I'm not a doctor. I'm a survivor. This is NOT a replacement for competent medical advice. Almost everything below is anecdotal. This does not carry much weight in the scientific community. In short, it's like talking to your neighbor down the street who is not a doctor, but who had bad reactions he can tell you about and some books he got on the subject he can loan you.. That said...

Is (your symptom here) one of the adverse reactions?

The list of adverse reactions is quite long and includes symptoms that would not seem to have any relation to what the drug is for. For instance a rash developing anywhere on your body may, in rare cases, be deadly and should be reported immediately to your doctor. See the Warnings section of the sample insert for more on rash. The fact is it can affect most of the organs in your body; lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, thyroid, stomach, heart, as well as the nervous system. So the short answer is "probably yes" to pretty much any change you may notice.

The links under Prozac Basic Information and Prozac Adverse Reactions gives clinical trial and anecdotal lists. Always check the clincal trial data in the sample insert first. Some doctors don't put much stock in anecdotal reports, especially withdrawal and delayed withrawal symptoms.

I will give 2 examples of searching these pages below. (These examples use Netscape's browser. Other browsers should also have a Find button near the top. Once you get the basic idea from the examples, it should be easy enough.)

Some reactions appear multiple times over a span of 10-12 pages so it will help if you have the sample insert on paper. If you don't have one, you can make a printout. The 2nd step of example 1 will display the sample insert. You'll need about 20 sheets of paper.

Examples:

1. "I'm taking prozac now and I've started feeling really weak and and so shakey I can hardly write." Click here for example 1.

2. "I quit prozac a few days/weeks/months ago and don't feel so good. I heard about withdrawals. I think I'm having panic attacks and I cry at the drop of a hat." Click here for example 2.

How about reduced sex drive?

This complaint has been noted. Some doctors try switching prescriptions to another SSRI.

What about weight gain/loss?

I lost 5 pounds in a week due to anorexia, a clinically listed reaction. I've read others gain weight.

How about alcohol cravings?

Some people do experience cravings for alcohol. Also the normal alcohol tolerance can change unpredictably. A couple of drinks might knock you out one time, the next you drink twice your usual limit and are still carrying on a "rational" conversation. Unfortunately at this point you may think you're completely ok to drive...

When will I feel normal again?

The number one question for people with adverse reactions/withdrawals. The answer is "Have patience." People are in different mental, physical, spiritual circumstances, take it for different reasons, for different amounts of time, react differently, and take different amounts of time to heal. About the only thing everyone can agree on is that it takes longer than they would wish.

What are these withdrawals I hear about?

Some people have experienced a wide range of adverse withdrawal symtoms when abruptly quiting prozac. In some the withdrawals are delayed. (In my case, I took prozac for 3 weeks, experienced withdrawals for a couple of weeks and then delayed withdrawals 12 weeks later.) Delayed withdrawals are pretty much the same as withdrawals, except possibly more severe.

Should I taper off?

Some people quit cold-turkey and have no withdrawal symptoms. Some find withdrawals much worse and long lasting than initial adverse reactions. Feeling lucky?...

How long should I take to taper off?

I have read some doctors are halving the dose every week or two. When it gets down to the smallest dose, (10mg capsule), you can try "The Orange Juice Bit" (taken from Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology Tips ).

1. pour a glass of orange juice
2. pull apart the capsule and stir into the oj
3. drink half of it
4. put the other half in the fridge and drink the other half the next day.
5. Repeat the oj bit for a week or so.

I've been unable to find any rules as to how long the whole tapering process should take. As with all drugs that have adverse reactions, doctors are experimenting with how best to cope. Personally, I'd err on the side of caution. Since I cold-turkeyed, I have no personal knowledge. I can suggest any period of tapering off is infinitely preferable to abrupt withdrawal.

My doctor gave me a strange look when I told him about (your symptoms here). Kinda like he doesn't believe me...

Ah, yes, That Look. Get used to it. Likely while taking the drug, very likely during withdrawal and guaranteed during delayed withdrawal. Unless you are very lucky, friends, loved ones, and all manner of medical professionals will give you that look at one time or another. At best it is a sympathetic blank stare. At worst it's a thinly disguised hostile blank stare that says, "This guy's a candidate for the funny farm."

With a doctor what's happening is he just doesn't know what you're talking about. It doesn't jive with what he's been told about prozac, and until he's had several patients "go bad" on it, he can't help but think you may be going nuts all by yourself. And he can't help but give you that look. That can be one of the scariest moments of your life...

This is very sad when it happens. You realize your doctor doesn't trust you. You realize you don't really trust him any more. And when you get out of his office, if you ever go back to him, you never mention any more reactions. So you suffer in silence and the doctor doesn't get the feedback he needs to understand the problem and be able to help future patients.

Survivors also go through a period where they try to warn other people of the dangers. Waste of breath unless you keep it very short. After a couple of minutes of babbling about all your reactions, you WILL get that look. But at least you've planted a little seed of doubt as to just how safe the drug is.

You can use this to your advantage. If you're stuck in a conversation with someone you'd rather not talk to, just start relating your prozac experience. Like magic the other person will disappear...

Can you send a list of doctors who are knowledgable about prozac?

Sorry, no. When I started the site I had a page for doctors, thinking people would send me their names. But nobody ever did.

Who can I sue for my (loved ones name) suffering/death?

Well, anybody. But as I've come to understand the process, legally it's probably nobody's fault. (That may be changing. There's a current suit that has passed the initial judicial hurdle.) The process varies from country to country but in the US it goes like so:

Eli Lilly followed the FDA's new drug approval requirements. (4-6 week clinical trial on humans after more extensive tests on lab rats. The FDA is financially unable to do follow up or long term testing on it's own.) The FDA OK's the drug and offers a feedback mechanism to doctors called an adverse reaction report, ADR for short. More information and the ADR form. (In one survey only 40% of doctors knew about ADRs. In some medical schools the doctor received as little as one semester of pharmacology.) Once a drug has FDA approval, any doctor, from dentist to podiatrist can prescribe it.

So, in the big picture, whose fault is it...?

I take another SSRI (Paxil/Zoloft/Lovan/Luvox, etc.) How will it affect me?

The SSRIs are all related. Most have common adverse reactions, some have specific ones, i.e. Paxil seems to give some people "electric shocks" especially around the eyes. (Prozac was enough for me; I've no knowledge about the others.) For specific information, mentalhealth.com has the Canadian list of sample inserts under both brand and generic names. From there searching the net under the brand and/or generic name should provide you with plenty of reading. (A search for paxil turned up 1600+ pages.)