Maroa, IL
A 34-year-old female asked:
I've read conflicting information. does the fluorine in prozac (fluoxetine) break down into fluoride at all and if it does, how and what happens? thank you.
2 doctor answers • 13 doctors weighed in
Dr. Pamela Pappasanswered
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Prozac (fluoxetine) & Fluorine: Prozac (fluoxetine) does contain a fluorine moiety on its molecule. But the organic carbon-fluorine bond is very strong -- meaning it's very unlikely to break down into Fluoride atoms. Most historical cases of Fluoride toxicity have happened with insecticides & rodenticides that contain inorganic fluoride. It's not a good idea to swallow toothpaste either, because of inorganic fluoride.
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4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Horacio Capoteanswered
Specializes in Psychiatry
No: Prozac's generic name is fluoxetine which sounds a little like flourine. To my knowledge, Prozac does not contain flourine.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Pamela Pappas commented
Psychiatry 44 years experience
Prozac does contain a fluoride group on its molecule, but its bonds are very strong and do not break down like an inorganic bond would. Please see this link for a diagram of it: http://tinyurl.com/lhr9edj
Sep 16, 2013
A Verified Doctor commented
A US doctor answered Learn more
It has a trifluromethyl group -CF3 as part of its make-up
Sep 16, 2013
Dr. Pamela Pappas commented
Psychiatry 44 years experience
That's what I was trying to show by sharing the molecular diagram.
Sep 30, 2013
Last updated Dec 28, 2016
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