One of the oral drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression is fluoxetine. This medicine can only be obtained with prescription and the doctor should always inform the patient about the side effects of this drug. Furthermore, the taking of fluoxetine should not be suddenly stopped since certain fluoxetine side effects may appear. Fluoxetine is a medicine that belongs to the class of the drugs called serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, which generally maintain the normal level of the neurotransmitter serotonin responsible for the light and positive mood. Apart from treating depression, it is also used in the treatment of bulimia nervosa, as well as for curing obsessive compulsive disorder.
Side effects of fluoxetine
In general, fluoxetine can cause a variety of side effects. However, while many people may not even notice any of them, there are also those who will experience some. It rarely happens that a person using this drug experiences a large number of fluoxetine side effects simultaneously. Anxiety, agitation and fatigue, as well as dizziness, insomnia and seizures, are some of the possible side effects of fluoxetine. Furthermore, the people who take this drug may also experience dry mouth, vision problems, headache, hair loss and skin rash.
Fluoxetine is a medicine that may also cause decreased appetite, diarrhea, constipation and weight loss. Joint and muscle pain, excessive sweating and sexual problems are among the possible adverse effects of this medicine, too. These are only some of the most common side effects of fluoxetine, since there are much more of them.Fluoxetine stays in the blood for a couple of weeks after the person stops taking it. Thus, its amounts in the blood are slowly reduced and the side effects of the fluoxetine withdrawal are less common. However, if any of the adverse effects appear, they mainly include headache, nausea and anxiety.Side effects of fluoxetine in women
Pregnant women, as well as those women who are breastfeeding their newborn babies, should avoid using this medicine since it may harm the baby while the baby is still in the uterus, or when the child is born.Side effects of fluoxetine in children
The children should also not be prescribed with this drug although the doctors tend to do that in the cases of moderate and severe depression. The most serious side effect of fluoxetine in children are hostility and suicidal thoughts, as well as mood swings and irritability. Therefore, the children should be carefully monitored when they are on this drug.
Your thoughts on this
Loading...