Does Fluoxetine Help With Bipolar Disorder

Prozac And Birth Control

Prozac may have harmful effects in children born to people who take this drug during pregnancy. If youre sexually active and you or your partner can become pregnant, talk with your doctor about your birth control needs while youre taking Prozac.

For more information about taking Prozac during pregnancy, see the Prozac and pregnancy section above.

Prozac can pass into breast milk. If you breastfeed while taking Prozac, a child who is breastfed may have certain side effects from the drug. These can include:

• difficulty feeding
• below-average weight gain

If youre breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor before taking Prozac. It may be possible to breastfeed your child while you take Prozac, providing that theyre carefully monitored.

Heres some information about Prozac and misuse, dependence, and withdrawal.

You can also refer to Is Prozac addictive? in the section above called Common questions about Prozac.

How Do Side Effects Of 20

Side effects are expected to be the same whether you take a 20-milligram dose of Prozac or a 20-mg dose of fluoxetine.

Prozac contains the active drug fluoxetine. And fluoxetine is available as a generic medication. Generics can cause the same side effects as the brand-name medication.

If you have questions about side effects of Prozac or fluoxetine, talk with your doctor.

Drugs To Treat Bipolar Disorder

• Medications and pregnancy

Bipolar disorder medications

If you have bipolar disorder, youll need to be treated on an ongoing basis. In fact, you should be seeing a mental health professional regularly, even if you feel fine. Treatment usually includes a combination of medication and talk therapy.

Psychiatrists typically recommend medications as initial treatment to control symptoms as quickly as possible.

Once symptoms are under control, youll receive maintenance treatment to reduce the risk of relapse. Maintenance treatment also reduces the chance of minor shifts in mood developing into mania or depression.

Several types of medications are used to treat bipolar disorder. These include mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and drugs that relieve anxiety. Your doctor may prescribe one or a combination of medications for maximum effect.

Finding the right medication or combination of medications will take some trial and error. You may need to change medications due to side effects.

It can take up to eight weeks to see the full effects of each medication. Usually, only one medication is changed at a time. This helps your doctor to better monitor and identify which one isnt working.

The following types of medications are used to treat bipolar disorder.

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Can Prozac Trigger Bipolar

Bipolar disorder is the result of chemical imbalance in the brain, and medications are often used to balance the level of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine. In general, these medications help people stabilize their mood swings. However, its important to realize that there is no single cause for bipolar disorder, and it usually takes time for everyone to find the cocktail of drugs that works for them. Take a look at a short list of antidepressants that can trigger bipolar disorder here ..

Is Prozac For Bipolar 2

Depression is a serious mental health disorder for which psychiatric care should be sought. The term bipolar disorder is used to describe a condition in which the person alternates between periods of depressed mood, lethargy and the inability to function and periods of elevated mood, where the individual feels hyperactive, excessively happy and very self-confident. In technical terms, it is described as cyclothymic disorder. The commonest form of bipolar disorder is bipolar I disorder, which is characterized by the presence of at least one manic episode, that is, an abnormally elevated mood that may last for a few days. The person may also suffer from depressive episode in which he/she experiences a depressed mood. Sometimes, there may be more than one manic/depressive episode within a year. This is sometimes described as bipolar II disorder. Sometimes, the disorder may be typified by severe depressive symptoms without any manic episodes. In such cases, the condition may be described as major depressive disorder with psychotic features..

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Fda Warning: Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors

Prozac has a boxed warning . This is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration . A boxed warning alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Antidepressant medications, including Prozac, can increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in certain groups of people. The groups are adults younger than age 25 years and children. The risk is higher in the first few months after starting treatment with an antidepressant and after any dose changes. Prozac is not approved for use in children younger than age 7 years.

While taking Prozac, talk with your doctor right away if you have any sudden changes in mood, thoughts, or behaviors. These may include:

• new or worsening depression

Is Fluoxetine An Antipsychotic

__% of the time, fluoxetine is prescribed as an antipsychotic. Fluoxetine, more commonly called Prozac, is an antidepressant which is sometimes used to treat mood disorders and psychosis, both of which are commonly treated with antipsychotics . So, to answer your question, is fluoxetine an antipsychotic? It depends on the prescription. Many psychiatrists use fluoxetine to treat psychosis, and many psychiatric patients take fluoxetine to treat mood disorders ..

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Learning To Recognise Triggers

If you have bipolar disorder, you can learn to recognise the warning signs of an approaching episode of mania or depression.

A community mental health worker, such as a psychiatric nurse, may be able to help you identify your early signs of relapse from your history.

This will not prevent the episode occurring, but it’ll allow you to get help in time.

This may mean making some changes to your treatment, perhaps by adding an antidepressant or antipsychotic medicine to the mood-stabilising medication you’re already taking.

Your GP or specialist can advise you on this.

How Does Prozac Work For Bipolar

Prozac works in such a way that it increases the levels of serotonin in your body. If you havent heard of it, you may know it by its trade name fluoxetine. Serotonin helps moderate your mood and make you happy. The human body naturally produces serotonin, but sometimes it does not produce enough of it to make you feel normal. When this happens, your doctor may prescribe fluoxetine for you. It enhances the serotonin that is already in your body..

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How Much Prozac Should I Take For Bipolar

Prozac is one of the most prescribed medicines for depression, as well as for anxiety and other conditions. With other antidepressants, Prozac has been found helpful in the treatment of panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD and social phobia, as well as premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Prozac is not approved for the treatment of any medical condition but is widely prescribed for mental conditions. Prozac does not cure these mental conditions. It restores the chemical balance in the brain that is responsible for the symptoms of each disorder. While Prozac can cause many side effects, most of them are minor and will go away in time. There is always a chance that taking Prozac could trigger a manic episode. This is a very rare but serious occurrence. If you are taking Prozac and have experienced this reaction, stop taking Prozac and contact your physician..

Dosage For Bulimia Nervosa

For adults, the recommended dosage of Prozac for bulimia nervosa is 60 mg per day.

Your doctor may start your treatment with a low dose and increase it up to 60 mg over several days.

Note: Prozac doesnt come in a 60-mg strength, so youll need to take a combination of lower strength capsules to make up this dose. Generic versions of Prozac are available that come in a 60-mg strength.

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Pregnancy And Bipolar Medicines

One of the main problems is that the risks of taking bipolar medicines during pregnancy are not well understood.

If you’re pregnant and you have bipolar disorder, a written plan for your treatment should be developed as soon as possible.

The plan should be drawn up with you, your partner, your obstetrician , midwife, GP and health visitor.

The following medicines are not routinely prescribed for pregnant women with bipolar disorder, as they may harm the baby:

Medicines For Bipolar Disorder

Several medicines are available to help stabilise mood swings.

These are commonly called mood stabilisers and include:

• anticonvulsant medicines
• antipsychotic medicines

If you’re already taking medicine for bipolar disorder and you develop depression, your GP will check you’re taking the correct dose. If you’re not, they’ll change it.

Episodes of depression are treated slightly differently in bipolar disorder, as taking antidepressants alone may lead to a relapse.

Most guidelines suggest depression in bipolar disorder can be treated with just a mood stabiliser.

But antidepressants are commonly used alongside a mood stabiliser or antipsychotic.

If your GP or psychiatrist recommends you stop taking bipolar disorder medicine, the dose should be gradually reduced over at least 4 weeks, and up to 3 months if you’re taking an antipsychotic or lithium.

If you have to stop taking lithium for any reason, talk to your GP about taking an antipsychotic or valproate instead.

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Does Prozac Come In Pill Or Liquid Form

No, Prozac doesnt come in pill or liquid form. These forms of Prozac used to be available but are now discontinued. Prozac currently only comes as a capsule. However, generic versions of fluoxetine are available as a tablet, capsule, and solution.

If you have trouble swallowing Prozac capsules and youre interested in taking one of these forms of fluoxetine instead, talk with your doctor.

Managing Bipolar Disorder In Adults In The Longer Term In Secondary Care

Psychological interventions

• Offer a structured psychological intervention , which has been designed for bipolar disorder and has a published evidenceâbased manual describing how it should be delivered, to prevent relapse or for people who have some persisting symptoms between episodes of mania or bipolar depression.

Pharmacological interventions

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Can Fluoxetine Change Your Personality

Are you asking if the drug can change someones personality? Or are you asking if someones personality can change as a result of taking that drug? Ill answer both. Yes, the drug can change a persons personality. Ive read that it can even cause one to become psychotic. Thats why its best to not stop taking the medication without the permission of a doctor. As for personality changes, theres not too much research on the topic, but I think its possible. Psychologists say that personality is usually set by age 18, but there are some exceptions. Im not a psychologist, though. Im a college student. Im also taking this medication for OCD. I take it to manage my symptoms. Im not crazy, nor am I psychotic. And Ive never exhibited a personality change while taking the medication. The only thing that changed was that my obsessive tendencies were controlled. Id say you shouldnt be worried. As long as you keep taking the medication as prescribed by a doctor, you should be safe..

Antidepressants For Acute Bipolar Depression: A Summary Of The Efficacy Data And Meta

Over the last decade, a number of reviews and meta-analyses have examined the relative small research literature on the efficacy of antidepressants in bipolar depression. Studies in this area included studies with either only bipolar I or a combination of bipolar I and bipolar II patients. . Both narrative reviews and meta-analyses differ in their conclusions, reflecting subtle but important differences in study inclusion/exclusion criteria and statistical techniques. As examples, Sidor and MacQueen included 7 studies in their meta-analysis, McGirr et al. included 6 studies, while Vasquez et al. included 10 studies. Considering either response, remission or both, two of these meta-analyses found no significant efficacy of antidepressants in bipolar depression while another found efficacy with a relative risk =1.43 and with a number to treat =6.2. Using a different approach, an additional analysis examined all studies comparing antidepressant efficacy in unipolar and bipolar depressed patients and found no difference in efficacy . Finally, a meta-analysis which compared antidepressants for bipolar depression to separate studies on antidepressants in unipolar depression found comparable efficacy .

Thus, the only reasonable conclusion would be that, with the relative paucity of data available, the effectiveness of antidepressants, whether prescribed as monotherapy or adjunctive to mood stabilizers for bipolar depression is still unproven .

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Risks Of Prozac During Pregnancy

Some evidence suggests that children born to people who took Prozac during the third trimester* of pregnancy may be at risk of certain complications at birth. These complications may include:

• problems with breathing
• crying more than is typical

It isnt known whether these complications are caused by the drug or whether they may be symptoms of withdrawal.

Some people have reported an increased rate of heart abnormalities in children exposed to Prozac during pregnancy. However, its not known for sure whether the drug was the cause.

* The third trimester refers to weeks 29 to 40 of pregnancy. For more information, see the Prozac withdrawal, dependence, and misuse section below.

Can You Live With Bipolar Without Medication

Yes, you can live with bipolar without medication. Medication is only one of the treatment options available for bipolar disorder and it is not the only one that can prove effective. However, meds can be quite helpful if you dont want to go through the struggle of dealing with bipolar disorder. Also, some people are resistant to meds and prefer holistic treatment options instead..

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Antidepressants In Bipolar Disorder: A Clinical Perspective

To summarize a relatively small but confusing literature:

• The efficacy of antidepressants in bipolar depression remains unproven.

• When added to mood stabilizers, antidepressants are not associated with increased switch .

• No consistent evidence has demonstrated cycle acceleration in bipolar patients on modern antidepressants .

• Bipolar II patients may be treated safely with antidepressants.

• A subset of bipolar patients, both bipolar I and II, will need a maintenance regimen of mood stabilizers plus antidepressants and will not show mood instability with this regimen.

Given these conclusions, what principles should guide clinicians?

Which Antidepressant Is Best For Bipolar

Well, I have to say a lot of people use and swear by Lithium, however, in my personal opinion, I feel it to be the worst one for this. Though, if you do your research, youll see that it is the most commonly prescribed, it is also the worst for most people in my opinion. I have tried a lot of antidepressants and below is my list..

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The Importance Of Regular Blood Tests

If you take lithium, it’s important to have regular blood tests to make sure your dose is in the effective range. Doses that are too high can be toxic. When you first start taking it, your doctor may check your blood levels once or twice a week. When the right dose has been determined and your levels are steady, it’s still important to get blood tests every two to three months, since many things can cause your lithium levels to change. Even taking a different brand of lithium can lead to different blood levels.

Can Prozac Help Bipolar Disorder

Prozac is used to treat depression , obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic pain. In addition, it is used to treat eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder . Prozac is in a class of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors . This medication works by restoring the balance of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental stability..

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What Does Prozac Feel Like When It Starts Working

Prozac is a semisynthetic antidepressant of the SSRI class. It is intended to treat depression, but acts on several chemical messengers in the brain to produce a wide range of effects that may be helpful in treating anxiety, panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and premenstrual syndrome..

Can You Take Fluoxetine If You Are Bipolar

Fluoxetine is also known as Prozac. It is is a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor , which means that it makes more serotonin available in the brain. SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant. Fluoxetine can be taken by people without bipolar disorder, but people with bipolar disorder should not take fluoxetine. So the answer to the question is no, it is not safe to take fluoxetine if you have bipolar disorder..

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What Is The Best Antidepressant For Bipolar

The antidepressants which do not react with lithium used to be the first choice. The tricyclic antidepressants are effective in treating the symptoms of bipolar disorder. By treating the symptoms, one can have some relief. You could also choose the antidepressants which are effective in decreasing the mania and depression. These include effective use of medications such as lamotrigine and lithium. If you have the symptoms of bipolar disorder, then you should consult with the treatment providers..