However, this plan should be personalized based on individual needs and the length of time fluoxetine withdrawal timeline on fluoxetine. Consulting a healthcare provider is essential to devising a safe and effective tapering strategy. While Prozac withdrawal is typically not life-threatening, the side effects of stopping Prozac can be both uncomfortable and challenging to manage. In rare cases, abrupt discontinuation may cause severe symptoms like anxiety, panic attacks, or suicidal thoughts, which may require immediate medical attention to address safely and effectively. Treatment for Prozac withdrawal requires a comprehensive approach to manage potential symptoms and ensure a safe transition 4.
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This medication has a long half-life compared to other SSRIs, meaning it leaves the body more slowly than other drugs. Prozac’s half-life is 4 to 6 days, which allows a gentler withdrawal. Typically, people experience withdrawal symptoms when a drug is about 90% out of the body.
- In adolescents and higher weight children, treatment should be initiated with a dose of 10 mg/day.
- There are no clinical studies establishing the benefit of the combined use of ECT and fluoxetine.
- This is not a list of all drugs or health problems that interact with this medicine (fluoxetine capsules and tablets).
- If the dose is started at 10 mg per day, doctors may increase the dose to 20 mg per day if needed.
- You might need to refrain from driving until you understand how the drug affects your judgment, cognition, and reaction time.
Lifestyle Modifications
Taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) with fluoxetine may cause a serious (possibly fatal) drug interaction. Avoid taking MAOIs (isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine) during treatment with fluoxetine. Most MAOIs should also not be taken for 2 weeks before and at least 5 weeks after treatment with fluoxetine. The withdrawal symptoms that you will experience coming off of Prozac may not be the same as someone else. Everyone has a different reaction to medications as well as how their body responds and readjusts to life without the drug. Some people may experience very minimal withdrawal symptoms, while others may be plagued by seemingly everything on this list.
Fluoxetine Withdrawal Symptoms
As with other drugs effective in the treatment of MDD, the full effect may be delayed until 4 weeks of treatment or longer. Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed. Using FLUoxetine (Eqv-PROzac) with other drugs that make you drowsy can worsen this effect. Your risk may be higher if you also use certain other medicines for infections, asthma, heart problems, high blood pressure, depression, mental illness, cancer, malaria, or HIV. When using fluoxetine hydrochloride and olanzapine in combination, also refer to the Boxed Warning section of the package insert for fluoxetine hydrochloride/olanzapine.
Patients should be advised of the following issues and asked to alert their healthcare provider if these occur while taking PROZAC. Healthcare providers should instruct their patients to read the Medication Guide before starting therapy with PROZAC and to reread it each time the prescription is renewed. Patients should be advised of the following issues and asked to alert their prescriber if these occur while taking PROZAC as monotherapy or in combination with olanzapine. When using PROZAC and olanzapine in combination, also refer to the Patient Counseling Information section of the package insert for Symbyax.
Mild side effects often improve over time (though sexual side effects often persist). However, if mild side effects concern you, get in touch with your doctor. As noted earlier, Prozac is available in capsules, delayed-release capsules, tablets, and liquid forms. The typical dosage for adults is 20mg (10mg for children), though the dosage varies from one person to the next. Talk to your prescribing doctor about the medications that are right for you.
We adhere to strict accuracy guidelines and only reference credible sources when providing information on our website. Some people may not experience symptoms within the first three to four weeks after quitting Prozac. This typically indicates that the person will not experience Prozac withdrawal symptoms at all. Talk to your healthcare provider if you develop any changes in your sexual function or if you have any questions or concerns about sexual problems during treatment with PROZAC.
3 Allergic Reactions and Rash
It is important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits, to make sure this medicine is working properly. Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Prozac (hives, difficult breathing, swelling in your face or throat) or a severe skin reaction (fever, sore throat, burning eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash with blistering and peeling). Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you. You should not use Prozac if you also take pimozide or thioridazine, or if you are being treated with methylene blue injection.
Consider ECG assessment and periodic ECG monitoring if initiating treatment with PROZAC in patients with risk factors for QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmia. Consider discontinuing PROZAC and obtaining a cardiac evaluation if patients develop signs or symptoms consistent with ventricular arrhythmia. There are no clinical studies establishing the benefit of the combined use of ECT and fluoxetine. There have been rare reports of prolonged seizures in patients on fluoxetine receiving ECT treatment. The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of PROZAC.
- In the controlled clinical trials of fluoxetine supporting its effectiveness in the treatment of OCD, patients were administered fixed daily doses of 20, 40, or 60 mg of fluoxetine or placebo see Clinical Studies.
- However, the specific medication and your unique response also play a role.
- Clinical experience with fluoxetine in patients with concomitant systemic illness is limited.
- I do not mean to undermine the withdrawal from Prozac – as symptoms can still be difficult to deal with.
Because fluoxetine isn’t used for weight loss, the drug manufacturer doesn’t provide recommended dosages for this use. Your doctor or pharmacist will give you specific instructions for taking fluoxetine. It’s recommended to take the medication around the same time each day. Fluoxetine comes as an oral capsule and is usually taken once per day. Studies at clinically relevant doses in man have demonstrated that fluoxetine blocks the uptake of serotonin into human platelets.
Does Prozac interact with my other drugs?
PROZAC and some medicines may interact with each other, may not work as well, or may cause serious side effects. It is important to talk with your healthcare provider about the risks of treating depression and also the risks of not treating it. You should discuss all treatment choices with your healthcare provider.