Depression Support Group

i guess i always thought they were the same. i've been on prozac and/or fluoxetine for 13 years. hmmm....never even thought that the non-generic form would work better....hmmmm

call me stupid but i thought prozac and flouxetine were the same thing :s

know, I thought it was the same thing too but when I was at my worst I read lots of stuff on the web about people saying they had switched to Fluoxtine from Prozac because of cost and it didn't feel the same. Then I remembered how good I felt when I first took Prozac. My depression has got worse each episode so it may be that was the reason why it didn't work as well?

Maybe it is all in my head. My usual sense has gone right out the window since I became ill this time.

Just looked on another forum and there were loads of people saying that there is a difference. They say that the drugs are both made by Eli Lilly only one is cheaper but they both have the same componants.
Why would they call them different things if they are both the same? I don't get it?

Anyways i'll give the brand name a try and see if it's any different. If it works like it did in 1999 I'm staying on it.

good luck :D!

I'VE NEVER TAKEN PROZAC, JUST THE OTHER ONE. I CAN'T AFFORD MEDICATION UNLESS IT'S GENERIC. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

I always get the brand name my psych always told me there is a slight difference in the name and no name brands.

I read a report from a Psychiatrist saying they noticed people go downhill rapidly from taking 20mg of Prozac brand to 20mg Fluoxetine. It said that in many cases but not all they needed to prescribe 3 times the amount of of Fluoxetine to Prozac.

I've been treated with both and I definately noticed a difference. It could be connected to the filler that they put in with Fluoxetine Hydrochloride. Some people even notice a difference if they take Fluoxetine from different brands.

I don't know if it's the same for everybody but I am so aware of any change within my body and mind. I'm tuned into it. I'm not saying that this will work better for everyone as we all know what works for one won't work for others.

When I had brand Prozac years ago it changed my life. Sounds extreme but I loved it. The next time I needed AD's they gave me Fluoxetine and it took five months to have any impact but it was just more of a calming down impact. I never felt like i reached a normal level of happiness. Thats why I decided to look into it and what I found was enough for me to ask my doc for brand instead of generic. Luckily my doc is lovely and she said lets try it and see, even though she acknowledged that she isn't aware of any difference she said that she has never taken them so it's up to me and she'd be interested to find out if there is a change.

Anyway, at this point because of my experience with it I believe that the Pozac is going to work. That's enough for me, and if they do work I'm staying on them for as long as they work.

I'll let you know if there is any improvement or if I'm eating my words in a few weeks time. I don't mind admitting if I'm wrong! lol!

A British professor did an experiment. She gave a group Ibuprofen and asked how it worked. It was a bit rubbish. Then she gave the same group shiney-packaged Neurofen, which is the same drug but nicely packaged. Neurofen worked much better.

Neevr underestimate the power of placebo! The British National Formulary states that Fluoxetine and Prozac are identical in their make up.

Could it be the generic meds you're taking are dodgey?

What do you mean dodgy?

They were prescribed by my GP and given to me by a reputable pharmacy.

Anyway, if it is in my head I don't care because I'm feeling really well after 3 days of switching to brand. Thats all that matters to me! :)