Yes, this medicine is considered safe and effective.
fluoxetine
This medicine is used to treat depression, especially in cases where sedation is not required; as well as for the treatment of bulimia nervosa (an eating disorder characterised by binge eating and followed by voluntarily vomiting) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (a mental disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), and behaviors that drive them to do something repititively).
Contradications
This medicine is contraindicated in severe renal (kidney) failure, unstable epilepsy (a disorder with abnormal brain activity causing seizures). It is also not prescribed within 2 weeks of stopping MAOIs and 1 day of stopping moclobemide.
Side effects
The adverse effects of this medicine are nausea, headache, anxiety, vomiting, insomnia (lack of sleep), dizziness, asthenia (weakness in muscles), rash, convulsions (a sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body, caused by involuntary contraction of muscles and associated especially with brain disorders) , hypomania and mania (mental illness marked by periods of great excitement, delusions, and overactivity) , anorexia, sleep disorders, restlessness, decreased libido (decreased desire for sexual function), disturbance in attention, dysgeusia (distortion of taste), somnolence (increased sleep), tremor, blurred vision, palpitations (sensation of heart pounding), QT prolongation (disorder in ECG), flushing, yawning, GI upset, dry mouth, rash, and allergic reaction, increased sweating, arthralgia (pain in joint), urinary frequency, gynaecological bleeding, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, chills, weight loss, serotonin syndrome (a condition in which symptoms include high body temperature, agitation, increased reflexes, tremor, sweating, dilated pupils, and diarrhea), bleeding disorders, seizures, erythma multiform (it is a hypersensitvity reaction which may occur due to herpes simplex virus). In Children and adolescents: suicide-related behavior, mania, hypomania, epistaxis (bleeding of the nose), growth retardation, decreased alkaline phosphatase can be seen with the use of this medicine.
Expert Advice
- Take with or without meals.
- Take a single daily dose in the morning.
- Do not stop taking medication abruptly.
- Avoid alcohol or caffeine during therapy.
- Take sufficient amounts of fluids (2-3 liters per day) to maintain hydration unless restricted by the prescriber,
- Maintain regular dietary intake to avoid excessive weight loss
- Change position slowly from sitting or lying to standing.
- If you have diabetes, check your blood glucose regularly and inform the prescriber about the changes.
- On start of therapy and change of dosage, the patient should be watched carefully for suicidal tendencies by family.
FAQs
Is this medicine a safe antidepressant?
What does this medicine do to your body?
This medicine works by increasing the amount of Serotonin in your brain.
Can this medicine cause weight gain?
Yes, antidepressants usually cause weight gain.
How long can I take this medicine?
Most patients take this medicine for 6 months to 12 months. Follow your prescribers advice,
What will happen if I stop taking this medicine?
Missing doses of this medicine may increase your risk of relapse of symptoms
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