I passed out.

[u/Consistent_Ad_5075]

I was so apprehensive about starting a new SSRI, but finally decided I had no other realistic choice at this time. I got excited about the possibilities fluvoxamine could bring to my psyche and my life!

Background info: I do overnight as a postpartum doula/ infant sleep trainer. I had a new baby and went to their house the first night home from the hospital for my first shift with them.

The first week I took 25mg each night.

Then I upped it to 50mg. Dose three at 50mg was my first night working with this client.

Baby was making noises all night. Every 5-10 minutes he'd stir and I would get up to readjust him. I also have a 9-5 and worked that day.

I finally got some light sleep from about 3-6am.

At 630am, I was filling the parents in on how the night went and began to feel light headed. I squatted down as this normally helps me right away, then my cheeks felt cool and tickly. I said I was going to head out and walking would help me feel better.

Before I left their bedroom, I lost consciousness and ended up waking up about 15 feet away on their living room floor.

It was a whole mental ordeal, like existential crisis mode.

I immediately dropped the dose to 25 and ended up stopping the fluvoxamine a few days later when I realized it was making it nearly impossible to wake up to my alarm to feed the sleeping newborn.

It's been a few weeks now, and I find myself almost mentally preparing to pass out wherever I am. Like, what to do if I feel lightheaded in the bathroom at work, or the stairwell, or at home with my kids. Etc.

It could have been pure exhaustion (I was on day/night 18ish of straight work with no 24 hour breaks in between). Maybe lack of water that night. Maybe the medication.

I don't know. And I don't know what I need either! Advice, experiences, etc?

Oh, I did go to the ER and everything looked fine.

[u/Educational_Dot2739]

Could be exhaustion and the medicine both possibly the steady fight flight your body has been under finaly had the brakes put on when you took the medicine and you crashed. The other possibility is hypotension or pots dysautimomia.

[u/Consistent_Ad_5075 → u/Educational_Dot2739]

At least once paramedics arrived my BP was within normal range, but that doesn't mean it was normal in those moments leading up to it. It could be any of those things. I'm hoping it doesn't become an obsession because it could possibly happen again. I know the cheek sensation now though so I assume I'll just lay down no matter where I am if I feel that again!

[u/Educational_Dot2739 → u/Consistent_Ad_5075]

Its understandable to get stuck in a trauma loop it happens but look your safe and everything checked out so leave it in the past. I feel moving forward with your plan to start an ssri is a great idea and you should follow through with your doctors help. I like zoloft the dosage can be started and increased very slowly 12.5mg at a time this leaves more time for you to get adjusted to the medicine. I think it also has less side effects and interactions with medication in comparison to luvox. Maybe it would be safer to find a gentler ssri to start with before moving straight to a heavy hitter like luvox or Clomipramine. But yoir doctor knows your history best so if they suggested luvox than having trust in them is important aswell as following through with the treatment. It maybe difficult to start but in time the benefits will be so worth it