Prozac (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) :: Health Medicine Research Essays

fluoxetine hydrocholoride (Selective serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors form been approved for use in the treatment of a wide area of psychological disorders, including major depression, obsessional-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, alarm disorder, social phobia, post traumatic stress disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. They are also said to be effective in treating dysthymia and chronic depression. (Tollefson and Rosenbaum, 2001) The manufacturer of Prozac, Eli Lilly advertises that this drug is especial(a)ly effective in treating clinical depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, bulimia and panic disorder. The manufacturer argues that, While Prozac cannot be said to cure depression, it does help control symptoms of depression, allowing many people with depression to line up better and return to normal functioning. (Eli Lilly, www.prozac.com) The diminished side effects of Prozac and its overall effectiveness in treating de pression, OCD, bulimia and panic disorder has make it the drug of choice for over two decades. More than this, many psychiatrists have attributed to the drug some amazing turnative properties above and beyond that of just diminish the negative symptoms associated with depression. As one physician put it, Prozac seemed to gift social confidence to the habitually timid, to make the sensitive brash, to lend the retract the social skills of a salesman. (Kramer, Peter, D., p. xvii, 1993) Indeed, he argued that Prozac made patients better than well and actually served to transform personality. The transformative powers of the medicine went beyond treating illness to changing personality, it entered into our struggle to understand the self. (Kramer, Peter, D., p. xviii, 1993)Prozacs sycophancy for use for patients under the age of 18 has also been a particular selling point for Eli Lilly. As recently as summer 2004, NPR inform that the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that Prozac, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy, is highly effective for treating depression in teens. But the weigh also showed a small increase in harm-related behaviors, including suicide attempts, among teens on Prozac. (Baron, National Public Radio, 2004, www.npr.org) Other doctors have been more cautious approximately the behavioral change benefits of Prozac. They warn that Prozac has produced some very dependable side effects leading to several lawsuits against Eli Lilly. These side effects accommodate akathisia (a condition in which a person feels compelled to move about), permanent neurological damage, and suicidal obsession and acts of violence. (Null