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.
What are the long term effects of taking Prozac?
Clinical studies have shown that there are many side effects upon chronic administration of SSRIs, like sexual dysfunction, 9 suppression of rapid eye movement sleep , 10 nausea, 11 , 12 decreased appetite 13 and deterioration of symptoms (for example, aggression), 14 , 15 indicating that optimization of chronic treatment of ...
Can you stay on Prozac for life?
Most doctors recommend that you take antidepressants for 6 months to a year after you no longer feel depressed. Stopping before that time can make depression come back. Is it safe to take it for a long time? For most people, fluoxetine is safe to take for a long time.
Is it bad to be on antidepressants for a long time?
Long-term antidepressant users are risking permanent damage to their bodies , according to leading medical experts. Dr Tony Kendrick, a professor of primary care at the University of Southampton, says more urgent action needs to be taken to encourage and support long-term users to come off the medication.
Can Prozac damage your brain?
“We now have unequivocal evidence from a wide range of side effects that Prozac-type drugs impair the normal functioning of the brain ,” Glenmullen says. SSRIs include Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa–trade names that invariably include an x or z for drugs that are best known as antidepressants.
Why is Prozac bad?
The FDA requires Prozac to come with a black box warning stating that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide in people younger than 25 years. It can lead to suicidal thoughts, or a worsening of these, in children and young adults. Other possible side effects include: decreased libido and sexual dysfunction.
How do you wean off Prozac?
When a person decides that they are ready to discontinue Prozac, a doctor will likely recommend gradually reducing, or tapering, their dosage. Tapering usually lasts 4 weeks, but a doctor may suggest tapering the medication over 6–8 weeks to reduce the risk or severity of symptoms.
Why was Prozac taken off the market?
Prozac Generic Recalled Due to Abnormal Testing Results .
What is Prozac poop out?
“The rate of what used to be called Prozac poop-out — the rate of relapse on an antidepressant — is about 30% over a one-year period ,” says Jonathan E. Alpert, MD, PhD, chief of clinical psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. There are numerous explanations for this high rate of relapse, says Alpert.
Can Prozac cause weight gain?
What medications cause weight gain? Antipsychotic drugs, antidepressants , and mood stabilizers are common drugs that have the most potential to increase weight gain . All 12 of the leading antidepressants, including fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and escitalopram (Lexapro), make gaining weight more likely.
Do antidepressants shorten your life?
The analysis found that in the general population, those taking antidepressants had a 33 percent higher risk of dying prematurely than people who were not taking the drugs. Additionally, antidepressant users were 14 percent more likely to have an adverse cardiovascular event, such as a stroke or a heart attack.
Is Prozac a happy pill?
The original “happy pill” was fluoxetine , more commonly known as Prozac. This medication, approved for use in 1987, was the first drug of its kind to be prescribed and marketed on a large scale. The use of this medication is very common, especially for the treatment of depression, but it is not without its risks.
Can I take Prozac every other day?
Maximum recommended dose is 60mg/day . A lower or less frequent dose (eg, 20mg every second day) should be considered in patients with hepatic impairment (see section 5.2), or in patients where concomitant medication has the potential for interaction with fluoxetine (see section 4.5).
What is the safest antidepressant?
Among the newer antidepressants, bupropion and venlafaxine were associated with the highest case fatality rates. In addition, among SSRIs, citalopram and fluvoxamine appeared to be related to higher mortality rates in overdose, whereas fluoxetine and sertraline were the safest [188].
Can antidepressants permanently damage your brain?
We know that antipsychotics shrink the brain in a dose-dependent manner (4) and benzodiazepines, antidepressants and ADHD drugs also seem to cause permanent brain damage (5).
How long should you stay on antidepressants?
Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants. If you’ve had three or more recurrences of depression, make that at least two years.
