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Taking Fluvoxamine. Suggest Medication For General Anxiety Disorder?

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Posted on Thu, 29 Aug 2013
Question: 74 year old male on 25mg of fluvoxamine twice a day. I understand I need to go off slowly. Please advise proper method to do so. On med for General Anxiety disorder.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Payman Hajiazim (14 minutes later)
Hi there, thanks for asking. If you want to decrease the dose, it is better to take advantage of talk therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. After 12 sessions more or less, you can decrease the dose of your medication. You can decrease then the dose by 20 percent of the dose every three weeks, if you feel good after those weeks. So, for the beginning, you can decrease 10 milli gram after those talk sessions. A simple way to decrease it in this way is to take 25 twice a day for two days and take one 25 mg for one day. Since it has a relatively long half life, you can do it in this way. I wish you a good health. Let me know if you have any question.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Follow up: Dr. Payman Hajiazim (17 hours later)
If I understand you correctly. After talk sessions I can decrease by 20% every 3 weeks. So for 3 weeks I take 40mg, the next 3 weeks 30mg, next 3 weeks 20mg,and the last 3 weeks 10mg. So after 12 weeks I stop altogether? Thanks
doctor
Answered by Dr. Payman Hajiazim (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Hi there. You are most welcome.

Detailed Answer:
Hi there. you are most welcome. I wish you a good health.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Payman Hajiazim

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2000

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Taking Fluvoxamine. Suggest Medication For General Anxiety Disorder?

Hi there, thanks for asking. If you want to decrease the dose, it is better to take advantage of talk therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. After 12 sessions more or less, you can decrease the dose of your medication. You can decrease then the dose by 20 percent of the dose every three weeks, if you feel good after those weeks. So, for the beginning, you can decrease 10 milli gram after those talk sessions. A simple way to decrease it in this way is to take 25 twice a day for two days and take one 25 mg for one day. Since it has a relatively long half life, you can do it in this way. I wish you a good health. Let me know if you have any question.