Prozac is prescribed to patients with depression, panic disorders, bulimia, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Prozac can cause harmful side effects. Like other antidepressant medications, Prozac can cause persistent pulmonary hypertension in infants whose mothers took Prozac while pregnant, and it can cause serotonin syndrome.
What are some important things I should know about Prozac?
Infants whose mothers took Prozac during pregnancy were six times as likely to develop persistent pulmonary hypertension than infants whose mothers did not take the medication. Persistent pulmonary hypertension can be deadly. Infants with the condition do not receive adequate blood and oxygen flow to the heart and lungs.
Prozac can also cause withdrawal symptoms, an increased risk of suicide in young adults, especially during the first few months of treatment, and serotonin syndrome, which can also be deadly.
Prozac is for people with depression, panic disorders, bulimia and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Depression causes people to be sad, fatigued, lack interest in usual activities, experience significant change in weight, have difficulty sleeping, and have feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
Panic disorders cause people to have panic attacks, which are characterized by a racing heartbeat, sweating, nervousness, feeling dizzy, choking, distress, smothering feeling, chills or hot flashes and shortness of breath.
Bulimia is a condition in which people binge eat and then vomit in order to purge.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by distressful, time-consuming obsessions that disrupt daily activities and that are recognized by the patient as being unreasonable and excessive.
Infants whose mothers took Prozac during pregnancy were six times as likely to develop persistent pulmonary hypertension than infants whose mothers did not take the medication. Persistent pulmonary hypertension can be deadly. Infants with the condition do not receive adequate blood and oxygen flow to the heart and lungs.
Prozac can also cause withdrawal symptoms, an increased risk of suicide in young adults, especially during the first few months of treatment, and serotonin syndrome, which can also be deadly. Signs of serotonin syndrome include:
- restlessness
- diarrhea
- hallucinations
- coma
- loss of coordination
- nausea
- fast heart beat
- vomiting
- increased body temperature
- abrupt changes in blood pressure
- overactive reflexes
You should contact your doctor immediately if you become pregnant, if you experience suicidal thoughts or behaviors, or if you notice signs of serotonin syndrome (listed above). You should also contact your doctor if you want to stop taking Prozac, because stopping the medication suddenly can lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms.