fluoxetine

IPA/fluːˈɒk.sə.tiːn/
IPA/fluːˈɑːk.sə.tiːn/

fluoxetine — noun

1. a medicine doctors prescribe to help people who feel very sad, worried, or fearf

1.nounC2
Definition

a medicine doctors prescribe to help people who feel very sad, worried, or fearful for long periods; it is part of a group of drugs called SSRIs and is often sold under the brand name Prozac.

Example

Dr. Tariro started Gabriela on a low dose of fluoxetine after weeks of crying spells.

start (someone) on + fluoxetine — initiating treatment

Many patients in the clinic take fluoxetine each morning to lift their mood and reduce anxiety.

take + fluoxetine for + symptom

Common collocations
  • prescribe fluoxetine
  • take fluoxetine
  • start (someone) on fluoxetine
  • taper fluoxetine
  • low/high dose of fluoxetine
  • respond to fluoxetine
Synonyms
  • Prozac

    the original brand name; widely recognised in everyday speech

  • SSRI

    the broader drug class fluoxetine belongs to; less specific

  • antidepressant

    a general category term; fluoxetine is one specific antidepressant

Grammar Patterns

prescribe + fluoxetine

take + fluoxetine for + condition

Usage Note

Uncountable; refers to the chemical compound, not individual pills. Use 'a dose of fluoxetine' or 'fluoxetine treatment' when a count is needed. Often introduced alongside the brand name Prozac for reader recognition.

Common Mistakes

The doctor gave me a fluoxetine.
The doctor gave me fluoxetine.
fluoxetine is uncountable; use 'a tablet of fluoxetine' or 'a dose of fluoxetine' if you need a count.
I took fluoxetine and felt better the next day.
I took fluoxetine and felt better after several weeks.
SSRIs like fluoxetine usually need 4-6 weeks to work.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four terms sit at different layers of specificity. 'Antidepressant' is the broadest umbrella — any medicine used to treat depression, including older classes like tricyclics. 'SSRI' (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) names a sub-class that works by raising serotonin levels in the brain; fluoxetine is one member, but so are sertraline and citalopram. 'Fluoxetine' is the specific chemical compound used in research papers, prescriptions, and pharmacy labels. 'Prozac' is the original brand name and the term most patients recognise in daily conversation. In a magazine article you might write 'a doctor prescribed Prozac', but in a medical chart the same medication appears as 'fluoxetine 20 mg'.

fluoxetine ↗Prozac ↗SSRI ↗antidepressant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • fluoxetine treatment
  • fluoxetine dose
  • fluoxetine tablet

Phrases

  • start someone on fluoxetine
  • respond to fluoxetine
  • switch from fluoxetine

Prepositions

  • on fluoxetine
  • with fluoxetine

Etymology

Latinscientific LatinEnglish

Coined in the 1970s by chemists at Eli Lilly who developed the compound. The name combines 'fluoro-' (signaling the three fluorine atoms in its structure, from Latin 'fluere' meaning to flow) with '-xetine', an ending shared by several SSRIs such as paroxetine. The drug was first approved for use in the United States in 1987 under the brand name Prozac.