What Is It Used For?
Prozac is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic disorder, and bulimia (binge eating and purging). Fluoxetine is also used to treat premenstrual (PMDD), symptoms of which occur in the week or two before a woman's menstrual period and commonly include irritability, mood swings, and tension as well as the physical symptoms of bloating and breast tenderness. It is also used for many other purposes other than those listed in medication guides.

How Is It Used?
Prozac usually is taken once or twice a day. To be effective, it should be taken regularly. Make a habit of taking it at the same time you do some other daily activity. It may be 4 weeks before you feel any relief from your depression, but the drug's effects should last about 9 months after a 3-month treatment regimen. For obsessive-compulsive disorder, the full effect may take 5 weeks to appear. If you have any further questions about this, check with your health care professional.

Are There Possible Side Effects?
Serious side effects from prozac may include an allergic reaction, unusual bleeding, high blood pressure, chills or fever, low blood pressure, dizziness, high blood pressure, rash or hives.

Less serious side effects like: headache, nausea, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, sleeplessness, decreased sex drive, impotence. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Is It Safe?
Its pretty much safe except for the ones given below, who are advised to let their doctors know that they have: liver or kidney disease, have diabetes, suffer from seizures, or suffer from suicidal thoughts. Check with your doctor before taking prozac if you suffer from any of the diseases listed above. Prozac is in the FDA pregnancy category C. Babies exposed to fluoxetine during the third trimester of pregnancy may develop medical complications. Prozac passes into breast milk and may affect a nursing infant. It is advised not to take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment or if you are breast-feeding a baby.

What About Interactions With Other Drugs?
Do not take fluoxetine if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine, or tranylcypromine during the last 2 weeks. Serious, and sometimes fatal, reactions have occurred when these medicines have been used together. Dangerous, even fatal irregular heartbeats may occur if these medicines are taken together. You must wait 5 weeks after stopping fluoxetine before taking thioridazine. Talk to your doctor before taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines with Prozac.

What If I Miss A Dose?
If you have missed any dose, use it as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for your next regularly scheduled dose (within 2 hours.), skip the missed dose and use the next one as directed. Do not use a double dose of this medication. And try to keep your doses at least 4 hours apart.

How Should It Be Stored?
Prozac should be kept at room temperature (between 15º-30º C (59º-86º F)) away from moisture and heat. Keep out of the reach of children in a container that small children cannot open. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.

Anything Else I Should Know?
If you are taking prozac you might need to be supervised for worsening symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts at the start of therapy or when doses are changed. This concern about the increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors may be greater if you are 18 years of age or younger and are taking fluoxetine. In patients younger than 18 years, the period of risk may extend beyond start of therapy or when doses are changed. Contact your healthcare provider if you develop any new or worsening mental health symptoms during treatment with fluoxetine. Do not stop taking fluoxetine.

NOTE: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It should not be construed to indicate that the use of the product is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. Consult your healthcare professional before taking the product.