Every year, an increasing number of people are diagnosed with depressive and anxiety conditions. This becomes a real problem: psychopathology impedes the construction of a normal lifestyle. A person feels constantly overwhelmed, suffers from apathy, irritability, sleep problems, constant anhedonia. "Apo-Fluoxetine" is an antidepressant, the use of which in therapeutic doses can radically change the life of a person with an anxiety-depressive state.
The principle of the drug
The medicine belongs to the group of selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (reverse) - in simple terms, when you take the hormone of joy and good mood, serotonin is not able to break down as quickly as without an antidepressant. The first weeks of admission, a person gets used to and adapts to a new state - this is associated with the presence of side effects at the initial stage of treatment. In some cases, the patient experiences relief in the early days of therapy, but such a quick effect is relatively rare.
Taking the drug can fundamentally change the life of the patient, as evidenced by numerous reviews. Instructions for use with "Fluoxetine" warns: self-administration is prohibited and fraught with the development of serotonin syndrome. Therefore, you will have to visit a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist and make sure that there are real indications for taking an antidepressant.
Myths about taking antidepressants
Alas, in modern society there are still some myths and prejudices regarding the use of psychotropic drugs. Apo-Fluoxetine is an antidepressant of one of the last generations. It really has a number of side effects, but they are not at all as scary as it is presented by popular rumor and cinema.
Moreover, life when taking the drug begins to play with new colors: the released serotonin provides a physical feeling of happiness, lightness and self-confidence. The prescription for Fluoxetine for some people is like a pass into a world in which there is no place for apathy, spleen, suicidal and depressive moods. In their reviews, patients compare the effect of taking the drug with the transition to the sunny side of the street. After a person gets rid of psychopathologies, his life is getting better: people change jobs, move away from tired partners and make new ones, and build relationships with relatives. There is a motivation to act, to change your life for the better, to get rid of bad habits, to engage in creativity.
Form of issue and conditions of dispensing from pharmacies
The drug is dispensed strictly according to the prescription. If until January 1, 2018, some unscrupulous pharmacies dispensed the drug without it, then from that date the legislation introduced stringent amendments. Now it is impossible to purchase antidepressants without a prescription with a seal, the name of the doctor and signature. In some cases, patients try to fake prescriptions - this is a criminal offense, it is worth remembering this.
Release form - capsules with crystalline powder inside. The active substance "Apo-Fluoxetine" is fluoxetine. This component is the main component in a number of other antidepressants - in particular, Prozac. Laboratory studies have confirmed that fluoxetine-based drugs are significantly safer than previous antidepressants - they are not cardiotoxic, do not cause an overly pronounced sedative or stimulating effect (a moderate stimulating effect is most often welcomed and not perceived as a side effect).
Indications for use
Indications for use of "Apo-Fluoxetine":
- depressive disorders;
- bulimia
- obsessive-compulsive disorders;
- apathy, persistent decline in mood;
- premenstrual syndrome in women.
The drug is most often prescribed together with mild tranquilizers - this is necessary for the so-called "cover" of side effects in the first weeks of administration. The action of the antidepressant "Apo-Fluoxetine" is aimed at changing the levels of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine. Therefore, an independent admission without additional medical supervision is fraught with a violation of the balance of neurotransmitters and hormones, as a result of which the patient's condition may worsen. The advisability of taking the drug, as well as the optimal therapeutic dosage, is determined by the psychiatrist.
The most common combination is Apo-Fluoxetine plus Phenibut or Phenozepam - this combination provides maximum comfort to the patient in the first three weeks of admission. Then, when the period of the most likely side effects is over, only an antidepressant is left. About such schemes from patients only positive reviews. Instructions for use of "Fluoxetine" indicate that without the cover of tranquilizers, the possibility of side effects is great.
Adverse Effects
Most often develop in the first two to three weeks of admission. If after this period they do not stop, we can talk about changing the drug to another - for example, Paroxetine, Sertraline and other antidepressants with another active substance.
The most common side effects when taking Apo-Fluoxetine capsules:
- headache, migraine;
- a feeling of fogging around, derealization;
- lack of appetite, food seems tasteless;
- fatigue - a person feels overwhelmed and tired for no good reason;
- neuromuscular pathologies (akathisia, impaired coordination, bilateral Babinsky symptom, hyperreflexia, myoclonus, epileptiform seizures, oculogyric crises, paresthesias, opisthotonus, muscle rigidity).
The reaction of the central nervous system to the drug manifests itself in the form of: headache, weakness, dizziness, sleep disturbances (night delirium, pathological dreams, insomnia); fatigue (hypersomnia, drowsiness); impaired attention, processes and concentration of thinking, memory; anxiety and the associated psycho-vegetative syndrome, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and / or attempts to kill yourself.
Side effects of Apo-Fluoxetine, judging by the reviews, most often occur in the first few weeks of admission, then disappear, and the patient drinks the full course, the duration of which is prescribed by a psychiatrist, usually about six months.
Why you can not take the drug without medical supervision
In recent years, the popularity of "Apo-Fluoxetine" rolls over among formally healthy people. Due to the presence of a side effect - lack of appetite, girls use it for weight loss. Of course, it is absolutely impossible to do so. Reviews indicate that girls really get rid of extra pounds, but in parallel with this, the balance of hormones and neurotransmitters is disrupted, as a result of which inappropriate behavior and irritability may appear. Almost always, against the background of taking pills for weight loss, headache, nausea, and derealization develop.
As a result, it is necessary to treat the consequences of even a short capsule intake. In order to prevent such a scenario, there is only one way out - never take any antidepressants on your own, especially Fluoxetine. The prescription may be prescribed by a psychiatrist if he considers that a particular patient can not do without drug therapy in solving their problems.
Contraindications
Instructions for use with the drug reports that it is prohibited for use in the following conditions and diseases:
- chronic renal or liver failure;
- tendency to suicidal behavior;
- taking MAO inhibitors;
- chronic alcoholism;
- anorexia.
The appropriateness of taking the drug should be assessed exclusively by the attending physician. It should be notified of the presence of chronic diseases of the internal organs - this can be a direct contraindication. "Apo-Fluoxetine" can not be taken by those who are prone to anorexia: loss of appetite can provoke a desire to lose weight even more. As a result, the development of physical exhaustion, a deficiency of minerals and vitamins in the body is possible, which is unacceptable in the treatment of depressive and anxious conditions.
Apo-Fluoxetine and alcohol
Special instructions in the instructions for the drug relate to its compatibility with alcohol. When undergoing treatment, even small doses of alcohol should be discarded, since ethyl alcohol has a depressing effect and negates the result of therapy.
People who regularly abuse alcohol often suffer from depression. This fact is understandable: the nervous system and psyche are exposed to ethyl alcohol and its decay products, which cannot positively affect the state of health in general and mood in particular. The concomitant use of antidepressants against the background of regular alcohol abuse is meaningless. In addition, the risk of liver damage is great: it has to do double work, neutralizing the decay products of substances coming from outside.
The risk of developing serotonin syndrome
Serotonin syndrome is a special condition that occurs with an excess of hormones and neurotransmitters. The patient may experience a range of discomfort, in some cases a coma is possible.
In order to avoid the occurrence of serotonin syndrome when taking antidepressants, a combination of SSRIs with MAO inhibitors should be avoided. The minimum time interval between taking these drugs should be at least two weeks (if the first MAO inhibitors were taken) or five weeks if the antidepressants of the SSRI pharmacological group were the first to take the course.
Combination with other medicines
Preparations with fluoxetine in the composition are able to enhance the effect of hypoglycemic drugs. The same can be said about alcohol tinctures: as mentioned above, SSRIs are incompatible with ethyl alcohol in all its manifestations. Also, "Apo-Fluoxetine" enhances the action of "Diazepam", "Alprazolam."
When taken simultaneously with tricyclic antidepressants, SSRI drugs can increase their plasma concentration many times over. If there is a need for a combination of these drugs, the dosage of tricyclics should be reduced by at least half.
The use of antidepressant for weight loss
As mentioned above, many girls buy and use this antidepressant for weight loss. It is absolutely impossible to do this. Since January 1, 2018, the rules for dispensing in pharmacies of psychotropic drugs have been tightened. So now, even with a great desire, it is impossible to purchase "Apo-Fluoxetine" without a prescription to lose weight.
In terms of their effect on the brain, fluoxetine preparations are similar to sibutramine-based drugs - there are common links in the structural formula. Therefore, all drugs with these substances in the composition are able to affect those parts of the brain that are responsible for the occurrence of appetite - due to this, a decrease in appetite in the first weeks of admission is achieved.