) can interact with Luvox and increase the risk of side effects, some of which can be potentially life-threatening.

Your doctor or pharmacist may have more information on medicines to avoid while taking Luvox.

These directions may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how many Luvox tablets to take each day. These will be printed on the pharmacy label on the container.

Adults: The usual starting dose is 50 mg each day, but your doctor may adjust the number of tablets or the strength of the tablets you are taking until the desired response is achieved up to a maximum of 300 mg per day. If a daily dose of more than 150 mg is needed, the dose should be divided and taken 2 or 3 times per day.

Adults: The usual starting dose is 50 mg each day, but your doctor may adjust the number of tablets or the strength of the tablets you are taking until the desired response is achieved up to a maximum of 300 mg per day. If a daily dose of more than 150 mg is needed, the dose should be divided and taken 2 or 3 times per day. Children & Adolescents: The usual starting dose is 25 mg each day. The doctor will probably adjust the dose until the desired response is achieved.

The length of treatment will depend on how quickly your symptoms improve. Most antidepressants take time to work, so don't be discouraged if you don't feel better right away. Some of your symptoms may improve in 1 or 2 weeks but it can take up to 4 or 6 weeks to feel any real improvement. Even when you feel well, you will usually have to take Luvox for several months or even longer to make sure the benefits are maintained.

In general, antidepressant medication should be continued for at least 6 months following recovery of a depressive episode.

If your Luvox treatment needs to be stopped, your doctor or pharmacist will provide you with instructions to reduce the dose gradually over a period of at least one or two weeks.

If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.

You may need urgent medical attention. The most common symptoms are nausea (feeling sick), vomiting and diarrhoea. You could also experience drowsiness and dizziness, rapid or irregular heartbeats, tremors or feel faint.

Otherwise, your doctor may think that it was not effective and change your treatment unnecessarily.

This will help your doctor to determine the best treatment for you.

Your doctor may want to take some blood tests and check your heart and blood pressure from time to time. This helps prevent unwanted side effects.

Care givers should consider all mentions of suicide or violence, which must be taken seriously.

Families and caregivers of children and adolescents who are taking Luvox should be especially watchful of the warning signs associated with suicide listed below.

The warning signs include:

There is a greater risk of suicide in people with history of suicidal thoughts prior to starting Luvox, and in those aged less than 24 years, including those not being treated for depression.

It may cause drowsiness, dizziness or sleepiness in some people and affect alertness.

Although drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is unlikely to affect your response to Luvox, your doctor may suggest avoiding alcohol while you are being treated for depression.

Luvox can increase the effects of caffeine. People having large amounts of caffeine whilst on Luvox can experience tremor (shaking), palpitations (fast or irregular heart beat), nausea, restlessness and trouble or inability to sleep.

Older people may become confused when taking Luvox. Families and carers should be aware of this. Special care may be needed.

You should be careful for 1 or 2 weeks after stopping this medicine, because it will still be in your blood stream.

Suddenly stopping it may cause headache, nausea, dizziness and anxious feelings.

Like other medicines, Luvox can cause some side effects. If they occur, most are likely to be minor and temporary. However, some may be serious and need medical attention.

You may not experience any of them.

These are very serious, though rare, side effects.

Other side effects observed more frequently in children are: abnormal thoughts or behaviour, cough, increased period pain, nose bleeds, increased restlessness, infection and sinusitis.

Other side effects not listed above may occur in some patients.

Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Luvox 50 mg tablets are round, biconvex, white film coated tablets marked with "291" on either side of the score line and no embossing on the other side. Packs of 30 tablets.

Luvox 100 mg tablets are oval, biconvex, white film coated tablets marked with "313" on either side of the score line, with no embossing on the other side. Packs of 30 tablets.

Luvox does not contain lactose, sucrose, gluten, or tartrazine.