Prozac Capsule (Fluoxetine) 20mg

Prozac Capsule (Fluxoetine) 20mg is a private prescription item. To purchase this item you must have a private prescription from your doctor or medical profession. If you require any help or assistance with purchasing Prozac Capsule 20mg please contact our pharmacy team.

Prozac contains fluoxetine which is one of a group of medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. This medicine is used to treat the following conditions:

Adults:

• Major depressive episodes
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Bulimia nervosa: Prozac is used alongside psychotherapy for the reduction of binge-eating and purging

Children and adolescents aged 8 years and above:

• Moderate to severe major depressive disorder, if the depression does not respond to psychological therapy after 4-6 sessions.
• Prozac should be offered to a child or young person with moderate to severe major depressive disorder only in combination with psychological therapy.

Prozac Capsule (Fluoxetine) 20MG: Swallow the capsules with a drink of water. Do not chew the capsules.

Adults: The usual dose is:

Depression: The recommended dose is 1 capsule (20 mg) daily. Your doctor will review and adjust your dosage if necessary within 3 to 4 weeks of the start of treatment. If required, the dosage can be gradually increased up to a maximum of 3 capsules (60 mg) daily. The dose should be increased carefully to ensure that you receive the lowest effective dose. You may not feel better immediately when you first start taking your medicine for depression. This is usual because an improvement in depressive symptoms may not occur until after the first few weeks. Patients with depression should be treated for at least 6 months.

Bulimia nervosa: The recommended dose is 3 capsules (60 mg) daily.

OCD: The recommended dose is 1 capsule (20 mg) daily. Your doctor will review and adjust your dosage if necessary after 2 weeks of treatment. If required, the dosage can be gradually increased up to a maximum of 3 capsules (60 mg) daily. If no improvement is noted within 10 weeks, your doctor will reconsider your treatment.

Children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years with depression:Treatment should be started and be supervised by a specialist. The starting dose is 10mg/day (given as 2.5ml of Prozac oral liquid). After 1 to 2 weeks, your doctor may increase the dose to 20mg/day. The dose should be increased carefully to ensure that you receive the lowest effective dose. Lower weight children may need lower doses. Your doctor will review the need for continuing treatment beyond 6 months, and treatment will be reassessed if no improvement is seen.

Elderly: Your doctor will increase the dose with more caution and the daily dose should generally not exceed 2 capsules (40 mg). The maximum dose is 3 capsules (60 mg) daily. Liver impairment: If you have a liver problem or are using other medication that might affect Prozac, your doctor may decide to prescribe a lower dose or tell you to use Prozac every other day.

Prozac Capsule (Fluoxetine) 20mg:

• The active substance is fluoxetine hydrochloride. Each capsule contains fluoxetine hydrochloride equivalent to 20 milligram (mg) of fluoxetine. 
• Other ingredients inside the capsule are: starch flowable and dimeticone.
• The capsule shell is made of gelatin, patent blue V (E131), yellow iron oxide (E172), titanium dioxide (E171), and black edible printing ink, which contains shellac and black iron oxide (E172).

Prozac Capsule (Fluoxetine) 20MG - Like all medicines, Prozac can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

• If you get a rash or allergic reaction such as itching, swollen lips/tongue or wheezing/shortness of breath, stop taking the capsules straight away and tell your doctor immediately.
• If you feel restless and cannot sit or stand still, you may have akathisia; increasing your dose of Prozac may make you feel worse. If you feel like this, contact your doctor.
• Tell your doctor immediately if your skin starts to turn red or you develop a varied skin reaction or your skin starts to blister or peel. This is very rare.
• Some patients have had: a combination of symptoms (known as “serotonin syndrome”) including unexplained fever with faster breathing or heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or tremor, confusion, extreme agitation or sleepiness (only rarely); feelings of weakness, drowsiness or confusion mostly in elderly people and in (elderly) people taking diuretics (water tablets);
• prolonged and painful erection;
• irritability and extreme agitation.

If you have any of the above side effects, you should tell your doctor immediately.

PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER

• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them,
• even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
• If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this
• leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
• If you are a carer or are helping someone else to take their capsules, please read this
• leaflet before you give the first dose.

• Major depressive episodes
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Bulimia nervosa: Prozac is used alongside psychotherapy for the reduction of binge-eating
• and purging

• Moderate to severe major depressive disorder, if the depression does not respond to psychological therapy after 4-6 sessions. Prozac should be offered to a child or young person with moderate to severe major depressive disorder only in combination with psychological therapy.

• Allergic (hypersensitive) to fluoxetine or any of the other ingredients of Prozac (see Section
• If you develop a rash or other allergic reactions (like itching, swollen lips or face or shortness of breath), stop taking the capsules straight away and contact your doctor immediately.

• Taking other medicines used to treat depression, known as non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors or reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors type A (MAOIs), since serious or even fatal reactions can occur. Examples of MAOIs include nialamide, iproniazide, selegeline, moclobemide, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid and toloxatone.

• have epilepsy or fits (seizures) or experience an increase in seizure frequency, contact your doctor immediately; Prozac might need to be discontinued.
• mania now or in the past; if you have a manic episode, contact your doctor immediately because Prozac might need to be discontinued.
• diabetes (your doctor may need to adjust your dose of insulin or other antidiabetic treatment);
• liver problems (your doctor may need to adjust your dosage)
• heart problems
• are taking diuretics (water tablets), especially if you are elderly;
• are having ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) treatment;
• have a history of bleeding disorders or you develop bruises or unusual bleeding;
• are taking medicines that thin the blood (see ‘Taking other medicines’).
• start to experience fever, muscle stiffness or tremor, changes in your mental state like confusion, irritability and extreme agitation; you may suffer from the so-called “serotonin syndrome” or “neuroleptic malignant syndrome”. Although this syndrome occurs rarely it may result in potentially life threatening conditions; contact your doctor immediately, Prozac might need to be discontinued.
• have thoughts of suicide and worsening of your depression or anxiety disorder. If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders you can sometimes have thoughts of harming or killing yourself. These may be increased when first starting antidepressants, since these medicines all take time to work, usually about two weeks but sometimes longer.
• You may be more likely to think like this: If you have previously had thoughts about killing or harming yourself. If you are a young adult. Information from clinical trials has shown an increased risk of suicidal behaviour in adults aged less than 25 years with psychiatric conditions who were treated with an antidepressant. If you have thoughts of harming or killing yourself at any time, contact your doctor or go to a hospital straight away.You may find it helpful to tell a relative or close friend that you are depressed or have an anxiety disorder, and ask them to read this leaflet. You might ask them to tell you if they think your depression or anxiety is getting worse, or if they are worried about changes in your behaviour.

• Certain MAO-inhibitors (used to treat depression). Non-selective MAO-inhibitors and MAO-inhibitors type A (moclobemide) must not be used with Prozac as serious or even fatal reactions (serotonin syndrome) can occur (see section “Do not take Prozac”). Some MAO-inhibitors type B (selegeline) can be used with Prozac provided that your doctor monitors you closely.
• Lithium, tryptophan; there is an increased risk of serotonin syndrome when these drugs are taken with Prozac. Your doctor will carry out more frequent check-ups.
• Phenytoin (for epilepsy); because Prozac may influence the blood levels of this drug, yourdoctor may need to introduce phenytoin more carefully and carry out check-ups when given with Prozac.
• Clozapine (used to treat certain mental disorders), tramadol (a painkiller) or triptans (for migraine); there is an increased risk of hypertension (raised blood pressure).
• Flecainide or encainide (for heart problems), carbamazepine (for epilepsy), tricyclic antidepressants (for example imipramine, desipramine and amitriptyline); because Prozac may possibly change the blood levels of these medicines, your doctor may need to lower their dose when administered with Prozac
• Warfarin or other medicines used to thin the blood; Prozac may alter the effect of these medicines on the blood. If Prozac treatment is started or stopped when you are taking warfarin, your doctor will need to perform certain tests.
• You should not start to take the herbal remedy St John’s wort while you are being treated with Prozac since this may result in an increase in side effects. If you are already taking St John’s wort when you start on Prozac, stop taking St John’s wort and tell your doctor at your next visit.

• If you miss a dose, do not worry. Take your next dose the next day at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
• Taking your medicine at the same time each day may help you to remember to take it regularly.

• Do not stop taking Prozac without asking your doctor first, even when you start to feel better. It is important that you keep taking your medicine.
• Make sure you do not run out of capsules.

• If you get a rash or allergic reaction such as itching, swollen lips/tongue or wheezing/shortness of breath, stop taking the capsules straight away and tell your doctor immediately.
• If you feel restless and cannot sit or stand still, you may have akathisia; increasing your dose of Prozac may make you feel worse. If you feel like this, contact your doctor.
• Tell your doctor immediately if your skin starts to turn red or you develop a varied skin reaction or your skin starts to blister or peel. This is very rare.
• a combination of symptoms (known as “serotonin syndrome”) including unexplained fever with faster breathing or heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or tremor, confusion, extreme agitation or sleepiness (only rarely);
• feelings of weakness, drowsiness or confusion mostly in elderly people and in (elderly) people taking diuretics (water tablets);
• prolonged and painful erection;
• irritability and extreme agitation.

• Whole body - chills, sensitivity to sunlight, weight loss.
• Digestive system - diarrhoea and stomach upsets, vomiting, indigestion, difficulty swallowing or
• a change in taste, or a dry mouth. Abnormal liver function has been reported rarely, with very
• rare cases of hepatitis.
• Nervous system - headache, sleep problems or unusual dreams, dizziness, poor appetite,
• tiredness, abnormally high mood, uncontrollable movements, fits, extreme restlessness,
• hallucinations, untypical wild behaviour, confusion, agitation, anxiety, nervousness, not being able
• to concentrate or think properly, panic attacks; or thoughts of suicide or harming yourself.
• Urogenital system and reproductive disorders - difficulty passing urine or passing urine too
• frequently, poor sexual performance, prolonged erections, and producing breastmilk.
• Respiratory System - sore throat, shortness of breath. Lung problems (including inflammatory
• processes of varying histopathology and/or fibrosis) have been reported rarely.
• Other - hair loss, yawning, blurred vision, unexplained bruising or bleeding, sweating, hot flushes,
• feeling dizzy when you stand up, or joint or muscle pain, low levels of sodium in the blood.
• Most of these side effects are likely to disappear with continued treatment.
• In children and adolescents (8-18 years) – Prozac may slow growth or possibly delay sexual
• maturity.
• If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this
• leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.