Fluoxetine

CAUTION:
Studies have shown that children and teenagers who take antidepressants ('mood elevators') such as fluoxetine may be more likely to think about harming or killing themselves or to plan or try to do so than children who do not take antidepressants. If your child’s doctor has prescribed fluoxetine for your child, you should watch his or her behavior very carefully, especially at the beginning of treatment and any time his or her dose is increased or decreased. Your child may develop serious symptoms very suddenly, so it is important to pay attention to his or her behavior every day.

General Information and Indications:

Fluoxetine (Prozac) is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (bothersome thoughts that won't go away and the need to perform certain actions over and over), some eating disorders, and panic attacks (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks). Fluoxetine (Sarafem) is used to relieve the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, including mood swings, irritability, bloating, and breast tenderness. Fluoxetine is in a class of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It works by increasing the amount of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance.
 

Information For Users:

Fluoxetine (Prozac) comes as a capsule, a tablet, a delayed-release (long-acting) capsule, and a solution (liquid) to take by mouth. Fluoxetine may be taken with or without food. Fluoxetine (Sarafem) comes as a capsule to take by mouth. Fluoxetine (Prozac) capsule, tablet, and liquid are usually taken once a day in the morning or twice a day, in the morning and at noon. Fluoxetine delayed-relayed capsule is usually taken once a week. Fluoxetine (Sarafem) is usually taken once a day, either every day of the month or on certain days of the month. To help you remember to take fluoxetine, take it around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label, ask your doctor or pharmacist If you have any questions. Take fluoxetine exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your health care provider.

Your doctor might start you on a low dose of fluoxetine and slowly increase your dose.

It may take 4 to 5 weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of fluoxetine. Continue taking fluoxetine even if you feel well. Do not discontinue taking fluoxetine without informing your doctor. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually.
Other uses for this medicine

Fluoxetine is also sometimes used to treat alcoholism, attention-deficit disorder, borderline personality disorder, sleep disorders, headaches, mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder, Tourette's syndrome, obesity, sexual problems, and phobias. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

special precautions:

o Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergy to fluoxetine or any other medications.
o do not take fluoxetine if you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, including phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or have stopped taking them within the past 2 weeks. Do not take fluoxetine with thioridazine (Mellaril).
o Inform your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: alprazolam (Xanax); anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); antidepressants (mood elevators) such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil); aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); diazepam (Valium); digoxin (Lanoxin); flecainide (Tambocor); insulin or oral medications for diabetes; lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid); medications for anxiety and Parkinson's disease; medications for mental illness such as clozapine (Clozaril), haloperidol (Haldol), and pimozide (Orap); medications for seizures such as carbamazepine (Tegretol) and phenytoin (Dilantin); sedatives; sleeping pills; sumatriptan (Imitrex); tranquilizers; tryptophan; and vinblastine (Velban). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
o Inform your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had depression, bipolar disorder (mood that changes from depressed to abnormally excited), or mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood), or if you or anyone in your family has thought about or attempted suicide. Also Inform your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack and if you have or have ever had diabetes, seizures, or liver or heart disease.
o Inform your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking fluoxetine, call your doctor.
o you should know that fluoxetine may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
o remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this medication.
o you should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways, especially at the beginning of your treatment and at any time your dose is increased or decreased. These changes may occur at any time if you have depression or other mental illness, whether or not you are taking fluoxetine or any other medication. You, your family, or your caregiver should call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: new or worsening depression; thinking about harming or killing yourself, or planning or trying to do so; extreme worry; agitation; panic attacks; difficulty falling or staying asleep; irritability; aggressive behavior; acting without thinking; severe restlessness; and frenzied, abnormal excitement.Be sure that your family or caregiver knows which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor when you are unable to seek treatment on your own.

Possible Adverse Effects:

Fluoxetine may cause adverse effects. Inform your doctor if any of the following symptoms are severe or do not go away:

o nervousness
o difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
o upset stomach
o dry mouth
o sore throat
o drowsiness
o weakness
o hand tremor, shaking hands
o loss of appetite (anorexia)
o weight loss
o changes in sex drive or ability, impotence
o excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)

Some adverse effects could be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them or those listed in the CAUTION section, call your doctor without delay:

o skin rash
o hives (Urticaria)
o fever
o joint pain
o swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
o difficulty swallowing or breathing
o seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist (hallucinating)
o seizure

Possible Symptoms of Overdose:

o unsteadiness
o confusion
o unresponsiveness
o nervousness
o hand tremor, shaking hands
o dizziness
o rapid, irregular, or pounding heartbeat
o seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist (hallucinating)
o fever
o fainting
o coma

Brand Name(s):

o Prozac®
o Sarafem®