medicine. Help me~

October 17, 2003

hey guys this is alex. i just had a quick question about medicine for depression and OCD. I used to take paxil. but now my doctors think I might have a slight case of obsessisve compulsive-so they want to put me on a med (it is an SSRI) for OCD and it helps with also not getting so upset...it is called Luvox. anyone ever heard of it? anyway, i think it could be a great help for me especially with food issues but i was wondering if that would effect my band at all? i don't think so but i don't want to hurt anything. anyway, let me know if you know!

thanks guys-

you're awesome as always!

everyone keep up the great work.

lose lose lose.

Alexandra · October 17, 2003

Hi Alex,

My doctor said there are no medications I should avoid, beyond those that may cause stomach upset. I don't know anything about the drug you're asking about, but whatever it is I can't see how it would affect your band at all. If it's a very large pill you may want to break it in half, but that's about it.

Good luck with everything!! :cool: (And, of course, I love your name!)

claraluz · October 22, 2003

Well, I've heard of it, but that's about all I can tell you. It is one of the newer medications. I really wouldn't worry about it affecting the band at all. As Alexandra said, the only problem might come if the pill is too big. Even then, if the pharmacist says it's OK to split it in half, it's not a problem.

Nancy

dezzyntx · October 23, 2003

Quote from INAMED booklet:

You should be able to take prescribed medication. You may need to use capsules or break big tablets in half or dissolve them in Water so they do not get stuck in the stoma and make you sick. You should always ask the doctor who prescribes the drugs about this. Your surgeon may tell you to avoid taking aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers. That's because it may irritate the stomach, causing the band to be removed.

This basically said the same thing Alexandria said, but I thought I would add it.

GeezerSue · October 23, 2003

Alex,

I, too, am unaware of any band-related reason that you should not take the drug. But you might also want to do a Google search. Rxlist.com reports that 4% of patients experienced manic episodes using Luvox. There is an older story (1999) which reports that Eric Harris, one of the Columbine shooters, was on the drug at the time he went ballistic. Perhaps there is more current info showing that there is no relation. (Remember, some also wanted to blame a drug--was it Accutane?--for that Florida teen who flew a plane into an office building. It was later established that there was no relationship between the two facts.)

Good luck, whatever you decide. And, more and more research is showing that as our weight is reduced, so is our depression. (Like THAT was a surprise!)

Sue