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What is the Usual Dosage of Prozac®?

Dosages of Prozac® vary according to the type of disorder being treated and the individual patient response. Prozac® is used to treat major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, and panic disorder. As an example of the variation in dosage, the following is presented regarding major depressive disorder.

Daily Dosing

In adults with major depressive disorder, the usual starting dose is 20 mg in the morning. If, after several weeks, a noticeable clinical improvement is not achieved, the dose can be increased to 40 mg, or 60 mg a day. The dosage should not exceed 80 mg per day. Sometimes the dosage may be split between morning and noon doses.

In children and adolescents with major depressive disorder, short-term controlled clinical trials (between eight and nine weeks) showed starting doses were effective at 10 mg or 20 mg per day. In lower weight children, who usually should begin with a 10 mg dose a day, increasing the dose to 20 mg per day is recommended if no noticeable clinical improvement is observed.

It often takes as long as four weeks for the full effect to occur with this medication. In patients with acute episodes of major depressive disorder, the length of therapy might need to last several months or longer. Lower doses should be considered in the elderly.

Weekly Dosing

Sometimes adults with major depressive disorder take a once-a-week dose of Prozac® weekly for up to 25 weeks following 13 weeks of 20mg once-daily doses. Clinical studies have not established if giving Prozac® Weekly once a week is comparable to giving Prozac® 20 daily in terms of delaying how long it takes the patient to relapse.

For conditions other than major depressive disorder — that is obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, and panic disorder — dosages vary depending upon the disorder and the individual patient response.

Whatever the disorder, the physician prescribing Prozac® should keep regular appointments with the patient to observe the reaction to the medication.

High Dose of Prozac® and Side Effects

Symptoms of high doses or over doses include the following Prozac® side effects: nausea, vomiting, seizures and signs of central nervous system excitation. Fatality is extremely rare.

Prozac® and Pregnancy

Prozac® taken in the latter weeks of pregnancy can cause persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) and other heart birth defects. The most commonly seen birth defects occur in infants born to mothers who have taken Prozac® after the 24th week of pregnancy.

The lungs of newborns with PPHN have not fully developed and the blood doesn't oxygenate the body's organs and tissues as needed. The result can be life threatening. Heart defects also can occur in the babies of mothers taking Prozac®. Specifically, the septa or membranes between the chambers of the heart have defects leading to insufficient delivery of blood around the body.

For more information, or to speak with a legal professional about a birth defect you believe might be related to this drug, contact our Prozac® attorneys today.

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A new study involving juvenile and adult hamsters uncovered some clues as to why young children and teens may experience aggression and even suicidal thoughts when taking the popular antidepressant Prozac.

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"Parents Sue Online Pharmacy for Wrongful Death"

In one of the first lawsuits of its kind, parents David and Sheila McKay are suing an online pharmacy and physician for negligence and wrongful death after their 19-year-old son killed himself as a result of what they believed to be antidepressant drug...

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"Antidepressants May Pose Heightened Risk For Heart Patients"

A recent observational study found commonly used antidepressants like Prozac and Paxil may significantly increase the risk of death in patients with coronary artery disease.

Dr. Lana L. Watkins and her colleagues at Duke University evaluated s...

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