Prozac and its Effects

Prozac is prescribed for a number of conditions including depression, but all patients report noticing that their lives run smoother and difficult events are easier to deal with. These people appreciate the effect that Prozac has had on their lives and many credit it with turning their lives around. There are few side effects, and of these many disappear within the first few weeks of treatment. Because of this, Prozac is more easily tolerated than other antidepressants, and patients are more likely to stick with their medication regimen.

Depression affects 5% of children aged five to twelve, 10% of adolescents, and 10% of adults (Crowley, 1997, 93). It has been determined that many affective disorders, of which depression is one, have a biochemical basis within the neuronal pathways in the limbic region of the brain (Bihm & Wilson, 1996, 50). The most likely cause of these mood disorders is linked to the stimulation of neuron release by neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and serotonin. Prevailing theories suggest that either the defect lies in the availability of norepinephrine or serotonin or within some abnormality in neurotransmitter receptor function (Bihm & Wilson, 1996, 50).

The neurotransmitter is released from one neuron, travels across the synaptic cleft, and is taken up by the receptors on the second neur

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the available research and statistics is the testimony of the Prozac users themselves who run the gamut from the very young to the very devout. Unfortunately, children are not immune from depression. When prescribed Prozac, many of these sad children experience an uplifting change in their mood. One young boy named Andrew fell into a depression at the age of seven. When trips to amusement parks failed to cheer him and he began to speak of suicide, his worried parents brought him to a doctor who enrolled him in a Prozac study. It made him feel immensely better and four years later, he discovered he no longer needed it. Now, as a six-foot-tall ninth grader with clear goals, he describes himself as one of the happiest people he knows (Crowley, 1997, 73). Another such story lies with a young boy named Buddy. Always a happy child, he developed frequent headaches, hypersensitivity to criticism, and a loss of interest in friends, hobbies, and school at the age of six. After an unsuccessful attempt to hang himself one year later, he was put on antidepressants. His curiosity, humor, and life have been returned to him. His parents credit the drug with saving his life (Crowley, 1997, 74). But children are not the only ones ben
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Approximate Word count = 1280
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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