Why Abusing Fluoxetine Is Bad For The Body

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders experienced by adults in the United States. In fact, an estimated 5.3%

of adults, that's an approximated 17.5 million American adults aged 18 and above, experience depression every year.

What is depression?
Depression is a common psychiatric disorder characterized by a pervasive low mood, a loss of interest in usually enjoyable

activities, and a decreased capability to experience pleasure and enjoyment. Depression can also be used to signify when a

person is feeling blue, but clinical depression differs from the mood as it already conflicts and significantly affects the

sufferer's personal and professional life.

Clinical depression is very much manageable and treatable. Medications such as fluoxetine have been used as an

anti-depressant. With the many available prescription drugs used to manage depression, fluoxetine remains to be one of the

more popular drugs of its kind. It ranks as the third most prescribed anti-depressant in the market with over 23.1 million

prescriptions filled. But sadly, it is also one of the most abused prescription medication in the market today.

There have been strong links that bind toxic levels of fluoxetine and EPS or extrapyramidal symptoms together. EPS is a set

of neurological side effects connected to antipsychotic medications. It can appear within the first few days or weeks of

using the medications, or it can manifest after long term use of anti-psychotic medications such as fluoxetine.

Studies show that a high dosage of fluoxetine can give its user different EPS side effects such as:

. Involuntary movements (tardive dyskinesia). These are involuntary movements most often affecting the mouth, lips and

tongue. For example, the patient may have facial tics, roll the tongue and lick the lips. Sometimes also the trunk or other

parts of the body are also affected.

. Tremors and rigidity (Parkinsonism). These are symptoms resembling those affecting people with Parkinson�s disease.

Aside from tremors and rigidity, the patient may also experience extreme slowness of movement. These symptoms usually appears

in the first few days and weeks of medication administration.

. Body restlessness (akathisia). It is a condition associated with the use of certain medications and characterized by

an internal sense of motor restlessness often described as an inability to resist the urge to move.

. Muscle contractions (acute dystonia). It is characterized by a spastic contraction of muscle groups. It most often

affects the neck, eyes and trunk. These involuntary muscle contractions, that occur very suddenly, are often painful to the

patient.
. Changing in breathing and heart rate (neuroleptic malignant syndrome). This syndrome includes diffuse muscle

rigidity, tremor, high fever, labile blood pressure, cognitive dysfunction, and autonomic disturbances.

Other EPS side effects also include: abnormal accommodation, abnormal gait, confusion, unresponsiveness, nervousness,

pulmonary dysfunction, vertigo, elevated blood pressure, impotence, movement disorder, and hypomania.

It is because of the potentially habit-forming qualities of fluoxetine, the FDA saw it fit that the medication be sold only

to those who can present a valid prescription notes. Due to the prevalence of fluoxetine abuse incidents and the many

different side effects that can come about when fluoxetine is misused, it is important that consumers follow their doctor's

dosing instructions religiously.