Long-term effects of Prozac can include: Lengthened half-life elimination due to liver toxicity. Growth attenuation. Sexual dysfunction.
There do not seem to be any lasting harmful effects from taking fluoxetine for many months and years. What will happen if I stop taking it? If you've been feeling better for 6 months or more, your doctor may suggest coming off fluoxetine.
More Americans are taking antidepressant medications like Prozac and Zoloft for extended periods of time: One-quarter of people on the drugs have used them for a decade or more, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Common Prozac side effects include nausea, insomnia, and nervousness. Headache, sweating, and drowsiness are also possible. And for most people, the initial side effects go away after a few weeks. But if they become bothersome or interfere with your daily life, talk to your healthcare provider.
The common occurrence of slow-rolling eye movements during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in patients taking Fluoxetine has led to this finding being referred to as “Prozac Eyes” [1]. The oculomotor movements in patients on Fluoxetine are accompanied by an increase in myoclonic activity[2].
Fluoxetine affects brain structures involved in the regulation of both emotional and cognitive behaviors, including the hippocampus and cerebral cortex [5], [6]. Therefore, besides positively modulating mood, fluoxetine might affect learning and memory.
In 2018, the manufacturer Teva Pharmaceuticals issued a voluntary nationwide recall of fluoxetine (Prozac), because of irregular testing results. Fluoxetine is an antidepressant medication used to treat conditions like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic attacks.
If you feel like your antidepressant has stopped working, you're not alone. It's common for a medication that once worked wonders to become ineffective, especially if you've been taking it for a long time. Symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants — it's called breakthrough depression.
How long to take it for. Once you're feeling better it's likely that you will continue to take fluoxetine for several more months. 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.
How long will I need to take fluoxetine for? Most people take fluoxetine for at least six to 12 months after they start to feel better. If you have suffered from depression in the past, you should keep taking this medication for at least two years after you start to feel better.
People taking Prozac or other anti-depressants may experience personality changes for a range of reasons: The stress of waiting for improvement may worsen their mental state or the anti-depressant may produce symptoms of a different, undiagnosed mental illness. Finally, depressed people often abuse drugs and alcohol.
Even though Prozac can cause weight gain, it might help to know that this drug specifically isn't believed to cause “serious” weight gain. Some research shows that, on average, people only gain about seven pounds when they start Prozac — and other studies show that slight weight loss is even possible.
Specifically, weight gain seems to be a common long-term risk, especially the medications that affect serotonin levels. This could be because serotonin is associated with an increase in appetite. There is also a risk of higher blood sugar levels and diabetes with taking antidepressants long-term.
Prozac is used to treat major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, bulimia, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, binge eating disorder and bipolar depression. Doctors also prescribe it for treatment-resistant depression in combination with olanzapine (Zyprexa).
As an SSRI, Prozac works by preventing the brain from reabsorbing naturally occurring serotonin. Serotonin is involved in mood regulation.
It has been observed that some antidepressants can affect estrogen levels in women. For instance, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft) have been shown to decrease estrogen levels in women.
Another study found increased rates of dementia during the initial prescription periods and then reductions in the rate of dementia during continued long-term antidepressant treatment. However, our meta-analysis demonstrates that fluoxetine treatment for 8–12 weeks is associated with improved MMSE performance (Fig.
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.
Meta-Analysis. In the main analysis, a total of five studies evaluated the risk between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use and development of dementia. SSRI use is significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia when compared with nonuse.
Purpose : Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine (Prozac) are widely used for the treatment of depression. Common side effects of fluoxetine include blurred vision and increased pupil dilation, often leading to angle-closure glaucoma.