SIDE EFFECTS OF PROZAC: GENERAL QUESTIONS.
What is the total percentage of patients who stop taking Prozac because of the side effects? In clinical trials, 17% of those taking Prozac discontinued treatment, compared to a full 31% of those taking the tricyclic antidepressants.
Does the size of the dose determine the side effects? The incidence of most side effects, including nausea, anxiety, anorexia, diarrhea, insomnia, tremor, and drowsiness, increases with the size of the dose.
What are the most common sedating side effects of Prozac? About 12% of patients taking Prozac (compared to about 24% of these treated with tricyclics) complain of drowsiness, and 4% have reported a feeling of asthenia, or weakness. If the feeling doesn’t go away within a few days, a smaller dose of Prozac should be tried. In addition, in placebo-controlled clinical trials, 4.2% of the 1730 patients taking Prozac complained of fatigue and 1.9% reported feelings of sedation.
Has Prozac been adequately tested for long-term side effects? No, if you define long-term, as being 25 to 30 years. Prozac has only been available since 1987. Most patients who have been on long-term Prozac since then have been on it for a maximum of five to seven years. Not until patients have been adequately observed and tested on Prozac for fifteen to thirty years can one say that the medication has been adequately tested for long-term side effects.
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