Prozac® (name of the originator of Fluoxetine) is one of the most prescribed antidepressant drugs today in France. What are its indications, its side effects?
Prozac® is indicated for various psychological disorders, and not only for depression as one might tend to believe:
- Depression,
- Anxiety Disorders,
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorders,
- Bulimia-like eating disorders.
The usual dosage is between 20 and 60 mg/day. It is of course up to the doctor to prescribe the correct dose.
>> See all Prozac® dosages
“There is an endless list of possible side effects, one of the most persistent is difficulty having an orgasm.”
“There is an endless list of possible side effects, explains Dr. Jean-Baptiste Alexanian, psychiatrist. THE more common are fatigue, sleep disturbances, digestive disturbances, loss of appetite, difficulty reaching orgasm.” And to specify that “most of these effects are temporary and affect only a minority of patients. One of the most persistent is the difficulty in having a Orgasm“.
“Prozac® has a lot less tendency to gain weight than most other antidepressants, explains Dr. Alexanian. “He has rather tendency to decrease appetite and it is also for this reason that it is prescribed in bulimia.”
It’s necessary avoid drinking alcohol as much as possible when you take Prozac® and this “due to the reduction in the effectiveness of the treatment and the risk of an increase in the symptoms of “cooked””.
Prozac® tends to tire patients at the start of treatment, however this fatigue is temporary.
Prozac® can be stopped with the advice of the doctor. “There is no neither dependence nor addiction to treatment and withdrawal is generally non-existent because fluoxetine has a very long half-life” reports Dr. Alexanian.
Fluoxetine, like other molecules fighting against depression, had been accused of promoting the passage to the suicidal act in children and adolescents. An accusation widely denied today: “An Umbrella type meta-analysis, which is the highest level of evidence in science, found a statistical association between taking antidepressants and suicide risk adolescents BUT this statistical association becomest non-existent when all possible biases are taken into account. Thus, today, it is not scientifically accurate to say that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide in adolescents. This does not prevent close monitoring, especially of those with suicidal thoughts” explains Dr. Alexanian.
If Prozac® does not have the desired effect, the doctor may increase the dose, prescribe another serotonin reuptake inhibitor or change the class of drug. “In the indications of Fluoxetine, there is a large number of possible therapeutic strategies” says Dr. Alexanian.
The contraindications to Prozac® are:
- Taking Metropropol (a cardiological treatment),
- Taking MAOIs (a kind of very rarely prescribed antidepressant)
- The fact of being allergic to the molecule or to its exciting (what surrounds the molecule)
“In general, you should always seek the advice of your doctor or prescriber. In case of doubt or in the most serious cases, dial the telephone number “15”. would like to add Dr. Alexanian.
Thanks to Dr. Jean-Baptiste Alexanian, psychiatrist, for his voluntary contribution.