Fluoxetine
An SSRI antidepressant used for depression, anxiety, and bulimia.
Fluoxetine, sold under the brand name Prozac among others, is an antidepressant medication of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. It is used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, anxiety, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and bulimia nervosa, and is also approved for treatment of major depressive disorder in adolescents and children eight years of age and over.
- class
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
- common brand
- Prozac
- manufacturer
- Eli Lilly and Company
- prescriptions (2023)
- over 27 million in the United States
Lore & Background
It is available as a generic medication and is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
Reader's Guide
Fluoxetine is significant as one of the first SSRIs and remains widely prescribed for major depressive disorder, OCD, panic disorder, bulimia nervosa, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It is considered the most stimulating of the SSRIs, often causing insomnia and agitation. Despite this, it remains a first-line medication for impulsive aggression and for children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe depression, though evidence for the latter is of dubious quality. It is also used off-label for premature ejaculation and has shown initial promise for reducing COVID-19 severity if given early.
Did You Know?
- Common side effects include loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, headache, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, and sexual dysfunction; sexual dysfunction may persist after discontinuation (post-SSRI sexual dysfunction).
- Fluoxetine is considered the most stimulating of the SSRIs, most prone to causing insomnia and agitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Fluoxetine?
Fluoxetine is the generic name for a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant most widely recognized by its brand name Prozac. It was developed by Eli Lilly and Company and has been a cornerstone of psychiatric pharmacology since the mid-1980s.
What conditions does Fluoxetine treat?
It is prescribed for major depressive disorder, various anxiety presentations, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and bulimia nervosa. It is also one of the few antidepressants cleared for use in adolescents and children aged eight and older.
Why does Fluoxetine matter in the broader pharmacology canon?
As one of the earliest widely adopted SSRIs, it helped shift psychiatric treatment away from older tricyclic agents toward a class of drugs with a generally more favorable side-effect profile. Its long track record of safety data across age groups and multiple diagnoses makes it a benchmark against which newer antidepressants are often compared.
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