Fluoxetine Prozac

Altered removal of a neurotransmitter from the synaptic cleft. The third mechanism by which drugs may alter synaptic activity involves changes in neurotransmitter reuptake or degradation. A very well known example of a drug in this category is Prozac (fluoxetine), which is used to treat depression. The complete etiology is unknown, but it is widely accepted that depression involves a deficiency of monoamine neurotransmitters (e.g., norepinephrine and serotonin) in the CNS. Prozac, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, prevents removal of serotonin from the synaptic cleft. As a result, the concentration and activity of serotonin are enhanced. 

Prozac (Fluoxetine) Depression Obsessive-compulsive disorders Panic Post-traumatic stress disorder 2.9 1.0 1988 - US 1989 - UK Once daily... 

A breakthrough in the treatment of major depression was the discovery of fluoxetine, marketed as Prozac. Fluoxetine has a mechanism of action similar to that of imipramine with an important exception. It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, an SSRI. This strongly suggests that, in some sense, the symptoms of major depression result from a deficit in serotonin specifically. By inhibiting its reuptake from the synapse, the activity of serotonin is enhanced. Two other important drugs for major depression, sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil), among several others,... 

Prozac (Fluoxetine hydrochloride) differs from compound A in having an —NHCH3 group in place of —N(CH3)2. 

The older generation of drags are less desirable than the new selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, because they have many actions in the body other than their antidepressant effect. Prozac (fluoxetine hydrochloride) is among this group. Other trade names in this group are Celexa, Paxil, and Zoloft. 

Prozac is the most commonly prescribed antidepressant in the United States. In 1999, 135 million prescriptions were written for antidepressants, with Prozac (fluoxetine) the most commonly used. 

SSRI antidepressants, which include Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), and Paxil (paroxetine), usually decrease the effects of LSD when they are taken together. However, taking an SSRI antidepressant can bring on disturbing flashbacks in someone who has taken LSD in the past. 

Another example in which the excipient reacts with the API is the reaction between lactose and fluoxetine hydrochloride (refer to Figure A15-6 in the Addendum of this chapter). This is a typical example of the Maillard reaction [9]. Another example of the Maillard reaction is presented where Prozac (fluoxetine hydrochloride) and two generic drug products of Prozac were compared at accelerated conditions (40°C/75% RH), and the amount of degradation products (analyzed by HPLC) were found to be very different between the studied formulations (refer to Table 15-2) [10]. The authors... 

Cognitive therapists feel it is important for OCD patients to learn to think differently in order to improve their condition. Most professionals who treat obsessive-compulsive illnesses feel that a combination of therapy and medication is helpful. Some antidepressants, like Anafranil (clomipramine) and Prozac (fluoxetine), are prescribed to help alleviate the condition. 

Wong, D.T. er a/. (1995) Prozac (fluoxetine. Lilly 110140). the first selective serotonin uptake inhibitor and an antidepressant drug Twenty years since its first publication. Life Sci. 57.411-441. 

Figure 3.1 How Prozac (fluoxetine) blocks reuptake of serotonin. Normally the serotonin reuptake transporter carries serotonin back into the neuron. Prozac binds to the transporter, causing serotonin to build up outside the neuron.

Princeton University, have shown that chronic treatment with Prozac (fluoxetine) causes new neurons to be born in the hippocampus, a region important for memory formation. This discovery is fascinating because it implies that depression may be caused by decreases in neuronal birth. 

Figure 3.4 Prozac (fluoxetine) was the first SSRI to be patented and widely sold to the public. It was created specifically to alter serotonin levels in the brain. The green and white pills, shown here, have become synonymous with depression treatment. Since Prozac s creation in the 1980s, many other SSRIs have been synthesized. These include Paxil (paroxetine), Luvox (fluvoamine), Zoloft (sertraline), and Celexa (citalopram).

Prozac (fluoxetine), one of the newest generation of antidepressant drugs, is one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States. 

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