MEDICATION GUIDE
FLUOXETINE
(floo-OX-e-teen)
CAPSULES USP
Read the Medication Guide that comes with fluoxetine capsules before you start taking them and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This Medication Guide does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider if there is something you do not understand or want to learn more about.
What is the most important information I should know about fluoxetine capsules?
Fluoxetine capsules and other antidepressant medicines may cause serious side effects, including:
1. Suicidal thoughts or actions:
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Fluoxetine capsules and other antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, or young adults within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed.
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- Depression or other serious mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts or actions.
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- Watch for these changes and call your healthcare provider right away if you notice:
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- New or sudden changes in mood, behavior, actions, thoughts, or feelings, especially if severe.
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- Pay particular attention to such changes when fluoxetine capsules are started or when the dose is changed.
Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider and call between visits if you are worried about symptoms.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, or call 911 if an emergency, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:
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- attempts to commit suicide
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- acting on dangerous impulses
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- acting aggressive or violent
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- thoughts about suicide or dying
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- new or worse depression
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- new or worse anxiety or panic attacks
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- feeling agitated, restless, angry or irritable
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- trouble sleeping
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- an increase in activity or talking more than what is normal for you
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- other unusual changes in behavior or mood
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, or call 911 if an emergency. Fluoxetine capsules may be associated with these serious side effects:
2. Serotonin Syndrome. This condition can be life-threatening and may include:
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- agitation, hallucinations, coma or other changes in mental status
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- coordination problems or muscle twitching (overactive reflexes)
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- racing heartbeat, high or low blood pressure
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- sweating or fever
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- nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
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- muscle rigidity
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- dizziness
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- flushing
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- tremor
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- seizures
3. Severe allergic reactions:
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- trouble breathing
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- swelling of the face, tongue, eyes or mouth
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- rash, itchy welts (hives) or blisters, alone or with fever or joint pain
4. Abnormal bleeding: Fluoxetine capsules and other antidepressant medicines may increase your risk of bleeding or bruising, especially if you take the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin®, Jantoven®), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs, like ibuprofen or naproxen), or aspirin.
5. Visual problems:
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- eye pain
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- changes in vision
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- swelling or redness in or around the eye
- Only some people are at risk for these problems. You may want to undergo an eye examination to see if you are at risk and receive preventative treatment if you are.
6. Seizures or convulsions
7. Manic episodes:
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- greatly increased energy
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- severe trouble sleeping
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- racing thoughts
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- reckless behavior
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- unusually grand ideas
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- excessive happiness or irritability
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- talking more or faster than usual
8. Changes in appetite or weight. Children and adolescents should have height and weight monitored during treatment.
9. Low salt (sodium) levels in the blood. Elderly people may be at greater risk for this.
Symptoms may include:
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- headache
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- weakness or feeling unsteady
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- confusion, problems concentrating or thinking or memory problems
10. Changes in the electrical activity of your heart (QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmia including torsade de pointes). This condition can be life threatening. The symptoms may include:
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- fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat
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- shortness of breath
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- dizziness or fainting
Do not stop fluoxetine capsules without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping fluoxetine capsules too quickly may cause serious symptoms including:
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- anxiety, irritability, high or low mood, feeling restless or changes in sleep habits
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- headache, sweating, nausea, dizziness
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- electric shock-like sensations, shaking, confusion
What are fluoxetine capsules?
Fluoxetine capsules are a prescription medicine used to treat depression. It is important to talk with your healthcare provider about the risks of treating depression and also the risks of not treating it. You should discuss all treatment choices with your healthcare provider.
Fluoxetine capsules are used to treat:
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- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
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- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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- Bulimia Nervosa*
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- Panic Disorder*
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- Depressive episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder, taken with olanzapine (Zyprexa®)*
* Not approved for use in children
Information for pediatric patients (10 to 17 years) is approved for Eli Lilly and Company’s Fluoxetine Capsules. However due to Eli Lilly and Company’s marketing exclusivity rights, this drug product is not labeled with that pediatric information.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you do not think that your condition is getting better with fluoxetine capsule treatment.
Who should not take fluoxetine capsules?
Do not take fluoxetine capsules if you:
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- are allergic to fluoxetine hydrochloride or any of the ingredients in fluoxetine capsules. See the end of this Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in fluoxetine capsules.
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- take a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI). Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if you take an MAOI, including the antibiotic linezolid.
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- Do not take an MAOI within 5 weeks of stopping fluoxetine capsules unless directed to do so by your physician.
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- Do not start fluoxetine capsules if you stopped taking an MAOI in the last 2 weeks unless directed to do so by your physician.
People who take fluoxetine capsules close in time to an MAOI may have serious or even life-threatening side effects. Get medical help right away if you have any of these symptoms:
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- high fever
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- uncontrolled muscle spasms
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- stiff muscles
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- rapid changes in heart rate or blood pressure
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- confusion
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- loss of consciousness (pass out)
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take Mellaril® (thioridazine). Do not take Mellaril® within 5 weeks of stopping fluoxetine capsules because this can cause serious heart rhythm problems or sudden death.
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take the antipsychotic medicine pimozide (Orap®) because this can cause serious heart problems.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking fluoxetine capsules? Ask if you are not sure.
Before starting fluoxetine capsules, tell your healthcare provider if you:
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- Are taking certain drugs or treatments such as:
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- Triptans used to treat migraine headache
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- Medicines used to treat mood, anxiety, psychotic or thought disorders, including tricyclics, lithium, buspirone, SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs or antipsychotics
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- Tramadol and fentanyl
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- Over-the-counter supplements such as tryptophan or St. John's Wort
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- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
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- have liver problems
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- have kidney problems
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- have heart problems
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- have or had seizures or convulsions
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- have bipolar disorder or mania
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- have low sodium levels in your blood
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- have a history of a stroke
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- have high blood pressure
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- have or had bleeding problems
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- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if fluoxetine capsules will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of treating depression during pregnancy.
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- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Some fluoxetine may pass into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while taking fluoxetine capsules.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines that you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Fluoxetine capsules and some medicines may interact with each other, may not work as well, or may cause serious side effects.
Your healthcare provider or pharmacist can tell you if it is safe to take fluoxetine capsules with your other medicines. Do not start or stop any medicine while taking fluoxetine capsules without talking to your healthcare provider first.
If you take fluoxetine capsules, you should not take any other medicines that contain fluoxetine hydrochloride including:
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- Symbyax®
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- Sarafem®
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- Prozac® Weekly™