Who is prozac prescribed to

Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Prozac fluoxetine is an antidepressant that was first introduced in the United States to treat depression in the s.

It is part of a class of medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs. Prozac is mainly used to treat major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder of which are approved uses by the Food and Drug Administration but is also sometimes used off-label to treat other anxiety disorders.

Serotonin is involved in mood regulation. In this way, Prozac helps the brain to maintain enough serotonin so that you have a feeling of well-being, resulting from improved communication between brain cells. Research also highlights how medications such as Prozac may help in combination with psychotherapy. In a mice study published in Science , it was shown that Prozac helped the brain to enter a more immature and plastic state, possibly making it easier for therapy to have an effect.

Studies like this have provided insight into the fact that combining medication such as Prozac with talk therapy is effective for anxiety. If you experience a positive response to Prozac, you might notice a decrease in your anxiety symptoms and feel more like yourself again:. Remember that it may take time for these improvements to become noticeable—even up to 12 weeks in some cases.

You may also experience side effects at first, so it may be hard to notice the improvements until the side effects lessen. Prozac is often considered a first-line treatment for anxiety disorders. However, there are a number of steps involved in obtaining a prescription. Generally, a diagnosis of a mental health disorder must be given before you would be prescribed Prozac. While a family doctor is capable of writing a prescription, the process is better handled by a mental health professional with experience in mental health disorders, such as a psychiatrist, who can also prescribe medication.

Prozac is usually prescribed at a low dose to start, and then gradually increased to 20mg per day. The maximum dose is 80mg a day. It is taken as a liquid or capsule and should be used as prescribed. It can take several weeks for effects to show, so it is important not to stop taking Prozac abruptly if you think it is not working. Only take the medication as prescribed by your doctor or psychiatrist.

Stopping cold turkey could be dangerous and cause withdrawal symptoms. There has been some controversy as to the safety of Prozac, due to the issuing of a safety warning by the Food and Drug Administration in about the risk for suicidal thoughts among certain groups. Despite this warning, Prozac continues to be prescribed and can be used safely or discontinued if adverse effects develop when under the guidance of a physician.

If you have concerns about the safety of taking Prozac, bring these up to your doctor. Use of pimozide and thioridazine also increases the risk involved in taking Prozac. The result of medication interactions can be serious and potentially fatal, so you should discuss all medications you are taking with your doctor or psychiatrist to determine whether potential interactions exist.

Some side effects of Prozac are more likely than others. Some people notice that side effects lessen over time, or become less bothersome. Common side effects include:. Rare side effects include:. Note the sharp increase in deaths involving synthetic narcotics from to These increases are consistent with the national increases in overdose deaths due to opioids and synthetic narcotic involvement overall.

QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmia. One severe side effect that can occur with fluoxetine use is serotonin syndrome. This condition occurs when too much serotonin accumulates in the body. Symptoms of serotonin syndrome include:. Serotonin syndrome can be fatal if it is not treated promptly. If taken as prescribed by a physician, Prozac is generally safe to use for the conditions mentioned above.

Fluoxetine and other antidepressants were originally designed to be taken for a short term. However, many physicians and psychiatrists have continued to prescribe these medications for people who have taken them for years. A data analysis completed by The New York Times, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, found that almost 7 percent of adults in the United States have taken prescription antidepressants for at least 5 years. White women over the age of 45 made up 58 percent of this group.

It has long been assumed that the use of Prozac, whether short- or long-term, is safe. However, patients who have attempted to discontinue the use of fluoxetine after using it for a long time have often found it extremely difficult to stop, even when the drug is discontinued gradually under the supervision of a physician. Not everyone who stops taking fluoxetine experiences withdrawal symptoms, but many people do. A study of long-time antidepressant users found that, out of patients, more than reported withdrawal symptoms, and almost half of the study participants reported feeling addicted to antidepressants.

Only in recent years have researchers begun to examine the effects of long-term use of fluoxetine as well as its withdrawal symptoms. A study conducted in New Zealand examined patients who had been taking fluoxetine for two or more years.

Half the participants were given gradually tapered doses of fluoxetine, and the other half were given a consistent amount of the drug. The researchers followed the participants over eighteen months. The study found that those taking the tapered doses experienced withdrawal symptoms. In some cases, these were so severe that patients had to begin taking the drug again, even when the drug was tapered gradually over months. While fluoxetine is not considered to be an addictive drug, the medication does make changes to the chemistry of the brain that cause people who take it to become dependent on it.

Long-term drug dependence is not the ideal situation for most people and many who take antidepressants like fluoxetine attempt to decrease their dosages on their own or stop taking their medication entirely. If fluoxetine is stopped abruptly, or if the dose is decreased too rapidly, however, the following symptoms of withdrawal may occur:. Tingling or prickliness of the skin 1. The symptoms of withdrawal that occur when the use of an antidepressant is ended are referred to by medical professionals as discontinuation syndrome.

These symptoms for other antidepressants are similar to the withdrawal symptoms for Prozac listed above but may occur in varying degrees of severity.

Some medications cause more severe symptoms of discontinuation syndrome than others, primarily due to how quickly the drugs remove themselves from the body.

On average, symptoms of discontinuation syndrome last for 1 to 2 weeks but may be present for up to a year, 9 depending on the medication and on how long the person has taken that medication. In fact, fluoxetine is often used as a treatment for discontinuation syndrome when a person is ending the use of another SSRI medication. This is concerning when viewed in light of the research results mentioned above, which indicate that fluoxetine carries the same risk of discontinuation syndrome.

Since fluoxetine is often used to treat long-term mental health conditions such as OCD, discontinuation syndrome may be more severe for these patients than for patients who use Prozac in the short term to manage withdrawal symptoms. Still, caution should be taken when discontinuing fluoxetine, and ending the use of any antidepressant should be done under the supervision of a physician. The types of treatment used to end dependence on fluoxetine depend on the circumstances surrounding how the medication is used.

For people who abuse Prozac or take it in an attempt to self-medicate, treatment should focus on any other substances that are abused along with fluoxetine and on the conditions that people are attempting to treat. For example, a person taking fluoxetine as an appetite suppressant should receive treatment for the eating disorder associated with this use of the medication.

People who use fluoxetine and alcohol or fluoxetine and opioids together should receive treatment for abuse of those respective substances.

As stated previously, people who want to end the use of medically prescribed fluoxetine should do so under the supervision of their physicians. Prozac should be tapered gradually until a person can function without the drug with no withdrawal symptoms.

The longer a person has taken Prozac, the longer it will take to taper off the medication. In some cases, this may take months or even over a year. These will often improve over the first week or two as you continue to take the medication. Sexual side effects, such as problems with orgasm or ejaculatory delay often do not diminish over time. Low sodium blood levels symptoms of low sodium levels may include headache, weakness, difficulty concentrating and remembering , teeth grinding, angle closure glaucoma symptoms of angle closure glaucoma may include eye pain, changes in vision, swelling or redness in or around eye , serotonin syndrome symptoms may include shivering, diarrhea, confusion, severe muscle tightness, fever, seizures, and death , seizure, QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmia including Torsades de Pointes changes in the electrical activity of your heart; symptoms may include fast, slow or irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, and dizziness or fainting.

SSRI antidepressants including fluoxetine may increase the risk of bleeding events. Combined use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs e.

This may include symptoms such as gums that bleed more easily, nose bleed, or gastrointestinal bleeding. Some cases have been life threatening. To date, there are no known problems associated with long term use of fluoxetine. It is a safe and effective medication when used as directed.

Fluoxetine should not be taken with or within 6 weeks of taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors MAOIs. Fluoxetine may increase the effects of other medications that can cause bleeding e. Sleep, energy, or appetite may show some improvement within the first weeks. Improvement in these physical symptoms can be an important early signal that the medication is working.

Depressed mood and lack of interest in activities may need up to weeks to fully improve. Depression and certain other psychiatric disorders are themselves associated with increases in the risk of suicide. This risk may persist until significant remission occurs. In short-term studies, antidepressants increased the risk of suicidality in children, adolescents, and young adults when compared to placebo.

Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age Adults age 65 and older taking antidepressants have a decreased risk of suicidality. Patients, their families, and caregivers should be alert to the emergence of anxiety, restlessness, irritability, aggressiveness and insomnia. All patients being treated with antidepressants for any indication should watch for and notify their health care provider for worsening symptoms, suicidality and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the first few months of treatment.

Last Updated: January This information is being provided as a community outreach effort of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. This information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This information contains a summary of important points and is not an exhaustive review of information about the medication.

Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding medications or medical conditions. Never delay seeking professional medical advice or disregard medical professional advice as a result of any information provided herein. The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists disclaims any and all liability alleged as a result of the information provided herein. Search Close Menu. Sign In About Mental Illness. About Mental Illness Treatments.

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