Differences Between Luvox and Prozac

Luvox vs Prozac

We have been reading about and tackling several medical articles and medical online websites and it can be quite a challenge to segregate one from the other. This article aims to tackle another type of medication that is prescribed to individuals who are going through some mental challenges and issues. Two of these medications have popped up more than usual and are heard of more over others. These are Luvox and Prozac.

This article aims to describe each type of medication as much as possible. Hopefully, this would also help the reader in determining which type of medication that would be best to use for any condition that would be talked about in this article, or one that you may know about that would be relevant to Luvox and Prozac and the possible effects that would tackled here.

What is Luvox?

Luvox is properly known as ‘Fluvoxamine Maleate’. It is also classified as an SSRI, which stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. This medication has been approved by the FDA, or the Food and Drug Administration, to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, also called OCD.

OCD is a biological illness that is defined as an imbalance of a brain chemical. Luvox works as an SSRI antidepressant. What it does is it affects the chemicals in the brain that has a tendency to become ‘imbalanced’. When it is taken as continued medication, Luvox works to treat the following:

It is supposed help the O-C symptoms
It is supposed to help social anxiety disorder, or social phobia
It is supposed to treat depression
It is supposed to be effective to both elderly patients and young patients as well

What is Prozac?

Prozac, on the other hand, is properly known as ‘Fluoxetine’. It works as an antidepressant. It works by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter or a ‘chemical messenger’ to the brain. While serotonin is also a member of SSRI, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, family, Prozac is considered more of a drug that would help individuals in decreasing the urges of being depressed, anxious and being socially phobic. Many studies have shown that with constant use of Prozac, the individual who suffers from these illnesses, that is, depression, anxiety and even social phobia, would feel more confident and more energetic. This does not mean though, that anyone and everyone who would take this drug would experience the same thing. As always, the body and each individual body has its own way of absorbing any type of medication. What may work for one, may not work for another.

There are other medications similar to Prozac, like Zoloft, more formally known as ‘Sertraline’, and Paxil, which is more formally known as ‘Paroxetine’.

Based on the general information written for both medications, you would probably get the main thing that both medications work at treating a certain chemical in the brain that would contribute to an individual’s behavior.

SUMMARY:

Depression: based on studies made, both medications, Luvox and Prozac, were given the same rating in terms of treating individuals diagnosed with depression. These individuals took note of three factors that affected them the most:
withdrawal
sexual dysfunction
weight loss

For those who took Luvox, they commented about having more issues with sexual dysfunction. On the other hand, for those who took Prozac, commented that they experienced weight loss compared to those who took Luvox.

Other behavioral disorders have doctors prescribing either Prozac or Luvox. Depression is one of the more common behavioral disorders that would have any of these medication prescribed. There is also OCD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and panic attacks included in the list. It really is dependent on how the body reacts to either medication. Suffice it to say, it is important and imperative that you would have the prescription of your doctor before taking any of these pills … or any medication, for that matter.

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