Prozac
From Autism Wiki
Prozac (generic name: Fluoxetine hydrochloride) is an antidepressant medication, used to treat clinical depression. It is also used to treat conditions of obsessive compulsive disorder, bulimia, and panic disorder.. It is claimed that "Prozac is the most widely prescribed antidepressant medication in history. Since its introduction in 1986, Prozac has help over 54 million patients worldwide, including those suffering from depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, and panic disorder.[1]
Some other similar antidepressant drugs are: Paxil, Zoloft, and Celexa.
Contents |
[edit] Working
Depression is a complication which is yet to be fully understood. A growing amount of data indicate there is an imbalance of the brain's neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters, in simple words, are the chemicals that allow nerve cells in the brain to establish communications with each other. Many scientists and researchers believe that an imbalance in serotonin, one of these neurotransmitters, may be one of the significant causes of depressions. Most of the antidepressant drugs work by increasing the serotonin level in the brain, which elevates mood.[2]
Prozac acts in a way that corrects this imbalance in serotonin by increasing the brain's supply of serotonin. While a number of other antidepressants increases the supply of many types of neurotransmitters, prozac selectively targets only serotonin increasing its supply. Prozac like all other antidepressants, can not "cure" but it helps in controlling depression.
[edit] Side effects
Some of the side effects experienced by some persons include[3]:
- Nausea, difficulty sleeping, drowsiness, anxiety, nervousness, weakness, loss of appetite, tremors, dry mouth, sweating, decreased sex drive, impotence, or yawning,
- Change in sexual desire and/or satisfaction, and
- Difficulty in concentration required in performing certain tasks like driving cars or using heavy machinery.
