What is the difference between prozac (fluoxetine) and celexa?

SSRI's: Hello. They both belong to a class of medications called selective serotonine drug reuptake inhibitors (ssri's). Prozac (fluoxetine) was the first of the class. Celexa has been introduced since then. They are quite similiar but can have differences in side effects from person to person.

Prozac (fluoxetine) was prototype: Prozac or fluoxetine was the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Later ssri's that were developed worked on other subtypes of the serotonin receptors in the brain and thus in theory had less side effects. Also they were metabolized differently by the liver. Therefore duration of action or interaction with other medications differed. An example would be different degree of sexual problems.

A couple of key ones: While both work for depression or anxiety in the same manner, i.e. By regulating the brain's serotonin neurotransmitter system, Prozac (fluoxetine) has the advantage of extremely low risk of withdrawal effects when discontinued abruptly, while Celexa has the advantage of minimal risk of interactions with other meds a patient might take.