Prozac® Withdrawal Symptoms
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Symptoms of withdrawal from Prozac® are less severe than that of other antidepressants. That is because the medication has a longer half-life, meaning it takes longer to leave the body and fades from your system more slowly.
Prozac Withdrawal Symptoms
Typical symptoms of Prozac® withdrawal can be:
- Fatigue
- Sleeplessness
- Headache
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Burning or tingling sensation
- Return of depression
These symptoms usually diminish over time as the drug slowly leaves the body.
Stop Taking Prozac® Safely
It is important when on a medication such as Prozac® that the patient stops taking it with the help of a doctor. The physician may want to slowly wean the patient off of the medication over a period of two to four months, periodically decreasing the dosage.
Prozac® was the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on the market. It is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (troublesome thoughts that do not stop; or the need to repetitively perform certain actions), some eating disorders and panic attacks (sudden unexpected incidents of extreme fear). It also is used for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, characterized by mood swings, irritability, bloating and breast tenderness.
Prozac® was first marketed in the U.S. in January 1988. Within two years, it was the most widely prescribed antidepressant in the world. It and other medications in its class of SSRIs work by increasing the amount of serotonin, a natural material in the brain, helping people to maintain emotional stability.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or a biochemical substance that transmits messages among brain cells. Once serotonin delivers its message to another cell, it either self-destructs or else is taken into the cell that originally made it. This process of serotonin being reabsorbed into its original cell is called reuptake and it prevents serotonin from continuing to act on the brain. If this reuptake is inhibited, more serotonin is available to the brain.
Contact a Prozac® Attorney
If you have experienced problems quitting Prozac®, you can contact a Prozac® withdrawal attorney. Our attorneys help people harmed by dangerous side effects of antidepressants such as Prozac® get compensation they are entitled to after experiencing harm.
