Less serious fluoxetine side effects may include:
cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat; drowsiness, dizziness, feeling nervous; mild nausea, upset stomach, constipation; increased appetite, weight changes; sleep problems (insomnia); decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm; or dry mouth.
Serious side effects from using fluoxetine :
severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash; very stiff (rigid) muscles, high fever, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats, tremors, overactive reflexes; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, feeling unsteady, loss of coordination; or headache, trouble concentrating, memory problems, weakness, confusion, hallucinations, fainting, seizure, shallow breathing or breathing that stops.
Cautions and Warnings
IAvoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of fluoxetine. Fluoxetine can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert. Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by fluoxetine.
Possible Adverse Drug Effects
Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine for pain, arthritis, fever, or swelling. This includes aspirin and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), diclofenac (Voltaren), indomethacin, piroxicam (Feldene), nabumetone (Relafen), etodolac (Lodine), and others. Taking any of these drugs with fluoxetine may cause you to bruise or bleed easily.
Drug Interactions
Before taking fluoxetine, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following medicines:
alprazolam (Xanax); clozapine (Clozaril, Fazaclo); digitoxin (Crystodigin); flecainide (Tambocor); haloperidol (Haldol); seizure medication such as phenytoin (Dilantin) or carbamazepine (Tegretol); tryptophan (also called L-tryptophan); vinblastine (Velban); a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin); almotriptan (Axert), frovatriptan (Frova), sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), or zolmitriptan (Zomig); or any other antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), escitalopram (Lexapro), imipramine (Tofranil), sertraline (Zoloft), and others.
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with fluoxetine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
