Fluoxetine (Prozac)

What the word means

Fluoxetine is the drug. Prozac is the brand, and it’s the one that made SSRIs a household idea in the first place.

It’s an SSRI used for depression, OCD, panic, and bulimia. The thing that makes it distinctive is its half-life, which is much longer than its siblings’. It clears the body slowly, over weeks rather than days. That has real consequences: missing a dose matters less, discontinuation symptoms are less likely, and switching away from it needs a longer washout period than switching away from almost any other antidepressant.

Where to read the full guide

What the word means is Shrinktionary’s job. What the medication does to your week is PsychiatryRx’s.

Read the full fluoxetine guide at PsychiatryRx, which covers uses, side effects, timelines, and stopping safely.

Related terms you’ll see next

• SSRI
• Half-life
• Washout period
• Antidepressant

When to seek professional care

Any switch away from fluoxetine needs to account for how long it lingers, which is a prescriber’s job and not something to improvise. Tell your prescriber about new agitation, worsening mood, or thoughts of self-harm after starting or changing the dose, particularly in the first weeks and particularly in young people. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, get help right away by calling 911, or call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Fluoxetine (Prozac):</strong> Fluoxetine is an SSRI antidepressant, sold as Prozac, used for depression, OCD, panic, and bulimia. It's known for an unusually long half-life, which means it leaves the body slowly.</p>
  <p>&mdash; <a href="https://shrinktionary.com/terms/fluoxetine/">Shrinktionary</a>, a plain-English mental health dictionary, medically reviewed by a board certified psychiatrist.</p>
</blockquote>