Side Effects of Prozac :: Antidepressants Depression Essays

Side Effects of Prozac Unlike earlier forms of antidepressants, such as MAO inhibitors, Prozac and other SSRIs tend to produce fewer and less severe side effects (Hockenbury, 200). According to Prozac's manufacturer, Eli Lilly (2005), side effects caused by Prozac may include nausea, difficulty sleeping, drowsiness, nervousness, weakness, loss of appetite, tremors, dry mouth, sweating, or yawning. Other side effects listed included a change in sexual desire or satisfaction and a formation of a rash or hives. Eli Lilly (2005) states that these side effects generally go away after a few weeks of usage and are not serious enough to discontinue use of the drug. Other side effects of Prozac reported by PDRhealth include abnormal vision, itching, flu like symptoms, gas, sinusitis, and sore throat. Less common side effects reported included abnormal taste, bleeding problems, chills, ear pain, fever, frequent urination, high blood pressure, loss of memory, palpitations, and ringing in the ear. The most common side effects reported in controlled study of patients receiving Prozac, and those receiving a placebo, patients receiving Prozac more frequently reported experiencing anxiety, dizziness, lightheadedness, nervousness, insomnia, drowsiness, fatigue, tremors, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, abnormal vision, decrease in libido, rash, sweating, and abnormal ejaculation (American Hospital Formulatory Services, AHFS, 2002). Of these patients, fifteen percent had to discontinue use of Prozac. The main reason reported for discontinuation was the onset of anxiety, nervousness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and rashes. Fluoxetine tends to remain in the metabolic system for sometime, and because of this any adverse side effects may take a few weeks to dissolve after discontinuation (AHFS, 2002). Side effects reported by patients receiving the weekly dose of fluoxetine in delayed-release capsules, reported relatively the same side effects as those taking a daily dose. Although, problems with cognition and diarrhea were reported more frequently with the delayed-release capsules (AHFS, 2002). The percentages of patients experiencing adverse side effects of Prozac are as follows: twenty percent experienced headaches, nine percent felt anxious or nervous, fourteen percent experienced insomnia, four percent reported drowsiness or fatigue, six percent experienced tremors, and one to two percent reported adverse affects to the nervous system such as confusion, agitation, abnormal dreams, and sedation. The majority of these effects may be caused by the dosage a patient receives, and few patients in each group discontinued the use of Prozac (AHFS, 2002).