Fluoxetine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fluoxetine (also known by the tradenames Prozac, Sarafem, Ladose and Fontex, among others) is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Fluoxetine was first documented in 1974 by scientists from Eli Lilly and Company.[6] It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder in December 1987.[7] The fluoxetine patent expired in August 2001.[8]
Fluoxetine is approved in the US for the treatment of major depression (including pediatric depression), obsessive-compulsive disorder (in both adult and paediatric populations), bulimia nervosa, panic disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.[9] In addition, fluoxetine is used to treat trichotillomania if cognitive behaviour therapy has been unsuccessful.[10] In combination with the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine it is known by a few brand names,[note 1] including its US brand name Symbyax, which is approved for the treatment of depressive episodes as part of bipolar I disorder and in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression.
Despite the availability of newer agents, fluoxetine remains
extremely popular. In 2010, over 24.4 million prescriptions for generic
formulations of fluoxetine were filled in the United States alone,[11] making it the third most prescribed antidepressant after sertraline (SSRI; became generic in 2006) and citalopram (SSRI; became generic in 2003).[11] In 2011, 6 million prescriptions for fluoxetine were handed out in the UK.[12]
