What does fluvoxamine mean?
Fluvoxamine is a prescription antidepressant belonging to the class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. By slowing the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain, it helps regulate mood and reduce intrusive thoughts, making it a mainstay treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder and, in many countries, an option for depression, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. First developed in Japan in the 1980s, it was marketed under names including Luvox before becoming widely available as a generic. In medical writing fluvoxamine functions as both a drug name and a laboratory term, appearing mainly in clinical guidelines, prescriptions, and research literature rather than casual speech. It is generally taken daily as tablets, with common side effects including nausea and drowsiness. The word gained unexpected public attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, when trials examined whether it could also reduce severe outcomes from viral illness.
nounFluvoxamine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, used chiefly to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder and, in some countries, depression and anxiety disorders.
- A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used as an antidepressant, especially in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- (Pharmacology) The chemical compound itself, a white crystalline solid of formula C15H21F3N2O2.
"Her psychiatrist prescribed fluvoxamine after her OCD symptoms failed to respond to therapy alone."
"The trial compared fluvoxamine with a placebo in patients newly diagnosed with OCD."
"Because it inhibits CYP1A2, fluvoxamine can raise blood levels of drugs such as caffeine and clozapine."
During the COVID-19 pandemic this little-known antidepressant was tested as a possible treatment for the virus itself — one of very few psychiatric drugs to make that leap.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fluvoxamine
Fluvoxamine is a modern pharmaceutical coinage, constructed in Japanese laboratories in the late twentieth century by combining elements standard to antidepressant nomenclature: 'flu', reflecting the fluorine atom in its molecular structure, 'vox' as a coined middle element, and 'amine', denoting the nitrogen-containing functional group characteristic of the entire SSRI family. It is therefore a sibling name to related coined compounds such as fluoxetine and paroxetine rather than a descendant of classical Latin or Greek vocabulary.
How fluvoxamine is actually used
Fluvoxamine is a trademarked pharmaceutical brand name (originally Luvox) used generically in medical writing. It appears almost exclusively in clinical, pharmacological, and regulatory contexts — patient information leaflets, prescribing guidelines, and research papers — rather than everyday conversation.
Easily confused with fluvoxamine
Both are SSRIs, but fluvoxamine is approved mainly for obsessive-compulsive disorder while fluoxetine (Prozac) is more broadly used for depression.