Prozac
Famous green pill
Prozac is a brand name for fluoxetine, an antidepressant medication that became widely prescribed starting in the late 1980s.
It treats depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The name became cultural shorthand for antidepressants generally and for medicating emotional problems: Half of America seems to be on Prozac.
Generic SSRI antidepressant
- SSRIAntidepressant medication class abbreviation
- prescriptionMedical dispensing authorization
- dosageMeasured medicine amount
- capsuleEnclosed dose container
generic · brand-name · patent · formulary · half-life · bioavailability · metabolite
Prolonged low state
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- obsessive-compulsiveDriven by intrusive urges
- bulimiaDisorder of bingeing and purging
- PMDDSevere cyclic hormonal mood disorder
off-label · efficacy · remission · relapse · maintenance · augmentation · tapering · discontinuation
Mood-regulating brain chemical
- reuptakeNeurotransmitter recapture by neurons
- neurotransmitterSynaptic chemical messenger
- synapseNerve signal crossing point
- receptorSignal-receiving molecule
5-HT · neuroplasticity · hippocampus · downregulation · neurogenesis · monoamine
Secondary, unintended outcomes
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- nauseaPre-vomiting stomach discomfort
- insomniaPersistent inability to rest
- activationSetting into operation
Mark of dishonor
- overprescriptionExcessive medication ordering
- medicalizationReframing problems as disorders
fluoxetine
Generic SSRI antidepressant
- SSRIAntidepressant medication class abbreviation
- prescriptionMedical dispensing authorization
- dosageMeasured medicine amount
capsule · generic · brand-name · patent · formulary · half-life · bioavailability · metabolite
depression
Prolonged low state
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- obsessive-compulsiveDriven by intrusive urges
- bulimiaDisorder of bingeing and purging
PMDD · off-label · efficacy · remission · relapse · maintenance · augmentation · tapering · discontinuation · first-line
serotonin
Mood-regulating brain chemical
- reuptakeNeurotransmitter recapture by neurons
- neurotransmitterSynaptic chemical messenger
- synapseNerve signal crossing point
receptor · 5-HT · neuroplasticity · hippocampus · downregulation · neurogenesis · monoamine
side-effects
Secondary, unintended outcomes
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- nauseaPre-vomiting stomach discomfort
- insomniaPersistent inability to rest
stigma
Mark of dishonor
- overprescriptionExcessive medication ordering
- medicalizationReframing problems as disorders
- antidepressantsfluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram
- Eli Lilly DrugsCialis
- medicationspills, Tylenol, capsules, tablets, Xanax
- Medicinespill, tablet, aspirin, tablets, penicillin
- mental healthpsychiatry, psychotherapy, mental illness, psychiatrist, therapist
- drugsibuprofen, marijuana, aspirin, meth, cocaine
Prozacpsychotherapy
Treatment through guided conversation
talk therapy · cognitive behavioral therapy · counseling · meditation · exercise therapy
Prozacdepressant
Agent that reduces activity
alcohol · barbiturates · downers · despair · sedatives
Prozacsuffering
Sustained experience of distress
raw emotion · feeling everything · the blues · melancholia · existential angst
- Prozac NationMemoir about clinical depression